Research Activities, October 2010, No. 362 ContentsAbout Research ActivitiesFeature StoryHealth care-associated infections greatly increase the length and cost of hospital staysSafety/Quality of CareQuality improvement initiative successful in sustaining reduction in bloodstream infections caused by cathetersTimely followup remains an issue with abnormal lab results in electronic health recordsParents continue to weigh vaccine benefits with adverse effects when deciding to vaccinate their childrenHealth Care Costs and FinancingPay-for-performance does not improve care quality in the short term in safety-net settingsHealth plan choices are associated with lower premiums for employeesMost spending on children's health care in Medicaid and CHIP goes for children with chronic health problemsFor elderly patients with depression, cost-sharing insurance policies reduce drug use without increasing use of careAccess to CarePatients with financial worries or no insurance delay going to the hospital for a heart attackRural elderly with dementia are hospitalized more often for conditions that primary care visits might have caughtProject helps those with spinal cord injury identify community and environmental barriersPreventionColorectal cancer screening is mostly underused, but problems with overuse and misuse remainOutcomes/Effectiveness ResearchDelay in filling a blood-thinner prescription after procedures to implant a drug-eluting stent is riskyPatients with adult-onset diabetes with limited health literacy more likely to suffer hypoglycemic episodesLaboratory tests can accurately detect two clotting-factor mutations that raise risk of blood clotsA new study links biomarker of brain injury to microemboli occurring during cardiac surgeryThe role of hospital care in general medical care has declined over timeHealth Information TechnologyDecision support in the electronic record improves asthma careUse of certain electronic health record features is associated with improved primary care quality measuresRegional health information exchanges must do more to attract small practicesPharmaceutical ResearchMore than a quarter of patients do not fill prescriptions for new medicationsAcamprosate safe and efficacious in treating alcohol dependenceHow community pharmacies decide how and whether to provide immunization servicesPublic Health PreparednessPandemic, disaster could overwhelm U.S. critical care capacity in certain regionsWomen's HealthLive or Web-based training improves clinical estimates of blood loss during childbirthAgency News and NotesRisks, benefits of emerging heart valve replacement technique not fully understoodTreating Americans with diabetes cost hospitals $83 billionPotentially avoidable hospitalizations for heart failure lowest in mountain StatesSoutheastern and mid-Atlantic States have highest rate of sepsis-related deathsOregon and Vermont show fewest hospitalizations for children with asthmaStudy recommends disclosure of medical mistakes that affect multiple patientsAnnouncementsAHRQ launches healthy men Web siteAHRQ seeks new topic nominations for U.S. Preventive Services Task ForceTwo courses added to HCUP Online Tutorial SeriesResearch BriefsResearch BriefsHealthcare 411Subscribe to AHRQ's Electronic NewsletterVisit the AHRQ Patient Safety Network Web SiteFollow AHRQ News on Twitter Current as of October 2010 Internet Citation: Research Activities, October 2010, No. 362. October 2010. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/newsletters/research-activities/oct10/index.html
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