Research Activities, January 2010, No. 353 ContentsAbout Research ActivitiesFeature StoryU.S. spends nearly $1 billion on blood thinners for adultsHealth Care Costs and FinancingMedicare payment caps on home care add to the family caregiving burden, especially among lower-income familiesPersons with mental disorders switching from Medicaid to Medicare drug coverage may have drug access problemsPatient Safety and QualityAdministration of antimicrobials just prior to surgery reduces the risk of surgical site infectionsSimulating equipment failures can be useful to hone anesthesia providers' skillsFailure to order and follow up medical tests are leading causes of diagnostic errorsMedication changes are not always documented properly in physician notes or the electronic medical recordCriteria used to identify "drugs to avoid" in the elderly are not very accuratePhysicians in practices focused on quality improvement are less likely to be dissatisfied and stressedPublic Health PreparednessPhysicians aren't confident they can recognize infections from anthrax and other bioterrorism disease threatsDisparities/Minority HealthBlack physicians are less likely to have implicit preferences for blacks or whitesMost Mexican patients prefer their rheumatologist to make treatment decisions for themMental HealthFewer public psychiatric hospital beds may lead to higher suicide ratesAntidepressant use rises while psychotherapy declinesYouths initially diagnosed with ADHD receive an array of medicationsElderly/Long-Term CareAntibiotic resistance is prevalent and varied in long-term-care facilitiesComputerized decisionmaking systems improve physician prescribing for long-term-care residentsHealth Information TechnologyPrimary care physicians like e-prescribing systems, but make little use of their advanced featuresUse of electronic prescribing has expanded among Massachusetts physiciansWeb-based programs help patients with diabetes feel empowered to take care of themselvesLonger use of electronic health records is not linked to improved quality of careOutcomes/Effectiveness ResearchStudies examine impact of drug caps and pay for performance on care costs and outcomesMEPS household survey respondents tend to report some medical conditions more accurately than othersMEPS respondents underreport emergency department and office visits, but accurately report hospital staysIndividuals who seek care for coughs and colds in emergency departments have social supportAgency News and NotesTwo-thirds of people with diabetes miss some critically important exams to manage the diseaseAnnouncementsHHS Secretary appoints members to AHRQ National Advisory CouncilAHRQ Announces Two New Funding OpportunitiesResearch BriefsResearch BriefsHealthcare 411Subscribe to AHRQ's Electronic NewsletterVisit the AHRQ Patient Safety Network Web Site Current as of January 2010 Internet Citation: Research Activities, January 2010, No. 353. January 2010. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/newsletters/research-activities/jan10/index.html
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