Age-Friendly Health Systems and Meeting the Principles of High Reliability Organizations in the VHA
Background: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the US, providing care to more than 9 million enrolled veterans. In February 2019, the VHA identified key actionable steps to become a high reliability organization (HRO), transforming how employees think about patient safety and care quality. The VHA is also working toward becoming the largest age-friendly health system in the US to be recognized by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement for its commitment to providing care guided by the 4Ms (what matters, medication, mentation, and mobility), causing no harm, and aligning care with what matters to older veterans.
Observations: In this article, we describe how the Age-Friendly Health Systems (AFHS) movement supports the culture shift observed in HROs. AFHS use the 4Ms as a framework to be implemented in every care setting. The 4Ms are used in conjunction with the 3 pillars (leadership commitment, culture of safety, and continuous process improvement) and 5 principles (sensitivity to operations, reluctance to simplify, preoccupation with failure, deference to clinical expertise, and commitment to resilience) that guide an HRO. We also share an HRO case study that is representative of many Community Living Centers involved in AFHS.
Conclusions: AFHS empower VHA teams to honor veterans’ care preferences and values, supporting their independence, dignity, and quality of life across care settings. The adoption of AFHS brings evidence-based practices to the point of care by addressing common pitfalls in the care of older adults, drawing attention to, and calling for action on inappropriate medication use, physical inactivity, and assessment of the vulnerable brain. The 4Ms also serve as a framework to continuously improve care and cause zero harm, reinforcing HRO pillars and principles across the VHA and ensuring that older adults reliably receive the evidence-based, high-quality care they deserve.
HRO Principles
An HRO is a complex environment of care that experiences fewer than anticipated accidents or adverse events by (1) establishing trust among leaders and staff by balancing individual accountability with systems thinking; (2) empowering staff to lead continuous process improvements; and (3) creating an environment where employees feel safe to report harm or near misses, focusing on the reasons errors occur.13 The work of AFHS incorporates HRO principles with an emphasis on 3 elements. First, it involves interactive systems and processes needed to support 4Ms care across care settings. Second, AFHS acknowledge the complexity of age-friendly work and deference to the expertise of interdisciplinary team members. Finally, AFHS are committed to resilience by overcoming failures and challenges to implementation and long-term sustainment as a standard of practice.
Case study
The names and details in this case have been modified to protect patient privacy. It is representative of many Community Living Centers (CLCs) involved in AFHS that work to create a safe, person-centered environment for veterans.
In a CLC team workroom, 2 nurses were discussing a long-term care resident. The nurses approached the attending physician and explained that they were worried about Sgt Johnson, who seemed depressed and sometimes combative. They had noticed a change in his behavior when they helped him clean up after an episode of incontinence and were concerned that he would try to get out of bed on his own and fall. The attending physician thanked them for sharing their concerns. Sgt Johnson was a retired Army veteran who had a long, decorated military career. His chronic health conditions had led to muscle weakness, and he fell and broke a hip before this admission. He had an uneventful hip replacement but was showing signs of depression due to his limited mobility, loss of independence, and inability to live at home without additional support.
The attending physician knocked on the door of his room, sat down next to the bed, and asked, “How are you feeling today?” Sgt Johnson tersely replied, “About the same.” The physician asked, “Sgt Johnson, what matters most to you related to your recovery? What is important to you?” Sgt Johnson responded, “Feeling like a man!” The doctor replied, “So what makes you feel ‘not like a man’?” The Sgt replied, “Having to be cleaned up by the nurses and not being able to use the toilet on my own.” The physician surmised that his decline in physical functioning had a connection to his worsening depression and combativeness and said to the Sgt, “Let’s get the team together and work out a plan to get you strong enough to use a bedside commode by yourself. Let’s make that the first goal in our plan to get you back to using the toilet independently. Can you work with us on that?” He smiled and said, “Sir, yes Sir!”
At the weekly interdisciplinary team meeting, the team discussed Sgt Johnson’s wishes and the nurses’ safety concerns. The physician reported to the team what mattered to the veteran. The nurses arranged for a bedside commode and supplies to be placed in his room, encouraged and assisted him, and provided a privacy screen. The physical therapist continued to support his mobility needs, concentrating on transfers, small steps like standing and turning with a walker to get in position to use the bedside commode, and later the bathroom toilet. The psychologist addressed what matters to Sgt Johnson and his mentation, health goals, and coping strategies. The social worker provided support and counseling for the veteran and his family. The pharmacist checked his medications to be sure that none were affecting his gastrointestinal tract and his ability to move safely and do what matters to him. Knowing what mattered to Sgt Johnson was the driver of the interdisciplinary care plan to provide 4Ms care.
The team worked collaboratively with the veteran to develop and set attainable goals around toileting and regaining his dignity. This improved his overall recovery. As Sgt Johnson became more independent, his mood gradually improved and he began to participate in other activities and interact with other residents on the unit, and he did not experience any falls. By addressing the 4Ms, the interdisciplinary team coordinated efforts to provide high-quality, person-centered care. They built trust with the veteran, shared accountability, and followed HRO principles to keep the veteran safe.
