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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
26 to 49 of 49 Research Studies DisplayedVemulakonda VM, Hamer MK, Kempe A
Surgical decision-making in infants with suspected UPJ obstruction: stakeholder perspectives.
Although there are significant demographic and clinical variations in treatment decisions for infants with high-grade hydronephrosis concerning for ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO), there has been little research on the roles of parents and surgeons in the surgical decision-making (DM) process. The purpose of this study was to understand parents' and surgeons' perceived roles in the surgical DM process for infants with high-grade hydronephrosis.
AHRQ-funded; HS024597.
Citation: Vemulakonda VM, Hamer MK, Kempe A .
Surgical decision-making in infants with suspected UPJ obstruction: stakeholder perspectives.
J Pediatr Urol 2019 Oct;15(5):469.e1-69.e9. doi: 10.1016/j.jpurol.2019.05.027..
Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Shared Decision Making, Surgery, Kidney Disease and Health, Caregiving, Provider: Physician, Provider, Patient and Family Engagement
Oslock WM, Paredes AZ, Baselice HE
Women surgeons and the emergence of acute care surgery programs.
The authors sought to examine predictors of women surgeons in emergency general surgery (EGS) generally, and in acute care surgery (ACS) particularly. They found that 50.4% of hospitals studied had zero women surgeons. Women were more likely to be among EGS surgeons at hospitals with ACS models. They concluded that their study highlighted the dearth of women representation within EGS hospitals nationally and illuminated some of the underlying characteristics of ACS that may draw women: urban, academic, and staffed by more recently trained surgeons.
AHRQ-funded; HS022694.
Citation: Oslock WM, Paredes AZ, Baselice HE .
Women surgeons and the emergence of acute care surgery programs.
Am J Surg 2019 Oct;218(4):803-08. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2019.07.008..
Keywords: Surgery, Provider: Physician, Provider, Emergency Department
Hoonakker PLT, Wooldridge AR, Hose BZ
Information flow during pediatric trauma care transitions: things falling through the cracks.
In order to investigate information flow during pediatric trauma care transitions, researchers interviewed 18 clinicians about communication and coordination between the emergency department, operating room, and pediatric intensive care unit, then surveyed the clinicians about patient safety during these transitions. They found that, despite the fact that the many services and units involved in pediatric trauma cooperate well together during trauma cases, important patient care information is often lost when transitioning patients between units. To manage the transition of this fragile and complex population better, they recommend finding ways to manage the information flow during these transitions better by, for instance, providing technological support to ensure shared mental models.
AHRQ-funded; HS023837.
Citation: Hoonakker PLT, Wooldridge AR, Hose BZ .
Information flow during pediatric trauma care transitions: things falling through the cracks.
Intern Emerg Med 2019 Aug;14(5):797-805. doi: 10.1007/s11739-019-02110-7..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Communication, Emergency Department, Healthcare Delivery, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Patient Safety, Provider, Provider: Clinician, Surgery, Transitions of Care, Trauma
Ranganathan K, Kochkodan JM, Baker MK
Variation in the desire for cleft revision surgery among children, caregivers, and surgeons.
This study examined the differences in perception between children, caregivers, and their surgeons for the need for cleft revision surgery. A sample of 100 children with cleft lip and/or cleft palate and their caregivers (n=100) were surveyed on satisfaction with appearance using the Cleft Evaluation Profile. Ten surgeons and ten control observers then rated photographs of these children using questions analogous to the Profile. The children generally reported greater satisfaction in appearance across all domains compared with surgeons. Children and caregivers had similar degrees of satisfaction in appearance of the lip and maxilla. The authors concluded that more care must be given to children’s perception before moving forward with further revision surgery.
AHRQ-funded; HS023313.
Citation: Ranganathan K, Kochkodan JM, Baker MK .
Variation in the desire for cleft revision surgery among children, caregivers, and surgeons.
Plast Reconstr Surg 2019 Jul;144(1):171-78. doi: 10.1097/prs.0000000000005722..
Keywords: Caregiving, Children/Adolescents, Surgery, Provider, Provider: Physician
Anton NE, Mizota T, Whiteside JA
Mental skills training limits the decay in operative technical skill under stressful conditions: results of a multisite, randomized controlled study.
The authors hypothesize that surgery residents trained on mental skills would outperform controls under increased stress conditions in the simulated operating room. They find that their comprehensive mental skills curriculum implemented with surgery residents at two institutions was effective at minimizing the deterioration of resident technical performance under stressful conditions compared with controls. They conclude that their results provide further evidence for the effectiveness of mental skills training to optimize surgery trainees' technical performance during challenging clinical situations.
AHRQ-funded; R18 HS022080.
Citation: Anton NE, Mizota T, Whiteside JA .
Mental skills training limits the decay in operative technical skill under stressful conditions: results of a multisite, randomized controlled study.
Surgery 2019 Jun;165(6):1059-64. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2019.01.011..
Keywords: Surgery, Education: Continuing Medical Education, Stress, Provider Performance, Training, Provider: Physician, Provider
Martin JR, Anton N, Timsina L
Performance variability during training on simulators is associated with skill transfer.
Researchers looked at performance variability during training on simulators for performing laparoscopic surgery. Their hypothesis was that participants (surgery residents and medical students) who had consistent scores were most likely to have the most expertise and be capable of training others. The trainees first used the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) simulator to learn laparoscopic suturing and then were transfer tested on a live, anesthetized porcine model. Their hypothesis was proven true and those with decreased practice variability was associated with greater scores in posttests and transfer tests.
AHRQ-funded; R18 HS022080.
Citation: Martin JR, Anton N, Timsina L .
Performance variability during training on simulators is associated with skill transfer.
Surgery 2019 Jun;165(6):1065-68. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2019.01.013..
Keywords: Simulation, Training, Surgery, Education: Continuing Medical Education, Provider Performance, Provider: Physician, Provider
Vergis A, Hardy K, Stogryn S
Fellow and attending surgeon operative notes are deficient in reporting established quality indicators for Roux-en-y gastric bypass: a preliminary retrospective analysis of operative dictation.
This retrospective analysis investigated the completeness of reporting documentation for Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) surgery. A total of 40 bariatric fellow and 40 attending RYGB narrative reports were analyzed. Fellows had a mean completion rate of 66.4% compared to 61.5% for attendings. Fellows also did a better job of completing subsections, with the exception of closure details. This information is important to communicating operative events and can make an impact on patient safety and quality.
AHRQ-funded; HS018546.
Citation: Vergis A, Hardy K, Stogryn S .
Fellow and attending surgeon operative notes are deficient in reporting established quality indicators for Roux-en-y gastric bypass: a preliminary retrospective analysis of operative dictation.
Cureus 2019 Apr 24;11(4):e4535. doi: 10.7759/cureus.4535..
Keywords: Obesity, Quality of Care, Quality Indicators (QIs), Patient Safety, Provider, Provider: Physician, Surgery
Frasier LL, Pavuluri Quamme SR, Ma Y
Familiarity and communication in the operating room.
Researchers sought to evaluate the relationship between familiarity, communication rates, and communication ineffectiveness of health care providers in the operating room. They found that team members do not compensate for unfamiliarity by increasing their verbal communication, and dyad familiarity is not protective against ineffective communication. Cross-disciplinary communication remains vulnerable in the operating room, suggesting poor crosstalk across disciplines in the operative setting. They recommended further investigation to explore these relationships and identify effective interventions, ensuring that all team members have the necessary information to optimize their performance.
AHRQ-funded; HS022403.
Citation: Frasier LL, Pavuluri Quamme SR, Ma Y .
Familiarity and communication in the operating room.
J Surg Res 2019 Mar;235:395-403. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2018.09.079..
Keywords: Communication, Patient Safety, Surgery, Teams, Provider: Physician, Provider
Azari DP, Fraiser LL, Quamme SRP
Modeling surgical technical skill using expert assessment for automated computer rating.
The authors used computer vision to predict expert performance ratings from surgeon hand motions for tying and suturing tasks. Open surgeries were video recorded, and surgeon hands tracked without using sensors or markers. The authors found that the computer algorithm consistently predicted the panel ratings of individual tasks, and were more objective and reliable than individual assessment by surgical experts.
AHRQ-funded; F32 HS022403.
Citation: Azari DP, Fraiser LL, Quamme SRP .
Modeling surgical technical skill using expert assessment for automated computer rating.
Ann Surg 2019 Mar;269(3):574-81. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000002478..
Keywords: Surgery, Provider Performance, Provider: Physician, Provider
Tong BC, Kim S, Kosinski A
Penetration, completeness, and representativeness of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database for lobectomy.
Not all surgeons performing lobectomy in the United States report outcomes to The Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database (STS GTSD). In this study, the investigators examined penetration, completeness, and representativeness of the STS GTSD for lobectomy in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) patient population. The investigators concluded that participation in the STS GTSD increased over time, but penetration lagged behind that of the other STS National Databases.
AHRQ-funded; HS022279.
Citation: Tong BC, Kim S, Kosinski A .
Penetration, completeness, and representativeness of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database for lobectomy.
Ann Thorac Surg 2019 Mar;107(3):897-902. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2018.07.059..
Keywords: Surgery, Cancer: Lung Cancer, Cancer, Data, Provider: Physician, Provider
Anton NE, Mizota T, Timsina LR
Attentional selectivity, automaticity, and self-efficacy predict simulator-acquired skill transfer to the clinical environment.
The objective of this study was to identify trainee characteristics that predict the transfer of simulator-acquired skill to the operating room. The investigators concluded that promoting automaticity, self-efficacy, and attention selectivity may help improve the transfer of simulator-acquired skill. They indicated that mental skills training and training to automaticity may therefore be valuable interventions to achieve this goal.
AHRQ-funded; HS022080.
Citation: Anton NE, Mizota T, Timsina LR .
Attentional selectivity, automaticity, and self-efficacy predict simulator-acquired skill transfer to the clinical environment.
Am J Surg 2019 Feb;217(2):266-71. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2018.11.028..
Keywords: Education: Continuing Medical Education, Patient Safety, Provider, Provider: Physician, Simulation, Surgery, Training
Blay E, Engelhardt KE, Hewitt DB
Evaluation of reasons why surgical residents exceeded 2011 duty hour requirements when offered flexibility: a FIRST Trial analysis.
This study’s objective was to examine the reasons why residents exceeded a 24-hour call during their daily shift. Residents in the flexible arm of the Flexibility in Duty Hour Requirement for Surgical Trainees (FIRST) trial were surveyed anonymously. All clinical general surgery residents taking the 2017 American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination were included in the survey. There was a very high response rate (99.2%) which included 1838 of 1852 general surgery residents in the FIRST trial. Of those who responded, 21.7% indicated their programs expected them to stay longer. A large majority (78.1%) indicated they wanted to stay longer with only 7.4% reporting coercion from attending surgeons, and 9.3% reporting coercion from senior residents.
AHRQ-funded; HS000078.
Citation: Blay E, Engelhardt KE, Hewitt DB .
Evaluation of reasons why surgical residents exceeded 2011 duty hour requirements when offered flexibility: a FIRST Trial analysis.
JAMA Surg 2018 Sep;153(9):860-62. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2018.1047.
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Keywords: Surgery, Provider: Physician, Education: Continuing Medical Education, Provider
Kanters AE, Shubeck SP, Sandhu G
Justifying our decisions about surgical technique: evidence from coaching conversations.
The objective of this qualitative study was to determine the extent to which practicing surgeons participating in a coaching program justify their technical decisions based on their experience or based on evidence. The investigators found that practicing surgeons often justify their surgical decisions with anecdotal evidence and "lessons learned," rather than deferring to surgical literature. The authors suggest that this either represents a lack of evidence or poor uptake of existing data.
AHRQ-funded; HS023597; HS000053.
Citation: Kanters AE, Shubeck SP, Sandhu G .
Justifying our decisions about surgical technique: evidence from coaching conversations.
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Keywords: Shared Decision Making, Education: Continuing Medical Education, Provider, Practice Patterns, Surgery
Jones LK, Jennings BM, Higgins MK
Ethological observations of social behavior in the operating room.
This study used ethological observation techniques, recording live all social behavior to document the full range of behavior of operating room teams. The study focused on examining the hierarchical, mixed-gender aspects of clinical teams.
AHRQ-funded; HS023403.
Citation: Jones LK, Jennings BM, Higgins MK .
Ethological observations of social behavior in the operating room.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018 Jul 17;115(29):7575-80. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1716883115..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Surgery, Provider: Physician, Provider
Bayramzadeh S, Joseph A, San D
The impact of operating room layout on circulating nurse's work patterns and flow disruptions: a behavioral mapping study.
The purpose of this study was to assess how the adjacencies of functionally different areas within operating rooms (ORs) can influence the circulating nurse's (CN) workflow patterns and disruptions. The investigators video recorded and thematically coded a convenience sample of 25 surgeries for CN's activities, locations, and flow disruptions. The investigators suggest that optimum adjacencies should be considered while designing ORs such that they are more efficient and safer.
AHRQ-funded; HS024380.
Citation: Bayramzadeh S, Joseph A, San D .
The impact of operating room layout on circulating nurse's work patterns and flow disruptions: a behavioral mapping study.
HERD 2018 Jul;11(3):124-38. doi: 10.1177/1937586717751124..
Keywords: Surgery, Workflow, Hospitals, Nursing, Provider: Nurse, Provider, Patient Safety
Yeo HL, Abelson JS, Symer MM
Association of time to attrition in surgical residency with individual resident and programmatic factors.
Attrition in general surgery residency remains high, and attrition that occurs in the later years is the most worrisome. Although several studies have retrospectively investigated the timing of attrition, no study to date has prospectively evaluated a national cohort of residents to understand which residents are at risk for attrition and at what point during residency. The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate individual resident and programmatic factors associated with the timing of attrition during general surgery residency.
AHRQ-funded; HS000066.
Citation: Yeo HL, Abelson JS, Symer MM .
Association of time to attrition in surgical residency with individual resident and programmatic factors.
JAMA Surg 2018 Jun;153(6):511-17. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2017.6202.
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Keywords: Education: Continuing Medical Education, Provider, Provider: Physician, Surgery
Greenberg CC, Ghousseini HN, Pavuluri Quamme SR
A statewide surgical coaching program provides opportunity for continuous professional development.
Researchers sought to develop and evaluate a video-based coaching program for board-eligible/certified surgeons. They found that, overall, participants were satisfied with their experience and found the coaching program valuable. Future research to evaluate the impact of coaching on practice change and patient outcomes is recommended.
AHRQ-funded; HS022403.
Citation: Greenberg CC, Ghousseini HN, Pavuluri Quamme SR .
A statewide surgical coaching program provides opportunity for continuous professional development.
Ann Surg 2018 May;267(5):868-73. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000002341..
Keywords: Education: Continuing Medical Education, Health Services Research (HSR), Patient Safety, Provider, Provider: Physician, Quality of Care, Surgery
Myers CG, Kudsi OY, Ghaferi AA
Social media as a platform for surgical learning: use and engagement patterns among robotic surgeons.
This study analyzed data from a closed-membership Facebook group for robotic surgeons to better understand surgeons' engagement with social media platforms. This analysis observed that surgeons responded to text posts with more comments, but "liked" posts containing links, photos, or video images in greater numbers.
AHRQ-funded; HS023621.
Citation: Myers CG, Kudsi OY, Ghaferi AA .
Social media as a platform for surgical learning: use and engagement patterns among robotic surgeons.
Ann Surg 2018 Feb;267(2):233-35. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000002479..
Keywords: Education: Continuing Medical Education, Provider, Practice Patterns, Social Media, Surgery, Training
Varghese TK, Jr., Ghaferi AA
Cutting-edge efforts in surgical patient safety.
In October, 2015, the Surgical Outcomes Club convened a patient safety panel in Chicago, Illinois. The goal was to emphasize that patient safety efforts require a uniform, systematic, evidence-based approach. This article incorporates the major themes of the session—developing reliable measures of surgeon performance, real-world methods for continuous improvement and learning, and opportunities for incorporating the principles of implementation science into patient safety efforts.
AHRQ-funded; HS023621; HS024403.
Citation: Varghese TK, Jr., Ghaferi AA .
Cutting-edge efforts in surgical patient safety.
JAMA Surg 2017 Aug;152(8):719-20. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2017.0858.
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Keywords: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Surgery, Patient Safety, Evidence-Based Practice, Provider: Physician, Provider
Berian JR, Thomas JM, Minami CA
Evaluation of a novel mentor program to improve surgical care for US hospitals.
This study evaluated a novel mentor program for 27 US surgeons, charged with improving quality at their respective hospitals, having been paired 1:1 with 27 surgeon mentors through a state-wide quality improvement (QI) initiative. It found that mentorship played a vital role in advancing surgeon knowledge and engagement with QI in the Illinois Surgical Quality Improvement Collaborative.
AHRQ-funded; HS024516.
Citation: Berian JR, Thomas JM, Minami CA .
Evaluation of a novel mentor program to improve surgical care for US hospitals.
Int J Qual Health Care 2017 Apr 1;29(2):234-42. doi: 10.1093/intqhc/mzx005.
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Keywords: Hospitals, Quality Improvement, Patient Safety, Surgery, Quality of Care, Provider: Physician, Provider
Blay E, Jr., Hewitt DB, Chung JW
Association between flexible duty hour policies and general surgery resident examination performance: a Flexibility in Duty Hour Requirements for Surgical Trainees (FIRST) Trial analysis.
This study investigated whether a flexible, less-restrictive duty hour policy (Flexible Policy) was associated with differential general surgery examination performance compared with current ACGME duty hour policy (Standard Policy). It found that flexible, less-restrictive duty hour policies were not associated with differences in general surgery resident performance on examinations during the FIRST Trial.
AHRQ-funded; HS000078.
Citation: Blay E, Jr., Hewitt DB, Chung JW .
Association between flexible duty hour policies and general surgery resident examination performance: a Flexibility in Duty Hour Requirements for Surgical Trainees (FIRST) Trial analysis.
J Am Coll Surg 2017 Feb;224(2):137-42. doi: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2016.10.042.
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Keywords: Education: Continuing Medical Education, Patient Safety, Provider, Surgery, Training
Jones LK, Jennings BM, Goelz RM
An ethogram to quantify operating room behavior.
The researchers adopted a method from the field of ethology for observing and quantifying the interpersonal interactions of operating room (OR) team members. They found that the ethogram's high interobserver reliability indicates its utility for yielding largely objective, descriptive, quantitative data on OR behavior.
AHRQ-funded; HS023403.
Citation: Jones LK, Jennings BM, Goelz RM .
An ethogram to quantify operating room behavior.
Ann Behav Med 2016 Aug;50(4):487-96. doi: 10.1007/s12160-016-9773-0.
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Keywords: Communication, Provider: Physician, Provider, Surgery, Patient Safety
Abdelrahman AM, Bingener J, Yu D
Impact of single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SILC) versus conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy (CLC) procedures on surgeon stress and workload: a randomized controlled trial.
The goal of this study was to compare surgeon stress and workload between single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SILC) and conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy (CLC). It concluded that surgeon heart rate, salivary cortisol level, instrument usability, and Surg-TLX ratings indicate that SILC is significantly more stressful and physically demanding than the CLC.
AHRQ-funded; HS023146.
Citation: Abdelrahman AM, Bingener J, Yu D .
Impact of single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SILC) versus conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy (CLC) procedures on surgeon stress and workload: a randomized controlled trial.
Surg Endosc 2016 Mar;30(3):1205-11. doi: 10.1007/s00464-015-4332-5.
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Keywords: Provider, Provider: Physician, Stress, Surgery
Waljee JF
Discussion: Are quantitative measures of academic productivity correlated with academic rank in plastic surgery? A national study.
The author argues that although bibliometric indices are a readily available assessment of scholarly productivity, important unanswered questions remain regarding their applications and limitations as measures of academic performance.
AHRQ-funded; HS023313.
Citation: Waljee JF .
Discussion: Are quantitative measures of academic productivity correlated with academic rank in plastic surgery? A national study.
Plast Reconstr Surg 2015 Sep;136(3):622-3. doi: 10.1097/prs.0000000000001566..
Keywords: Provider, Provider Performance, Surgery