‘Focus on Frailty’: Co-Designing Digital Frailty Education with Healthcare Students

Kristiana Ludlow,1,2 Sarah Martin,1,2 Benignus Logan,1,2 Ruth E Hubbard,1– 3 Nicola Warren,2,4,5 Olivia Gallagher,6,7 Bonnie K Kwok,1,8 Rosemary Saunders2,9 1Centre for Health Services Research, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia; 2Australian Frailty Network, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia; 3Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia; 4Medical School, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia; 5Metro South Addiction and Mental Health Services, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia; 6Nursing & Midwifery Research Unit, South Metropolitan Health Service, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia; 7The School of Allied Health, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia; 8Department of Geriatric Medicine at Ipswich Hospital, Ipswich, Queensland, Australia; 9Centre for Research in Aged Care, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia, AustraliaCorrespondence: Kristiana Ludlow, Centre for Health Services Research, The University of Queensland, 34 Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia, Email [email protected]: Frailty is prevalent in hospitals and is associated with adverse events and poor health outcomes. In Australia, there is a need for co-designed, multidisciplinary, and contextually relevant frailty education to improve healthcare students’ understanding and knowledge of frailty within the hospital setting.Objective: This study aimed to i) explore healthcare students’ understanding of frailty and their experiences with patients who are frail, and ii) seek healthcare students’ design ideas for the content of a new digital frailty education course.Methods: Participants were university students enrolled in a health-related degree. Online focus groups and interviews were conducted between August and September 2023. Participants were asked about their experiences with frailty education, older adults and people living with frailty; course content; education module topics; and the course name. Participants also completed a demographic questionnaire and a Research Engagement Feedback Survey. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze quantitative data. Qualitative data were analyzed using inductive template analysis, a type of codebook thematic analysis.Results: Four themes were identified: 1) Perception of frailty as loss and decline; 2) Limited education on frailty; 3) Frailty education connected to the reality of practice; and 4) Learning and practicing person-centered care. Module topics prioritized by students were ‘identifying and assessing frailty’ and ‘understanding ageing, frailty, and geriatric conditions’. Participants advocated for a course name that was catchy and succinct, informing the course name: ‘Focus on Frailty’.Discussion: Healthcare students expressed a desire to learn more about frailty and advocated for education that is skills-based, encourages practical application of knowledge, features storytelling and lived experiences, takes a holistic approach to frailty, and teaches person-centered care. Study findings will directly influence the design of education module topics and course content, and enhance Focus on Frailty’s relevance to the Australian healthcare context across medicine, nursing and allied health practice.Keywords: co-design, eLearning, geriatrics, interprofessional, multidisciplinary, needs analysis