[Comprehensive management strategy and practice for intrinsic capacity decline in older adults: screening, assessment, intervention, and follow-up]

Abstract

With the accelerating global aging process, health issues among older adults have become increasingly severe. To address the challenges brought about by the aging population, a shift from a disease-centered to a function-centered healthcare model is urgently needed. The World Health Organization (WHO) introduced the concept of intrinsic capacity and published the Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE): Guidance for Person-Centred Assessment and Pathways in Primary Care, providing an important framework for assessing and optimizing the functional status in older adults. This article systematically reviews the conceptual background and epidemiological characteristics of intrinsic capacity. It highlights that the WHO ICOPE screening tool has been adapted and validated in China, demonstrating high sensitivity in identifying declines in intrinsic capacity. Intervention studies indicate that multidomain interventions can improve intrinsic capacity, although high-quality evidence from randomized controlled trials is still lacking. Based on the WHO ICOPE guidelines, this article proposes a comprehensive management strategy covering screening, assessment, intervention and follow-up. It also recommends promoting implementation through three key aspects: establishing community-based screening systems for intrinsic capacity, improving multidisciplinary collaboration, and promoting the application of digital technologies. In the future, efforts should focus on accelerating the development of localized assessment tools, strengthening evidence-based research on integrated interventions, and promoting health data integration and intelligent early warning systems. These steps will support China in building a function-centered healthcare system for older adults and advance the achievement of healthy aging.