Frailty Identification and Management by Dietitians: A Qualitative Study

Frost, R ORCID: 0000-0003-3523-0052, Bavishi, P, Kim, N, Mama, N and Slee, A (2026) Frailty Identification and Management by Dietitians: A Qualitative Study. Clinical nutrition ESPEN, 72. ISSN 2405-4577

Preview

Text Frailty Identification and Management by Dietitians- A Qualitative Study.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (739kB) | Preview

Abstract

Background and aims
Frailty is common in later life and chronic conditions. It is associated with reduced quality of life, and increased disability and mortality. The large overlap with malnutrition means that dietitians can play a key role in frailty identification and management, however, few studies have explored their experiences of this. We aimed to explore the perceptions of dietitians on the identification and management of frailty in older people.

Methods
We carried out virtual interviews and focus groups with 13 United Kingdom registered dietitians working with older people in a range of acute and community settings. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results
Dietitians felt they had an important role in managing the nutritional aspects of frailty and were confident in this. They reported a need to engage and educate patients and carers to overcome misconceptions about later life nutrition and weight loss. Dietitians were often part of a multidisciplinary team, which was considered a holistic approach that facilitated interprofessional learning. However, they reported that other healthcare professionals had variable understanding of their frailty role. Dietitians were unsure regarding their role in frailty identification and lacked confidence and experience in using assessment tools. They felt there were few formal frailty training opportunities available and that they needed to actively seek these out.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Ageing; Dietetics; Frailty; Nutrition; Qualitative research; 32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences; 3202 Clinical Sciences; 3210 Nutrition and Dietetics; Aging; Nutrition; 7.1 Individual care needs; 2 Zero Hunger; 3202 Clinical sciences; 3210 Nutrition and dietetics
Subjects:	R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Divisions:	Public and Allied Health
Publisher:	Elsevier BV
Date of acceptance:	19 January 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	18 February 2026
Date Deposited:	18 Feb 2026 16:12
Last Modified:	18 Feb 2026 16:12
DOI or ID number:	10.1016/j.clnesp.2026.102942
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28123

View Item