Improving Delivery of an Age-Friendly Health System in a Geriatrics Primary Care Clinic: Mobility Focus.

PURPOSE: Falls are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among older adults. The Age-Friendly Health Systems 4Ms Framework identifies objective mobility screening and follow up as essential health care for older adults, yet objective mobility screening is challenging to complete and often missed in primary care appointments.

METHOD: In the current project, objective mobility screening was changed from Timed Up and Go to visual gait speed in a geriatrics primary care clinic in a Plan, Do, Study, Act rapid process improvement project with four 2-week cycles. Data were collected through electronic health record audits and surveys.

RESULTS

Objective mobility screening using the visual gait speed test increased from 32% to 61% during the improvement period. Follow-up mobility actions also improved during this time.

CONCLUSION

Adoption of the visual gait speed test for mobility screening can successfully occur and improve in a geriatric primary care clinic setting during an 8-week improvement period.