State of the Science and Future Directions To Improve Diagnostic Safety in Older Adults

Prepared for:
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857
www.ahrq.gov

Contract Number HHSP233201500022I/75P00119F37006

Prepared by:
Alberta K. Tran, Ph.D., RN, CCRN
MedStar Institute for Quality and Safety, Columbia, MD

Quratulain Syed, M.D.
Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta VA Medical Center, Geriatrics and Extended Care, Atlanta, GA 
Emory University Department of Medicine, Division of General Medicine and Geriatrics, Atlanta, GA

Arlene S. Bierman, M.D., M.S.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD

Hardeep Singh, M.D., M.P.H.
Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety (IQuESt), Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX

We acknowledge Cheryl Phillips, M.D., of The John A. Hartford Foundation, for her valuable comments on an earlier draft of this issue brief.

This project was funded under contract number HHSP233201500022I/75P00119F37006 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Singh is partially funded by the Houston Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Services Research and Development Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety (CIN13–413) and AHRQ (R01HS028595 and R18HS029347).

The authors are solely responsible for this document’s contents, findings, and conclusions, which do not necessarily represent the views of AHRQ. Readers should not interpret any statement in this product as an official position of AHRQ, the VA, or of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. None of the authors has any affiliation or financial involvement that conflicts with the material presented in this product.

Public Availability Notice. This product is made publicly available by AHRQ and may be used and reprinted without permission in the United States for noncommercial purposes, unless materials are clearly noted as copyrighted in the document. No one may reproduce copyrighted materials without the permission of the copyright holders. Users outside the United States must get permission from AHRQ to reprint or translate this product. Anyone wanting to reproduce this product for sale must contact AHRQ for permission.

Citation of the source is appreciated.

Suggested citation: Tran AK, Syed QS, Bierman AS, Singh H. State of the Science and Future Directions To Improve Diagnostic Safety in Older Adults. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; September 2024. AHRQ Publication No. 24-0010-7-EF.