Adapting WHO integrated care for older people (ICOPE) models to the Korean context: Policy relevance and feasibility-a Delphi survey.

Background: Korea is projected to become a super-aged society by 2025, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop the Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) framework for person-centered, community-based care. Despite Korea's efforts in translating ICOPE materials and launching pilot projects, evidence on their national policy alignment and feasibility for scale-up remains limited. Objective: This study assesses the policy relevance and feasibility of implementing the ICOPE framework in Korea through expert consensus and structural comparison with ongoing national and local initiatives. Methods: A three-round Delphi survey involved 31 experts in geriatrics, public health, and aging policy. Thirty-two ICOPE implementation items were evaluated across micro, Results: Most ICOPE elements, particularly at the micro level (e.g., frailty screening in primary care: IQR = 0.93, CVR = 0.72), were deemed relevant and feasible. However, macro-level components like digital infrastructure and financing showed limited readiness. Conclusion: The ICOPE framework is broadly compatible with Korea's integrated care strategies, especially at the micro level. Macro-level implementation gaps persist. This study's findings, particularly identified consensus priorities and policy-practice gaps, aim to directly inform future policy design and scale-up strategies for integrated care in Korea, guiding efforts in governance integration, ICT infrastructure development, and indicator standardization.