Research Activities, July 2010, No. 359 ContentsAbout Research ActivitiesFeature StoryOne in four patients experiences revolving-door hospitalizationsPatient Safety and QualitySimplified drug warnings improve patients' understanding of what to do or avoid when given a particular prescriptionHealth plans vary widely in the prescribing of antibioticsPhysicians' reasons for deviating from quality guidelines are usually justifiedAdequate financial bonuses and peer support motivate providers to adhere to evidence-based treatment guidelinesCommunity health center collaboratives improve care quality but have little impact on disparitiesPatients at small urban hospitals are more likely to suffer from pressure sores than those at small rural hospitalsStudy suggests caution in interpreting impact of nurse staffing levels on postsurgical complication ratesOutcomes and Effectiveness ResearchPatient outcomes are better than hospital volume for identifying high-quality bariatric surgery centersNew approach reduces microemboli responsible for neurologic injury following open-heart surgeryImplantable heart defibrillator is effective in reducing deaths among older heart failure patientsBody fat distribution in obese trauma patients is not linked to increased inflammation, infections, or mortalityPerformance measures requiring antibiotics for pneumonia have not boosted antibiotic use in nonpneumonia patientsPharmaceutical ResearchUnlike the United Kingdom, the United States has boosted its use of broad-spectrum antibiotics for respiratory infectionsExtended use of antiviral drugs found to be safe and effective in preventing symptomatic influenzaEpilepsy drugs do not appear to increase suicide risk in patients with bipolar disorderHIV/AIDS ResearchHIV patients are at risk for being prescribed wrong drug combinationsHospitalization rates have declined over 5 years for patients with HIV infection, but disparities still existElderly/Long-Term CareElderly lung cancer patients experience more adverse events during chemotherapy than younger patientsChild/Adolescent HealthNearly 9 percent of children experience agitation during sedation for nonsurgical proceduresHealth Information TechnologyComputerized provider order entry significantly reduces medication errors in an ambulatory settingPhysicians support health information exchange but are concerned about paying monthly feesNo additional benefit seen with remote offsite monitoring of ICU patientsAgency News and NotesHospital heart attack deaths plummetUsing bar-code technology with eMAR reduces medication administration and transcription errorsDisparities widen in the use of asthma medicationsDoctors remain remiss in advising overweight patients about healthy eatingEvidence inconclusive regarding prevention of Alzheimer's disease and cognitive declineResearch BriefsResearch BriefsHealthcare 411Subscribe to AHRQ's Electronic NewsletterVisit the AHRQ Patient Safety Network Web SiteFollow AHRQ News on Twitter Current as of July 2010 Internet Citation: Research Activities, July 2010, No. 359. July 2010. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/newsletters/research-activities/jul10/index.html
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