NONPF 39th Annual Meeting
When a College of Nursing moved its adult-gerontology programs to the DNP degree, a Quality and Safety for Aging Adults course was developed to merge two important competency focuses into one course. Students apply quality and safety content and methods to a vulnerable and underserved older adult population.
The conceptual model, content and learning activities for this course integrate both quality and safety concepts, models and tools and older adult content and issues. Students learn about the national trends and factors influencing the quality and patient safety mandates related to aging adults. Students also learn about national health care initiatives, demographics and epidemiology of an aging America, global aging issues, myths and stereotypes of aging, aging changes, disparities of aging, and the care continuum for older adults. Geriatric syndromes are reviewed from a system perspective with application of quality and safety models to improving care related to these syndromes. Interprofessional collaborative practices are discussed in regards to their importance and how NPs can lead the implementation of these practices into systems to improve care for older adults.
Students analyze the impact that physical, psychological and social aging processes has on quality and safety issues. Students apply current models, processes, and tools of quality improvement and patient safety to investigate a clinical issue related to improving health care for older adults.
