Rapid Review Study: GERI findings help provide timely understanding in measuring older adults’ intrinsic capacity

In 2015, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) World Report on Ageing and Health introduced the concept of intrinsic capacity (IC) to define healthy ageing. IC consists of five domains, namely locomotion, vitality, cognitive, psychological, and sensory, which will determine the functional ability of a person in his/her environment.

Some studies have started to adopt commonly used measures to assess IC in different settings and populations. However, measures in these 5 domains are yet to be standardised, with a lack of consensus on how scores from the different domains should be computed to yield a representative composite index of IC. It is also unclear what factors are associated with low IC in older adults.

To address the knowledge gap on how IC has been measured in older adults, GERI researchers conducted a rapid review to provide timely information on how measurements of the domains were operationalised to date, along with understanding factors and outcomes associated with IC. Such rapid reviews are a form of evidence synthesis that helps to provide timely information for decision-making or when literature on the topic is limited.

The timeliness of GERI's rapid review study has contributed to the ongoing pilot implementation of WHO's Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) guidelines worldwide. Evidence garnered will also facilitate better understanding of individual functional trajectories and vulnerabilities of older adults during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The full publication is available online in the J Nutr Health Aging “A Rapid Review of the Measurement of Intrinsic Capacity in Older Adults” (17 March, 2021, https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12603-021-1622-6).