Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40888158›Full record

ArticleInquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financing

Implementation of the Age-Friendly Health Systems Initiative in the Department of Veterans Affairs: 5 Years of Improving Quality for Older Veterans.

Andrea Wershof Schwartz, Shivani K Jindal, Kimberly A Wozneak, Robert E Burke

Erratum issuedAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financing. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Andrea Wershof SchwartzNew England Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-2076-6068
Shivani K JindalVeterans Health Administration, Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care, Washington, DC, USA.
Kimberly A WozneakVeterans Health Administration, Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care, Washington, DC, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8846-105X
Robert E BurkeCorporal Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative (AFHS) was developed to spread principles of high-quality care for older adults using the 4Ms Framework: What Matters, Medications, Mentation and Mobility. In 2020, the Veterans Health Affairs (VA) set a goal to become an AFHS, given nearly half of Veterans are over aged 65.

methodsThis quality improvement study followed the Model for Improvement which guided a series of Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) cycles to implement and spread the AFHS model within the VA, as measured by clinical sites receiving AFHS recognition from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). A national AFHS Steering Committee was formed, followed by a 4Ms note template and dashboard. VA ran 3 AFHS Action Communities which included synchronous training sessions and coaching calls in 4Ms care. IHI recognition was tracked over 5 years for VA sites. The Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence 2.0 guidelines (SQuIRE) were used.

resultsFrom 2020 to 2025, 455 VA care settings earned Level 1 recognition from IHI at 138/139 (99%) of VA parent facilities. 268/455 (59%) sites have gone on to achieve Level 2 recognition. 66% of Level 1 sites are ambulatory, 7% are acute care, and 24% are nursing homes. Since 2022 when the VA AFHS note template was implemented, 163 000 unique Veterans have been recorded as having been reached with 4Ms care, of whom 71% reside in urban areas, 23% are aged 85 and older, and 59% are aged 65 to 84.

conclusionThe VA implemented the AFHS initiative at nearly all VA parent facilities over 5 years, spreading the 4Ms model of Age-Friendly care across geographic and care settings. Further study is needed on the clinical impact of and optimal implementation strategies for AFHS. The VA experience offers a promising model for health systems seeking to implement AFHS.

Indexed as

Health Services for the AgedQuality ImprovementUnited States Department of Veterans AffairsVeteransVeterans Health ServicesAgedHumansUnited Statesage-friendlygeriatricPDSA cyclequality improvementveteran

Identifiers

PMID40888158
PMCPMC12402584

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.