Survey responses summary
| Survey statements | Agree, n (%) | Disagree, n (%) | Not sure, n (%) | No response, n (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Personal understanding of ‘frailty’ | ||||
| a) I fully understand the meaning of the clinical term ‘frailty’ | 209 (52.0) | 76 (18.9) | 110 (27.4) | 7 (1.7) |
| b) I use the term ‘frailty’ in my clinical practice, but am uncertain of its definition | 147 (36.6) | 220 (54.7) | 20 (5.0) | 15 (3.7) |
| c) I am unsure what ‘frailty’ means | 98 (24.4) | 243 (60.4) | 42 (10.4) | 19 (4.7) |
| 2. Identification of frailty | ||||
| a) As part of my training, I have been taught how to identify frailty | 128 (31.8) | 226 (56.2) | 26 (6.5) | 22 (5.5) |
| b) I feel confident identifying frailty | 213 (53.0) | 99 (24.6) | 66 (16.4) | 24 (6.0) |
| c) I frequently describe patients as frail | 204 (50.7) | 155 (38.6) | 19 (4.7) | 24 (6.0) |
| d) I rely on clinical judgement to identify frailty | 292 (72.6) | 63 (15.7) | 23 (5.7) | 24 (6.0) |
| e) I use frailty assessment tools to identify frailty | 98 (24.4) | 257 (63.9) | 22 (5.5) | 25 (6.2) |
| f) The presence/absence of frailty affects my clinical decision making | 318 (79.1) | 28 (7.0) | 31 (7.7) | 25 (6.2) |
| 3. Assessments for frailty: | ||||
| a) Are best done in the community | 160 (39.8) | 100 (24.9) | 106 (26.4) | 36 (9.0) |
| b) Should be undertaken for all older people admitted to hospital | 298 (74.1) | 27 (6.7) | 41 (10.2) | 36 (9.0) |
| c) In hospital: should be the responsibility of geriatricians only | 25 (6.2) | 312 (77.6) | 31 (7.7) | 34 (8.5) |
| d) In hospital: should be the responsibility of all clinicians | 316 (78.6) | 27 (6.7) | 26 (6.5) | 33 (8.2) |
| e) In hospital: should be the responsibility of nursing staff | 255 (63.4) | 60 (14.9) | 50 (12.4) | 37 (9.2) |
| f) In hospital: should be the responsibility of therapy staff e.g. physiotherapy, occupational therapy | 270 (67.2) | 45 (11.2) | 51 (12.7) | 36 (9.0) |
| g) It is currently feasible to assess all older people admitted to hospital for frailty | 144 (35.8) | 122 (30.3) | 102 (25.4) | 34 (25.4) |
| 4. Management of frailty | ||||
| a) All hospital inpatients identified as frail should be reviewed by a geriatrician | 176 (43.8) | 115 (28.6) | 72 (17.9) | 39 (9.7) |
| b) It is feasible for all inpatients identified as frail to be reviewed by a geriatrician | 47 (11.7) | 219 (54.5) | 96 (23.9) | 40 (10.0) |
| c) Inpatients identified as frail are best managed on dedicated frailty units | 157 (39.1) | 101 (25.1) | 102 (25.4) | 42 (10.4) |
| d) Inpatients identified as frail are best managed by geriatricians | 203 (50.5) | 77 (19.2) | 80 (19.9) | 42 (10.4) |
| 5. Education | ||||
| I would like more teaching on the identification and management of frailty | 273 (67.9) | 53 (13.2) | 39 (9.7) | 37 (9.2) |