Other Patient & Consumer Resources

• What You Should Know About Stroke Prevention

Clinicians & Providers

• Stroke Prevention: Recommendations

Full Research Reports

September 1 2012 20120901

Stroke Prevention: Recommendations

Other Research & Data

• AHRQ's clinical care tools help clinicians ensure better and safer care
• Deaf patients who use American Sign Language receive more preventive care if their clinician also uses sign language
• Korean Americans with high blood pressure who are confident they can achieve blood pressure control are more likely to do so
• Low health literacy linked to higher risk of death and more emergency room visits and hospitalizations
• Men and blacks less likely to be aware of cancer screening benefits
• Physicians need better understanding of factors that patients use to decide about colorectal cancer screening
• Regular home blood pressure measurement raises the likelihood of blood pressure control among Korean Americans
• Telephone counseling helps Korean Americans who speak little English improve hypertension management
• While young women are knowledgeable about the HPV vaccine, many have yet to be vaccinated to prevent cervical cancer

Other News & Events

• 'Piece-rate' performance incentives for physicians improve childhood immunization rates
• A new study links biomarker of brain injury to microemboli occurring during cardiac surgery
• A standard enzyme assay may help screen for rickets in breast-fed infants not given vitamin D supplements
• A usual source of care may be more important than insurance on children's receipt of preventive health counseling
• AHRQ and Ad Council encourage men to take preventive steps in their health care
• AHRQ awards $34 million to expand fight against healthcare-associated infections
• AHRQ reviews evidence on multigene panels for prostate cancer risk assessment
• AHRQ safety project reduces bloodstream infections by 40 percent
• AHRQ's clinical care tools help clinicians ensure better and safer care
• AHRQ, Ad Council launch Conozca las preguntas campaign
• About three-fourths of patients in the United States estimated to remain in HIV care
• Accessible services in primary care practices promote preventive health screenings and care
• Administration of antimicrobials just prior to surgery reduces the risk of surgical site infections
• Annual screening for malignancy among children with spina bifida with cystoplasty unlikely to be cost effective
• Antiretroviral switching strategies to treat HIV improve survival and are cost-effective in resource-limited countries
• Arizona and Maryland see great drop in in-hospital deaths from pneumonia
• Behavioral counseling is an effective treatment for alcohol misuse
• Better adherence to diabetes medications means fewer hospitalizations and emergency department visits
• Blacks have longer PSA screening intervals than whites
• Blacks less likely than whites to use either statins or aspirin in the prevention of cardiovascular disease
• Bundled payments for heart failure disease management programs can save money while reducing readmissions
• Calcium from food linked to lower risk for prostate cancer
• Challenges abundant for practices that use fax referrals to smoking cessation quitlines
• Children of working mothers face more health problems
• Children with a medical home more likely to receive health screenings and advice
• Children with cerebral palsy who undergo gait assessment before surgery are less likely to need additional surgery later
• Colonoscopy is best at diagnosing lower intestinal bleeding
• Colony-stimulating factor is effective in reducing infection for elderly patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma on chemotherapy
• Colorectal cancer screening is mostly underused, but problems with overuse and misuse remain
• Colorectal cancer screening still underused
• Community hubs ensure better care for the most vulnerable
• Contact isolation of new patients reduces adherence to process-of-care quality measures for pneumonia
• Deaf patients who use American Sign Language receive more preventive care if their clinician also uses sign language
• Delay in filling a blood-thinner prescription after procedures to implant a drug-eluting stent is risky
• Delaying the control of blood pressure among middle-aged adults with diabetes
• Demographic and health factors influence the type of prostate cancer screening received by men over age 40
• Diabetes testing plummets among poor, minority, and inner-city adults
• Diet and medication adherence can reduce cardiovascular disease for patients with type 2 diabetes
• Doctors remain remiss in advising overweight patients about healthy eating
• Doctors underprescribe warfarin to prevent strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure
• Drugs to treat hepatitis B may not prevent patients from liver disease later
• Early and intensive intervention for a flu pandemic is effective and cost-effective
• Early followup with a physician reduces readmissions for Medicare patients hospitalized for heart failure
• Effectiveness of active surveillance for men with localized prostate cancer is unclear
• Effectiveness of noninvasive diagnostic tests for breast abnormalities depends on woman's history
• Empowerment approach to diabetes education works better than the traditional didactic approach
• Evidence lacking on devices used with percutaneous coronary interventions
• Evidence-based strategies substantially reduce the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia in ICUs
• Extended use of antiviral drugs found to be safe and effective in preventing symptomatic influenza
• Extended use of medications to prevent blood clots may benefit patients after major orthopedic surgery
• Extending use of anti-clotting medication following major orthopedic surgery may help prevent post-operative blood clots
• Fecal occult blood tests and followup need to be better targeted to healthy older adults
• Fever over 100°F following multiple infant vaccinations is rare
• Fewer than 1 in 5 emergency departments implement recommendations for HIV screening
• Greater use of preventive measures needed for hospitalized patients with suspected venous thromboembolism
• Having a usual source of care as well as insurance reduces unmet health needs
• Having a usual source of care promotes preventive health counseling for children
• Hawaii's experience shows that a national collaborative effort can reduce central line-associated bloodstream infections
• Health Care Quality Gaps and Disparities Persist in Every State
• How community pharmacies decide how and whether to provide immunization services
• Human factors challenges in home health care
• Improving quality of care for falls and urinary incontinence also improves quality of life in elderly patients
• Inmates remain at risk for HIV and HCV after release from prison
• Insulin pump and glucose monitoring improve blood-sugar control for patients with type 1 diabetes
• Interdisciplinary team training with in-situ simulation helps reduce adverse events in obstetric patients
• Iron and zinc co-supplementation seems to be most helpful for children in developing countries
• Key treatments for high blood pressure and high blood lipids do not reduce elderly patients' risk of limited mobility
• Korean Americans with high blood pressure who are confident they can achieve blood pressure control are more likely to do so
• Laboratory tests can accurately detect two clotting-factor mutations that raise risk of blood clots
• Lack of folic acid supplementation for nonpregnant women means missed opportunities to prevent neural tube defects in children
• Leg compression devices are not a significant factor in in-hospital falls
• Low health literacy linked to higher risk of death and more emergency room visits and hospitalizations
• Lower flu vaccination rates for black nursing home residents a cause for concern
• MRSA can spread slowly but surely in households
• Many homeless women are reluctant to get free Pap smears
• Many minority patients do not receive or complete colorectal cancer screening tests in urban, primary care settings
• Many patients with coronary artery disease who could benefit from cardiac rehabilitation are not referred for this treatment
• Many primary care patients are at risk for obstructive sleep apnea, but few are sent for testing
• Medical residents can use quality improvement methods to promote obesity screening
• Medicare managed care reduced preventable hospitalizations in 2004 more than fee-for-service Medicare
• Medications for low bone density prevent fractures in women with osteoporosis
• Men and blacks less likely to be aware of cancer screening benefits
• Men shy away from routine medical appointments
• Modeling inequalities helps to develop cervical cancer screening strategies that can improve outcomes and reduce disparities
• More adults with diabetes are getting flu shots
• More than half of women do not get regular mammograms
• Most acute-care hospitals follow national guidelines for the prevention and treatment of MRSA infections
• Mothers' medical appointments may be a link to getting daughters vaccinated for human papillomavirus
• New ad campaign urges patients to consider medical treatment options
• New study finds rotator cuff injuries treatable, but evidence unclear whether surgery is preferable
• Nighttime-breathing treatments backed by strongest evidence among options to treat sleep apnea
• Older Americans getting pneumonia shots, but not enough
• Older, busier clinicians who see complex patients are more likely to use novel electronic health record (EHR) functions
• One-fifth of mothers do not receive recommended antenatal corticosteroids before delivery of premature infants
• Parents continue to weigh vaccine benefits with adverse effects when deciding to vaccinate their children
• Patient Web portals improve diabetes care and outcomes
• Patients recovering from stroke tend to continue using secondary preventive medications
• Patients who are treated with empathy during office visits get over colds faster
• Patients with myelodysplastic syndrome have shorter survival times if they have coexisting medical conditions
• Patients with sickle cell disease employ various strategies to control their pain
• Pay-for-performance does not improve care quality in the short term in safety-net settings
• Pediatric care providers identify desired characteristics for computerized flu vaccination alerts
• Physicians need better understanding of factors that patients use to decide about colorectal cancer screening
• Physicians' use of "we" during patient visits does not necessarily foster patient-physician partnership
• Possible blood biomarkers for poorer asthma control identified
• Potential role of physical therapy in ICU patients
• Prenatal screening for Group B streptococci often fails to live up to current screening and treatment guidelines
• Preventing pressure ulcers in the home requires creative solutions by nurses
• Preventive care for patients with lupus could be improved
• Preventive dental care saves money on total dental care for Medicare beneficiaries
• Primary care practices can boost clinical preventive services with electronic health records and quality improvement support
• Primary care visits every 2 weeks linked to better treatment outcomes for patients with diabetes
• Prostate cancer deaths drop, but blacks still most likely to die
• Quality improvement initiative successful in sustaining reduction in bloodstream infections caused by catheters
• Radionovela promotes awareness and knowledge of cervical cancer vaccine among Hispanic parents
• Rates of pneumonia dramatically reduced in patients on ventilators in Michigan intensive care units
• Regular home blood pressure measurement raises the likelihood of blood pressure control among Korean Americans
• Risk factors for cognitive decline still murky
• Risk of venous thromboembolism low for young trauma patients without a central venous catheter
• Rotavirus was culprit in one-fourth of children's diarrhea-related emergency department visits prior to vaccine
• Routine osteoporosis screening recommended for all women over age 65
• Rural counties experience funding and stigma problems in HIV prevention services
• Rural residents depend on physician offices for their osteoporosis testing
• Screening and treatment of subclinical thyroid dysfunction inadequately studied
• Screening based on risk factors and birth year boosts screening rates for hepatitis C
• Self-measured blood pressure monitoring to manage hypertension may offer a small benefit
• Sending health maintenance reminders to personal health records helps patients adhere to some screenings
• Similarly effective international guidelines for managing cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes vary in costs
• Some patients hospitalized for stroke more likely to keep taking drugs
• Study results argue against decisions about screening colonoscopy based on age alone
• Study shows Guided Care benefits family caregivers, chronically ill older adults, and physicians, and may reduce costs
• Superficial surgical site infections are a reliable measure of hospital quality
• Surgical infection prevention measures reduce postoperative infections when used together, but not singly
• Task force recommends screening children and adolescents for obesity
• Telephone counseling helps Korean Americans who speak little English improve hypertension management
• The stability of a usual source of care is important to the care of low-income children
• Thoracic surgeons can help patients stop smoking with a brief smoking cessation program
• Three Publications Highlight Human Factors Research
• To reduce hospital deaths, managing surgical complications may be as important as preventing them
• Tool assesses the readiness of black churches to engage in health disparities research
• Trauma centers vary in screening for deep vein thrombosis
• Two-thirds of people with diabetes miss some critically important exams to manage the disease
• U.S. spends nearly $1 billion on blood thinners for adults
• Up to $500 million in Affordable Care Act funding will help health providers improve care
• Updated report highlights hospitals' progress in reducing bloodstream infections
• Using quitlines with physician support improves smoking cessation
• Wellness education and physical therapy improve health and functioning of persons with multiple sclerosis
• When primary care providers apply fluoride varnish, young Medicaid-insured children have fewer cavities
• While young women are knowledgeable about the HPV vaccine, many have yet to be vaccinated to prevent cervical cancer
• Women in jail are at increased risk of cervical cancer
• Women on Medicare with poor chances of living 4 more years often forego screening mammograms