Patient Priorities in Age-Friendly 4Ms Care

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Health Services Research
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• The Institute for Healthcare Improvement developed the 4Ms Framework (What Matters, Medication, Mentation, Mobility) to improve age-friendly, person-centered care.
• Nurses at one medical center inquire daily about patient priorities to align care with the "What Matters" component of the 4Ms Framework.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify patterns and recurring themes in geriatric inpatients' stated priorities.
• To understand patient needs across different age groups and hospital departments.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of over 11,000 responses from geriatric inpatients.
• Application of unsupervised clustering and topological data analysis techniques.

Main Results:

• Four key themes emerged from patient responses.
• Identified themes include: Inpatient Quality of Life, Discharge Planning, Pain Management, and Clarification of Medical Terminology.

Conclusions:

• Understanding patient priorities is crucial for delivering responsive and personalized care.
• Integrating these themes into system-level pathways can enhance alignment with the 4Ms Framework and improve care delivery.