National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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AHRQ Research Studies Date
Topics
- Adverse Drug Events (ADE) (3)
- Adverse Events (3)
- Antibiotics (1)
- Blood Thinners (2)
- Cancer (1)
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- (-) Elderly (17)
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- (-) Medication (17)
- Medication: Safety (6)
- Nursing Homes (3)
- Opioids (3)
- Patient Safety (5)
- Practice Patterns (1)
- Primary Care (1)
- Provider (1)
- Provider: Pharmacist (3)
- Quality Improvement (2)
- Quality of Care (2)
- Risk (2)
- Shared Decision Making (4)
- Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) (1)
AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 17 of 17 Research Studies DisplayedXiong KZ, Shah S, Stone JA
Using a scenario-based hybrid approach to understand participant health behavior.
This study described a scenario-based hybrid approach that included a simulation exercise and a situational interview to understand how older adults first select and then take OTC medication. The authors concluded that the scenario-based hybrid approach not only yielded detailed information about behavior, but also allowed investigators to discern participants' decision-making, influences, and the rationales they used when selecting and taking OTC medications.
AHRQ-funded; HS024490.
Citation: Xiong KZ, Shah S, Stone JA .
Using a scenario-based hybrid approach to understand participant health behavior.
Res Social Adm Pharm 2021 Dec;17(12):2070-74. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2021.02.020..
Keywords: Elderly, Medication, Shared Decision Making
Morris AO, Gilson A, Chui MA
Utilizing a cognitive engineering approach to conduct a hierarchical task analysis to understand complex older adult decision-making during over-the-counter medication selection.
This study characterized older adults' cognitive decision-making process when seeking to self-medicate with over-the-counter (OTC) medications from their community pharmacy, and demonstrated how hierarchical task analysis (HTA) can be used to evaluate a pharmacy intervention's impact on their decision-making. Findings showed that, while selecting an OTC, older adults considered quantity, cost, form, regimen, safety, strength, appropriateness of OTC safety, generic/name-brand, past experiences, and ingredients. The study intervention reduced by half the number of factors considered. Findings suggested that HTA-informed decision profiles may provide pharmacists with critical insights into safety issues that older adults may not be considering so that pharmacists can support their decision-making.
AHRQ-funded; HS024490.
Citation: Morris AO, Gilson A, Chui MA .
Utilizing a cognitive engineering approach to conduct a hierarchical task analysis to understand complex older adult decision-making during over-the-counter medication selection.
Res Social Adm Pharm 2021 Dec;17(12):2116-26. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2021.07.005..
Keywords: Elderly, Shared Decision Making, Medication
Vaughan CP, Hwang U, Vandenberg AE
Early prescribing outcomes after exporting the EQUIPPED medication safety improvement programme.
Enhancing quality of prescribing practices for older adults discharged from the Emergency Department (EQUIPPED) aims to reduce the monthly proportion of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) prescribed to older adults discharged from the ED to 5% or less. In this paper, the investigator described prescribing outcomes at three academic health systems adapting and sequentially implementing the EQUIPPED medication safety programme.
AHRQ-funded; HS024499.
Citation: Vaughan CP, Hwang U, Vandenberg AE .
Early prescribing outcomes after exporting the EQUIPPED medication safety improvement programme.
BMJ Open Qual 2021 Nov;10(4). doi: 10.1136/bmjoq-2021-001369..
Keywords: Elderly, Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Emergency Department, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Hahn EE, Munoz-Plaza CE, Lee EA
Patient and physician perspectives of deprescribing potentially inappropriate medications in older adults with a history of falls: a qualitative study.
Investigators explored patient and clinician experiences with and perceptions of deprescribing potentially inappropriate medications in patients with a history of falls. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with primary care physicians from Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC), and guided patient feedback sessions with patient members of the KPSC Regional Patient Advisory Committee. The investigators found that key barriers to deprescribing included primary care physician trepidation about raising a contentious topic and insufficient patient awareness of the potential seriousness of falls. They suggested a need for multifaceted, multilevel deprescribing approaches with clinician training strategies, patient educational resources, and a focus on building trusting patient-clinician relationships.
AHRQ-funded; HS024437.
Citation: Hahn EE, Munoz-Plaza CE, Lee EA .
Patient and physician perspectives of deprescribing potentially inappropriate medications in older adults with a history of falls: a qualitative study.
J Gen Intern Med 2021 Oct;36(10):3015-22. doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-06493-8..
Keywords: Elderly, Medication, Falls
Herzig SJ, Anderson TS, Jung Y
Relative risks of adverse events among older adults receiving opioids versus NSAIDs after hospital discharge: a nationwide cohort study.
This retrospective cohort study’s objective was to determine the incidence and risk of post-discharge adverse events among opioid claims in the week after hospital discharge, compared to those with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) claims alone. A national sample of Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older who were hospitalized in the United States in 2016 was used. Beneficiaries who were admitted from or discharged to a facility were excluded. The authors used 3:1 propensity matching to match beneficiaries with an opioid claim in the week after discharge (13,385) with beneficiaries with NSAID claim alone (4,677). Beneficiaries receiving opioids had a higher incidence of death, healthcare utilization, and any potential adverse effect compared to those with an NSAID claim only. Specific adverse effects included higher relative risk of fall/fracture, nausea/vomiting, and slowed colonic motility.
AHRQ-funded; HS026215.
Citation: Herzig SJ, Anderson TS, Jung Y .
Relative risks of adverse events among older adults receiving opioids versus NSAIDs after hospital discharge: a nationwide cohort study.
PLoS Med 2021 Sep 27;18(9):e1003804. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003804..
Keywords: Elderly, Opioids, Medication, Medication: Safety, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Risk, Hospital Discharge
Abrahamson K, Davila H, Kirk L
Can a nursing home psychotropic reduction project be successfully implemented in assisted living?
This study’s objective was to compare implementation of a psychotropic medication reduction project across nursing homes (NH) and assisted living (AL) facilities. Fifteen NHs and 14 AL facilities within a single corporate chain participated. In-person and telephone interviews with 62 staff members from participating NH and AL facilities were conducted to investigate project implementation experience. Implementation at nursing homes made more dramatic changes in residents’ lives and medication use than at assisted living facilities. AL staff identified numerous barriers to implementation.
AHRQ-funded; HS018464.
Citation: Abrahamson K, Davila H, Kirk L .
Can a nursing home psychotropic reduction project be successfully implemented in assisted living?
J Appl Gerontol 2021 Sep;40(9):1071-79. doi: 10.1177/0733464820948328..
Keywords: Elderly, Nursing Homes, Long-Term Care, Medication, Dementia
Gilson AM, Stone JA, Morris AO
Impact of a pilot community pharmacy system redesign on reducing over-the-counter medication misuse in older adults.
This pilot study’s goal was to decrease misuse of over-the-counter (OTC) medications by older adults aged 65 years or older by creating a pharmacy “Senior Section”. The Senior Section contains a curated selection of OTC medications and it located close to the prescription department to facilitate pharmacy staff-patient engagement to reduce misuse. The study recruited 87 older adults from 3 pharmacies. Misuse outcomes measured were drug-drug, drug-disease, drug-age, and drug-label, with 5 subtypes. The Senior Section reduced drug-label misuse for different models. Misuse was found to decrease after implementation for 7 of 11 comparisons.
AHRQ-funded; HS024490.
Citation: Gilson AM, Stone JA, Morris AO .
Impact of a pilot community pharmacy system redesign on reducing over-the-counter medication misuse in older adults.
J Am Pharm Assoc (2003) 2021 Sep-Oct;61(5):555-64. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2021.04.007..
Keywords: Elderly, Provider: Pharmacist, Medication, Medication: Safety
Campbell NL, Holden RJ, Tang Q
Multicomponent behavioral intervention to reduce exposure to anticholinergics in primary care older adults.
This study tested the effectiveness of a multicomponent behavioral intervention to reduce the use of high-risk anticholinergic medications in primary care older adults. Ten primary care clinics within Eskenazi Health in Indianapolis were selected to test the intervention. The intervention included provider- and patient-focused components. The provider-focused component was a computerized decision support system alerting the presence of a high-risk anticholinergic and offering dose- and indication-specific alternatives; while the patient-focused component was a story-based video providing education and modeling an interaction with a healthcare provider. The intervention occurred from April 2019 through March 2020. A total of 552 older adults had primary care visits during the study period. Only 3 out of 259 provider-focused alerts led to a medication change. Of the 276 staff alerts, 4.7% were confirmed to activate the patient-focused intervention.
AHRQ-funded; P30HS024384.
Citation: Campbell NL, Holden RJ, Tang Q .
Multicomponent behavioral intervention to reduce exposure to anticholinergics in primary care older adults.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2021 Jun;69(6):1490-99. doi: 10.1111/jgs.17121..
Keywords: Elderly, Medication, Primary Care, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Shared Decision Making
Harben AL, Kashy DA, Esfahanian S
Using change detection to objectively evaluate whether novel over-the-counter drug labels can increase attention to critical health information among older adults.
Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs have many benefits but also carry risks, such as adverse drug reactions, which are more prevalent in older adults. Because these products do not require the oversight of a physician or pharmacist, labeling plays a key role in communicating information required for their safe and effective use. In two experiments, the investigators used a change detection task to objectively evaluate how novel label designs that employ highlighting and a warning label placed on the package's front impact attention to critical information among older participants (65 and older).
AHRQ-funded; HS025386.
Citation: Harben AL, Kashy DA, Esfahanian S .
Using change detection to objectively evaluate whether novel over-the-counter drug labels can increase attention to critical health information among older adults.
Cogn Res Princ Implic 2021 May 26;6(1):40. doi: 10.1186/s41235-021-00307-z..
Keywords: Elderly, Medication: Safety, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Patient Safety
Rhee TG, Kumar M, Ross JS
Age-related trajectories of cardiovascular risk and use of aspirin and statin among U.S. Adults Aged 50 or older, 2011-2018.
The purpose of this study was to examine age-related trajectories of cardiovascular risk and use of aspirin and statin among U.S. adults aged 50 or older. The investigators concluded that while adults aged ≥75 do not benefit from the use of aspirin to prevent the first CVD, many continue to take aspirin on a regular basis. In spite of the clear benefit of statin use to prevent a subsequent CVD event, many older adults in this risk category are not taking a statin.
AHRQ-funded; HS022882.
Citation: Rhee TG, Kumar M, Ross JS .
Age-related trajectories of cardiovascular risk and use of aspirin and statin among U.S. Adults Aged 50 or older, 2011-2018.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2021 May;69(5):1272-82. doi: 10.1111/jgs.17038..
Keywords: Elderly, Blood Thinners, Cardiovascular Conditions, Heart Disease and Health, Risk, Medication
Gurwitz JH, Kapoor A, Garber L
Effect of a multifaceted clinical pharmacist intervention on medication safety after hospitalization in persons prescribed high-risk medications: a randomized clinical trial.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether a multifaceted clinical pharmacist intervention improves medication safety for patients who are discharged from the hospital and prescribed medications within 1 or more of these high-risk drug classes: anticoagulants, diabetes agents, and opioids. The randomized clinical trial was conducted at a large multidisciplinary group practice in Massachusetts and included patients 50 years or older. Findings showed that there was not an observed lower rate of adverse drug-related incidents or clinically important medication errors during the posthospitalization period that was associated with a clinical pharmacist intervention.
AHRQ-funded; HS023774.
Citation: Gurwitz JH, Kapoor A, Garber L .
Effect of a multifaceted clinical pharmacist intervention on medication safety after hospitalization in persons prescribed high-risk medications: a randomized clinical trial.
JAMA Intern Med 2021 May;181(5):610-18. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.9285..
Keywords: Elderly, Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Provider: Pharmacist, Provider
Mack DS, Hume AL, Tjia J
National trends in statin use among the United States nursing home population (2011-2016).
AHRQ-funded; HS026840.
Citation: Mack DS, Hume AL, Tjia J .
National trends in statin use among the United States nursing home population (2011-2016).
Drugs Aging 2021 May;38(5):427-39. doi: 10.1007/s40266-021-00844-8..
Keywords: Elderly, Nursing Homes, Long-Term Care, Blood Thinners, Medication
Gilson AM, Xiong KZ, Stone JA
A pharmacy-based intervention to improve safe over-the-counter medication use in older adults.
This study assessed whether the development of a physical redesign that located a curated inventory of lower-risk over-the-counter (OTC) medications proximal to the pharmacy prescription area was helpful to discourage inappropriate use from OTC medications. An area called the Senior Section™ was developed and placed in 4 pharmacies within a single chain. Eight pharmacists and 5 technicians participated in semi-structured interviews which were transcribed. The staff viewed the Senior Section as contributing to notable improvements in proximity, medication safety, convenience, and patient selection behaviors. It also streamlined the coordination of services between pharmacists and technicians and did not interfere with existing pharmacy workflows.
AHRQ-funded; HS024490.
Citation: Gilson AM, Xiong KZ, Stone JA .
A pharmacy-based intervention to improve safe over-the-counter medication use in older adults.
Res Social Adm Pharm 2021 Mar;17(3):578-87. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.05.008..
Keywords: Elderly, Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Provider: Pharmacist
Gibson DC, Raji MA, Baillargeon JG
Regional and temporal variation in receipt of long-term opioid therapy among older breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer survivors in the United States.
The authors investigated the geographical and temporal variation in long-term opioid therapy rates for older cancer survivors using SEER-Medicare data. They found that the annual trends in the receipt of long-term opioid therapy significantly varied by region among older cancer survivors. They indicated that variation in a clinical practice suggested the need for more research and interventions in order to improve efficiency, process, cost, and quality of care.
AHRQ-funded; HS026133.
Citation: Gibson DC, Raji MA, Baillargeon JG .
Regional and temporal variation in receipt of long-term opioid therapy among older breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer survivors in the United States.
Cancer Med 2021 Mar;10(5):1550-61. doi: 10.1002/cam4.3709..
Keywords: Elderly, Cancer, Opioids, Medication
McCoy RG, Van Houten HK, Deng Y
Comparison of diabetes medications used by adults with commercial insurance vs Medicare Advantage, 2016 to 2019.
Investigators sought to compare trends in initiation of treatment with GLP-1RA, SGLT2i, and DPP-4i by older adults with type 2 diabetes insured by Medicare Advantage vs commercial health plans. They found that Medicare Advantage beneficiaries may be less likely than commercially insured beneficiaries to be treated with newer medications to lower glucose levels, with greater disparities among lower-income patients. They recommended further investigation of nonclinical factors contributing to treatment decisions and efforts to promote greater equity in diabetes management.
AHRQ-funded; HS025164.
Citation: McCoy RG, Van Houten HK, Deng Y .
Comparison of diabetes medications used by adults with commercial insurance vs Medicare Advantage, 2016 to 2019.
JAMA Netw Open 2021 Feb;4(2):e2035792. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.35792..
Keywords: Elderly, Diabetes, Chronic Conditions, Medication, Medicare, Health Insurance, Disparities, Low-Income
Feder SL, Canavan ME, Wang S
Patterns of opioid prescribing among Medicare Advantage beneficiaries with pain and cardiopulmonary conditions.
This study’s objective was to compare patterns of opioid prescribing among older adults reporting pain with cardiopulmonary conditions, cancer, or both. Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare Health Outcomes Survey resource linked to Medicare Part D prescription claims was used to identify patients who self-reported moderate- to-severe pain interference with daily activities. Patients included were stratified by 1) self-reported history of cardiopulmonary conditions; 2) were within five years of cancer diagnosis; 3) had both conditions; or 4) neither. Of 10,516 patients identified, 1758 had cardiopulmonary conditions, 3383 cancer, 2861 both, and 2514 neither: with 46% aged 75 or more, 65% non-Hispanic white, and 10% non-Hispanic black. At the time of the survey, 1627 (15.5%) received opioids. Adjusted proportions of opioid use were similar for all conditions, with 14% for cardiopulmonary conditions only, 17% with cancer only, and 17% for both conditions. Patients with neither condition had a 13.1% opioid use rate.
AHRQ-funded; HS022882; HS025164.
Citation: Feder SL, Canavan ME, Wang S .
Patterns of opioid prescribing among Medicare Advantage beneficiaries with pain and cardiopulmonary conditions.
J Palliat Med 2021 Feb;24(2):195-204. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2020.0193..
Keywords: Elderly, Opioids, Medication, Practice Patterns, Medicare
Hanlon JT, Perera S, Schweon S
Improvements in antibiotic appropriateness for cystitis in older nursing home residents: a quality improvement study with randomized assignment.
This study evaluated the impact of an educational quality improvement initiative on the appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing restricted to uncomplicated cystitis in older noncatheterized nursing home residents. This 1-year case-control study used 25 participating nursing homes that were randomized to the intervention or usual care group by strata that included state, urban/rural status, bed size, and geographic separation. A total of 75 cases of cystitis were found in the intervention groups and 92 in the control groups. The intervention group had a nonsignificant 21% reduction in the risk of antibiotic prescribing. There was a favorable comparison in appropriateness of duration. However, the intervention group had more problems with drug-drug interactions than the control group (8% vs 1%). There were also more problems with dosage in the intervention group. Both groups had similar rates of problems with choice or effectiveness (44% vs 45%). The most common antibiotic class that was prescribed inappropriately was quinolones.
AHRQ-funded; R18 HS023779.
Citation: Hanlon JT, Perera S, Schweon S .
Improvements in antibiotic appropriateness for cystitis in older nursing home residents: a quality improvement study with randomized assignment.
J Am Med Dir Assoc 2021 Jan;22(1):173-77. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2020.07.040..
Keywords: Elderly, Nursing Homes, Long-Term Care, Antibiotics, Medication, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Shared Decision Making