title: Identification of quality of care deficiencies in elderly surgical patients by measuring adherence to process-based quality indicators.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The ability to measure surgical quality of care is important and can lead to improvements in patient safety. As such, processes should be carried out in an identical fashion for all patients, regardless of how vulnerable or complex they are. Our objectives were to assess quality of surgical care delivered to elderly patients and to determine the association between patient characteristics and quality of care.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective pilot cohort study, conducted in a single university-affiliated hospital. Using the institution's National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database (2009 to 2010), 143 consecutive patients 65 years or older, undergoing elective major abdominal surgery, were selected. Adherence to 15 process-based quality indicators (QIs) was measured, and a pass rate was calculated for each individual QI. The association between patient characteristics (age, sex, Charlson Comorbidity Index, functional status, wound class) and patient quality score was assessed using multiple linear regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Quality indicators with the lowest pass rates included postoperative delirium screening (0%), level of care documentation (0.7%), cognition and functional assessment at discharge (4.9%), oral intake documentation (12.6%), and pressure ulcer risk assessment (35.0%). The mean patient quality score was 46.8% ± 10.7% (range 16.7% to 75.0%). No association was found between patient characteristics and patient quality score.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Quality of care delivered to elderly patients undergoing major surgery at our institution was generally poor and independent of patient characteristics. Although quality appears to be uniform across different patients, these results provide targets for quality improvement initiatives.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Solidage-McGill University/Université de Montréal research group on frailty and aging, Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Community Studies, Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research Studies, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Electronic address: simon.bergman@mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bergman
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Martelli
authors.forename: Michèle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monette
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sourial
authors.forename: Melina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deban
authors.forename: Fadi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hamadani
authors.forename: Debby
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Teasdale
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Holcroft
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zakrzewski
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fraser
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D017064:Process Assessment, Health Care; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000592:standards*
keywords: ACOVE; Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elders; CCI; Charlson Comorbidity Index; IRR; NSQIP; National Surgical Quality Improvement Program; QI; Quality indicator; VTE; incidence rate ratio; venous thromboembolism