Grant: Planning Grants - Priority Announcement: Aging

Older patients are the core business of hospitals; however our hospital care systems have not been designed with the unique needs of this vulnerable population in mind. There is accumulating evidence on effective care models and protocols designed for older patients. Pockets of excellence and innovation are emerging, however we lack a national strategy to coordinate efforts and facilitate synergies to narrow the care gap in quality and safety for older hospital patients. We propose to convene a national, interprofessional, round table meeting to establish a national collaboration on quality and safety for older people in Canadian hospitals. We will bring together invited experts, stakeholders and policy makers to address the following goal and objectives. Goal: To advance the quality and safety of senior care in Canadian hospitals Objectives: 1) To establish a national collaboration to influence policy and practice change in hospital care for older patients in Canada; 2) To reach consensus on recommended standards for quality and safety standards and rank their priority; 3) To identify gaps and opportunities to inform an agenda for future research; 4) To create a high level plan for future collaboration. This proposal will lead to recommended standards for quality and safety for older patients in Canadian hospitals. By promoting evidence-informed practice in areas such as early mobilization, delirium prevention, promotion of continence and care transitions, we can improve quality of care and safety for older patient.The consensus document will serve as a guiding document for service planners, evaluators, and policy makers. A national agenda for future research activities in senior friendly hospitals will catalyze the rate of knowledge generation and transfer and prevent duplication of efforts. Through this round table meeting, we will advance the quality and safety of care older people receive in Canadian hospitals.