Research Activities, January 2011, No. 365 ContentsFeature StoryHealth information technology improves care and saves livesFrom the DirectorHealth Information TechnologyAcceptance of "smart" intravenous infusion pumps is growing among nurses, but challenges remainE-prescribing for managing medication refills has not reached its full potentialA customized computer drug alert requiring active provider response is no more effective than a passive alertCompliance is low for computer alerts recommending conversion from intravenous to oral medicationsPatient Safety and QualityMost acute-care hospitals follow national guidelines for the prevention and treatment of MRSA infectionsHospitalists modestly improve quality of careGreater use of preventive measures needed for hospitalized patients with suspected venous thromboembolismOutcomes/Effectiveness ResearchSerious complications from bariatric surgery are fewer when done by high-volume hospitals and surgeonsTreatment for blocked carotid arteries varies depending on where you liveCommunity hospitals care for psychiatric patients in medical-surgical beds when psychiatric units are fullChronic DiseasePatients taking only salmeterol seen in the emergency department for asthma more likely to be hospitalizedMost patients with type 2 diabetes suffer an adverse event between office visitsSome personality factors may affect success of chronic illness self-management programsDisparities/Minority HealthBlack Medicare patients less likely than whites to follow their doctor's instructions on taking medicinesBlack mothers skeptical of relationship between infant sleep position and SIDSElderly/Long-Term CarePublic reporting on quality of care has definite, if modest, effects on nursing home care improvementPublic report cards prompt nursing homes to spend more on clinical servicesNursing home hospice patients are not receiving adequate treatment for nonpain symptomsReview looks at approaches to improve drug prescribing in nursing homesHIV/AIDS ResearchRural counties experience funding and stigma problems in HIV prevention servicesAgency News and NotesMedical complications add 30 percent to employers' chronic care costsRates of emergency department use greater among women and low-income, older, and rural AmericansMore than half of U.S. employers offered health insurance and about one-third offered dental insurance in 2006Dental bills high in CaliforniaAnnouncements2008 HCUP Facts and Figures report provides statistics on hospital visitsFree patient education videos, pamphlets available in SpanishNew AHRQ evidence report published on inhaled nitric oxide therapy for preterm infantsNew report on the impact of human factors on home health care quality and safety is availableNew report examines impact of health information technology on workflow in outpatient settingsNew guides on rotator cuff tears in adults are availableNew AHRQ resource available for developing or improving public reporting Web sitesResearch BriefsFollow AHRQ News on TwitterSubscribe to AHRQ's Electronic NewsletterHealthcare 411Visit the AHRQ Patient Safety Network Web Site Current as of January 2011 Internet Citation: Research Activities, January 2011, No. 365. January 2011. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/newsletters/research-activities/jan11/index.html
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