Effect of nursing interventions on the physical performance self-efficacy among community dwelling older adults in the pre-frail stage

Abstract EN

Background: Prefrailty prevalence increases with age, and can lead to negative healthcare outcomes.

Prefrailty prevention and management are very important actions to prolong independence in older adults.

Self-efficacy is one of the psychological factors that are the most reliable predictors of older adults' initiation and uptake of physical activity.

Gerontological nurses play a crucial role in the early identification of older adults with pre-frailty and tailoring preventive and rehabilitative multicomponent exercise interventions which are considered a key factor in decreasing, preventing, or even reverse decline associated with prefrailty.

Aim of the study: To determine the effect of nursing intervention on the physical performance self-efficacy among community dwelling older adults in the pre-frail stage.

Settings: El-Waffa club for older adults which affiliated to the Ministry of Social Solidarity, in Alexandria, Egypt.

Subjects: Forty pre-frail community dwelling older adults were included in this study.

Tools: Six tools were used to collect data ; Frailty Index for Elders, Short Physical Performance Battery, Socio-demographic and Clinical Data of Community-dwelling Elders, Barthel Index, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, and Exercise Self-efficacy Scale.

Results: statistically significant differences were found in the studied older adults’ pre-frailty status, physical performance, and their self-efficacy after the implementation of the study intervention as (P= 0.000 for all of these variables).

Conclusion: physical performance selfefficacy and prefrailty status of all studied pre-frail community dwelling older adults improved after the implementation of the multicomponent exercise program.

Recommendations: Prefrailty screening should be performed for all community dwelling older adults.

The multicomponent exercise program can be safely and effectively incorporated into standard nursing practice in caring for pre-frail community dwelling older adults