AHRQ, Ad Council Launch Conozca las preguntas Campaign

Over 9 out of every 10 women giving birth in the United States had some complication in 2008, HCUP Statistical Brief #113: Complicating Conditions of Pregnancy and Childbirth, 2008.]

Today's Headlines

1. AHRQ, Ad Council launch Conozca las preguntas campaign
2. New AHRQ report on pain management interventions for hip fracture is available
3. New AHRQ toolkit helps to prevent hospital-acquired pressure ulcers
4. AHRQ's Health Care Innovations Exchange highlights cultural competence
5. Important information regarding CHIPRA core set of recommended health care quality measures released
6. Save the date: AHRQ's 2011 Annual Conference set for September 19-21
7. AHRQ in the professional literature

1. AHRQ, Ad Council Launch Conozca las preguntas Campaign

AHRQ and the Ad Council has released Conozca las preguntas, (Know the Questions) a new, multimedia Spanish-language campaign to encourage Hispanics to get more involved in their health care and to talk with their doctors about their medical concerns. The national public service advertising campaign, which features television, radio, print, and Web ads, offers tips to help Hispanics prepare for medical appointments by thinking ahead of time about questions to ask their doctors during medical appointments. The PSAs direct audiences to visit AHRQ's Conozca las preguntas Web site to find tips and other important health information in Spanish. The campaign supports the HHS Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, the Department's first-ever strategic action plan to reduce health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities in the United States. AHRQ's recently published 2010 National Healthcare Disparities Report found that, compared with whites, the proportion of Hispanics who report having poor communication with their health providers is widening and the percentage who regularly get important screening tests to check for diabetes or cancer is not improving. Select to read our press release. 

2. New AHRQ Report on Pain Management Interventions for Hip Fracture Is Available

AHRQ has released a new report, Comparative Effectiveness of Pain Management Interventions for Hip Fracture, that concludes that most available treatments relieve pain and there is little evidence supporting the effectiveness of one hip pain treatment over another. Hip fractures are dangerous injuries that become more common with aging, particularly for women. In addition to the report, summary guides for consumers and clinicians are available for use in decision-making and discussions between patients and providers. The consumer guide, Managing Pain From a Broken Hip, and the clinician guide, Evidence About Effectiveness of Pain Management Interventions for Elderly Patients With Hip Fracture, is available on AHRQ's Effective Health Care Program Web site. 

3. New AHRQ Toolkit Helps to Prevent Hospital-Acquired Pressure Ulcers

AHRQ's new Web-based resource can assist hospital staff in implementing effective pressure ulcer prevention practices through an interdisciplinary approach to care. The toolkit, Preventing Pressure Ulcers in Hospitals, provides links to tools that outline a step-by-step hospital-based initiative to target interventions in those areas where patient care processes have shown the most risks to patient skin integrity. Pressure ulcers acquired during acute care hospital stays present significant treatment and recovery delays for patients. Hospitals can tailor the toolkit to meet their needs to implement new strategies and to track, record, and assess progress in pressure ulcer management. According to AHRQ's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, the costs for adults in U.S. hospitals treated for pressure ulcers developed prior to admission or hospital-acquired is more than $11 billion dollars a year. Preventing Pressure Ulcers in Hospitals Toolkit is included as a resource in the new Partnership for Patients, a public-private program to improve patient safety. 

4. AHRQ's Health Care Innovations Exchange Highlights Cultural Competence

This week's AHRQ's Health Care Innovations Exchange features three programs that describe innovative approaches to providing services that are culturally and/or linguistically competent. One such innovative program is the Daylight Program in St. Louis, MO, that trains influential immigrant and refugee volunteers to educate other women in their communities about breast health including self-examination and the importance of early detection. The program has increased awareness of the benefits of early detection and enhanced access to counseling, screening, and treatment for newly arrived refugees. More innovations on cultural competence are available on AHRQ's Health Care Innovations Exchange Web site. 

5. Important Information Regarding CHIPRA Core Set of Recommended Health Care Quality Measures Released

The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) legislation required a core set of recommended health care quality measures to be identified for voluntary use by State Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Programs, which together cover almost 40 million American children and adolescents. In a special May-June Supplement to Academic Pediatrics, noted authorities present critical insights into the issues surrounding the initial core set and key concepts for improving children's health care. In the introductory article, "The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act Quality Measures Initiatives: Moving Forward to Improve Measurement, Care, and Child and Adolescent Outcomes," AHRQ's Senior Advisor, Child Health and Quality Improvement Denise Dougherty, Ph.D., and co-authors describe the current environment in children's health care, noting that children make up 26 percent of the nation's population and account for 1 in 6 health care dollars, yet only receive 47 percent of the recommended clinical care. Select to access the abstract on PubMed.® A second AHRQ abstract in the special Supplement, "Transforming Children's Health care Quality and Outcomes-A Not-so-Random Non-Linear Walk Across the Translational Continuum" is also available on PubMed®.  

6. Save the Date: AHRQ's 2011 Annual Conference Set for September 19-21

Mark your calendars! AHRQ's 2011 Annual Conference is scheduled for September 19-21 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Convention Center in Bethesda, MD. Leading authorities in health care research and policy will participate in sessions focused on addressing today's challenges in improving quality, access and value. Health care pioneers have been invited to talk about their local successes which have national potential. Information about registration, the agenda, and other activities at the Agency's fifth annual conference will be coming soon. 

7. AHRQ in the Professional Literature

We are providing the following hyperlinks to journal abstracts through PubMed® for your convenience. Unfortunately, some of you may not be able to access the abstracts because of firewalls or specific settings on your individual computer systems. If you are having problems, you should ask your technical support staff for possible remedies.

Wakefield DS, Ward MM, Loes JL, et al. Implementation of a telepharmacy service to provide round-the-clock medication order review by pharmacists. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2010 Dec 1; 67(23):2052-7. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Weiss JW, Johnson ES, Petrik A, et al. Systolic blood pressure and mortality among older community-dwelling adults with CKD. Am J Kidney Dis 2010 Dec; 56(6):1062-71. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Borders AE, Grobman WA, Amsden LB, et al. The relationship between self-report and biomarkers of stress in low-income reproductive-age women. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2010 Dec; 203(6):577.e1-e8. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Marcus SC, Olfson M. National trends in the treatment for depression from 1998 to 2007. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2010 Dec; 67(12):1265-73. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Du XL, Xia R, Hardy D. Relationship between chemotherapy use and cognitive impairments in older women with breast cancer: findings from a large population-based cohort. Am J Clin Oncol 2010 Dec; 33(6):533-43. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Bushnell CD, Zimmer LO, Pan W, et al. Persistence with stroke prevention medication 3 months after hospitalization. Arch Neurol 2010 Dec; 67(12):1456-63. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Gidengil CA, Dutta-Linn M, Messonnier ML, et al. Financial barriers to the adoption of combination vaccines by pediatricians. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2010 Dec; 164(12):1138-44. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Contact Information

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