Measuring the effects of a nurse-led intervention on frailty status of older people living in the community in Ethiopia : a protocol for a quasi-experimental study

Background The recent recognition of the multidimensional features of frailty has emphasised the need for individualised multicomponent interventions. In the context of sub-Saharan Africa, few studies have examined: a) the frailty status of the older population; b) the level of frailty and its health implications and; c) the impact of a nurse-led intervention to reduce frailty. Objectives This study aims to design, implement, and evaluate a nurse-led intervention to reduce frailty and associated health consequences among older people living in Ethiopia. Methods The study will be conducted on 68 older persons using a pre-, post-, and follow-up single-group quasi-experimental design. Residents of Ethiopia, ≥60 years and living in the community will be invited to participate in a 24-week program designed to decrease frailty and associated health consequences. Data will be collected at three-time points: baseline, immediately after the intervention, and 12 weeks post-intervention. To determine the effect of the intervention, changes in frailty, nutritional status, activities of daily living, depression and quality of life scores will be measured. To measure the effect of a nurse-led intervention on the level of frailty among older people a generalised linear model (GLM) using repeated measures ANOVA will be used. Statistical significances will be set at p-values < 0.05. Discussion The results of this study will determine the impact of a nurse-led intervention to reduce frailty amongst community-dwelling older people living in Ethiopia. The results of this study will inform the development of future interventions designed to reduce frailty in lower-income countries.