Frailty identification and management among Brazilian healthcare professionals: a survey

Abstract Background National and international guidelines on frailty assessment and management recommend frailty screening in older people. This study aimed to determine how Brazilian healthcare professionals (HCPs) identify and manage frailty in practice. Methods An anonymous online survey on the assessment and management of frailty was circulated virtually through HCPs across Brazil. Results Most of the respondants used non-specific criteria such as gait speed (45%), handgrip strength (37.6%), and comprehensive geriatric assessment (33.2%). The use of frailty-specific criteria was lower than 50%. The most frequently used criteria were the Frailty Index (19.1%), Frailty Phenotype (13.2%), and FRAIL (12.5%). Only 43.5% felt confident, and 40% had a plan to manage frailty. In the multivariate-adjusted models, training was the most crucial factor associated with assessing frailty, confidence, and having a management plan (p