Background Frailty is a treatable trait of relevance to people with various chronic respiratory diseases, especially those with severe COPD and/or lung transplantation. This has been recognised in the 2024 GOLD (Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease) report and within recent European Respiratory Society guidelines. Central to optimisation of frailty management in those with chronic respiratory conditions is the identification of frail patients in the respiratory OPD (outpatients department) setting. This study aims to assess the prevalence of frailty among patients attending the respiratory OPD in our hospital. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted over two respiratory clinics over a two-week period. Patients aged 65 and above were screened for frailty using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). A CFS score was assigned to each patient by an assessing NCHD/consultant on the respiratory team. Statistical analysis was then performed to determine the prevalence of frailty amongst such patients. Frailty was defined as those having a CFS score of >5. Results A total of 25 patients were included in the study. Frailty (CFS score of >5) was identified in 56% of patients assessed, with 12% of patients being identified as having a CFS score of 7 (severely frail) or higher. Frailty had not previously been diagnosed by the respiratory team in those patients. Conclusion This study highlights a high prevalence of frailty among patients aged 65 or over in the respiratory OPD. Implementing systematic frailty screening in the respiratory OPD using the CFS can improve early identification of such patients, potentially enhancing management and clinical outcomes. The CFS is a quick and effective tool in identifying frailty. Integrating frailty assessments into routine clinical practice may help to ensure comprehensive care for this vulnerable population. We are currently looking at options for referral pathways to develop to improve management of frailty in this population.

中文翻译：

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优化慢性呼吸系统疾病患者的治疗结果：检测呼吸系统 OPD 的脆弱性


背景虚弱是与患有各种慢性呼吸道疾病的人相关的可治疗特征，尤其是那些患有严重慢性阻塞性肺病和/或肺移植的人。 2024 年 GOLD（慢性阻塞性肺病全球倡议）报告和最近的欧洲呼吸学会指南已认识到这一点。优化慢性呼吸系统疾病患者虚弱管理的核心是在呼吸科 OPD（门诊部）环境中识别虚弱患者。本研究旨在评估在我们医院接受呼吸 OPD 治疗的患者中虚弱的患病率。方法 在两周内对两个呼吸诊所进行了横断面研究。使用临床衰弱量表（CFS）对 65 岁及以上的患者进行衰弱筛查。由呼吸团队的 NCHD 评估顾问/顾问为每位患者分配 CFS 评分。然后进行统计分析以确定此类患者虚弱的患病率。虚弱被定义为 CFS 评分为 >5 的人。结果共有25名患者纳入研究。 56% 的受评估患者出现虚弱（CFS 评分为 >5），其中 12% 的患者 CFS 评分为 7（严重虚弱）或更高。呼吸团队此前并未诊断出这些患者的虚弱症状。结论 这项研究强调了 65 岁或以上呼吸 OPD 患者虚弱的患病率较高。使用 CFS 对呼吸系统 OPD 实施系统性衰弱筛查可以改善此类患者的早期识别，从而有可能改善管理和临床结果。 CFS 是识别虚弱的快速有效的工具。 将衰弱评估纳入常规临床实践可能有助于确保对这一弱势群体的全面护理。我们目前正在寻找转诊途径的选择，以改善该人群的衰弱管理。