Definitions Vary on Omissions of Care in Nursing Facilities

The healthcare community’s current definitions of omissions of care in nursing facilities vary widely, according to an AHRQ-funded literature review in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. Authors reviewed 34 published articles on omissions of care, plus 327 more on adverse events attributable to omissions. They found broad agreement that any delay or adverse event constituted an omission. Definitions often differed, however, in what risks or adverse events were included, how different components of care delivery were considered, whether they recognized both clinical and psychosocial care, and how insufficient resources can play a role in creating omissions. Access the abstract.