Chang Shu-Fang, Yang Rong-Sen, Nieh Hwa-Ming, Wen Gi-Mi
Department of Nursing, College of Nursing, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan.
Department of Orthopaedics, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Int J Nurs Pract. 2015 Jun;21(3):321-7. doi: 10.1111/ijn.12280. Epub 2014 Apr 8.
The World Health Organization has defined elderly individuals living independently as an 'at risk' group. This vulnerable population thus faces a disproportionate amount of frailty, disabilities and/or death. In this study, the total number of participants was 276, with 13 incomplete responses, resulting in 263 valid questionnaires. Frailty status of the subjects (n = 263) was evaluated according to the frailty criteria of osteoporotic fractures study. Overall, 35% of the study participants were frail, 19.8% were pre-frail and 45.2% were non-frail. Additionally, compared with non-frail, solitary elderly individuals with basic activities of daily living limitation or heart failure more easily became pre-frail. The research demonstrates a high prevalence of frailty in urban Taiwanese solitary elderly individuals. Pre-frailty and frailty significantly impacts health, owing to their strong association with cardiovascular disease, disability and fracture. Results of this study could provide a valuable reference material for health-care providers and potentially facilitate an important foundation for the planning of nursing interventions care.
世界卫生组织已将独立生活的老年人定义为“高危”群体。因此，这一弱势群体面临着不成比例的身体虚弱、残疾和/或死亡风险。在本研究中，参与者总数为276人，有13份问卷回答不完整，最终得到263份有效问卷。根据骨质疏松性骨折研究的衰弱标准对研究对象（n = 263）的衰弱状况进行评估。总体而言，35%的研究参与者为衰弱状态，19.8%为衰弱前期，45.2%为非衰弱状态。此外，与非衰弱老年人相比，日常生活基本活动受限或患有心力衰竭的独居老年人更容易进入衰弱前期。该研究表明台湾城市独居老年人中衰弱的患病率很高。衰弱前期和衰弱状态由于与心血管疾病、残疾和骨折密切相关，对健康有显著影响。本研究结果可为医疗保健提供者提供有价值的参考资料，并可能为护理干预计划奠定重要基础。
