Frailty of Health Care Systems

Abstract

Frailty is a state of vulnerability to stressors which has long been a focus of Geriatric Medicine, and is gaining acceptance in other fields. The notion of frailty considers individuals, but many similarities exist between individuals and health care systems (HCS). We have drawn parallels between frail individuals and frail health care systems. We have adapted a commonly used measure of frailty—the “Frailty Phenotype”, to measure HCS which are vulnerable to acute and chronic stresses. Finally, we note the “double jeopardy” of frail older adults within frail HCS. Ensuring that HCS remain robust and unlikely to fail should be a priority for health-care policy makers.