Self-Reported Frailty and Health Care Utilization in Community-Dwelling Middle-Aged and Older Adults in the United States

Frailty, a dynamic state, is a consequence of cumulative deficits in multiple physiological systems accompanied by an increased vulnerability to stressor events.1 The aging of the population has increased the prevalence of frailty substantially, especially among the costliest patients2; however, the current health care response to frailty is mainly reactive and acute care–based. Some have proposed primary care approaches to frailty management in community settings.3 Although frailty occurs more often in the older population, it can occur at any time in a person’s life.