Purpose With the ageing population, more older adults undergo surgery, and frailty increases the risk of postoperative complications in older patients. This study aimed to determine the association between frailty and 30-day adverse outcomes in older patients undergoing gastroenterological surgery in Vietnam. Patients and Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted in the Gastroenterology Department of the University Medical Center in Ho Chi Minh City. Frailty was determined using Fried’s criteria. Adverse outcomes within 30 days of gastroenterological surgery were recorded, including postoperative infections, acute respiratory failure, acute kidney injury, and death. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were performed to determine the association between frailty and 30-day postoperative adverse outcomes using Stata 14.0. Results Data of 302 elective surgical participants were collected (mean age: 69.8± 8.1 years, 53.3% female), and the prevalence of frailty was 18.5%. Frailty was an independent risk factor for 30-day adverse outcomes (odds ratio=6.56, 95% confidence interval, 2.77–15.53, p <0.001), which included postoperative infections, acute respiratory failure, acute kidney injury, and death. Frail participants had a significantly higher risk of postoperative infections (odds ratio=8.21, 95% confidence interval, 3.28–20.54, p <0.001), and exhaustion was strongly associated with postoperative adverse outcomes. Conclusion Frailty was a predictor of 30-day adverse outcomes in older patients undergoing gastroenterological surgery. Therefore, preoperative frailty should be screened in older patients, and frailty-associated risks should be considered during the decision-making process by physicians, patients, and their families.

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Rural older adults are more likely to be malnourished than urban older adults, particularly those living in lower-middleincome countries like Vietnam. Therefore, this study aimed to address the prevalence of malnutrition and its association with frailty and health-related quality of life in older rural Vietnamese adults. Participants and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on community-dwelling older adults (aged ≥ 60 years) living in a rural province in Vietnam. Nutritional status was determined using the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF), and frailty was evaluated using the FRAIL scale. The 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) was used to evaluate health-related quality of life. Results: Among the 627 participants, 46 (7.3%) were malnourished (MNA-SF score <8), and 315 (50.2%) were at risk of malnutrition (MNA-SF score: 8-11). Individuals with malnutrition had significantly higher rates of impairments in instrumental activities of daily living and activities of daily living than those without malnutrition (47.8% vs 27.4% and 26.1% vs 8.7%, respectively). The prevalence of frailty was 13.5%. Risk of malnutrition and malnutrition were associated with high risks of frailty, with odds ratios of 2.14 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1. 16-3.93) and 4.78 (1.86−12.32), respectively. Furthermore, the MNA-SF score was positively correlated with eight domains of the health-related quality of life among rural older adults. Conclusion:The prevalence rates of malnutrition, risk of malnutrition, and frailty were high among older adults in Vietnam. A strong association was observed between nutritional status and frailty. Therefore, this study reinforces the importance of screening for malnutrition and risk of malnutrition among older rural individuals. Further studies should explore whether early nutritional intervention reduces the risk of frailty among older adults and increase their health-related quality of life in the Vietnamese population.

Objectives This study aims to: (1) identify the information required by family caregivers of people with dementia to be targeted within our dementia family caregiver intervention and (2) test the feasibility of the intervention and methodology to underpin a fully powered randomized controlled trial. Methods The study setting will be the Department of Geriatrics at Gia Dinh People's Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Inclusion criteria will be the family caregivers of people with dementia living in the community, who attend the Department and use smartphones. In phase 1, we will identify the intervention content with family caregivers of people with dementia through 20 in-depth interviews to determine what information and skills they need. In phase 2, a pilot randomized control trial design will be conducted, with 60 family caregivers of people with dementia being assigned to the intervention or control group by the block randomization method with a ratio of 1:1. The intervention will include weekly, online, psycho-educational, group sessions hosted on the Zalo app. The participants will complete questionnaires at baseline, immediately postintervention, and 3-month postintervention. The feasibility of the intervention and methodology will be assessed, including the rates of recruitment, retention, completion of assessments, and acceptability of the intervention. Results The required information and skills in phase 1 may include dealing with worrying behavior changes in people with dementia, emotional support, and seeking support sources. The rates of recruitment, retention, completion of assessments, and acceptability of the intervention will be obtained in phase 2. The scores of symptoms of stress, depression, and anxiety in the intervention group may be lower than those in the control group at postintervention and 3-month postintervention. Conclusion The study will provide a foundation for a fully powered clinical trial for the smartphone app-based intervention to reduce stress, depression, and anxiety among family caregivers of people with dementia in Vietnam.