Frailty screening should be nursing business: Planning care, not just predicting outcomes

As the surgical population ages, perioperative nurses are increasingly caring for older adults with complex needs. Among this group, the presence of frailty is common, yet it is often not formally identified. While many nurses recognise frailty intuitively, it may not consistently shape clinical...

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Main Author: Andrea Taylor
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Australian College of Perioperative Nurses 2025-08-01
Series:Journal of Perioperative Nursing
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journal.acorn.org.au/index.php/jpn/article/view/338
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author Andrea Taylor
author_facet Andrea Taylor
author_sort Andrea Taylor
collection DOAJ
description As the surgical population ages, perioperative nurses are increasingly caring for older adults with complex needs. Among this group, the presence of frailty is common, yet it is often not formally identified. While many nurses recognise frailty intuitively, it may not consistently shape clinical decision-making, and opportunities to address its social, psychological, emotional and environmental dimensions are frequently missed. This matters because frailty significantly increases the risk of complications, functional decline and delayed recovery. While perioperative care is often focused on technical procedures and short-term recovery goals, frailty introduces a need for a broader, more holistic approach to nursing assessment and planning. Recognising and responding to frailty is not just a matter of predicting poor outcomes – it is central to improving them.
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spelling doaj-art-daf4fc62df0e4f0d8590de1cd347747f2025-08-20T02:56:39ZengAustralian College of Perioperative NursesJournal of Perioperative Nursing2209-10842209-10922025-08-0138310.26550/2209-1092.1388Frailty screening should be nursing business: Planning care, not just predicting outcomesAndrea Taylor0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5635-1414Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital and Queensland University of Technology As the surgical population ages, perioperative nurses are increasingly caring for older adults with complex needs. Among this group, the presence of frailty is common, yet it is often not formally identified. While many nurses recognise frailty intuitively, it may not consistently shape clinical decision-making, and opportunities to address its social, psychological, emotional and environmental dimensions are frequently missed. This matters because frailty significantly increases the risk of complications, functional decline and delayed recovery. While perioperative care is often focused on technical procedures and short-term recovery goals, frailty introduces a need for a broader, more holistic approach to nursing assessment and planning. Recognising and responding to frailty is not just a matter of predicting poor outcomes – it is central to improving them. https://journal.acorn.org.au/index.php/jpn/article/view/338FrailtyFrailty screening toolsOlder adultperioperative nursing
spellingShingle Andrea Taylor
Frailty screening should be nursing business: Planning care, not just predicting outcomes
Journal of Perioperative Nursing
Frailty
Frailty screening tools
Older adult
perioperative nursing
title Frailty screening should be nursing business: Planning care, not just predicting outcomes
title_full Frailty screening should be nursing business: Planning care, not just predicting outcomes
title_fullStr Frailty screening should be nursing business: Planning care, not just predicting outcomes
title_full_unstemmed Frailty screening should be nursing business: Planning care, not just predicting outcomes
title_short Frailty screening should be nursing business: Planning care, not just predicting outcomes
title_sort frailty screening should be nursing business planning care not just predicting outcomes
topic Frailty
Frailty screening tools
Older adult
perioperative nursing
url https://journal.acorn.org.au/index.php/jpn/article/view/338
work_keys_str_mv AT andreataylor frailtyscreeningshouldbenursingbusinessplanningcarenotjustpredictingoutcomes