Primary care quality for older adults: Practice-based quality measures derived from a RAND/UCLA appropriateness...

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Health Services Research
• Primary Care Quality

Background:

• Assessing quality of care for older adults in primary care is crucial.
• Health administrative data offers a valuable resource for quality measurement.
• Existing metrics may not fully capture the nuances of elderly care.

Approach:

• A two-round RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method (RAM) study was conducted with 10 Canadian experts.
• Candidate quality measures were evaluated for appropriateness and importance via online questionnaires and a virtual meeting.
• Technical definitions were developed for operationalizing indicators using health administrative data.

Key Points:

• Consensus was reached on 12 practice-based quality measures across four Priority Topics in Care of the Elderly.
• Endorsed indicators provide a framework for characterizing family physician encounters with older patients.
• The study demonstrates a method for developing measurable quality indicators from expert feedback and administrative data.

Conclusions:

• The established quality measures offer a framework to assess primary care for older adults.
• These indicators can provide insights into the outcomes of care for elderly patients.
• Future work will refine definitions for application in specific contexts, such as Ontario, Canada.