Hospital Policies and Practices on Prevention and Treatment of Infections Caused by Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

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 Health-System Pharmacy
Yang Y, McBride MV, Rodvold KA, ET al. Hospital policies and practices on prevention and treatment of infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2010 Jun 15; 67(12):1017-24. [Supported by grant U18 HS16973.] Select to access the abstract.

Galanter W, Liu XF, Lambert BL. Analysis of computer alerts suggesting oral medication use during computerized order entry of i.v. medications. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2010 Jul 1; 67(13):1101-5. [Supported by grant U18 HS16973.] Select to access the abstract.

American Journal of Kidney Diseases
Wang V, Lee SY, Patel UD, et al. Geographic and temporal trends in peritoneal dialysis services in the United States between 1995 and 2003. Am J Kidney Dis 2010 Jun; 55(6):1079-87. [Supported in part by National Research Service Award (NRSA) Predoctoral Traineeship grant T32 HS00032, sponsored by the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (to first author).] Select to access the abstract.

American Journal of Managed Care
Liu CW, Einstadter D, Cebul RD. Care fragmentation and emergency department use among complex patients with diabetes. Am J Manag Care 2010 Jun; 16(6):413-20. Supported by grants T32 HS00059 (to first author) and R01 HS15123 (to third author).] Select to access the abstract.

Annals of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology
Liao MM, Ginde AA, Clark S, et al. Salmeterol use and risk of hospitalization among emergency department patients with acute asthma. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2010 Jun; 104(6):478-84. [Supported by grant F32 HS18123 (to first author).] Select to access the abstract.

Annals of Pharmacotherapy
Hanlon TJ, Schmader KE. What types of inappropriate prescribing predict adverse drug reactions in older adults? Ann Pharmacother 2010 Jun; 44(6):1110-11. [Supported by grant R01 HS17695 (to first author).] Select to access the abstract.

Arthritis Care and Research
Tonner C, Trupin L, Yazdany J, et al. Role of community and individual characteristics in physician visits for persons with systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Care Res 2010 Jun; 62(6):888-95. [Supported in part by grant 1 R01 HS13893 (in partnership with the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; cites AHRQ-authored article by Cohen, Monheit, Beauregard, Cohen, Lefkowitz, Potter, Sommers, Taylor, et al. (staff members in AHRQ's Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends) (Inquiry, 1996-1997), which uses Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data.] Select to access the abstract.

British Journal of Health Psychology
Jerant A, Chapman B, Duberstein P, et al. Effects of personality on self-rated health in a 1-year randomized controlled trial of chronic illness self-management. Br J Health Psychol 2010 May; 15(Pt 2):321-35. [Supported in part by grant R01 HS13603.] Select to access the abstract.

COPD
Stein BD, Charbeneau JT, Lee TA, et al. Hospitalizations for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: how you count matters. COPD 2010 Jun;7(3):164-171. [Uses 2000-2006 HCUP NIS data, citing NIS Overview page and AHRQ publication Using the HCUP Nationwide Inpatient Sample to Estimate Trends, HCUP Methods Series Report 2006-05, 2006, as published on AHRQ's HCUP-net Web site; cites articles by Krishnan et al. (Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 2006 and Patil et al. (Arch Intern Med, 2003), which use HCUP NIS data; cites AHRQ's CCS, 2004, as published on AHRQ's HCUP-net Web site; cites article by Li et al. (BMC Health Serv Res, 2008), which uses Elixhauser comorbidity measures (Elixhauser et al., Med Care, 1998).] Select to access the abstract.

Critical Care Medicine
Scanlon MC, Karsh BT. Value of human factors to medication and patient safety in the intensive care unit. Crit Care Med 2010 Jun; 38(6 Suppl):S90-S96. [Supported in part by grant 1 R01 HS13610; cites AHRQ publications, Clinical Practice Improvement and Redesign: How Change in Workflow Can Be Supported by Clinical Decision Support, 2009, and Advances in Patient Safety: New Directions and Alternative Approaches, Vol. 1: Assessment, 2008.] Select to access the abstract.

Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America
Simmons D, Sherwood G. Neonatal intensive care unit and emergency department nurses' descriptions of working together: building team relationships to improve safety. Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am 2010 Jun; 22(2):253-60. [Supported by grant 1 P01 HS11544-01; describes AHRQ's TeamSTEPPS™ program, citing TeamSTEPPS™: National Implementation on AHRQ's TeamSTEPPS™ Web site.] Select to access the abstract.

Family Medicine
Gourlay ML, Lewis CL, Preisser JS, et al. Perceptions of informed decision making about cancer screening in a diverse primary care population. Fam Med 2010 Jun; 42(6):421-7. [Supported in part by grant R21 HS13521; cites USPSTF recommendations on shared decision making about screening and chemoprevention, citing article by Sheridan, Harris, and Woolf (Am J Prev Med, 2004).] Select to access the abstract.

Health Informatics Journal
Pahel BT, Rozier RG, Stearns SC. Agreement between structured checklists and Medicaid claims for preventive dental visits in primary care medical offices. Health Informatics J 2010 Jun; 16(2):115-28. [Supported in part by National Research Service Award (NRSA) Post-doctoral Traineeship grant T32 HS00032-20, sponsored by the Cecil C. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (to first author).] Select to access the abstract.

International Journal of Medical Informatics
Carayon P, Hundt AS, Wetterneck TB. Nurses' acceptance of Smart IV pump technology. Int J Med Inform 2010 Jun; 79(6):401-11. [Supported in part by grant 1 UC1 HS14253-01 (first and third authors are principle investigators).] Select to access the abstract.

Wakefield DS, Mehr D, Keplinger L, et al. Issues and questions to consider in implementing secure electronic patient-provider web portal communications systems. Int J Med Inform 2010 Jul; 79(7):469-77. [Supported by grants R18 HS17035 and K08 HS17948.] Select to access the abstract.

Goldman RE, Dubé C, Lapane KL. Beyond the basics: refills by electronic prescribing. Int J Med Inform 2010 Jul; 79(7):507-14. [Supported in part by grant 1 U18 HS16394-01 (entitled Maximizing the Effectiveness of E-prescribing Between Physicians and Community Pharmacies).] Select to access the abstract.

Journal of the Medical Directors Association
Hutt E, Radcliff TA, Oman KS, et al. Impact of NHAP guideline implementation intervention on staff and resident vaccination rates. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2010 Jun; 11(5):365-70. [Supported by grant R01 HS13608.] Select to access the abstract.

Journal of Asthma
Sawicki GS, Vilk Y, Schatz M, et al. Uncontrolled asthma in a commercially insured population from 2002 to 2007: trends, predictors, and costs. J Asthma 2010 Jun; 47(5):574-80. [Supported in part by HMO Research Network Center for Education and Research in Therapeutics (CERTs) grant 2 U18 HS10391.] Select to access the abstract.

Journal of Clinical Neuroscience
Newman-Toker DE, Rizzo JF 3rd. Subjectively quantified Maddox rod testing improves diagnostic yield over alternate cover testing alone in patients with diplopia. J Clin Neurosci 2010 Jun; 17(6):727-30. [Supported in part by grant HS17755-01.] Select to access the abstract.

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
Engelberg RA, Downey L, Wenrich MD, et al. Measuring the quality of end-of-life care. J Pain Symptom Manage 2010 Jun; 39(6):951-71. [Supported by grant R01 HS11425.] Select to access the abstract.

Journal of Trauma
Glance LG, Osler TM, Dick AW, et al. The Survival Measurement and Reporting Trial for Trauma (SMARTT): background and study design. J Trauma 2010 Jun; 68(6):1491-7. [Supported by grant R01 HS16737; describes AHRQ-funded project to evaluate the impact of providing hospitals with nonpublic report cards on trauma outcomes based on data from the National Trauma Databank; cites AHRQ-authored article by Clancy (AHRQ director) (Health Serv Res, 2007).] Select to access the abstract.

Journal of Women's Health
Bryant AS, Nakagawa S, Gregorich SE, et al. Race/ethnicity and pregnancy decision making: the role of fatalism and subjective social standing. J Womens Health 2010 Jun; 19(6):1195-1200. [Supported in part by grant 1 P01 HS10856.] Select to access the abstract.

Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety
Brookhart MA, Rassen JA, Schneeweiss S. Instrumental variable methods in comparative safety and effectiveness research. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2010 Jun; 19(6):537-54. [Supported in part by contract 290-2005-0016-I-TO3-WA1 (as part of the Developing Evidence to Inform Decisions about Effectiveness (DEcIDE) program and grant 1 K01 HS18088 (to second author).] Select to access the abstract.

Phlebology
Lee JA, Zierler BK. The use of prophylaxis in patients undergoing diagnostic tests for suspected venous thromboembolism. Phlebology 2010; 25(2):85-93. [Supported in part by Partnerships in Patient Safety grant 1 U18 HS15898 (second author is principal investigator); cites AHRQ publication, Patient Safety Practices Rated by Strength of Evidence. Addendum to Summary, 2001, and AHRQ press release, "AHRQ Releases Toolkits to Help Providers and Patients Implement Safer Health Care Practices", 2007, both published on AHRQ Web site.] Select to access the abstract.

Psychological Medicine
Warden D, Trivedi MH, Carmody TJ, et al. Anticipated Benefits of Care (ABC): psychometrics and predictive value in psychiatric disorders. Psychol Med 2010 Jun; 40(6):955-65. [Supported in part by grant MH 1 R18 HS17189-01 (in partnership with Centerstone, to second author).] Select to access the abstract.

Quality and Safety in Health Care
Sarkar U, Handley MA, Gupta R, Tang A, Murphy E, Seligman HK, Shojania KG, Schillinger D. What happens between visits? Adverse and potential adverse events among a low-income, urban, ambulatory population with diabetes. Qual Saf Health Care 2010 Jun; 19(3):223-8. [Supported in part by grants K08 HS17594 (to first author) and R21 HS14864 and R18 HS17261-01 (to second and last authors); cites AHRQ Evidence Report/Technology Assessment, Making Health Care Safer: A Critical Analysis of Patient Safety Practices. Summary, 2001.] Select to access the abstract.

Telemedicine and e-Health
McConnochie K, Wood N, Herendeen N, et al. Integrating telemedicine in urban pediatric primary care: provider perspectives and performance. Telemed J E Health 2010 Apr; 16(3):280-8. [Supported by grant R01 HS15165.] Select to access the abstract.

AHRQ-Related Articles

Family Medicine
Moreno G, Walker KO, Grumbach K. Self-reported fluency in non-English languages among physicians practicing in California. Fam Med 2010 Jun; 42(6):414-20. [Cites AHRQ-funded articles by Ngo-Metzger et al. (J Gen Intern Med, 2007) and Komaromy et al. (N Engl J Med, 1996).] Select to access the abstract.

Snyder SM, Tyler CV Jr, Panaite V, et al. Physicians underestimate calcium intake in women. Fam Med 2010 Jun; 42(6):428-32. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Gourlay et al. (Fam Med, 2006).] Select to access the abstract.

Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety
Daniel D, Maund C, Butler K. Community hospital participation in a pilot project for venous thromboembolism quality measures: learning, collaboration, and early improvement. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2010 Jul; 36(7):301-9. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Maynard and Stein (J Thromb Thrombolysis, 2010).]

Hayden AC, Pichert JW, Fawcett J, et al. Best practices for basic and advanced skills in health care service recovery: a case study of a re-admitted patient. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2010 Jul; 36(7):310-18. [Cites AHRQ publication, Advances in Patient Safety: New Directions and Alternative Approaches, Vol. 2: Culture and Redesign, 2008, as published on AHRQ Web site; cites AHRQ-funded articles by Bendall-Lyon and Powers (Jt Comm J Qual Improv, 2001).]

Helsley L, McDonald JV, Stewart VT. Addressing in-hospital "falls" of newborn infants. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2010 Jul; 36(7):327-33. [Cites AHRQ-funded articles by Paradis et al. (Am J Med Qual, 2009).]

Buist M. How I nearly MET my maker: a story of clinical futile cycles and survival. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2010 Jul; 36(7):334-6. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Croskerry (Acad Emerg Med, 2002).]

Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
Casez P, Labarre J, Sevestre MA, et al. ICD-10 hospital discharge diagnosis codes were sensitive for identifying pulmonary embolism but not deep vein thrombosis. J Clin Epidemiol 2010 Jul; 63(7):790-7. [Cites AHRQ-authored articles by Zhan (researcher in AHRQ's for Center for Outcomes and Evidence), et al. (Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf, 2007), Zhan, Elixhauser, Friedman, Houchens, Chiang (first and last authors are researchers in AHRQ's Center for Outcomes and Evidence and second and third authors are researchers in AHRQ's Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets) (Med Care, 2007), and Zhan and Miller (Qual Saf Health Care, 2003); cites articles by Henderson et al. (Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf, 2009), using AHRQ's Patient Safety Indicators on postoperative venous thromboembolism, and De Coster et al. (BMC Health Serv Res, 2006), using AHRQ's Elixhauser comorbidity measures (Elixhauser et al., Med Care, 1998); cites AHRQ-funded articles by Patkar et al. (J Clin Epidemiol, 2009), Schneeweiss and Avorn (J Clin Epidemiol, 2005), and Iezzoni et al. (Med Care, 1994); cites AHRQ-sponsored publication, Risk Adjustment for Measuring Health Care Outcomes (Health Administration Press, 2003).] Select to access the abstract.

van Walraven C, Escobar GJ, Greene JD, et al. The Kaiser Permanente inpatient risk adjustment methodology was valid in an external patient population. J Clin Epidemiol 2010 Jul; 63(7):798-803. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Pine, Jordan, Elixhauser et al. (JAMA, 2007) ); cites AHRQ-funded articles by Schneeweiss et al. (Health Serv Res, 2003), which uses AHRQ's Elixhauser comorbidity measures, and Walter et al. (JAMA, 2001); cites articles by van Walraven et al. (Med Care, 2009) and Quan et al. (Health Serv Res, 2008 and Med Care, 2005), which use AHRQ's Elixhauser comorbidity measures (Elixhauser et al., Med Care, 1998);] Select to access the abstract.

Milbank Quarterly
Sabatino CP. The evolution of health care advance planning law and policy. Milbank Q 2010 Jun; 88(2):211-39. [Cites AHRQ-funded articles by Hawkins et al. (Gerontologist, 2005) and Coppola et al. (Arch Intern Med, 2001).] Select to access the abstract.

Luce BR, Drummond M, J�nsson B, et al. EBM, HTA, and CER: clearing the confusion. Milbank Q 2010 Jun; 88(2):256-76. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Tunis, Stryer, and Clancy (second and third authors are former AHRQ center director and AHRQ director, respectively) (JAMA, 2008).] Select to access the abstract.

New England Journal of Medicine
Song Y, Skinner J, Bynum J, et al. Regional variations in diagnostic practices. N Engl J Med 2010 Jul 1; 363(1):45-53. [Cites AHRQ-funded articles by Birkmeyer et al. (N Engl J Med, 2003) and Iezzoni et al. (Health Serv Res, 1994).] Select to access the abstract.

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

Milbank Quarterly
Burris S, Wagenaar AC, Swanson J, et al. Making the case for laws that improve health: a framework for public health law research. Milbank Q 2010 Jun; 88(2):169-210. [Notes that "the [USPSTF] has developed a rating system for the strength of evidence for preventive health measures provided by different types of study designs, ranging from case reports to randomized controlled trials," citing AHRQ-funded article by Harris et al. (Am J Prev Med, 2001) on USPSTF methodologies.] Select to access the abstract.

Preventing Chronic Disease
Li J, Zhao G, Pollack LA, et al. Use of the prostate-specific antigen test among men aged 75 years or older in the United States: 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Prev Chronic Dis 2010 Jul; 7(4):A84. [Cites USPSTF-sponsored systematic review of the comparative effectiveness and harms of treatments for clinically localized prostate cancer (Ann Intern Med, 2008), USPSTF updated recommendations on screening for prostate cancer (Ann Intern Med, 2008) and USPSTF-sponsored evidence update on screening for prostate cancer (Ann Intern Med, 2002). Also go to article by Gourlay et al. (Fam Med, 2010) cited in AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles.] Select to access the abstract.

Evidence-based Practice Centers-Related Articles

Archives of Internal Medicine
Zwaan L, de Bruijne M, Wagner C, et al. Patient record review of the incidence, consequences, and causes of diagnostic adverse events. Arch Intern Med 2010 Jun 28; 170(12):1015-21. [Cites AHRQ-funded systematic review by Shojania et al. (JAMA, 2003), performed under contract to the UCSF-Stanford Evidence-based Practice Center; cites AHRQ-funded articles by Studdert et al. (N Engl J Med, 2006), Gandhi et al. (Ann Intern Med, 2006), and Burroughs et al. (Acad Emerg Med, 2005).] Select to access the abstract.

Thomas EJ, Brennan T. Diagnostic adverse events: on to chapter 2: comment on "patient record review of the incidence, consequences, and causes of diagnostic adverse events". Arch Intern Med 2010 Jun 28; 170(12):1021-2. [Comments on previous article by Zwaan et al. cited above; cites AHRQ-funded systematic review by Shojania et al. (JAMA, 2003), performed under contract to the UCSF-Stanford Evidence-based Practice Center; cites AHRQ-funded articles by Schiff et al. (Arch Intern Med, 2009) and Singh, Petersen, and Thomas (Qual Saf Health Care, 2006). Also go to article by Sarkar et al. (Qual Saf Health Care, 2010) cited in AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles.]

Research by Others Using AHRQ Data or Products

Acute Cardiac Care
Movahed MR, Ramaraj R, Hashemzadeh M, et al. Nationwide trends in the age adjusted prevalence of non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) across various races and gender in the USA. Acute Card Care 2010 Jun; 12(2):58-62. [Uses 1988-2004 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) data.] Select to access the abstract.

Annals of Surgery
Vogel TR, Dombrovskiy VY, Carson JL, et al. Postoperative sepsis in the United States. Ann Surg 2010 Jun 21. [Epub ahead of print. [Uses 2002-2006 HCUP NIS data, citing AHRQ publications, Using the HCUP Nationwide Inpatient Sample to Estimate Trends, HCUP Methods Series No. 200501, 2005, and The National Hospital Bill: The Most Expensive Conditions, by Payer, 2004, HCUP Statistical Brief No. 13, 2006, and HCUP NIS Overview on AHRQ's HCUPnet Web site; uses the technical specifications for AHRQ's Patient Safety Indicator on postoperative sepsis, citing AHRQ publications, Patient Safety Indicators: Technical Specifications, Version 3.2, 2008, and Guide to Patient Safety Indicators. Codes in Appendix O and P of the PSI Technical Specifications, Version 3.1, 2007, both published on AHRQ's Quality Indicators Web site; uses and cites Elixhauser comorbidity measures (Elixhauser et al., Med Care, 1998); cites AHRQ-authored article by Elixhauser, Pancholi, and Clancy (first and second authors are researchers in AHRQ's Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets and third author is AHRQ director) (Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf, 2005), which uses AHRQ's quality indicators; cites AHRQ publication, Racial Disparities in Patient Safety Indicator (PSI) Rates in the Veterans Health Administration, 2009, as published on AHRQ Web site; cites article by Liet al. (BMC Health Serv Res, 2008), which uses Elixhauser comorbidity measures.] Select to access the abstract.

Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics
Chi MJ, Lee CY, Wu SC. The prevalence of chronic conditions and medical expenditures of the elderly by chronic condition indicator (CCI). Arch Gerontol Geriatr 2010 May 10. [Epub ahead of print. Uses and cites definition of chronic disease, based on AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software (CCS); cites AHRQ-authored article by Cohen and Krauss (current and former AHRQ researchers) (Health Aff, 2003), which uses 1997 MEPS data.] Select to access the abstract.

BMC Health Services Research
Chen IC, Li HH. Measuring patient safety culture in Taiwan using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC). BMC Health Serv Res 2010 Jun 7; 10(1):152. [Uses AHRQ's HSOPSC, as published on AHRQ Web site, to measure the 12 dimensions of the patient safety culture from 42 hospitals in Taiwan.] Select to access the abstract.

Current Oncology
Cripps C, Winquist E, Devries MC, et al. Epidermal growth factor receptor targeted therapy in states III and IV head and neck cancer. Curr Oncol 2010 Jun; 17(3):37-48. [Uses AHRQ's National Guideline Clearinghouse™ to locate relevant primary articles and practice guidelines.] Select to access the abstract.

Digestive Diseases and Sciences
Dorn SD, Shah ND, Berg BP, et al. Effect of weekend hospital admission on gastrointestinal hemorrhage outcomes. Dig Dis Sci 2010 Jun; 55(6):1658-66. [Uses 1998-2003 HCUP NIS data, citing HCUP NIS Overview and AHRQ publication, Databases and Related Tools from HCUP, Fact Sheet, 2006, both published on AHRQ's HCUP Web site; uses and cites Elixhauser comorbidity measures (Elixhauser et al., Med Care, 1998).] Select to access the abstract.

International Journal of Behavioral Medicine
Lallukka T, Chandola T, Roos E, et al. Work-family conflicts and health behaviors among British, Finnish, and Japanese employees. Int J Behav Med 2010 Jun; 17(2):134-42. [Uses study cohort data from the Whitehall II study, previously funded by AHRQ.] Select to access the abstract.

Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety
Campbell EG, Singer S, Kitch BT, et al. Patient safety climate in hospitals: act locally on variation across units. Jt Comm J Qual and Patient Saf 2010 Jul; 36(7):319-26. [Uses AHRQ's Hospital Survey on Patient Safety, citing Surveys on Patient Safety Culture Web page, 2010, Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture, 2009 Comparative Database Report, 2009, and Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture, 2008 Comparative Database Report, 2008, all published on AHRQ Web site; cites AHRQ-sponsored publication, Psychometric Analysis of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety, 2003; cites AHRQ-funded article by Pronovost et al. (Qual Saf Health Care, 2003).]

Journal of the American College of Surgeons
Kohn GP, Galanko JA, Overby DW, et al. High case volumes and surgical fellowships are associated with improved outcomes for bariatric surgery patients: a justification of current credentialing initiatives for practice and training. J Am Coll Surg 2010 Jun; 210(6):909-18. [Uses 1998-2006 HCUP NIS data, citing AHRQ publication, Changes in the NIS Sampling and Weighting Strategy for 1998, 2002, as published on AHRQ's HCUP-net Web site; cites AHRQ-funded article by Deyo, Cherkin, and Ciol (J Clin Epidemiol, 1992); cites article by Quan et al. (Health Serv Res, 2008), which uses Elixhauser comorbidity measures (Elixhauser et al., Med Care, 1998).] Select to access the abstract.

Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Movahed MR, Hashemzadeh M, Khoynezhad A, et al. Sex- and ethnic group-specific nationwide trends in the use of coronary artery bypass grafting in the United States. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2010 Jun; 139(6):1545-7. [Uses 1998-2004 HCUP NIS data.] Select to access the abstract.

Laryngoscope
Shah RK, Stocks C. Epiglottitis in the United States: national trends, variances, prognosis, and management. Laryngoscope 2010 Jun; 120(6):1256-62. [Uses 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006 HCUP NIS data; cites AHRQ publications, Data Use Agreement for the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, 2008, and Introduction to the HCUP Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), 2006, 2008, both published on AHRQ's HCUPnet Web site.] Select to access the abstract.

Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
Kourtis AP, Ellington S, Bansil P, et al. Hospitalizations for invasive pneumococcal disease among human immunodeficiency virus-1 infected children, adolescents and young adults in the United States in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy and the conjugate pneumococcal vaccine. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2010 Jun; 29(6):561-63. [Uses 1994-1995, 1998-1999, and 2004-2005 HCUP NIS data.] Select to access the abstract.

Quarterly Journal of Economics
Almond D, Doyle JJ JR, Kowalski AE, et al. Estimating marginal returns to medical care: evidence from at-risk newborns. Q J Econ 2010 May; 501(2):591-634. [Uses 2001-1006 (Arizona), 1995-2006 (New Jersey and Maryland), and 1995-2000 (New York) HCUP State Inpatient Databases (SID) data.]

Sleep
Chandola T, Ferrie JE, Perski A, et al. The effect of short sleep duration on coronary heart disease risk is greatest among those with sleep disturbance: a prospective study from the Whitehall II cohort. Sleep 2010 Jun 1; 33(6):739-44. [Uses study cohort data from the Whitehall II study, previously funded by AHRQ.] Select to access the abstract.