Improving Quality and Safety in the Care of Older Adults

Knowledge and skills in patient safety and quality improvement principles and processes are vital for geriatricians to ensure high-quality and safe care for older adults. It is critical that all members of the healthcare team understand the overarching principles and specific processes and metrics to identify medical errors and quality problems to prevent harm to patients. Additionally, familiarity with key agencies such as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) ( https://www.ahrq.gov/ ) and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) ( http://www.ihi.org/ ) that are leaders in quality and safety will assist the team in their ability to access evidence-based resources and toolkits and contribute to optimal care in their practices. Geriatricians and other geriatric-trained health professionals provide care to some of the most vulnerable patients; attention to patient safety and participation in quality improvement are essential to providing excellent care.