Frailty screening should be nursing business: Planning care, not just predicting outcomes

As the surgical population ages, perioperative nurses are increasingly caring for older adults with complex needs. Among this group, the presence of frailty is common, yet it is often not formally identified. While many nurses recognise frailty intuitively, it may not consistently shape clinical decision-making, and opportunities to address its social, psychological, emotional and environmental dimensions are frequently missed. This matters because frailty significantly increases the risk of complications, functional decline and delayed recovery. While perioperative care is often focused on technical procedures and short-term recovery goals, frailty introduces a need for a broader, more holistic approach to nursing assessment and planning. Recognising and responding to frailty is not just a matter of predicting poor outcomes – it is central to improving them.