National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
Latest available findings on quality of and access to health care
Data
- Data Infographics
- Data Visualizations
- Data Tools
- Data Innovations
- All-Payer Claims Database
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)
- Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
- AHRQ Quality Indicator Tools for Data Analytics
- State Snapshots
- United States Health Information Knowledgebase (USHIK)
- Data Sources Available from AHRQ
Search All Research Studies
AHRQ Research Studies Date
Topics
- Antibiotics (1)
- (-) Asthma (19)
- Care Management (3)
- Children/Adolescents (11)
- Chronic Conditions (4)
- Clinical Decision Support (CDS) (1)
- Digestive Disease and Health (1)
- Education: Patient and Caregiver (2)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (1)
- Emergency Department (6)
- Evidence-Based Practice (4)
- Guidelines (3)
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) (2)
- Healthcare Costs (2)
- Healthcare Delivery (2)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (4)
- Health Literacy (1)
- Home Healthcare (1)
- Hospitalization (3)
- Hospital Readmissions (1)
- Hospitals (1)
- Implementation (1)
- Inpatient Care (4)
- Medication (5)
- Medication: Safety (1)
- Newborns/Infants (1)
- Outcomes (4)
- Patient-Centered Healthcare (1)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (3)
- Patient Safety (1)
- Practice Patterns (1)
- Primary Care (1)
- Provider (1)
- Provider: Physician (1)
- Quality Improvement (3)
- Quality of Care (3)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (1)
- Registries (1)
- Respiratory Conditions (16)
- Risk (1)
- Sleep Problems (1)
- Social Determinants of Health (1)
- Telehealth (1)
- Treatments (1)
- Vulnerable Populations (1)
AHRQ Research Studies
Sign up: AHRQ Research Studies Email updates
Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 19 of 19 Research Studies DisplayedLopez K, Li H, Lipkin-Moore Z
Deep learning prediction of hospital readmissions for asthma and COPD.
The purpose of this observational study was to identify Electronic Health Record (EHR) features of severe asthma and COPD exacerbations and assess the performance of four machine learning (ML) and one deep learning (DL) model in predicting readmissions using EHR data. The study included 31, 2017 patients hospitalized with asthma and COPD exacerbations. The study found that Black and Hispanic patients had a greater likelihood of readmission for asthma. Patients with COPD readmissions included a high percentage of Blacks and Hispanics. To identify patients at high risk of readmission, index hospitalization data of a subset of 2,682 patients, 777 with asthma and 1,905 with COPD, was analyzed with four ML models, and one DL model. The researchers discovered that multilayer perceptron, the DL method, had the best sensitivity and specificity compared to the four ML methods implemented in the same dataset.
AHRQ-funded; HS027626.
Citation: Lopez K, Li H, Lipkin-Moore Z .
Deep learning prediction of hospital readmissions for asthma and COPD.
Respir Res 2023 Dec 13; 24(1):311. doi: 10.1186/s12931-023-02628-7..
Keywords: Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Hospital Readmissions, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Beck AF, Wymer L, Pinzer E
Reduced prevalence of childhood asthma after housing renovations in an underresourced community.
This study’s goal as to determine whether housing renovations affect the prevalence of asthma in an underresourced community. Between 2010 and 2012, the Fay Apartments (~800 units) in Cincinnati, Ohio, were renovated to "green building" standards and renamed the Villages at Roll Hill. Asthma prevalence among 7-year-olds was determined by accessing Ohio Medicaid data for the years 2013 to 2021. Average prevalence of asthma among 7-year-olds averaged 12.7% in the first 6 years after the renovations (2013-2018). But in postrenovation years 7-9 (2019-221), average prevalence of asthma had dropped to 5.9%.
AHRQ-funded; HS027996.
Citation: Beck AF, Wymer L, Pinzer E .
Reduced prevalence of childhood asthma after housing renovations in an underresourced community.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Glob 2023 Nov; 2(4):1-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jacig.2023.100143..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Vulnerable Populations, Social Determinants of Health
Silverstein GD, Styke SC, Kaur S
The relationship between depressive symptoms, eHealth literacy, and asthma outcomes in the context of a mobile health intervention.
This study’s objective was to evaluate the associations between health/eHealth literacy and depressive symptoms with app usage and clinical outcomes. The authors recruited adults with persistent asthma to utilize the ASTHMAXcel PRO mobile app. Participants completed the following questionnaires: Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to assess for depressive symptoms, Asthma Control Test (ACT), Mini Asthma Quality of Life (QOL) Questionnaire, and the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) tool to measure health literacy. Subsets of participant data were available on eHealth literacy (eHeals) (n = 24) and average number of app logins across 2 months (n = 40). The average participant age was 44.0 years, with 74% identifying as female. Increased depressive symptoms were associated with worse asthma control and asthma QOL, but not eHealth literacy. Higher eHealth literacy was associated with worse asthma QOL and more app logins. NVS scores weren’t associated with any measures.
AHRQ-funded; HS025645.
Citation: Silverstein GD, Styke SC, Kaur S .
The relationship between depressive symptoms, eHealth literacy, and asthma outcomes in the context of a mobile health intervention.
Psychosom Med 2023 Sep 1; 85(7):605-11. doi: 10.1097/psy.0000000000001170..
Keywords: Health Literacy, Asthma, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Education: Patient and Caregiver, Outcomes, Respiratory Conditions, Chronic Conditions
Plombon S, Rudin RS, Sulca Flores J
Assessing equitable recruitment in a digital health trial for asthma.
This study’s objective was to assess a multipronged strategy that primarily used digital methods to recruit asthma patients into a clinical trial for a digital health intervention. Eligible patients completed a web-based eligibility questionnaire reported during a verbal consent phone call. Study team members conducted monthly sessions using a structured guide to identify recruitment barriers and facilitators. The results indicated that primarily digital strategy patients recruitment is unlikely to achieve equitable participation, even in a population overrepresented by patient portal enrollees. The authors concluded that nondigital recruitment methods that address racial and educational disparities and less active portal enrollees are necessary to ensure equity in clinical trial enrollment.
AHRQ-funded; HS026432.
Citation: Plombon S, Rudin RS, Sulca Flores J .
Assessing equitable recruitment in a digital health trial for asthma.
Appl Clin Inform 2023 Aug; 14(4):620-31. doi: 10.1055/a-2090-5745..
Keywords: Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Krishnan JA, Margellos-Anast H, Kumar R
Coordinated Health Care Interventions for Childhood Asthma Gaps in Outcomes (CHICAGO) plan.
The purpose of this clinical trial was to compare an emergency-department- (ED) only intervention and home visits by community health workers for 6 months (ED-plus-home) and enhanced usual care (UC). The study enrolled children aged 5 to 11 years with uncontrolled asthma. The primary outcomes were change over 6 months in the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Asthma Impact Scale score in children and Satisfaction with Participation in Social Roles score in caregivers. The secondary outcomes included guideline-recommended ED discharge care and self-management. The study found that of the 373 children recruited, only 63% completed the 6-month follow-up visit. Differences in Asthma Impact Scores or caregivers' Satisfaction with Participation in Social Roles scores were not significant. However, in the intervention groups guideline-recommended ED discharge care improved significantly versus in the UC group, and self-management behaviors were significantly improved in the ED-plus-home group versus in the ED-only and UC groups.
AHRQ-funded; HS027804.
Citation: Krishnan JA, Margellos-Anast H, Kumar R .
Coordinated Health Care Interventions for Childhood Asthma Gaps in Outcomes (CHICAGO) plan.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Glob 2023 Aug; 2(3). doi: 10.1016/j.jacig.2023.100100..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Evidence-Based Practice, Emergency Department, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Health Information Technology (HIT), Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Volerman A, Balachandran U, Zhu M
Evaluating inhaler education interventions for hospitalized children with asthma: a randomized controlled trial.
The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the technology-based intervention-Virtual Teach-to-Goal (V-TTG) could lead to less inhaler misuse among children hospitalized with asthma. A single-center randomized controlled trial of V-TTG vs brief intervention was conducted with children aged 5-10 with asthma. At baseline, nearly all children misused inhalers; inhaler misuse decreased significantly in both V-TTG and brief intervention. The researchers suggested that future studies evaluate V-TTG intervention across diverse populations and disease severities to identify its greatest impact.
AHRQ-funded; HS027804.
Citation: Volerman A, Balachandran U, Zhu M .
Evaluating inhaler education interventions for hospitalized children with asthma: a randomized controlled trial.
Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2023 Aug; 131(2):217-23.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2023.02.023..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Education: Patient and Caregiver, Inpatient Care
Shero ST, Ammary-Risch NJ, Lomotan EA
AHRQ Author: Lomotan EA
Creating implementable clinical practice guidelines: the 2020 focused updates to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Asthma Management Guidelines.
The authors developed evidence-based clinical practice guideline updates for asthma management focused on six topic areas. Their guideline development processes, and the implementation and dissemination activities undertaken, sought to enhance implementation ability by focusing on intrinsic factors. They concluded that enhanced collaboration during guideline development between authors, informaticists, and scientists may facilitate development of tools to support the application of recommendations to further improve guideline implementation.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Shero ST, Ammary-Risch NJ, Lomotan EA .
Creating implementable clinical practice guidelines: the 2020 focused updates to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Asthma Management Guidelines.
Implement Sci Commun 2023 Mar 31; 4(1):36. doi: 10.1186/s43058-023-00417-3..
Keywords: Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Guidelines, Evidence-Based Practice
Duan KI, Birger M, Au DH
Health care spending on respiratory diseases in the United States, 1996-2016.
The objectives of this study were to estimate health care spending in the U.S. for 11 respiratory conditions from 1996 to 2016, and to provide an evaluation of factors associated with spending growth and detailed trends. Data was taken from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation's Disease Expenditure Project Database. The results showed that spending on respiratory conditions is high, particularly for chronic conditions like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The authors concluded that these findings suggest that service price and intensity should be a key focus for policymakers who seek to reduce health care spending growth.
AHRQ-funded; HS026369.
Citation: Duan KI, Birger M, Au DH .
Health care spending on respiratory diseases in the United States, 1996-2016.
Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2023 Jan 15; 207(2):183-92. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202202-0294OC..
Keywords: Respiratory Conditions, Healthcare Costs, Asthma, Chronic Conditions
Harder VS, Shaw JS, McCulloch CE
Statewide asthma learning collaborative participation and asthma-related emergency department use.
This study looked at outcomes from participation of pediatric practices in a quality improvement (QI) collaborative to decrease asthma-related emergency department (ED) visits. A statewide network of practices participated in the collaborative from 2015 to 2016. Asthma-related ED visit rates per 100 child-years for children ages 3 to 21 was evaluated using the state’s all-payer claims databases. The authors found that in the postintervention year (2017) participating practices’ ED visit rate decreased by 5.8 per 100 child-years, compared to an increase of 1.8 per 100 child-years in non-participating practices. There were no statistically significant differences in asthma-related ED visit rates during 2016, which indicated that it took some time for QI elements to be successfully implemented in pediatric practices.
AHRQ-funded; HS025297.
Citation: Harder VS, Shaw JS, McCulloch CE .
Statewide asthma learning collaborative participation and asthma-related emergency department use.
Pediatrics 2020 Dec;146(6):e20200213. doi: 10.1542/peds.2020-0213..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Emergency Department, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Primary Care, Guidelines
Cotter JM, Tyler A, Reese J
Steroid variability in pediatric inpatient asthmatics: survey on provider preferences of dexamethasone versus prednisone.
This study looked at pediatric emergency department (ED) inpatient use of dexamethasone versus prednisone by providers for asthma treatment. A survey was distributed to providers who care for inpatient asthmatics. Ninety-two providers completed the survey. When patients received dexamethasone in the ED, 44% continued dexamethasone, 14% switched to prednisone, 2% stopped steroid use, and 40% said it depended on the circumstances. Hospitalists were significantly more likely to continue dexamethasone than pulmonologists (61% versus 15%). Switching to prednisone included factors such as severity of exacerbation (73%) and asthma history (47%). Just over half of providers (5f1%) felt uncomfortable using dexamethasone because of “minimal data to support [its] use inpatient.”
AHRQ-funded; HS026512.
Citation: Cotter JM, Tyler A, Reese J .
Steroid variability in pediatric inpatient asthmatics: survey on provider preferences of dexamethasone versus prednisone.
J Asthma 2020 Sep;57(9):942-48. doi: 10.1080/02770903.2019.1622713..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Medication, Inpatient Care, Care Management, Hospitalization, Emergency Department, Practice Patterns, Provider: Physician, Provider
Greenhawt M, Shaker M
Keeping risk in context while rethinking the setting of asthma biologics in patient-centered care.
This perspective article discusses the benefits and risks of patients with severe asthma self-administering asthma biologics at home instead of at a physician’s office. While most biologics are now FDA-approved to be administered at home, many of them are also recommended by the FDA to be administered by a health care professional with post-injection monitoring due to the possibility of post-injection anaphylaxis. The authors argue that there can be more risk associated with getting into an automobile accident on the way to or from the clinic or office. Given the current circumstances with limited patient visit hours due to COVID-19 it is even more important that patients can administer the biologic themselves.
AHRQ-funded; K08 HS024599.
Citation: Greenhawt M, Shaker M .
Keeping risk in context while rethinking the setting of asthma biologics in patient-centered care.
Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2020 Aug;125(2):124-25. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2020.05.029..
Keywords: Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Home Healthcare, Medication, Patient-Centered Healthcare
Kaiser SV, Johnson MD, Walls TA
Pathways to improve pediatric asthma care: a multisite, national study of emergency department asthma pathway implementation.
This quality improvement study’s aim was to determine the effects of pediatric asthma pathway implementation in a diverse, national sample of emergency departments (EDs). Desired outcomes included systemic corticosteroid administration within 60 minutes (primary), assessment of severity at ED triage, chest radiograph use, hospital admission or transfer for higher level of care, and ED length of stay. Charts were reviewed each month by EDs for children ages 2-17 years with a primary diagnosis of asthma. A total of 83 EDs were enrolled, with 37 of them children’s hospitals, and 46 community hospitals. Seventy-three percent completed the study (n = 22,963). There was a significant increase in systematic corticosteroid administration within 60 minutes of arrival as well as increased odds of severity assessment at triage and decreased rate of change in odds of hospital admission/transfer. Chest radiograph or ED length of stay was not associated with pathway implementation.
AHRQ-funded; HS024592.
Citation: Kaiser SV, Johnson MD, Walls TA .
Pathways to improve pediatric asthma care: a multisite, national study of emergency department asthma pathway implementation.
J Pediatr 2020 Aug;223:100-07.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.02.080..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Emergency Department, Asthma, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Care Management, Healthcare Delivery, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Evidence-Based Practice, Outcomes
Kaiser SV, Lam Cabana, MD
Best practices in implementing inpatient pediatric asthma pathways: a qualitative study.
The objective of this study was to identify potential best practices in pathway implementation. Building upon a previous observational study in which the researchers identified higher and lower performing children's hospitals based on hospital-level changes in asthma patient length of stay after implementation of a pathway, they conducted semi-structured interviews with a sample of healthcare providers involved in pathway implementation at these hospitals. They identified several potential best practices to support pathway implementation. They recommended that hospitals implementing pathways consider applying these strategies to ensure success in improving quality of asthma care for children.
AHRQ-funded; HS024592.
Citation: Kaiser SV, Lam Cabana, MD .
Best practices in implementing inpatient pediatric asthma pathways: a qualitative study.
J Asthma 2020 Jul;57(7):744-54. doi: 10.1080/02770903.2019.1606237..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Hospitals, Inpatient Care, Guidelines, Evidence-Based Practice, Implementation, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Kaiser SV, Jennings B, Rodean J
Pathways for improving inpatient pediatric asthma care (PIPA): a multicenter, national study.
This study examined whether implementation of a pathway strategy for inpatient pediatric asthma patients improve outcomes for these patients. Outcomes measured included length of stay (LOS), early administration of metered-dose inhalers, screening for secondhand tobacco exposure and referral to cessation resources, and 7-day hospital readmissions or emergency revisits. Eighty-five hospitals were enrolled and 68 completed the study with (n=12,013) admissions. Pathways were associated with increases in early administration of metered-dose inhalers, and referral to smoking cessation resources, but no statistically significant changes in the other outcomes were observed. Most hospitals did improve in at least one outcome.
AHRQ-funded; HS024592; HS024554.
Citation: Kaiser SV, Jennings B, Rodean J .
Pathways for improving inpatient pediatric asthma care (PIPA): a multicenter, national study.
Pediatrics 2020 Jun;145(6):e20193026. doi: 10.1542/peds.2019-3026..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Inpatient Care, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Outcomes, Hospitalization, Care Management
Johnson MD, Zorc JJ, Nelson DS
Intravenous magnesium in asthma pharmacotherapy: variability in use in the PECARN Registry.
Researchers examined the use, efficacy, and safety of intravenous magnesium sulfate (IVMg) in children with asthma whose emergency department (ED) management is recorded in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) Registry. They found that, in PECARN Registry EDs, administration of IVMg occurred late in ED treatment, for a minority of the children likely to benefit, with variation between sites, which suggested the current clinical role for IVMg in preventing hospitalization was limited. Discharge after IVMg administration would likely be safe. They recommended further research to assess the efficacy and safety of early IVMg administration.
AHRQ-funded; HS020270.
Citation: Johnson MD, Zorc JJ, Nelson DS .
Intravenous magnesium in asthma pharmacotherapy: variability in use in the PECARN Registry.
J Pediatr 2020 May;220:165-74.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.01.062..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Medication, Emergency Department, Registries, Treatments, Patient Safety, Medication: Safety
Donovan BM, Abreo A, Ding T
Dose, timing, and type of infant antibiotic use and the risk of childhood asthma.
This study examined the association between dose, timing and type of infant antibiotic use and the risk of childhood asthma. The study examined a cohort of 152,622 children enrolled in the Tennessee Medicaid Program. At least 79% had at least one antibiotic prescription fill during infancy. There was a 20% increase in odds of childhood asthma for each additional antibiotic filled. There was no significant association between timing, formulation, anaerobic coverage and class of antibiotics and childhood asthma. However, broad spectrum antibiotic fills increased the odds of development of childhood asthma compared to narrow spectrum only fills.
AHRQ-funded; HS018454.
Citation: Donovan BM, Abreo A, Ding T .
Dose, timing, and type of infant antibiotic use and the risk of childhood asthma.
Clin Infect Dis 2020 Apr 10;70(8):1658-65. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciz448..
Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Children/Adolescents, Antibiotics, Medication, Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Risk, Chronic Conditions
Cushing AM, Bucholz E, Michelson KA
Trends in regionalization of emergency care for common pediatric conditions.
This study examined trends in regionalization of emergency care for common pediatric conditions. The authors sought to determine how the likelihood of definitive care has changed for 3 common conditions: asthma, croup, and gastroenteritis. They used the National Emergency Department Sample Database to study children from 2008 to 2016 who presented to emergency departments with those primary diagnoses, excluding critically ill patients. Researchers conducted analyses by stratification of annual emergency department pediatric volume categorized by quartiles. Referral rates increased for all conditions in all volume quartiles, with referral rates greatest in the lowest pediatric volume quartile.
AHRQ-funded; HS026503.
Citation: Cushing AM, Bucholz E, Michelson KA .
Trends in regionalization of emergency care for common pediatric conditions.
Pediatrics 2020 Apr;145(4). doi: 10.1542/peds.2019-2989..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Children/Adolescents, Emergency Department, Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Digestive Disease and Health, Healthcare Delivery
Oka S, Goto T, Hirayama A
Association of obstructive sleep apnea with severity of patients hospitalized for acute asthma. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2020 Feb;124(2):165-70.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2019.11.002.
Researchers investigated the association of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with acute asthma severity in a retrospective cohort study that used State Inpatient Databases from eight geographically diverse states. Outcomes examined were markers of acute severity such as mechanical ventilation use, hospital length of stay, and in-hospital mortality. The researchers found that, among patients hospitalized for acute asthma, OSA was associated with a higher risk of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation use and longer length of stay compared with those without OSA.
AHRQ-funded; HS023305.
Citation: Oka S, Goto T, Hirayama A .
Association of obstructive sleep apnea with severity of patients hospitalized for acute asthma. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2020 Feb;124(2):165-70.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2019.11.002.
Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2020 Feb;124(2):165-70.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2019.11.002..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Sleep Problems, Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Hospitalization
Shaker M, Briggs A, Dbouk A
Estimation of health and economic benefits of clinic versus home administration of omalizumab and mepolizumab.
Biologic therapy is a paradigm-shifting management strategy for many patients with asthma and chronic urticaria, but concerns for therapy-associated anaphylaxis may limit access to these therapies for patients unable to travel to medical clinics. The objective of this study was to characterize the cost-effectiveness of in-clinic versus at-home biologic therapy with omalizumab and mepolizumab.
AHRQ-funded; HS024599.
Citation: Shaker M, Briggs A, Dbouk A .
Estimation of health and economic benefits of clinic versus home administration of omalizumab and mepolizumab.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2020 Feb;8(2):565-72. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2019.09.037..
Keywords: Medication, Healthcare Costs, Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Chronic Conditions