Developing a Frailty Care Pathway for Older Adults in Long-Term Care: A Modified Delphi Process.

OBJECTIVE

We developed a clinical care pathway for the detection and management of frailty for older adults living in long-term care (LTC) homes.

METHODS

We utilized a modified Delphi with residents of LTC homes experiencing frailty, their caregivers, and care providers. The pathway was created using existing literature and input from key LTC experts.

FINDINGS: Fifty-two panelists completed round one of the Delphi, and 55.8% of these respondents completed round two. Both rounds had high agreement and ratings. We added six new statements following analysis of round two, and 15 statements were modified/updated to reflect panelist feedback. The final pathway included 28 statements and promotes a resident-centered approach that highlights caregiver involvement and inter-professional teamwork to identify and manage frailty, as well as initiate palliative care earlier.

CONCLUSION

Implementing this pathway will allow health care providers to adopt screening measures and adapt care to a resident's frailty severity.