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Mapping the evolution of the relationship between frailty and healthcare utilisation among older adults in the scientific literature

  • Sara Rebottini
  • Giulia Cavrini
  • Agostino Stavolo

The global population is undergoing a demographic shift in its age structure, generating significant challenges, particularly for healthcare systems. Older adults face a higher risk of disease, resulting in greater demand for services. In this context, attention is directed to frail individuals, as frailty is a key condition associated with adverse health outcomes. To identify gaps in research, it is crucial to explore the evolution of the literature on frailty in healthcare. A query was formulated to conduct a bibliometric analysis, utilising the bibliometrix package in R. This analysis identified 772 articles from the Web of Science databases published until 31 December 2024. A growing interest in the subject was revealed by the analysis, with a significant increase in publications since 2018 and an annual growth rate of 15.4%. The annual scientific production shows three phases: 1992-2009, 2010-2018, and 2019-2024. The initial phase is characterised by a period of stability, with few publications and the formulation of initial definitions of frailty. The terms “nursing home admission” and “case management” reflect an organisational and clinical approach, supported by randomised studies. The second period sees a slight increase in publications, with multidisciplinary terms (comprehensive geriatric assessment, multimorbidity, polypharmacy, delirium) denoting a transition towards the inclusion of concomitant conditions and analyses of quality of life and cost-effectiveness. The third period includes topics related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the prediction of frailty and the impact of social aspects. The thematic evolution of the keywords in the documents highlights the shift from epidemiological and organisational aspects to a multidimensional and multidisciplinary approach. There is an increasing emphasis on the importance of frailty in healthcare planning and the development of specific interventions, as it is becoming increasingly important for understanding inequalities in access to healthcare services.

  • Keywords:
  • Health literacy,
  • Blood donation,
  • University students,
  • Caregivers,
  • Public health,
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Sara Rebottini

University of Florence, Italy

Giulia Cavrini

Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0002-9084-3081

Agostino Stavolo

University of Naples Federico II, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0001-5890-2195

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  • Anno di pubblicazione: 2026
  • Pagine: 345-350

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  • Anno di pubblicazione: 2026

Informazioni sul capitolo

Titolo del capitolo

Mapping the evolution of the relationship between frailty and healthcare utilisation among older adults in the scientific literature

Autori

Sara Rebottini, Giulia Cavrini, Agostino Stavolo

Lingua

Inglese

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-1062-1.60

Opera sottoposta a peer review

Anno di pubblicazione

2026

Copyright

© 2026 Author(s)

Licenza d'uso

CC BY 4.0

Licenza dei metadati

CC0 1.0

Informazioni bibliografiche

Titolo del libro

Data, Statistics and AI for Well-Being of People and Organisations

Curatori

Luigi Fabbris, Alberto Franci, Pietro Renzi

Opera sottoposta a peer review

Numero di pagine

420

Anno di pubblicazione

2026

Copyright

© 2026 Author(s)

Licenza d'uso

CC BY 4.0

Licenza dei metadati

CC0 1.0

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Firenze University Press

DOI

10.36253/979-12-215-1062-1

ISBN Print

979-12-215-1061-4

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979-12-215-1062-1

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979-12-215-1063-8

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Applied Statistics Series

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