A National Collaborative for Reducing Health Care-associated Infections: Current Initiatives, Challenges, and Opportunities

This weekly compilation of articles appearing in recently released journals and newsletters includes:

• Articles funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) or authored by AHRQ researchers.
• Articles mentioning or discussing AHRQ staff, activities, and publications/products.
• Articles related to AHRQ-funded Evidence-based Practice Centers.
• Articles related to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force or Put Prevention into Practice program.
• Articles mentioning the National Healthcare Disparities Report and National Healthcare Quality Report.
• Other research using AHRQ data or products.

AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles

American Journal of Infection Control
Flanagan ME, Welsh CA, Kiess C, et al. A national collaborative for reducing health care-associated infections: current initiatives, challenges, and opportunities. Am J Infect Control 2011 Jun 12. [Epub ahead of print. Supported by contract HHSA2902006000131-TO4; cites AHRQ publication Advances in Patient Safety: New Directions and Alternative Approaches, Vol. 2, Culture and Redesign, 2008.] Select to access the abstract.

American Journal of Kidney Diseases
Litvin CB, Nietert PJ, Wessell AM, et al. Recognition and management of CKD in primary care. Am J Kidney Dis 2011 Apr; 57(4):646-7. [Supported by grant 1 R18 HS17037-01 (Ambulatory Safety and Quality Program, Improving Quality Through Clinician Use of Health Information Technology).] Select to access the abstract.

American Journal of Managed Care
Hu CY, Delclos GL, Chan W, Du XL. Post-treatment surveillance in a large cohort of patients with colon cancer. Am J Manag Care 2011 May; 17(5):329-36. [Supported by grant R01 HS16743 (to last author).]

Archives of Internal Medicine
Schiff GD, Galanter WL, Duhig J, et al. Principles of conservative prescribing. Arch Intern Med 2011 Jun 13. [Epub ahead of print. Supported by Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERTs) grant U18 HS16973.] Select to access the abstract.

Health Services Research
Ryan AM, Blustein J. The effect of the MassHealth hospital pay-for-performance program on quality. Health Serv Res 2011 Jun; 46(3):712-28. [Supported by Career Development Award grant 1 K01 HS18546-01A1 (to first author).]

Zheng H, Zhang W, Ayanian JZ, et al. Profiling hospitals by survival of patients with colorectal cancer. Health Serv Res 2011 Jun; 46(3):729-46. [Supported by grant R0l HS09869; cites AHRQ-authored article by Clancy (AHRQ director) (Health Serv Res, 2007).]

Zhang Y, Cotter DJ, Thamer M. The effect of dialysis chains on mortality among patients receiving hemodialysis. Health Serv Res 2011 Jun; 46(3):747-67. [Supported by grant R03 HS18697-01.]

Su D, Richardson C, Wen M, et al. Cross-border utilization of health care: evidence from a population-based study in South Texas. Health Serv Res 2011 Jun; 46(3):859-76. [Supported by grant R24 HS17003.]

JAMA
Bishop TF, Ryan AK, Casalino LP. Paid malpractice claims for adverse events in inpatient and outpatient settings. JAMA 2011 Jun 15; 305(22):2427-31. [Supported by grant K01 HS18546-01 (to second author).] Select to access the abstract.

Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
Rosolowsky ET, Skupien J, Smiles AM, et al. Risk for ESRD in type 1 diabetes remains high despite renoprotection. J Am Soc Nephrol 2011 Mar 1; 22(3):545-53. [Supported by grant HS00063 (to first author).] Select to access the abstract.

Journal of the National Medical Association
Wutoh AK, English GN, Daniel M, et al. Pilot study to assess HIV knowledge, spirituality, and risk behaviors among older African Americans. J Natl Med Assoc 2011 Mar; 103(3):265-8. [Supported by grant 1 R24 HS11673.] Select to access the abstract.

Journal of Patient Safety
Boelig MM, Streiff MB, Hobson DB, Kraus PS, Pronovost PJ, Haut ER. Are sequential compression devices commonly associated with in-hospital falls? A myth-busters review using the Patient Safety Net database. J Patient Saf 2011 Jun; 7(2):77-9. [Supported by K08 HS17952-01 (to last author).] Select to access the abstract.

Obesity
Trogdon JG, Finklestein EA, Feagan CW, Cohen JW. State- and payer-specific estimates of annual medical expenditures attributable to obesity. Obesity 2011 Jun 16. [Epub ahead of print. Fourth author is a researcher in AHRQ's Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends; uses Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data on AHRQ's MEPS Web site.] Select to access the abstract.

Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety
Lawrence WF. Starting the conversation. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2011 Jun 17. [Epub ahead of print. Author is a researcher in AHRQ's Center for Outcomes and Evidence; discusses AHRQ's involvement in comparative effectiveness research.]

Preventing Chronic Disease
Barnett S, McKee M, Smith SR, et al. Deaf sign language users, health inequities, and public health: opportunity for social justice. Prev Chron Dis 2011 Mar; 8(2):A45. [Supported by grant K08 HS15700.] Select to access the abstract.

Psychiatric Services
Kozhimannil KB, Trinacty CM, Huskamp HA, et al. Racial and ethnic disparities in postpartum depression care among low-income women. Psychiatr Serv 2011 Jun; 62(6):619-25. [Supported by grant K01 HS18072 (to second author).]
Select to access the abstract.

AHRQ-Related Articles

American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine
Tung EE, Vickers KS, Lackore K, et al. Clinical decision support technology to increase advance care planning in the primary care setting. Am J Hosp Palliat Med 2011 Jun; 28(4):230-35. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Tierney et al. (J Gen Intern Med, 2001).] Select to access the abstract.

American Journal of Infection Control
McNamara E, Adams D, Dellit TH. Improving central venous catheter insertion documentation to facilitate electronic surveillance of bundle compliance. Am J Infect Control 2011 Jun 12. [Epub ahead of print. Cites AHRQ-funded article by Pronovost et al. (N Engl J Med, 2006).] Select to access the abstract.

American Journal of Nursing
Jacobson J. The Hospital Quality Network and regional TCAB. Am J Nurs 2011 Jun; 111(6):21-2. [Notes that "nearly a quarter of New Mexicans are uninsured, and in 2009 [AHRQ] assessed the care the state's residents receive and deemed it "weak"-"very weak" when it came to acute care and heart disease."] Select to access the abstract.

Black LM. Original research: tragedy into policy: a quantitative study of nurses' attitudes toward patient advocacy activities. J Nurs 2011 Jun; 111(6):26-35. [Cites AHRQ-sponsored Institute of Medicine report Keeping Patients Safe: Transforming the Work Environment of Nurses, 2004.] Select to access the abstract.

Annual Review of Public Health
Zimmerman FJ. Using marketing muscle to sell fat: the rise of obesity in the modern economy. Annu Rev Public Health 2011 Apr 21; 32:285-306. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Zuvekas and Weinick (Health Serv Res, 1999).] Select to access the abstract.

Ricketts TC. The health care workforce: will it be ready as the boomers age? A review of how we can know (or not know) the answer. Annu Rev Public Health 2011 Apr 21; 32:417-30. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Ayanian, Landrum, and Normand (N Engl J Med, 1998).] Select to access the abstract.

Health Services Research
Harman JS, Lemak CH, Al-Amin M, et al. Changes in per member per month expenditures after implementation of Florida's Medicaid reform demonstration. Health Serv Res 2011 Jun; 46(3):787-804. [Cites study by Burns (Health Serv Res, 2009) which uses Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data.] Select to access the abstract.

Shaefer HL, Grogan CM, Pollack HA. Transitions from private to public health coverage among children: estimating effects on out-of-pocket medical costs and health insurance premium costs. Health Serv Res 2011 Jun; 46(3):840-58. [Notes that the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), the study's data source, "offers lower estimates of medical expenditures when compared with the more specialized [MEPS]" and that "differences between the two datasets appear relatively stable over time."] Select to access the abstract.

JAMA
Haut ER, Pronovost PJ. Surveillance bias in outcomes reporting. JAMA 2011 Jun 15; 305(22):2462-3. [First author reports support by Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award grant 1 K08 HS17952-01 (Does Screening Variability Make DVT an Unreliable Quality Measure of Trauma Care?) and second author reports receiving AHRQ research support for the Keystone ICU study; cites AHRQ-funded articles by Haut et al. (J Trauma, 2011).]

Zuccotti G, Sato L. Malpractice risk in ambulatory settings; an increasing and underrecognized problem. JAMA 2011 Jun 15; 305(22):2464-5. [Comments on article by Bishop, Ryan, and Casalino (JAMA, 2011), cited in AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles above; cites AHRQ-funded articles by Poon et al. (Arch Intern Med, 2004) and Gandhi et al. (Ann Intern Med, 2006); cites AHRQ publication, Medical Liability Reform and Patient Safety: Demonstration Grants as published on AHRQ Web site.]

Journal of Patient Safety
Mull HJ, Nebeker JR, Shimada SL, et al. Consensus building for development of outpatient adverse drug event triggers. J Patient Saf 2011 Jun; 7(2):66-71. [Cites Considering Sensitivity and Positive Predictive Value in Comparing the Performance of Triggers Systems for Iatrogenic Adverse Events, Definitions for Trigger Terminology, and A Review of the Trigger Literature: Adverse Events Targeted and Gaps in Detection, all in Triggers and Targeted Injury Detection Systems (TIDS) Expert Panel Meeting: Conference Summary, 2009, and AHRQ 2010 Annual Conference, 2010.] Select to access the abstract.

Carbo AR, Tess AV, Roy C, et al. Developing a high-performance team training framework for internal medicine residents: the ABC's of teamwork. J Patient Saf 2011 Jun; 7(2):72-6. [Cites AHRQ publications, Medical Teamwork and Patient Safety: the Evidence-based Relation: Literature Review, 2005, on the AHRQ Web site, and TeamSTEPPS™: Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety, 2006, on AHRQ's TeamSTEPPS™ Web site.] Select to access the abstract.

Manojlovich M, Saint S, Forman J, et al. Developing and testing a tool to measure nurse/physician communication in the intensive care unit. J Patient Saf 2011 Jun; 7(2):80-4. [Cites AHRQ publication, Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses, 2008, and AHRQ-funded article by Rothschild et al. (Crit Care Med, 2005).] Select to access the abstract.

Greene SB, Williams CE, Pierson S, et al. Online medication error graphic reports: a pilot in North Carolina nursing homes. J Patient Saf 2011 Jun; 7(2):92-8. [Cites AHRQ publication, Advances in Patient Safety: New Directions and Alternative Approaches, 2008, as published on the AHRQ Web site.] Select to access the abstract.

Jansma JD. Wagner C, Bijnen AB. A patient safety curriculum for medical residents based on the perspectives of residents and supervisors. J Patient Saf 2011 Jun; 7(2):99-105. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Henriksen and Dayton (Qual Saf Health Care, 2006).] Select to access the abstract.

Millman EA, Pronovost PJ, Makary MA, et al. Patient-assisted incident reporting: including the patient in patient safety. J Patient Saf 2011 Jun; 7(2):106-8. [Cites AHRQ publication, Designing Consumer Reporting Systems for Patient Safety Events, 2009, as published on the AHRQ Web site.] Select to access the abstract.

Noble DJ, Panesar SS, Pronovost PJ. A public health approach to patient safety reporting systems is urgently needed. J Patient Saf 2011 Jun; 7(2):109-12. [Cites AHRQ publication, Advances in Patient Safety: New Directions and Alternative Approaches, 2008.] Select to access the abstract.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)/Put Prevention Into Practice (PPIP)-Related Articles

American Journal of Managed Care
Levine JP. Identification, diagnosis, and prevention of osteoporosis. Am J Manag Care 2011 May; 17(5 Suppl):S170-S176. [Cites USPSTF recommendations on screening for osteoporosis (Ann Intern Med, 2011).]

Trosman JR, Van Bebber SL, Phillips KA. Health technology assessment and private payers' coverage of personalized medicine. Am J Manag Care 2011 May; 17(5 Spec Issue): SP53-SP60. [Includes the USPSTF as an example of an HTA organization "that might inform private payer coverage decisions related to personalized medicine" and identifies it as one of six organizations that had developed genomic technology reviews, citing the USPSTF index page on the AHRQ Web site.]

Annual Review of Public Health
Dabhadkar KC, Kulshreshtha A, Ali MK, et al. Prospects for a cardiovascular disease prevention polypill. Annu Rev Public Health 2011 Apr 21; 32:23-38. [Cites USPSTF recommendations on aspirin for the prevention of coronary heart disease and associated evidence update (both in Ann Intern Med, 2009).] Select to access the abstract.

Thomas SB, Quinn SC, Butler J, et al. Toward a fourth generation of disparities research to achieve health equity. Annu Rev Public Health 2011 Apr 21; 32:399-416. [Notes that the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 expands the efforts of the USPSTF to encourage better coordination with the US Task Force on Community Preventive Services.] Select to access the abstract.

Journal of Health and Social Behavior
Springer KW, Mouzon DM. "Macho men" and preventive health care: implications for older men in different social settings. J Health Soc Behav 2011 Jun; 52(2):212-27. [Cites Guide to Clinical Preventive Services: Recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, 2008).] Select to access the abstract.

National Health Statistics Reports
Hing E, Saraiya M, Roland KB. Liquid-based cytology test use by office-based physicians: United States, 2006-2007. Natl Health Stat Report 2011 Jun 1; (40):1-7. [Cites USPSTF recommendation statement, Screening for Cervical Cancer, 2003, as published on the USPSTF Web site. Also refer to article by Avraham (Harv J Law Public Policy, 2011) cited in Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPC)-Related Articles.]

Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPC)-Related Articles

American Journal of Managed Care
Samantaray R, Njoku VO, Brunner JW, et al. Promoting electronic health record adoption among small independent primary care practices. Am J Manag Care 2011 May; 17(5):353-8. [Cites AHRQ-sponsored systematic review on the impact of health information technology on quality, efficiency, and cost of medical care by Chaudhry et al. (Ann Intern Med, 2006) performed by the Southern California EPC.]

Annual Review of Public Health
Brennan L, Castro S, Brownson RC, et al. Accelerating evidence reviews and broadening evidence standards to identify effective, promising, and emerging policy and environmental strategies for prevention of childhood obesity. Annu Rev Public Health 2011 Apr 21; 32:199-223. [Uses methodologies from AHRQ Evidence Report/Technology Assessment, Systems to Rate the Strength of Scientific Evidence, 2002.] Select to access the abstract.

Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy
Avraham R. Private regulation. Harv J Law Public Policy 2011 Spring; 34(2):543-638. [Cites data on patient deaths from medical errors from AHRQ publication, Reducing Errors in Health Care: Translating Research Into Practice. 2000; discusses AHRQ's role in guidelines development and promulgation and the political impacts thereof, citing AHRQ-authored article by Perfetto and Morris (Ann Pharmacother, 1996) and article by Gray et al. (Health Aff, 2003); discusses the development of AHRQ's EPC program and National Guideline Clearinghouse™ and notes suggestion from former AHRQ director John Eisenberg that "the wide variation in medical practice patterns documented in numerous studies is directly attributable to physicians' widespread reluctance to incorporate evidence-based guidelines into practice" (Eisenberg, Health Serv Res, 2000); cites AHRQ-funded article by Shekelle et al. (JAMA, 2001) on the validity of AHRQ guidelines, performed by the Southern California EPC; discusses and cites USPSTF recommendations on screening for breast cancer (Ann Intern Med, 2009); cites AHRQ publication, Medical Liability Reform and Patient Safety: Demonstration Grants as published on the AHRQ Web site; cites AHRQ's disclaimer statement and Clinical Practice Guidelines Archive on the AHRQ Web site.]

Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy
White CM, Greene L. Summary of AHRQ's comparative effectiveness review of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers added to standard medical therapy for treating stable ischemic heart disease. J Manag Care Pharm 2011 Jun;17(5):1-16. [Supported by contract HHSA290201000006G to PRIME Education, Inc.; CME activity based on AHRQ comparative effectiveness review Comparative Effectiveness of Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors or Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers Added to Standard Medical Therapy for Treating Stable Ischemic Heart Disease, (Plugin Software Help)2009, prepared by the University of Connecticut/Hartford Hospital EPC under contract 290-2007-10067-I.] Select to access the abstract.

Journal of Patient Safety
Bond WF, King AE. Modeling for the decision process to implement an educational intervention: an example of a central venous catheter insertion course. J Patient Saf 2011 Jun; 7(2):85-91. [Cites AHRQ Evidence Report/Technology Assessment, Making Health Care Safer: A Critical Analysis of Patient Safety Practices, 2001; cites AHRQ-authored article by Zhan and Miller (JAMA, 2003) and AHRQ-funded articles by Berenholtz et al. (Crit Care Med, 2004) and Pronovost et al. (N Engl J Med, 2006).] Select to access the abstract.

National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR)/National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR)-Related Articles

Health Services Research
Boscoe FP, Schrag D, Chen K, et al. Building capacity to assess cancer care in the Medicaid population in New York State. Health Serv Res 2011 Jun; 46(3):805-20. [Cites AHRQ's NHDR, 2005.]

Research By Others Using AHRQ Data or Products

American Journal of Managed Care
Pirraglia PA, Hampton JM, Rosen AB, et al. Psychological distress and trends in healthcare expenditures and outpatient healthcare. Am J Manag Care 2011 May; 17(5):319-28. [Uses 1997-2004 MEPS data; cites AHRQ publications The High Concentration of U.S. Health Care Expenditures, Research in Action, 2006, and Trends in the U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population, 1997 Versus 2002, MEPS Statistical Brief 86, 2005; cites AHRQ-authored article by Zuvekas (Health Aff, 2005).]

Archives of Ophthalmalogy
Lam BL, Zheng D, Davila EP, et al. Trends in glaucoma medication expenditure: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey 2001-2006. Arch Ophthalmol 2011 Jun 13. [Epub ahead of print. Uses 2001-2006 MEPS data, citing Sample Design of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component, 1998-2007, MEPS Methodology Report 22, 2008, MEPS-HC Response Rates by Panel, Design, Methods, and Field Results of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Medical Provider Component (MEPS MPC)—2006 Calendar Year Data, MEPS-MPS Response Rates, MEPS HC-113: 2007 Full Year Consolidated Data File, 2009, and Data Overview, all published on AHRQ's MEPs Web site.] Select to access the abstract.

Cancer
Short PF, Moran JR, Punekar R. Medical expenditures of adult cancer survivors aged <65 years in the United States. Cancer 2011 Jun 15; 117( ):2791-800. [Uses 2001-2007 MEPS data, citing Sample Design of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component, 1998-2007, MEPS Methodology Report 22, 2008.] Select to access the abstract.

Center for Retirement Research Brief (Boston College)
Englehardt GV, Gruber J. Does Medicare Part D protect the elderly from financial risk? Cent Retirement Res Brief 2011 Jun; 11-8. Online. [Uses MEPS data.]

Health Services Research
Benzer JK, Young G, Stolzmann K, et al. The relationship between organizational climate and quality of chronic disease management. Health Serv Res 2011 Jun; 46(3):691-711. [Uses AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software, citing Clinical Classifications Software (CCS) for ICD-9-CM as published on AHRQ's HCUP Web site.] Select to access the abstract.

Wilkins V, Elliott MN, Richardson A, et al. The association between care experiences and parent ratings of care for different racial, ethnic, and language groups in a Medicaid population. Health Serv Res 2011 Jun; 46(3):821-39. [Describes and analyzes AHRQ's Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) and uses data from AHRQ's National CAHPS Benchmarking Database 3.0 (NCBD 3.0) Child Medicaid CAHPS Surveys, citing CAHPS 3.0 Survey and Reporting Kit: Child Medicaid Version, 2007; cites several articles which use/analyze CAHPS data or components.] Select to access the abstract.

MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Estimated burden of acute otitis externa—United States, 2003-2007. MMWR Morbid Mortal Wkly Rep 2011 May 20; 60(19):605-9. [Uses 2007 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) data.] Select to access the abstract.