Introduction: Frailty is a syndrome of diminished reserve arising from multiple underlying impairments and disabilities. Frailty management is complex because the aetiology and severity of underlying causes varies between individuals and can result in serious consequences for patients including injurious falls and unplanned hospital admissions. A multidimensional, multidisciplinary model of care, including Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA), completed by Geriatricians and allied health professionals is recommended. CGA increases the likelihood of older people remaining alive and in their own homes, however its time-consuming nature may be a barrier to complete in a single Emergency Department (ED) visit. Improved outcomes have been achieved through frailty screening using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), but this is not part of routine care in our hospital.
Aim: To investigate whether introduction of the CFS to ED allied health usual care improves frailty identification and management.

Methods: A retrospective patient medical records audit (n=76) was completed at an adult tertiary hospital ED.

Results: Seventy-six patient files were reviewed including 38 before and after implementation of the CFS. Frailty identification increased from 3% (n=1) to 79% (n=30) (p <0.001) and referrals to Geriatrician clinics increased from 13% (n=5) to 34% (n=13) (p=0.04). Furthermore, there was also an increase in the mean number of frailty domains assessed (from 10.8 to 12.3, p=0.002) and impairments identified (from 2.8 to 4.4, p=0.02).

Conclusion: Frailty screening by allied health professionals was feasible and improved the quality of care for older ED patients.