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Preliminary Validation of a Patient‐Reported Measure of the Age‐Friendliness of Health Care
Author(s) -
Wright Melanie C.,
Fulmer Terry,
Boult Chad
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/jgs.16881
Subject(s) - medicine , health care , geriatrics , family medicine , ambulatory care , family caregivers , gerontology , psychiatry , economics , economic growth
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE To evaluate the validity and reliability of a patient‐reported measure of the “age‐friendliness” of health care. DESIGN Based on four essential domains of high‐quality health care for older outpatients (Medications, Mobility, Mentation and “what Matters,” i.e., the 4 M's), we drafted a five‐item questionnaire for older outpatients to rate the age‐friendliness of their health care. One question addressed each of the 4 M's; the fifth addressed the overall age‐friendliness of their care. After feedback from healthcare professionals, quality improvement experts, and a patient‐caregiver focus group, we revised the items to create the Age‐Friendliness Questionnaire (AFQ). SETTING We tested the AFQ by appending it to two surveys. PARTICIPANTS Older outpatients in Idaho during July to October 2019: Survey 1, with 23 other items, was sent to 1,257 older patients who were medically complex; Survey 2, with 35 other items, was sent to 2,873 older patients who visited outpatient primary care providers (PCPs) during the specified time period. MEASUREMENTS Respondents rated their providers’ performance using a 1 to 5 (“never” to “always”) scale for each of the five items (possible AFQ scores = 5–25). RESULTS The response rates were 41.4% and 33.3%, respectively. In Survey 1, the mean AFQ score from patients who had received care from a geriatrics consult clinic was higher than that from patients who had received their care from PCPs (19.3 vs 15.6; P < .001), and AFQ scores correlated with other quality‐of‐care scores. In Survey 2, AFQ scores predicted respondents’ likelihood of recommending their providers to others ( P < .001). The AFQ exhibited high internal reliability (interitem correlations = .49–.77; Cronbach's α = .89). CONCLUSION The AFQ appears to be a valid and reliable measure of the age‐friendliness of outpatient care for older patients, and it predicts the likelihood that they will recommend their providers to others.