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
- Access to Care (3)
- Adverse Drug Events (ADE) (33)
- Adverse Events (32)
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (5)
- Antibiotics (41)
- Antimicrobial Stewardship (23)
- Anxiety (1)
- Asthma (2)
- Behavioral Health (18)
- Blood Clots (4)
- Blood Pressure (3)
- Blood Thinners (9)
- Cancer (9)
- Cancer: Breast Cancer (1)
- Cancer: Lung Cancer (2)
- Cardiovascular Conditions (6)
- Caregiving (2)
- Care Management (3)
- Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) (1)
- Children/Adolescents (23)
- Chronic Conditions (19)
- Clinical Decision Support (CDS) (5)
- Clinician-Patient Communication (4)
- Clostridium difficile Infections (2)
- Communication (5)
- Community-Acquired Infections (1)
- Community-Based Practice (2)
- Comparative Effectiveness (5)
- COVID-19 (7)
- Dementia (2)
- Dental and Oral Health (3)
- Depression (2)
- Diabetes (5)
- Diagnostic Safety and Quality (2)
- Disparities (4)
- Elderly (17)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (5)
- Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing) (4)
- Emergency Department (5)
- Evidence-Based Practice (9)
- Eye Disease and Health (2)
- Falls (2)
- Genetics (1)
- Guidelines (1)
- Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) (4)
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) (2)
- Healthcare Costs (6)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (18)
- Health Insurance (4)
- Health Literacy (1)
- Heart Disease and Health (3)
- Hepatitis (2)
- Home Healthcare (1)
- Hospital Discharge (4)
- Hospitalization (7)
- Hospitals (6)
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (4)
- Implementation (5)
- Infectious Diseases (7)
- Injuries and Wounds (1)
- Inpatient Care (5)
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (3)
- Kidney Disease and Health (1)
- Learning Health Systems (1)
- Long-Term Care (4)
- Low-Income (3)
- Maternal Care (2)
- Medicaid (4)
- Medical Errors (12)
- Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) (3)
- Medicare (4)
- (-) Medication (184)
- Medication: Safety (41)
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (2)
- Mortality (7)
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) (1)
- Neurological Disorders (2)
- Newborns/Infants (3)
- Nursing Homes (4)
- Obesity (3)
- Opioids (51)
- Orthopedics (1)
- Outcomes (5)
- Pain (15)
- Palliative Care (1)
- Patient-Centered Healthcare (1)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (3)
- Patient Adherence/Compliance (2)
- Patient and Family Engagement (1)
- Patient Experience (1)
- Patient Safety (35)
- Pneumonia (2)
- Policy (4)
- Practice Patterns (24)
- Pregnancy (4)
- Prevention (8)
- Primary Care (11)
- Provider (6)
- Provider: Clinician (1)
- Provider: Nurse (1)
- Provider: Pharmacist (11)
- Provider: Physician (3)
- Public Health (1)
- Quality Improvement (4)
- Quality Indicators (QIs) (1)
- Quality of Care (6)
- Quality of Life (1)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (6)
- Respiratory Conditions (8)
- Risk (15)
- Rural Health (3)
- Screening (1)
- Sepsis (4)
- Sex Factors (2)
- Sexual Health (1)
- Shared Decision Making (10)
- Skin Conditions (2)
- Social Determinants of Health (1)
- Social Media (1)
- Stroke (2)
- Substance Abuse (25)
- Surgery (7)
- Telehealth (5)
- Transitions of Care (3)
- Transplantation (3)
- Trauma (1)
- Treatments (4)
- Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) (4)
- Vaccination (1)
- Vulnerable Populations (2)
- Women (5)
- Young Adults (3)
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 25 of 184 Research Studies DisplayedDe Castro GC, Slatnick LR, Shannon M
Impact of time-to-antibiotic delivery in pediatric patients with cancer presenting with febrile neutropenia.
Researchers abstracted episodes of febrile neutropenia (FN) in pediatric patients with cancer occurring at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital and Colorado Children's Hospital to capture time-to-antibiotic (TTA) metrics and clinical outcomes including major complications. Results showed that only 0.6% of episodes required immediate ICU management, with a median TTA of 28 minutes; for the remaining patients, the median TTA was 56 minutes. TTA was not associated with major nor any other complications in adjusted analysis. The researchers concluded that there was no clear evidence that a reduced TTA improves clinical outcomes in pediatric oncology FN and it should not be used as a primary quality measure.
AHRQ-funded; HS025696.
Citation: De Castro GC, Slatnick LR, Shannon M .
Impact of time-to-antibiotic delivery in pediatric patients with cancer presenting with febrile neutropenia.
JCO Oncol Pract 2024 Feb; 20(2):228-38. doi: 10.1200/op.23.00583..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Cancer, Antibiotics, Medication
Ramanathan S, Evans CT, Hershow RC
Guideline concordance and antibiotic-associated adverse events between Veterans administration and non-Veterans administration dental settings: a retrospective cohort study.
The study aimed to evaluate antibiotic prophylaxis adherence and associated adverse drug events (ADEs) in dental settings. A retrospective cohort study of adults with cardiac conditions or prosthetic joints from 2015 to 2017 was conducted. Of 61,124 patients receiving antibiotic prophylaxis, 62 (0.1%) experienced ADEs. Guideline concordance was not linked to ADEs (adjusted OR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.25-2.46), and this was consistent across different dental settings.
AHRQ-funded; HS025177.
Citation: Ramanathan S, Evans CT, Hershow RC .
Guideline concordance and antibiotic-associated adverse events between Veterans administration and non-Veterans administration dental settings: a retrospective cohort study.
Front Pharmacol 2024 Jan 16; 15:1249531. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1249531.
Keywords: Antibiotics, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Guidelines, Dental and Oral Health, Practice Patterns
Carroll AR, Johnson JA, Stassun JC
Health literacy-informed communication to reduce discharge medication errors in hospitalized children: a randomized clinical trial.
This study’s objective was to test a health literacy-informed communication intervention to decrease liquid medication dosing errors compared with standard counseling in hospitalized children. This parallel, randomized clinical trial was conducted from June 22, 2021, to August 20, 2022, at a tertiary care, US children's hospital. English- and Spanish-speaking caregivers of hospitalized children 6 years or younger prescribed a new, scheduled liquid medication at discharge were included in the analysis. Observed dosing errors were the main outcome measured, and secondary outcomes included caregiver-reported medication knowledge. Among 198 randomized caregivers (mean age 31.4 years; 186 women [93.9%]; 36 [18.2%] Hispanic or Latino and 158 [79.8%] White), the primary outcome was available for 151 (76.3%). The observed mean (SD) percentage dosing error was 1.0% (2.2 percentage points) among the intervention group and 3.3% (5.1 percentage points) among the standard counseling group (absolute difference, 2.3 percentage points). Twenty-four of 79 caregivers in the intervention group (30.4%) measured an incorrect dose compared with 39 of 72 (54.2%) in the standard counseling group. The intervention enhanced caregiver-reported medication knowledge compared with the standard counseling group for medication dose (71 of 76 [93.4%] vs 55 of 69 [79.7%]), duration of administration (65 of 76 [85.5%] vs 49 of 69 [71.0%], and correct reporting of 2 or more medication adverse effects (60 of 76 [78.9%] vs 13 of 69 [18.8%]).
AHRQ-funded; HS026122.
Citation: Carroll AR, Johnson JA, Stassun JC .
Health literacy-informed communication to reduce discharge medication errors in hospitalized children: a randomized clinical trial.
JAMA Netw Open 2024 Jan 2; 7(1):e2350969. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.50969..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Health Literacy, Communication, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Clinician-Patient Communication, Hospital Discharge, Medication: Safety
Devine JW, Tadrous M, Hernandez I
A retrospective cohort study of the 2018 angiotensin receptor blocker recalls and subsequent drug shortages in patients with hypertension.
Researchers compared the risk of adverse events between hypertensive patients who used valsartan and a propensity score-matched group who used nonrecalled angiotensin receptor blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Valsartan usage at the time of its recall was associated with higher risks of all-cause hospitalization, emergency department or urgent care use, and the composite of cardiac events within 6 months after the recall. The valsartan recall and shortage affected hypertensive patients. Local- and national-level systems need to be enhanced to protect patients from drug shortages by providing safe and reliable medication alternatives.
AHRQ-funded; HS027985.
Citation: Devine JW, Tadrous M, Hernandez I .
A retrospective cohort study of the 2018 angiotensin receptor blocker recalls and subsequent drug shortages in patients with hypertension.
J Am Heart Assoc 2024 Jan 2; 13(1):e032266. doi: 10.1161/jaha.123.032266.
Keywords: Blood Pressure, Medication, Cardiovascular Conditions
Jolliff A, Coller RJ, Kearney H
An mHealth design to promote medication safety in children with medical complexity.
This study describes an effort to design a health information technology tool to improve medication safety for children with medical complexity (CMC). The study engaged family caregivers, secondary caregivers, and clinicians who work with CMC in a co-design process to identify: 1) medication safety challenges experienced by CMC caregivers and, 2) design requirements for a mobile health application to improve medication safety for CMC in the home. Family caregivers, secondary caregivers, and clinicians from a children's hospital-based pediatric complex care program participated in virtual co-design sessions. During these sessions, the facilitator guided 16 co-designers in generating and converging upon medication safety challenges and design requirements. These sessions were recorded and reviewed after conclusion to confirm that all designer comments had been captured. An analysis yielded 11 challenges to medication safety and 11 corresponding design requirements that fit into three broader challenges: giving the right medication at the right time; communicating with others about medications; and accommodating complex medical routines.
AHRQ-funded; HS028409.
Citation: Jolliff A, Coller RJ, Kearney H .
An mHealth design to promote medication safety in children with medical complexity.
Appl Clin Inform 2024 Jan; 15(1):45-54. doi: 10.1055/a-2214-8000..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Medication: Safety, Medication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Chronic Conditions, Telehealth, Caregiving
MohammadiGorji S, Joseph A, Mihandoust S
Anesthesia workspaces for safe medication practices: design guidelines.
The purpose of this study was to create a set of evidence-based design guidelines for the design of anesthesia workspaces to support safer anesthesia medication tasks in operating rooms (ORs). The researchers collected data through literature review, observation, and coding of prerecorded videos of outpatient surgical procedures to identify challenges encountered by anesthesia providers while performing medication tasks. The study findings were summarized into 7 design guidelines, including: 1) locate critical tasks within a primary field of vision, 2) eliminate other staff travel into and through the anesthesia zone, 3) identify and delineate a clear anesthesia zone with adequate space for the anesthesia provider, 4) maximize the ability to reconfigure the anesthesia workspace, 5) minimize workspace clutter from equipment, 6) provide adequate and appropriately positioned surfaces for medication preparation and administration, and 7) optimize lighting of tasks and surfaces.
AHRQ-funded.
Citation: MohammadiGorji S, Joseph A, Mihandoust S .
Anesthesia workspaces for safe medication practices: design guidelines.
HERD 2024 Jan; 17(1):64-83. doi: 10.1177/19375867231190646..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety
Foot C, Korthuis PT, Tsui JI
Associations between stimulant use and return to illicit opioid use following initiation onto medication for opioid use disorder.
The objective of this secondary analysis of data from two clinical trials comparing buprenorphine and extended-release naltrexone was to estimate the effect of ongoing stimulant use on return to illicit opioid use after initiation of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD). The findings indicated that people on medication for opioid use disorder who subsequently used stimulants appeared more likely to return to non-prescribed opioids use compared with those without stimulant use; this association appeared stronger among patients who initiated buprenorphine compared with those who initiated extended-release naltrexone.
AHRQ-funded; HS026370.
Citation: Foot C, Korthuis PT, Tsui JI .
Associations between stimulant use and return to illicit opioid use following initiation onto medication for opioid use disorder.
Addiction 2024 Jan; 119(1):149-57. doi: 10.1111/add.16334..
Keywords: Opioids, Substance Abuse, Medication, Behavioral Health
Chase BA, Semenov I, Rubin S
Characteristics associated with response to subcutaneously administered anti-CGRP monoclonal antibody medications in a real-world community cohort of persons living with migraine: a retrospective clinical and genetic study.
This study’s objective was to evaluate response to anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) migraine preventives in a real-world community cohort of persons living with migraine and to identify clinical and genetic characteristics associated with efficacious response. The authors looked at users of erenumab-aooeb, fremanezumab-vrfm, and galcanezumab-gnl and their reasons for stopping or starting these medications. No difference was seen at either first or second follow-ups between galcanezumab and fremanezumab or fremanezumab and erenumab. There was a decrease in MDM at follow-up that was generally proportional to baseline MDM, larger in females, and increased with months on medication, with the reasons for switching or stopping a preventive varying between medications and was often related to cost or insurance coverage. At both follow-ups, patient tolerance and continued use were high and similar across preventives.
AHRQ-funded; HS024057.
Citation: Chase BA, Semenov I, Rubin S .
Characteristics associated with response to subcutaneously administered anti-CGRP monoclonal antibody medications in a real-world community cohort of persons living with migraine: a retrospective clinical and genetic study.
Headache 2024 Jan; 64(1):68-92. doi: 10.1111/head.14655.AHRQ-funded; HS024057..
Keywords: Neurological Disorders, Medication
Wolf RM, Hall M, Williams DJ
Disparities in pharmacologic restraint for children hospitalized in mental health crisis.
This retrospective cohort study examined associations between pharmacologic restraint use and race and ethnicity among children (aged 5-≤18 years) admitted for mental health conditions to acute care nonpsychiatric children's hospitals. Study period was 2018 to 2022 and was conducted at 41 US children’s hospitals and included a cohort of 61,503 hospitalizations. Compared with non-Hispanic Black children, children of non-Hispanic White (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.81), Asian (aOR, 0.82), or other race and ethnicity (aOR, 0.68) were less likely to receive pharmacologic restraint, with no significant difference with Hispanic children. When stratified by sex, racial/ethnic differences were magnified in males, except for Hispanic males, and not found in females. Sensitivity analysis revealed amplified disparities for all racial/ethnic groups, including Hispanic youth.
AHRQ-funded; HS026122.
Citation: Wolf RM, Hall M, Williams DJ .
Disparities in pharmacologic restraint for children hospitalized in mental health crisis.
Pediatrics 2024 Jan; 153(1). doi: 10.1542/peds.2023-061353..
Keywords: Disparities, Children/Adolescents, Behavioral Health, Inpatient Care, Hospitals, Medication
Donnelly JP, Seelye SM, Kipnis P
Impact of reducing time-to-antibiotics on sepsis mortality, antibiotic use, and adverse events.
Researchers estimated benefits and harms of shortened time-to-antibiotics for sepsis. Their simulation study used a cohort of over 1.5 million hospitalizations via emergency department with more than two systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria. The results showed that impacts of faster time-to-antibiotics for sepsis varied markedly across simulated hospital types; however, even in worst-case scenarios, new antibiotic-associated adverse events were rare.
AHRQ-funded; HS026725.
Citation: Donnelly JP, Seelye SM, Kipnis P .
Impact of reducing time-to-antibiotics on sepsis mortality, antibiotic use, and adverse events.
Ann Am Thorac Soc 2024 Jan; 21(1):94-101. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.202306-505OC..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Medication, Sepsis, Mortality
Cohen TN, Berdahl CT, Coleman BL
Medication safety event reporting: Factors that contribute to safety events during times of organizational stress.
This study’s objective was to understand the insights conveyed in hospital incident reports about how work system factors affected medication safety during a coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) surge. The authors randomly selected 100 medication safety incident reports from an academic medical center (December 2020 to January 2021), identified near misses and errors, and classified contributing work system factors using the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System-Healthcare. Results showed that among 35 near misses/errors, incident reports described contributing factors (mean 1.3/report) involving skill-based errors (n = 20), communication (n = 8), and tools/technology (n = 4). Seven of these events were linked to COVID-19.
AHRQ-funded; HS027455.
Citation: Cohen TN, Berdahl CT, Coleman BL .
Medication safety event reporting: Factors that contribute to safety events during times of organizational stress.
J Nurs Care Qual 2024 Jan-Mar; 39(1):51-57. doi: 10.1097/ncq.0000000000000720..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, COVID-19, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors
Liu S, Matvekas A, Naimi T
Morphomics-informed population pharmacokinetic and physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling to optimize cefazolin surgical prophylaxis.
This study’s objective was to use algorithms that repurpose radiologic data into body composition (morphomics) to aid in informing dosing decisions for the antibiotic cefazolin for patients undergoing colorectal surgery who have obesity. This prospective study measured cefazolin plasma, fat, and colon tissue concentrations in these patients to develop a morphomics-informed population pharmacokinetic (PopPK) model to guide dose adjustments. A physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model was also constructed to inform tissue partitioning in 21 morbidly obese patients (body mass index ≥35 kg/m2 with one or more co-morbid conditions). Morphomics and pharmacokinetic data were available in 58 patients with a median weight of 95.9 kg and and 55 years, respectively. The plasma-to-subcutaneous fat partition coefficient was predicted to be 0.072 for the PopPK model and 0.060 for the PBPK model. Covariates of cefazolin exposure were identified as the estimated creatinine clearance (eCL(cr) ) and body depth at the third lumbar vertebra (body depth_L3). The authors concluded that kidney function and morphomics were more informative than body weight as covariates of cefazolin target site exposure. They advised that data from more diverse populations, consensus on target cefazolin exposure, and comparative studies are needed before a change in practice can be implemented.
AHRQ-funded; HS027183.
Citation: Liu S, Matvekas A, Naimi T .
Morphomics-informed population pharmacokinetic and physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling to optimize cefazolin surgical prophylaxis.
Pharmacotherapy 2024 Jan; 44(1):77-86. doi: 10.1002/phar.2878..
Keywords: Surgery, Antibiotics, Medication, Prevention, Obesity, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs)
Berbakov ME, Hoffins EL, Stone JA
AHRQ-funded; HS028475.
A study team collaborated with Aurora Pharmacy, Inc. to develop Senior Safe, a community pharmacy-based intervention designed to increase awareness of safe over-the-counter medication use for older adults. Senior Safe was adapted through pilot testing and a randomized control trial before a finalized version was provided to Aurora Pharmacy to integrate into all its pharmacy sites. The authors concluded that this multiphase study illustrated that refining an intervention is possible and welcomed by pharmacy staff, but requires time, resources, and funds to create an impactful, sustainable community pharmacy intervention.
AHRQ-funded; HS024490; HS027737.
Citation: Berbakov ME, Hoffins EL, Stone JA .
AHRQ-funded; HS028475.
J Am Pharm Assoc 2024 Jan-Feb; 64(1):159-68. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2023.11.009.
Keywords: Medication, Medication: Safety, Provider: Pharmacist, Patient Safety, Community-Based Practice
Li LX, Szymczak JE, Keller SC
Antibiotic stewardship in direct-to-consumer telemedicine: translating interventions into the virtual realm.
This article discusses using the core elements for outpatient antibiotic stewardship as a framework for direct-to-consumer (DTC) telemedicine. There is limited scholarship regarding adapting and implementing antibiotic stewardship principles in this setting. The authors discussed utilizing the core elements for outpatient antibiotic stewardship as a framework for efforts moving forward.
AHRQ-funded; HS027819.
Citation: Li LX, Szymczak JE, Keller SC .
Antibiotic stewardship in direct-to-consumer telemedicine: translating interventions into the virtual realm.
J Antimicrob Chemother 2021 Dec 24;77(1):13-15. doi: 10.1093/jac/dkab371..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Medication, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Agbalajobi OM, Gmelin T, Moon AM
Characteristics of opioid prescribing to outpatients with chronic liver diseases: a call for action.
This retrospective cohort study investigated opioid prescribing patterns among patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) at a single medical center. These patients (12,425) were followed for one year from October 2015 to September 2016. Nearly half (47%) were prescribed opioids over a one-year period, with 17% receiving high-risk prescriptions. Characteristics associated with high-risk opioid prescriptions included female gender, Medicaid insurance, cirrhosis and baseline chronic pain, depression, anxiety, substance use disorder, and Charlson comorbidity score. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease was associated with decreased high-risk opioid prescriptions.
AHRQ-funded; HS019461.
Citation: Agbalajobi OM, Gmelin T, Moon AM .
Characteristics of opioid prescribing to outpatients with chronic liver diseases: a call for action.
PLoS One 2021 Dec 17;16(12):e0261377. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261377..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Practice Patterns, Pain, Chronic Conditions
Villa-Zapata L, Carhart BS, Horn JR
Serum potassium changes due to concomitant ACEI/ARB and spironolactone therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
The purpose of this study was to provide evidence of serum potassium changes in individuals taking angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and/or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) concomitantly with spironolactone compared to ACEI/ARB therapy alone. The investigators concluded that treatment with spironolactone in combination with ACEI/ARB therapy increases the mean serum potassium concentration by less than 0.20 mEq/L compared to ACEI/ARB therapy alone.
AHRQ-funded; HS025984.
Citation: Villa-Zapata L, Carhart BS, Horn JR .
Serum potassium changes due to concomitant ACEI/ARB and spironolactone therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Am J Health Syst Pharm 2021 Dec 9;78(24):2245-55. doi: 10.1093/ajhp/zxab215..
Keywords: Medication, Comparative Effectiveness, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions
Vaughn VM, Gandhi TN, Chopra V
Antibiotic overuse after hospital discharge: a multi-hospital cohort study.
Antibiotics are commonly prescribed to patients as they leave the hospital. In this study, the investigators aimed to create a comprehensive metric to characterize antibiotic overuse after discharge among hospitalized patients treated for pneumonia or urinary tract infection (UTI) and determine whether overuse varied across hospitals and conditions. The investigators concluded that antibiotic overuse after discharge was common and varied widely between hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS026530.
Citation: Vaughn VM, Gandhi TN, Chopra V .
Antibiotic overuse after hospital discharge: a multi-hospital cohort study.
Clin Infect Dis 2020 Dec 6;73(11):e4499-e506. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1372..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Medication, Hospital Discharge
Moehring RW, Ashley ESD, Davis AE
Development of an electronic definition for de-escalation of antibiotics in hospitalized patients.
The authors defined antibiotic de-escalation as reduction in either the number of antibiotics or spectrum rank and performed a retrospective study among 5 hospitals. They found that their electronic de-escalation metric demonstrated variation among hospitals, units, and diagnoses. They suggested that their metric may be useful for assessing stewardship opportunities and impact.
AHRQ-funded; HS023866.
Citation: Moehring RW, Ashley ESD, Davis AE .
Development of an electronic definition for de-escalation of antibiotics in hospitalized patients.
Clin Infect Dis 2021 Dec 6;73(11):e4507-e14. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa932..
Keywords: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Medication, Inpatient Care
Nanji KC, Shaikh SD, Jaffari A
A Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the additional cost associated with adverse medication events leading to intraoperative hypotension and/or hypertension in the United States.
This study’s objective was to estimate the rates of clinically significant intraoperative hypotension and hypertension. Systematic literature reviews were conducted to estimate incidence and additional costs of acute kidney injury (AKI), acute myocardial injury, and stroke after intraoperative hypotension and hypertension. The authors used Monte Carlo simulation to estimate annual costs to the U.S. healthcare system. Intraoperative hypotension occurred in 11 of 277 operations (3.97%), a >30% drop in baseline mean arterial pressure hypotension in patients with coronary artery disease in 9 operations (3.25%), and hypertension in 14 operations (5.05%). After hypertension, incremental stroke incidence was 4.76%. The authors estimated 11,513 cases of AKI, 5914 cases of acute myocardial injury, 345 cases of stroke after intraoperative hypotension, and 47,774 cases of stroke after intraoperative hypertension. Estimated costs were $1.7 billion, of which $923 million are preventable.
AHRQ-funded; HS024764.
Citation: Nanji KC, Shaikh SD, Jaffari A .
A Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the additional cost associated with adverse medication events leading to intraoperative hypotension and/or hypertension in the United States.
J Patient Saf 2021 Dec 1;17(8):e758-e64. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000926..
Keywords: Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Healthcare Costs
Sankar A, Swanson KM, Zhou J
Association of fluoroquinolone prescribing rates with black box warnings from the US Food and Drug Administration.
This study examined the association of black box warnings in 2013 and 2016 with prescribing rates for fluoroquinolone. This cross-sectional study used Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries and OneKey data on physicians and their organizations from 2011 through 2017. Sample eligibility was restricted to outpatient visits for sinusitis, bronchitis, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections. Prescription rates were compared with the prewarning period (baseline period), before and after the 2013 warning (postwarning period 1), and before and after the 2016 warning (postwarning period 2). The sample consisted of 1,238,397 unique patients with a total of 2,720,071 outpatient acute care visits. The immediate prescribing levels in postwarning period 1 increased by 3.42 percentage points and declined by -0.77 percentage points in postwarning period 2. In postwarning period 1, prescribing levels for physicians who were affiliated with hospitals with a top 10th percentile case mix index compared to those without an affiliation decreased by -1.13 percentage points, whereas the levels for primary care physicians declined by -1.34 percentage points compared with non-primary care physicians in postwarning period 2. Physicians at teaching hospitals were the only clinicians who showed a decline in postwarning period 1.
AHRQ-funded; HS025164; HS025402.
Citation: Sankar A, Swanson KM, Zhou J .
Association of fluoroquinolone prescribing rates with black box warnings from the US Food and Drug Administration.
JAMA Netw Open 2021 Dec;4(12):e2136662. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.36662..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Medication, Practice Patterns
Iqbal AR, Parau CA, Kazi S
Identifying electronic medication administration record (eMAR) usability issues from patient safety event reports.
This study investigated the contribution of usability challenges associated with the electronic medication administration record (eMAR) to medication errors using patient safety event reports (PSEs). The authors analyzed free-text descriptions of 849 medication-related PSEs selected from 2.3 million reports. Specific health IT components, usability challenge categories, and nuanced usability themes that contributed to each PSE were identified by coders. Usability challenges included workflow support, alerting, and display/visual clutter.
AHRQ-funded; HS025136.
Citation: Iqbal AR, Parau CA, Kazi S .
Identifying electronic medication administration record (eMAR) usability issues from patient safety event reports.
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2021 Dec;47(12):793-801. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2021.09.004..
Keywords: Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing), Health Information Technology (HIT), Medication, Medical Errors, Patient Safety
Adams KT, Pruitt Z, Kazi S
Identifying health information technology usability issues contributing to medication errors across medication process stages.
Researchers sought to identify the types of medication errors associated with health IT use, whether they reached the patient, where in the medication process those errors occurred, and the specific usability issues contributing to those errors. They found that health IT usability issues were a prevalent contributing factor to medication errors, many of which reach the patient. They recommended that data entry, workflow support, and alerting be prioritized during usability and safety optimization efforts.
AHRQ-funded; HS025136.
Citation: Adams KT, Pruitt Z, Kazi S .
Identifying health information technology usability issues contributing to medication errors across medication process stages.
J Patient Saf 2021 Dec 1;17(8):e988-e94. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000868..
Keywords: Medication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Patient Safety
Deshpande BR, McCarthy EP, Jung Y
Initiation of long-acting opioids following hospital discharge among Medicare beneficiaries.
This study investigated the incidence of long-acting opioid initiation following acute care hospitalization among a retrospective cohort of Medicare beneficiaries in 2016 who were 65 years or older, who did not have cancer or hospice care, and had not filled an opioid prescription within the preceding 90 days. Among 258,193 hospitalizations, 18.6% were associated with a claim for a new opioid prescription in the week after hospital discharge: 0.3% with both short- and long-acting opioids, 0.1% with long-acting opioids only, and 18.2% with short-acting opioids only. Most long-acting opioid prescriptions occurred with surgical patients (81.7%). Beneficiaries of long-acting opioids were younger, had a higher prevalence of diseases of the musculoskeletal and connective tissues, and had more known risk factors of opioid-related adverse events compared to patients prescribed short-acting opioids.
AHRQ-funded; HS026215.
Citation: Deshpande BR, McCarthy EP, Jung Y .
Initiation of long-acting opioids following hospital discharge among Medicare beneficiaries.
J Hosp Med 2021 Dec;16(12):724-26. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3721..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Hospital Discharge
McGrath SP, McGovern KM, Perreard IM
Inpatient respiratory arrest associated with sedative and analgesic medications: impact of continuous monitoring on patient mortality and severe morbidity.
Inpatient respiratory arrest associated with sedative and analgesic medications: impact of continuous monitoring on patient mortality and severe morbidity.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of surveillance monitoring on mortality and severe morbidity associated with administration of sedative/analgesic medications in the general care setting. A review of available rescue event and patient safety data from a tertiary care hospital in a rural setting was conducted. Findings showed that, for a 10-year period, the rescue system with continuous surveillance monitoring had a profound effect on prevention of death due to sedative/analgesic administration in the general care setting.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of surveillance monitoring on mortality and severe morbidity associated with administration of sedative/analgesic medications in the general care setting. A review of available rescue event and patient safety data from a tertiary care hospital in a rural setting was conducted. Findings showed that, for a 10-year period, the rescue system with continuous surveillance monitoring had a profound effect on prevention of death due to sedative/analgesic administration in the general care setting.
AHRQ-funded; HS024403.
Citation: McGrath SP, McGovern KM, Perreard IM .
Inpatient respiratory arrest associated with sedative and analgesic medications: impact of continuous monitoring on patient mortality and severe morbidity.
J Patient Saf 2021 Dec 1;17(8):557-61. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000696..
Keywords: Respiratory Conditions, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Patient Safety
Clark AW, Durkin MJ, Olsen MA
Rural-urban differences in antibiotic prescribing for uncomplicated urinary tract infection.
This study examined rural-urban differences in temporal trends and risk of inappropriate antibiotic use by agent and duration among women with uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI). This observational cohort study identified US commercially insured women aged 18-44 coded for uncomplicated UTI and prescribed an antibiotic from the IBM MarketScan Commercial Database (2010-2015). Of the 670,450 women with uncomplicated UTIs, a large proportion received antibiotic prescriptions for inappropriate agents (46.7%) or durations (76.1%). Rural women were more likely to receive prescriptions with inappropriately long durations than urban women. There was a slight decline in patients who received inappropriate agents and durations from 2011 to 2015. Rural-urban differences varied over time by agent, geographic region, and provider specialty.
AHRQ-funded; HS019455.
Citation: Clark AW, Durkin MJ, Olsen MA .
Rural-urban differences in antibiotic prescribing for uncomplicated urinary tract infection.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2021 Dec;42(12):1437-44. doi: 10.1017/ice.2021.21..
Keywords: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Medication, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Practice Patterns