New AHRQ Campaign Encourages Hispanics to Work with Their Doctors to Make the Best Treatment Decisions

Electronic Newsletter, Issue 329

Electronic Newsletter

November 18, 2011

AHRQ News and Numbers

Women and men ages 45 to 64 were 2.5 times more likely to be hospitalized for knee replacement surgery in 2009 than in 1997. [Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, HCUP, HCUP Facts and Figures: Statistics on Hospital-Based Care in the United States, 2009.]

Today's Headlines

New AHRQ campaign encourages Hispanics to work with their doctors to make the best treatment decisions
Evidence is weak on whole-body vibration therapy for osteoporosis
New review questions benefits of screening and treatment of subclinical hypo/hyperthyroidism
Needs for future research
Methods for future research
Highlights from most recent monthly newsletter
AHRQ in the professional literature

1. New AHRQ Campaign Encourages Hispanics to Work with Their Doctors to Make the Best Treatment Decisions

AHRQ is partnering with Hispanic-serving organizations to promote the Agency's Spanish-language resources and to encourage consumers to become more active partners in their health care. AHRQ's easy-to-read resources help consumers understand the benefits and risks of treatment options and encourage shared decisionmaking between patients and their health care teams. To assist in this effort, AHRQ launched the "Toma las riendas" ("Take the reins") campaign, a nationwide effort to encourage Hispanics to take control of their health and explore treatment options. The campaign addresses the need for high-quality health information in Spanish. It promotes a wide variety of resources produced by AHRQ's Effective Health Care Program. These tools include consumer-friendly publications that summarize treatment options for common health conditions and help Hispanics work with their health care teams to select their best treatment option. The tools offer factual, unbiased information to help answer questions such as: What are the benefits and risks of different medical treatment? How strong is the science behind each option? Which treatment is most likely to work best for me? To encourage use of the materials and engage Hispanics in the discussion, AHRQ has also launched a Facebook Page. Select to access AHRQ's Spanish-language Effective Health Care Program patient guides. Print copies are available by sending an E-mail to ahrqpubs@ahrq.gov. Select to read our press release.

2. Evidence is Weak on Whole-Body Vibration Therapy for Osteoporosis

Little scientific evidence is available to evaluate the benefits and harms of whole-body vibration therapy for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, and claims about its effectiveness cannot be made without further research, a new report from AHRQ's Effective Health Care Program finds. Whole-Body Vibration Therapy for Osteoporosis compares the current body of research on this treatment and identifies key questions for future research. Osteoporosis is a significant public health problem that leads to increased bone fragility and greater fracture risk, especially of the wrist, hip, and spine. In the United States an estimated 1.5 million yearly fractures due to osteoporosis result in more than 500,000 hospitalizations, 800,000 emergency room visits, 2.6 million physician office visits, and 180,000 nursing home placements. By 2020, approximately half of all older Americans will be at risk for fractures from osteoporosis or osteopenia, a condition that can progress to osteoporosis.

3. New Review Questions Benefits of Screening and Treatment of Subclinical Hypo/Hyperthyroidism

A new research review, Effectiveness of Screening and Treatment of Subclinical Hypothyroidism or Subclinical Hyperthyroidism finds that the benefits and harms of screening for subclinical thyroid dysfunction are inadequately studied. Screening and early treatment are also of questionable benefit. The report updates a 2004 U. S. Preventive Services Task Force report on the subject.

4. Needs for Future Research

Reports from AHRQ's Effective Health Care Program identify gaps in clinical evidence so that researchers and funders can identify and explore projects that improve the body of knowledge available to decisionmakers. Eight reports in the Future Research Needs series identify these evidence gaps, including management of gestational diabetes, treating prostate cancer and treating common hip fracture. An additional 40 reports are expected over the next several years. Reports are produced by AHRQ-supported Evidence-based Practice Centers, which conduct systematic reviews of existing research on the effectiveness, comparative effectiveness, and comparative harms of different health care interventions. Select to access and read the Future Research Needs reports.

5. Methods for Future Research

A new series of reports titled, Future Research Needs—Methods Research, is now available from AHRQ. These publications, produced by AHRQ's Effective Health Care Program, provide guidance on methodological approaches to identifying gaps in clinical evidence. They are intended to support the ongoing effort to evaluate and improve the knowledge base in priority clinical areas. The series complements the Future Research Needs series, which identifies gaps in clinical evidence so that researchers and funders can improve the body of knowledge to health care decisionmakers. Select to access and read the methods research series.

6. Highlights from Most Recent Monthly Newsletter

The November issue of Research Activities is available online. Key articles include:

Nearly 1 in 10 outpatient computerized prescriptions contains errors.
Electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) has helped reduce medication errors and adverse drug events (ADEs) in a variety of health care settings, including the outpatient environment. However, computer-generated prescriptions can also introduce a new level of errors. A new study found that about 1 in 10 computer-generated prescriptions had at least 1 error. In addition, a third of these errors had the potential for harm. Massachusetts researchers reviewed 3,850 computer-generated prescriptions from a retail outpatient pharmacy chain located in three States. During a 4-week period, the pharmacy sent all computer-generated prescriptions to the study's research group. They were then reviewed by an independent clinical review panel. A total of 452 (11.7 percent) prescriptions were found to have 466 errors in them. More than a third of these errors (35.0 percent) were classified as potential ADEs. None of the ADEs were considered life-threatening; they were deemed either significant (58.3 percent) or serious (41.7 percent). The majority of medication errors involved anti-infectives, while nervous-system drugs accounted for the most ADEs. Select to read this article.