Age-Friendly Healthcare: An Evolutionary Concept Analysis

AimsAging populations require adapting healthcare systems for older adult's specific needs. Numerous initiatives to improve older-patient care have emerged, but the field lacks a unified framework. The current study aims to provide a systematic concept analysis of 'age-friendly healthcare', examining its characteristics, components and structure.DesignRodger's evolutionary concept analysis.Data SourcesSearches were conducted in ProQuest, CINAHL, PubMed and Scopus databases between November 2022 and October 2023, utilising the PRISMA 2020 reporting checklist.MethodsA literature search using specific terms relevant to age-friendly healthcare retrieved 1407 articles. After screening for duplicates and relevance, 140 articles were examined for eligibility based on inclusion criteria for age-friendly care, language and full-text availability. Following full-text screening, 65 articles were included for data extraction by multiple researchers to synthesise theoretical, methodological and design elements.ResultsOur findings highlight key attributes of age-friendly healthcare: Respect for older adults' autonomy and needs; leadership and organisational knowledge and support; Proactive policies and processes of care; holistic care environments; and communication and follow-up with awareness of challenges and barriers as well as prioritisation of continuity-of-care.ConclusionThe concept of age-friendly healthcare is still developing, with much research focused on development and implementation rather than evaluation of real-world patient and health-system outcomes. Our analysis of the concept may help unify the field and clarify future research directions through identification of areas requiring further study and enable development of improved practices and policies for implementing age-friendly healthcare in a variety of settings.No Patient or Public ContributionThis concept analysis did not include any patient or public involvement.Reporting MethodThis study utilised the PRISMA reporting checklist.