450 Educational Programmes for Frail Older People, Their Families, Carers, and Health-Care Professionals: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Introduction With an ever-increasing, ageing population, there is inevitable increase in people living with frailty with a growing demand on the NHS in the UK. Healthcare policy emphasises holistic care and a multimorbid approach to meet these needs. Frailty is seen as a measurable, complex, fluid and variable state affected by a balance of resilience versus vulnerability across domains which impact on quality of life. The FCCF positions frailty as a LTC and suggests that a holistic and person-centred approach to education is required for people living with frailty, their families, carers and health care professionals. This is a systematic review of research studies providing educational programmes or initiatives to these groups and addresses whether the content and application will compliment and support the facilitation of the FCCF. Methods Following standardised methods and guidelines, electronic databases were searched. Two reviewers were involved in the research collection process, applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Quality appraisal tools were used to ensure robust quality assessment and then the findings were narratively synthesised. Results There was real heterogeneity of study design with variable quality according to the tools used. There was a paucity of high-quality evidence; (2 = high quality, 3 = low quality, 5 = medium quality). There were four thematic domains prominent from the synthesis: 1) Health Promotion (namely exercise and nutrition), 2) Empowerment, 3) Self-care, 4) Online platform delivery. Conclusion It is evident that educational programmes and initiatives are vital for the prevention and management of frailty. To be truly effective, such programmes must include a combination of health promotion, empowerment and self-care and be accessible to all target populations. Further work is needed to look at effective, accessible, sustainable delivery systems, including that of online digital platforms.