Research Activities September 2011, No. 373 ContentsAbout Research ActivitiesFeature StoryThe challenge of prioritizing care for complex patientsFrom the DirectorChronic DiseaseMetformin just as effective as other medications for treating type 2 diabetesFewer heart bypass surgeries performedAdministrative data alone are insufficient to understand equivalence of two common blood pressure drugsHIV/AIDS drugs have varied effects on lipid levelsPatient Safety and QualitySurgical risk score does not work well for knee and hip replacement operationsPay-for-performance project showed early gains but tapered in the fourth and fifth yearsEmergency MedicineLeaving the emergency department without being seen more likely at hospitals that serve more low-income patientsPatients with sepsis fare better when admitted via the emergency department rather than directly to the hospitalDisparities/Minority HealthBlacks who receive heart transplants have poorer survival than other racial groupsMinority status has no effect on patient outcomes in the intensive care unitMinority patients with nonsmall-cell lung cancer are less likely to receive hospice services than whitesDiagnosing and treating depression gets better in nursing homes but some disparities remainHealth Care Costs and FinancingWhere low-wage employees work, who their colleagues are, and spouses' wage level affect health insurance coverage and costRising health care costs may have spurred more individuals to use complementary and alternative medicineA program for laboratory monitoring of renin-angiotensin system drugs is cost-effective for certain high-risk patientsUninsured patients respond well to paying a monthly retainer for primary care servicesChildren's underenrollment in State health insurance programs may be due in part to parents' confusion about coverageLow- and middle-income children with public and private insurance have similar rates of unmet health care needsChild/Adolescent HealthClinicians cautioned about use of antihypertensive in children receiving kidney transplants who take tacrolimusFriends' behavior and parental values influence rates of unprotected vaginal intercourse among teensA standard enzyme assay may help screen for rickets in breast-fed infants not given vitamin D supplementsThe quality of children's asthma care is affected by emergency department crowdingHealth Information TechnologyComputer system compares well with clinicians in assessing, but not treating children with asthmaProviders perceive e-prescribing as being very efficientElderly/Long-Term CareInformal caregivers of older adults need more practical information to care for loved onesAnxiety is common among older adults receiving care from aging services agenciesAgency News and NotesHeart disease, cancer, and mental disease among the most costly conditions for womenDrug expenses for children with asthma more than doubled in 10 yearsArizona and Maryland see great drop in in-hospital deaths from pneumoniaHow much employees pay for health care coverage depends on where they liveAnnouncementsBrief outlines strategies to put patients at the center of primary careAHRQ releases new CME/CE activities2009 HCUP Kids' Inpatient Database (KID) now availableAHRQ releases MONAHRQ Version 2.0Data Points report on disease prevalence and Medicare reimbursement is availableHCUP Data Users' Workshop registration closing soonAHRQ releases new series on closing the quality gapResearch BriefsHealthcare 411Follow AHRQ news on Twitter Current as of September 2011 Internet Citation: Research Activities September 2011, No. 373. September 2011. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/newsletters/research-activities/sep11/index.html
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