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Biomedical subjects

Debra Saliba

Publications and source records attributed to Debra Saliba.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Identification of American Indian and Alaska Native veterans in administrative data of the Veterans Health Administration and the Indian Health Service.

We sought to determine the extent to which the Indian Health Service (IHS) identified enrollees who also use the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) as veterans. We used a bivariate analysis of administrative data from fiscal years 2002-2003 to study the target population. Of the 32259 IHS enrollees who received care as veterans in the VHA, only 44% were identified by IHS as veterans. IHS data underestimates the number of veterans, and both IHS and VHA need mechanisms to recognize mutual beneficiaries in order to facilitate better coordination of strategic planning and resource sharing among federal health care agencies.

Data Collection↗
PubMed2006

Comparison of administrative data and medical records to measure the quality of medical care provided to vulnerable older patients.

BACKGROUND: Administrative data are used to determine performance for publicly reported in health plan "report cards," accreditation status, and reimbursement. However, it is unclear how performance based on administrative data and medical records compare. METHODS: We compared applicability, eligibility, and performance on 182 measures of health care quality using medical records and administrative data during a 13-month period for a random sample of 399 vulnerable older patients enrolled in managed care. RESULTS: Of 182 quality indicators (QIs) spanning 22 conditions, 145 (80%) were applicable only to medical records and 37 (20%) to either medical records or administrative data. Among 48 QIs specific to geriatric conditions, all were applicable to medical records; 2 of these also were applicable to administrative data. Eligibility for the 37 QIs that were applicable to both medical records and administrative data was similar for both data sources (94% agreement, kappa = 0.74). With the use of medical records, 152 of the 182 the QIs that were applicable to medical records were triggered and yielded an overall performance of 55%. Using administrative data, 30 of the 37 QIs that were applicable to administrative data were triggered and yielded overall performance of 83% (P < 0.05 vs. medical records). Restricting to QIs applicable to both data sources, overall performance was 84% and 83% (P = 0.21) for medical records and administrative data, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The number and spectrum of QIs that can be measured for vulnerable elderly patients is far greater for medical records than for administrative data. Although summary estimates of health care quality derived from administrative data and medical records do not differ when using identical measures, summary scores from these data sources vary substantially when the totality of care that can be measured by each data source is measured.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Guidelines abstracted from the Department of Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense clinical practice guideline for the management of stroke rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVES: To assist facilities in identifying those evidence-based processes of poststroke care that enhance measurable patient outcomes. The guideline(s) should be used by facilities (hospitals, subacute-care units and providers of long-term care) to implement a structured approach to improve rehabilitative practices and by clinicians to determine best interventions to achieve improved patient outcomes. OPTIONS: The guideline considers five elements of poststroke rehabilitation care: interdisciplinary teams; use of standardized assessments; intensity, timing, and duration of therapy; involvement of patients' families and caregivers in decision-making; and educational interventions for patients, families, and caregivers. Evidence, benefits, harms, and recommendations for each of the five designated elements and specific annotated recommendations for poststroke managements are presented separately. OUTCOMES: The overall guideline considers improvement in functional status measures as the primary outcome. Achieving community-dwelling status and preventing complications, death, and rehospitalization are also important outcomes. Costs are not specifically addressed. PARTICIPANTS: The Department of Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense (VA/DoD) Stroke Rehabilitation Working Group consisted of 28, largely VA and military hospital, representatives of medical and allied professions concerned with stroke diagnosis, management, and rehabilitation. Nine additional members with similar credentials served as the editorial committee. Technical consultation was contracted from ACS Federal Health Care, Inc., and the Center for Evidence-Based Practice, State University of New York-Upstate Medical University, Department of Family Medicine conducted evidence appraisal. Consensus was achieved over several years of facilitated group discussion and iterative evaluation of draft documents and supporting evidence. SPONSOR: The guideline was prepared under the auspices of the VA/DoD. No other source of support was identified in the document, or supporting documents.

Early Diagnosis↗
PubMed2006

Higher vulnerable elders survey scores predict death and functional decline in vulnerable older people.

OBJECTIVES: To examine whether the Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES-13) score predicts risk of death and functional decline in vulnerable older adults. DESIGN: Longitudinal evaluation with mean follow-up of 11 months (range 8-14 months). SETTING: Two managed care organizations in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred twenty community-dwelling older people identified as having moderate to high risk of death and functional decline based on a VES-13 score of 3 or higher. These older people were enrolled in the Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elders observational study. MEASUREMENTS: Baseline: VES-13 score, sex, income, cognitive score, and number of medical diagnoses. OUTCOME MEASURES: functional decline and death. RESULTS: VES-13 scores strongly predicted death and functional decline (P<.001, area under the receiver operating curve=0.66). The estimated combined risk of death and decline rose with VES-13 score, increasing from 23% for older people with a VES-13 score of 3 to 60% for those with a score of 10. Other measures (sex, comorbidity) were not significant predictors of death or decline over this period after controlling for VES-13 score. CONCLUSION: The VES-13 score is useful as a screening tool to detect risk of health deterioration in already vulnerable older populations, and higher scores reflect greater risk over a short follow-up period.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2005

Challenges in measuring nursing home and home health quality: lessons from the First National Healthcare Quality Report.

BACKGROUND: The availability of patient assessment data collected by all Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes (NHs) (the Minimum Data Set [MDS]) and home health agencies (HHAs) (the Outcome and Assessment Information Set [OASIS]) provides an opportunity to measure quality of care in these settings. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine methodologic issues encountered as these datasets are used to report the nation's health care in the National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR) at national and state levels. FINDINGS: Although the reliability of most data elements from MDS and OASIS are considered acceptable in research studies, mixed evidence exists for the reliability and validity of the quality measures themselves. Detection bias can affect the quality measures, particularly for pain and pressure ulcers. Although risk adjustment is used for all measures, effectiveness varies among measures and methods. Additional quality measures such as patient satisfaction, quality of life, and structural measures would be desirable but will require additional data collection efforts. Although the NH measures represent most NH residents, the HHA measures only apply to Medicare and Medicaid patients served by Medicare-certified agencies. Finally, the absence of clinical benchmarks limits the interpretation of the NHQR HHA and NH measures. CONCLUSIONS: Further developmental work is needed to address many of these issues to improve the usefulness of these quality measures in future NHQR reports.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2005

How much is postacute care use affected by its availability?

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relative impact of clinical factors versus nonclinical factors-such as postacute care (PAC) supply-in determining whether patients receive care from skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) or inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) after discharge from acute care. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SETTING: Medicare acute hospital, IRF, and SNF claims provided data on PAC choices; predictors of site of PAC chosen were generated from Medicare claims, provider of services, enrollment file, and Area Resource File data. STUDY DESIGN: We used multinomial logit models to predict PAC use by elderly patients after hospitalizations for stroke, hip fractures, or lower extremity joint replacements. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: A file was constructed linking acute and postacute utilization data for all medicare patients hospitalized in 1999. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: PAC availability is a more powerful predictor of PAC use than the clinical characteristics in many of our models. The effects of distance to providers and supply of providers are particularly clear in the choice between IRF and SNF care. The farther away the nearest IRF is, and the closer the nearest SNF is, the less likely a patient is to go to an IRF. Similarly, the fewer IRFs, and the more SNFs, there are in the patient's area the less likely the patient is to go to an IRF. In addition, if the hospital from which the patient is discharged has a related IRF or a related SNF the patient is more likely to go there. CONCLUSIONS: We find that the availability of PAC is a major determinant of whether patients use such care and which type of PAC facility they use. Further research is needed in order to evaluate whether these findings indicate that a greater supply of PAC leads to both higher use of institutional care and better outcomes-or whether it leads to unwarranted expenditures of resources and delays in returning patients to their homes.

Aftercare↗
PubMed2004

Detection and management of falls and instability in vulnerable elders by community physicians.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate quality of care for falls and instability provided to vulnerable elders. DESIGN: Six process of care quality indicators (QIs) for falls and instability were developed and applied to community-living persons aged 65 and older who were at increased risk of death or decline. QIs were implemented using medical records and patient interviews. SETTING: Northeastern and southwestern United States. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred seventy-two vulnerable elders enrolled in two senior managed care plans. MEASUREMENTS: Percentage of QIs satisfied concerning falls or mobility disorders. RESULTS: Of the 372 consenting vulnerable elders with complete medical records, 57 had documentation of 69 episodes of two or more falls or fall with injury during the 13-month study period (14% of patients fell per year, 18% incidence). Double this frequency was reported at interview. An additional 22 patients had documented mobility problems. Clinical history of fall circumstances, comorbidity, medications, and mobility was documented from 47% of fallers and two or more of these four elements from 85%. Documented physical examination was less complete, with only 6% of fallers examined for orthostatic blood pressure, 7% for gait or balance, 25% for vision, and 28% for neurological findings. The evaluation led to specific recommendations in only 26% of cases, but when present they usually led to appropriate treatment modalities. Mobility problems without falls were evaluated with gait or balance examination in 23% of cases and neurological examination in 55%. CONCLUSION: Community physicians appear to underdetect falls and gait disorders. Detected falls often receive inadequate evaluation, leading to a paucity of recommendations and treatments. Adhering to guidelines may improve outcomes in community-dwelling older adults.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed2004

Function and response of nursing facilities during community disaster.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to describe the role and function of nursing facilities after disaster. METHODS: We surveyed administrators at 144 widely dispersed nursing facilities after the Los Angeles Northridge earthquake. RESULTS: Of the 113 (78%) nursing facilities that responded (11 365 beds), 23 sustained severe damage, 5 closed (625 beds), and 72 lost vital services. Of 87 nursing facilities implementing disaster plans, 56 cited problems that plans did not adequately address, including absent staff, communication problems, and insufficient water and generator fuel. Fifty-nine (52%) reported disaster-related admissions from hospitals, nursing facilities, and community residences. Nursing facilities received limited postdisaster assistance. Five months after the earthquake, only half of inadequate nursing facility disaster plans had been revised. CONCLUSIONS: Despite considerable disaster-related stresses, nursing facilities met important community needs. To optimize disaster response, community-wide disaster plans should incorporate nursing facilities.

Community Health Planning↗
PubMed2003

The quality of medical care provided to vulnerable community-dwelling older patients.

BACKGROUND: Many people 65 years of age and older are at risk for functional decline and death. However, the resource-intensive medical care provided to this group has received little evaluation. Previous studies have focused on general medical conditions aimed at prolonging life, not on geriatric issues important for quality of life. OBJECTIVE: To measure the quality of medical care provided to vulnerable elders by evaluating the process of care using Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elders quality indicators (QIs). DESIGN: Observational cohort study. SETTING: Managed care organizations in the northeastern and southwestern United States. PATIENTS: Vulnerable older patients identified by a brief interview from a random sample of community-dwelling adults 65 years of age or older who were enrolled in 2 managed care organizations and received care between July 1998 and July 1999. MEASUREMENTS: Percentage of 207 QIs passed, overall and for 22 target conditions; by domain of care (prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up); and by general medical condition (for example, diabetes and heart failure) or geriatric condition (for example, falls and incontinence). RESULTS: Patients were eligible for 10 711 QIs, of which 55% were passed. There was no overall difference between managed care organizations. Wide variation in adherence was found among conditions, ranging from 9% for end-of-life care to 82% for stroke care. More treatment QIs were completed (81%) compared with other domains (follow-up, 63%; diagnosis, 46%; and prevention, 43%). Adherence to QIs was lower for geriatric conditions than for general medical conditions (31% vs. 52%; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Care for vulnerable elders falls short of acceptable levels for a wide variety of conditions. Care for geriatric conditions is much less optimal than care for general medical conditions.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Adherence to pressure ulcer prevention guidelines: implications for nursing home quality.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to assess overall nursing home (NH) implementation of pressure ulcer (PU) prevention guidelines and variation in implementation rates among a geographically diverse sample of NHs. DESIGN: Review of NH medical records. SETTING: A geographically diverse sample of 35 Veterans Health Administration NHs. PARTICIPANTS: A nested random sample of 834 residents free of PU on admission. MEASUREMENTS: Adherence to explicit quality review criteria based on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Practice Guidelines for PU prevention was measured. Medical record review was used to determine overall and facility-specific adherence rates for 15 PU guideline recommendations and for a subset of six key recommendations judged as most critical. RESULTS: Six thousand two hundred eighty-three instances were identified in which one of the 15 guideline recommendations was applicable to a study patient based on a specific indication or resident characteristic in the medical record. NH clinicians adhered to the appropriate recommendation in 41% of these instances. For the six key recommendations, clinicians adhered in 50% of instances. NHs varied significantly in adherence to indicated guideline recommendations, ranging from 29% to 51% overall adherence across all 15 recommendations (P <.001) and from 24% to 75% across the six key recommendations (P <.001). Adherence rates for specific indications also varied, ranging from 94% (skin inspection) to 1% (education of residents or families). Standardized assessment of PU risk was identified as one of the most important and measurable recommendations. Clinicians performed this assessment in only 61% of patients for whom it was indicated. CONCLUSIONS: NHs' overall adherence to PU prevention guidelines is relatively low and is characterized by large variations between homes in adherence to many recommendations. The low level of adherence and high level of variation to many best-care practices for PU prevention indicate a continued need for quality improvement, particularly for some guidelines.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Appropriateness of quality indicators for older patients with advanced dementia and poor prognosis.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the applicability of process-of-care quality indicators (QIs) to vulnerable elders and to measure the effect of excluding indicators based on patients' preferences and for advanced dementia and poor prognosis. DESIGN: The Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elders (ACOVE) project employed 203 QIs for care of 22 conditions (including six geriatric syndromes and 11 age-associated diseases) for community-based persons aged 65 and older at increased risk of functional decline or death. Relevant QIs were excluded for persons deciding against hospitalization or surgery. A 12-member clinical committee (CC) of geriatric experts rated whether each QI should be applied in scoring quality of care for persons with advanced dementia (AdvDem) or poor prognosis (PoorProg). Using content analysis, CC ratings were formulated into a model of QI exclusion. Quality scores with and without excluded QIs were compared. SETTING: Enrollees in two senior managed care plans, one in the northeast United States and the other in the southwest. PARTICIPANTS: CC members evaluated applicability of QIs. QIs were applied to 372 vulnerable elders in two senior managed care plans. MEASUREMENTS: Frequency and type of QIs excluded and the effect of excluding QIs on quality of care scores. RESULTS: Of the 203 QIs, a patient's preference against hospitalization or surgery excluded 10 and eight QIs, respectively. The CC voted to exclude 81.5 QIs (40%) for patients with AdvDem and 70 QIs (34%) for patients with PoorProg. Content analysis of the CC votes revealed that QIs aimed at care coordination, safety or prevention of decline, or short-term clinical improvement or prevention with nonburdensome interventions were usually voted for inclusion (90% and 98% included for AdvDem and PoorProg, respectively), but QIs directed at long-term benefit or requiring interventions of moderate to heavy burden were usually excluded (16% and 19% included, respectively). About half of QIs aimed at age-associated diseases were voted for exclusion, whereas fewer than one-quarter of QIs for geriatric syndromes were excluded. Thirty-nine patients (10%) in our field trial held preferences or had clinical conditions that would have excluded 68 QIs. This accounted for 5% of all QIs triggered by these 39 patients and 0.6% of QIs overall. The quality score without exclusion was 0.57 and with exclusion was 0.58 (P =.89). CONCLUSION: Caution is required in applying QIs to vulnerable elders. QIs for geriatric syndromes are more likely to be applicable to these individuals than are QIs for age-associated diseases. The objectives of care, intervention burdens, and interval before anticipated benefit affect QI applicability. At least for patients with AdvDem and PoorProg, identification of applicable or inapplicable QIs is feasible. In a community-based sample of vulnerable elders, few QIs are excluded.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Quality of care in nursing homes: an analysis of relationships among profit, quality, and ownership.

BACKGROUND: Recent work has highlighted a negative correlation between proprietary status and nursing home quality of care. This relationship might be explained by the context in which proprietary homes operate. However, another possible explanation is that some proprietary homes take excessive profit to the detriment of care quality. OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between profit levels and quality in proprietary and nonproprietary nursing homes (NHs), accounting for resident and market characteristics. METHODS: Data on 1098 free-standing NHs were taken from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, the On-line Survey Certification and Reporting System, and California licensing and statistical reports for 1998 and 1999. Tobit multivariate techniques were used to examine the relationship between deficiency citations and a range of explanatory variables, including profit. RESULTS: Proprietary homes in California had significantly lower quality of care than nonproprietary homes. A stratified analysis revealed that, controlling for resident, facility, and market characteristics, profits located within the highest 14% of the proprietary sector's profit distribution were associated with significantly more total deficiencies and serious deficiencies. This relationship was not found in nonproprietary facilities. Other factors related to deficiencies included the ethnic mix of residents and facility size. CONCLUSIONS: Within the context in which proprietary homes operate, profit above a given threshold is associated with a higher number of deficiencies. Given this and the role of the proprietary sector in NH care, careful monitoring of profit levels in this sector appears warranted.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2003

Quality improvement implementation in the nursing home.

OBJECTIVE: To examine quality improvement (QI) implementation in nursing homes, its association with organizational culture, and its effects on pressure ulcer care. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: Primary data were collected from staff at 35 nursing homes maintained by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on measures related to QI implementation and organizational culture. These data were combined with information obtained from abstractions of medical records and analyses of an existing database. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional analysis of the association among the different measures was performed. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: Completed surveys containing information on QI implementation, organizational culture, employee satisfaction, and perceived adoption of guidelines were obtained from 1,065 nursing home staff. Adherence to best practices related to pressure ulcer prevention was abstracted from medical records. Risk-adjusted rates of pressure ulcer development were calculated from an administrative database. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Nursing homes differed significantly (p<.001) in their extent of QI implementation with scores on this 1 to 5 scale ranging from 2.98 to 4.08. Quality improvement implementation was greater in those nursing homes with an organizational culture that emphasizes innovation and teamwork. Employees of nursing homes with a greater degree of QI implementation were more satisfied with their jobs (a 1-point increase in QI score was associated with a 0.83 increase on the 5-point satisfaction scale, p<.001) and were more likely to report adoption of pressure ulcer clinical guidelines (a 1-point increase in QI score was associated with a 28 percent increase in number of staff reporting adoption, p<.001). No significant association was found, though, between QI implementation and either adherence to guideline recommendations as abstracted from records or the rate of pressure ulcer development. CONCLUSIONS: Quality improvement implementation is most likely to be successful in those VA nursing homes with an underlying culture that promotes innovation. While QI implementation may result in staff who are more satisfied with their jobs and who believe they are providing better care, associations with improved care are uncertain.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Indicators of the quality of nursing home residential care.

OBJECTIVES: To identify quality indicators (QIs) that can be used to measure nursing home (NH) residential care processes. DESIGN: Modified-delphi panel process to rate potential QIs that were identified through reported interviews with residents and families and through a review of the scientific literature. SETTING: Meetings of panel of experts. PARTICIPANTS: A national panel of nine experts in NH care rated potential QIs. A content expert and a clinical oversight committee performed external reviews. MEASUREMENTS: Panelists' median validity and importance ratings for each QI choice. RESULTS: The panel considered 64 choices for QI content and rated 28 of these as valid and important for measuring residential care quality. These 28 choices translated into 18 QIs. The external review process resulted in the addition of one QI that was not considered by the NH panel. The 19 indicators address areas identified as important by residents and proxies. Ten of these QIs were rated feasible to implement with current resources in average community NHs, and nine were rated feasible only in better NHs. The panelists identified nine as being measured most reliably by direct observations of care. CONCLUSION: Experts identified 19 specific care processes as valid and important measures of the quality of NH residential care. Nine of these QIs may be measured best by direct observation of NH care, rather than by interviews or review of existing NH records. Almost half of the QIs were viewed as discriminating between better and average NHs. The panel deemed that only well-staffed nursing homes could consistently implement nine of the QIs.

Delphi Technique↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effects of changes in nursing home staffing on pressure ulcer rates.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationships between various components of nursing home staffing (total staffing levels and staff mix, staff turnover, and changes in staffing patterns) to an important measure of quality, risk-adjusted rates of pressure ulcer development. DESIGN, SETTING, AND MEASUREMENTS: Staffing records from 35 Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) nursing homes were reviewed and nursing home administrators from each of the facilities were interviewed. Incidence rates for pressure ulcers were obtained from DVA's national long-term care database and risk adjusted using patients' baseline characteristics. The relationships of risk-adjusted pressure ulcer rates to staffing patterns were tested. RESULTS: Although there was no linear association between staffing levels and pressure ulcer rates, data analysis revealed a strong trend (P = .07) that among the nursing homes meeting staffing guidelines, 60% were among the best performing. Ten nursing homes reduced staffing levels from their baseline levels at the beginning of the study and/or changed their staffing mix by replacing licensed personnel with nursing assistants. This change was associated with a 2.1% higher rate of pressure ulcer development (P = .004). CONCLUSION: Changes in nursing home staffing patterns (either a decrease in overall staffing levels or a change in staffing mix) are related to the quality of nursing home care. Staff stability is associated with better outcomes.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Quality indicators for the management of medical conditions in nursing home residents.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop a set of specific care processes associated with better outcomes for general medical conditions identified as quality improvement targets for institutionalized vulnerable elders. METHODS: A national panel of nursing home experts used a modified-Delphi process to rate the validity (process linked to improved outcomes) and feasibility (of implementation and measurement) of candidate measures for depression, diabetes, hearing impairment, heart failure, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, pneumonia, stroke, and vision impairment. Each quality indicator was written as an "if" statement, describing persons to whom the quality indicator applied followed by a "then" statement identifying the care process to be provided. A separate clinical committee reviewed the resulting set of indicators. RESULTS: One hundred fourteen quality indicators were identified across the 11 medical conditions. The quality indicators capture a broad range of medical care addressing assessment, management, and follow up. Fifty-five indicators (48%) were identical to quality measures for community-dwelling vulnerable elders. A limited number were rated as questionably feasible to implement or measure (6 and 2, respectively). Thirty-eight (33%) would not be applied to measures of care quality for persons with advanced dementia or poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Explicit care processes linked to improved nursing home outcomes for general medical conditions can be identified. Most of these care processes can be measured by medical records or interview. Nursing home quality measures for medical conditions must account for exclusions related to poor prognosis and advanced dementia.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Feasibility of quality indicators for the management of geriatric syndromes in nursing home residents.

PURPOSE: The assessment and management of dementia, falls and mobility disorders, malnutrition, end-of-life issues, pressure ulcers, and urinary incontinence have been identified as important quality improvement targets for vulnerable elders residing in nursing homes. This study aimed to identify valid and feasible measures of specific care processes associated with improved outcomes for these conditions. METHODS: Nine experts in nursing home (NH) care participated in a modified Delphi process to evaluate potential quality indicators (QIs) for care in NHs. Panelists met and discussed potential indicators before completing confidential ballots rating validity (process associated with improved outcomes), feasibility of measurement (with charts or interviews), feasibility of implementation (given staffing resources in average community NHs), and importance (expected benefit and prevalence in NHs). The NH panel's median votes were used to identify a final set of QIs that were subsequently reviewed by a clinical oversight committee. RESULTS: Sixty-eight geriatric syndrome QIs were identified as valid and important in NH populations. Panelists assessed 12 (18%) of these QIs as having questionable feasibility to implement in average community nursing homes trying to provide quality care. Nine (13%) would not be included in systems assessing quality of care for persons with advanced dementia or poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Steps of care critical to the assessment and management of geriatric syndromes in NHs were identified. Feasibility is an important issue for a significant number of these, indicating that much remains to be done to design systems that efficiently and reliably implement these care processes.

Accidental Falls↗