Development of a preventive clinical practice framework for transition to retirement: A Delphi consensus of French physicians

OBJECTIVES: Retirement transition represents a critical life stage associated with significant health risks. This study aimed to develop an evidence-based framework of preventive clinical practices to facilitate healthy retirement transition and minimize health deterioration risks. STUDY DESIGN: Modified Delphi consensus methodology with French physicians' experts. METHODS: Experts in prevention, geriatrics, and life transitions were consulted through two online rounds. A preliminary framework containing 35 evidence-based proposals was developed from literature review. Experts rated their agreement using a 9-point Likert scale, with consensus defined as median scores ≥7. RESULTS: Seventeen and fifteen medical experts participated in rounds one and two respectively (participation rates: 53.1 % and 88.2 %). All experts considered retirement-specific preventive examinations essential (50 %) or very important (28 %), recommending 2-h consultations (39 %). Consensus was achieved on 34 proposals across three domains: health counseling (n = 7), screening (n = 26), and immunization (n = 1). Priority counseling included healthy eating promotion, adapted physical activity, and systematic social isolation detection. Essential screening encompassed cancer screening (cervical, colorectal, breast, prostate, lung, skin), cardiometabolic disorders (hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, obesity), mental health assessment using validated tools, sensory impairments, cognitive disorders, fall risk evaluation, and oral health assessment. All items achieved median scores of 7-9 with >70 % expert agreement. Systematic vaccination status verification received unanimous support. CONCLUSION: This consensus of French physicians provides a comprehensive, structured framework for preventive clinical practice during retirement transition, potentially improving retirees' quality of life through systematic health risk identification and management. However, this physician-centered consensus requires validation through multidisciplinary input and patient perspectives to ensure comprehensive retirement transition support. These recommendations represent a foundation requiring multidisciplinary validation before implementation.