Research Activities December 2012, No. 388 December 2012, No. 388 ContentsFeature StoryThe changing role of nursesFrom the DirectorAcute Care/HospitalizationCertain hospital strategies lower mortality rates for heart attack patientsContinuing beta blockers after noncardiac surgery improves patient outcomes and lowers mortalityA few preoperative factors can be used to predict inpatient deaths following surgery at resource-limited hospitalsPatients transferred to the intensive care unit within 24 hours of admission to a hospital room have high risk of dyingStudy reveals patterns of readmissions to the intensive care unitStroke education program improves medication knowledge and satisfaction among stroke patients after hospital dischargeEmergency CareVariations exist in cardiac arrest care provided by emergency medical services agenciesUninsured and Medicaid-insured emergency department patients are more likely to agree to free rapid HIV testingPatient Safety and QualityOne-third of patients with hospital-acquired infections are readmitted within 1 yearAutomated quality measures can be used to improve asthma careDelaying the control of blood pressure among middle-aged adults with diabetes lowers quality of lifeChild/Adolescent HealthAntipsychotic medications linked to occurrence of diabetes in childrenGenetic risk for obesity in children boosts risk for obesity in adulthoodQuality improvement collaborative improves outcomes in children with inflammatory bowel diseaseSurgery for ureter congenital abnormality results in efficacy and long-term durability for childrenWomen's HealthHomeless and underserved women may not be receiving empiric treatment for ChlamydiaMen's HealthCalcium from food linked to lower risk for prostate cancerMinimally invasive prostatectomy in young men has fewer complications than standard prostatectomyElderly/Long-Term CareRestorative care appears to lower emergency department visits and falls by nursing home residentsCare processes in nursing home and residential long-term care settings may benefit people with dementiaReview looks at outcomes of patients at different types of long-term care facilitiesMedicare Part D coverage gap reduces antidepressant use in the elderlyPharmaceutical ResearchAdding another medication rather than switching medications may benefit patients partially responding to initial antidepressantWhen cancer drug went generic, its use declinedComparative Effectiveness ResearchReview supports use of metformin as first-line therapy for patients with type 2 diabetesNo single strategy is uniformly successful in reducing cesarean sectionsLimited evidence of benefit of interventions during early stages of chronic kidney diseasePhysical therapy may improve outcomes for adults with knee painDisparities/Minority HealthLiving in Hispanic or black communities increases risk for obesityType of insurance affects use and intensity of postacute care for stroke survivorsHealth Care Costs and FinancingBenefits under the Affordable Care Act would have reduced out-of-pocket spending if available soonerCorporate social responsibility as well as profit motivates executives running Medicaid managed care programsPrimary care practices incur considerable costs for collecting data on diabetes quality improvement programsHealth Information TechnologyHuman-computer interaction evaluation can inform the redesign of computerized clinical remindersAgency News and NotesAHRQ Stats: AHRQ publishes statistics on hospital stays among obese adults and children and hospital stays for hip and knee replacementNew tools help improve patient safety for those with limited EnglishNew AHRQ tool assesses patient safety culture in pharmaciesNew tool released that improves the safety of care for nursing home residentsAnnouncementsFinal 2014 clinical quality measures availableReport examines quality improvement measurement in people with disabilitiesAHRQ awards grants for the science of public reportingResearch BriefsResearch BriefsSubscribe to AHRQ's Electronic NewsletterHealthcare 411 Current as of December 2012 Internet Citation: Research Activities December 2012, No. 388: December 2012, No. 388. December 2012. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/newsletters/research-activities/dec12/index.html
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