Nurses' Perception of Their Role in Leading Nurse‐Led Interventions in Intrinsic Capacity Assessment to Improve Nursing Care of Older Adults

AIM: To explore nurses' perceptions of their role in leading nursing interventions for each domain of intrinsic capacity, based on the Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) framework to enhance care for older adults in acute settings. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive design was adopted. METHODS: Conducted in a Singapore acute hospital from August to November 2023, recruited 21 inpatient nurses with at least 2 years of experience through purposive sampling. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with 20 participants and one pilot participant. Inductive thematic analysis identified themes from the responses. RESULTS: Four key themes emerged regarding nurses' roles in implementing the ICOPE framework: (1) Creating Awareness: emphasises communication to enhance understanding of ICOPE; (2) Providing Education: highlights structured educational initiatives; (3) Executing ICOPE: recognises nurses' role in interventions amid autonomy and workload challenges; and (4) Gathering Feedback: ensuring continuous input to enhance care quality. CONCLUSION: The findings emphasise nurses' roles within the ICOPE framework, advocating for empowerment and collaboration to enhance care quality for older adults in acute settings. IMPLICATIONS: This study highlights the need for nurses to understand their roles and independently lead nurse-led interventions. Healthcare institutions should facilitate this empowerment by reviewing existing nursing assessments to avoid duplication and optimise nurses' integration into the framework. IMPACT: This study demonstrates the feasibility of the ICOPE framework in Singapore, empowering nurses to initiate interventions that enhance older adults' care and intrinsic capacity. REPORTING METHOD: Adheres to the COREQ guidelines for qualitative research. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: None.