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
Topics
- Access to Care (1)
- Behavioral Health (1)
- Burnout (1)
- Communication (1)
- Depression (1)
- Education: Continuing Medical Education (1)
- Healthcare Delivery (2)
- (-) Hospitals (9)
- Inpatient Care (1)
- Newborns/Infants (1)
- Patient Safety (3)
- (-) Provider (9)
- Provider: Clinician (1)
- Provider: Nurse (3)
- (-) Provider: Physician (9)
- Quality Improvement (1)
- Quality of Care (1)
- Rural Health (2)
- Stress (1)
- Surgery (4)
- Teams (2)
- Transitions of Care (1)
- Workforce (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 9 of 9 Research Studies DisplayedCohen C, Baird M, Koirola N
The surgical and anesthesia workforce and provision of surgical services in rural communities: a mixed-methods examination.
This mixed-methods study described the distribution of the surgical and anesthesia workforce and qualitatively explored how such workforce and other factors influenced rural hospitals' provision of surgical services. Using American Hospital Association survey data, the researchers found that within rural counties, 55.1% had no surgeon, 81.2% had no anesthesiologist, and 58.1% had no Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. While rural hospitals reported meeting community needs for elective and noncomplex surgeries, these hospitals continued to face significant challenges providing subspecialty surgeries, emergency surgeries, and 24-hour obstetrical services.
AHRQ-funded; HS023009.
Citation: Cohen C, Baird M, Koirola N .
The surgical and anesthesia workforce and provision of surgical services in rural communities: a mixed-methods examination.
J Rural Health 2021 Jan;37(1):45-54. doi: 10.1111/jrh.12417..
Keywords: Rural Health, Access to Care, Surgery, Workforce, Provider: Physician, Provider: Nurse, Provider, Hospitals
O'Leary KJ, Manojlovich M, Johnson JK
A multisite study of interprofessional teamwork and collaboration on general medical services.
This multisite study of four mid-sized hospitals measured teamwork climate of nurses, nurse assistants, and physicians working on general medical services. Teamwork climate scores for 380 participants (80 hospitalists, 13 resident physicians, 193 nurses, and 94 nurses) were measured using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire. Hospitalists had the highest median teamwork climate score and nurses had the lowest, but it was not a statistically significant difference. A higher percentage of hospitalists (63.3%) rated the quality of collaboration with nurses as high or very high, but only 48.7% of nurses rated the collaboration with hospitalists as high or very high. There were significant differences in perceptions of teamwork climate across sites and across professional categories.
AHRQ-funded; HS025649.
Citation: O'Leary KJ, Manojlovich M, Johnson JK .
A multisite study of interprofessional teamwork and collaboration on general medical services.
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2020 Dec;46(12):667-72. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2020.09.009..
Keywords: Teams, Hospitals, Patient Safety, Provider: Clinician, Provider: Physician, Provider: Nurse, Provider
Shubeck SP, Newman EA, Vitous CA
Hiring practices of US academic surgery departments-challenges and opportunities for more inclusive hiring.
To increase workforce diversity among academic medical centers, the Association of American Medical Colleges recommends multiple inclusive strategies for evaluating and hiring candidates. The objective of this study was to determine (1) usual and inclusive hiring practices used among academic surgery departments and (2) the barriers to utilization of inclusive hiring practices. The investigators concluded that many chairs rely heavily on internal hires or trusted networks, which may limit both demographic and cognitive diversity.
AHRQ-funded; HS026030.
Citation: Shubeck SP, Newman EA, Vitous CA .
Hiring practices of US academic surgery departments-challenges and opportunities for more inclusive hiring.
J Surg Res 2020 Oct;254:23-30. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2020.03.054..
Keywords: Surgery, Provider: Physician, Provider, Workforce, Hospitals
Pruitt LCC, Skarda DE, Barnhart DC
Impact of consolidation of cases on post-operative outcomes for index pediatric surgery cases.
The effect of the consolidation of neonatal pediatric surgical cases to limited surgeons within a hospital is unknown. In this retrospective cohort study, the authors elected to model the distribution of complex neonatal procedures using an economic measure of market concentration, the Herfindahl-Hirschmann Index (HHI), and study its effect on outcomes of index pediatric surgical operations.
AHRQ-funded; HS025776.
Citation: Pruitt LCC, Skarda DE, Barnhart DC .
Impact of consolidation of cases on post-operative outcomes for index pediatric surgery cases.
J Pediatr Surg 2020 Jun;55(6):1048-52. doi: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2020.02.044..
Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Surgery, Hospitals, Provider: Physician, Provider
Manojlovich M, Harrod M, Hofer TP
Using qualitative methods to explore communication practices in the context of patient care rounds on general care units.
This study examined communication practices between nurses and physicians in general care units at 4 Midwestern hospitals. A total of 163 physicians, registered nurses, and nurse practitioners participated. The researchers observed and shadowed clinicians during rounds and other times during a 2 week period as well as conducting interviews and holding focus groups. Workflow differences affected rounds and subsequently communication practices. Good rapport between physicians and nurses contributed to nurse participation during rounds. Lower rapport made some nurses feel uncomfortable accompanying physicians during rounds unless invited.
AHRQ-funded; HS022305.
Citation: Manojlovich M, Harrod M, Hofer TP .
Using qualitative methods to explore communication practices in the context of patient care rounds on general care units.
J Gen Intern Med 2020 Mar;35(3):839-45. doi: 10.1007/s11606-019-05580-9..
Keywords: Communication, Provider: Physician, Provider: Nurse, Provider, Hospitals, Teams, Inpatient Care, Healthcare Delivery
Germack HD, Kandrack R, Martsolf GR
When rural hospitals close, the physician workforce goes.
Researchers examined the relationship between rural hospital closures and the supply of physicians across different specialties in the years leading up to and after a closure. They observed significant annual reductions in the supply of general surgeons in the years leading up to a closure. They also found that rural hospital closures were associated with immediate and persistent decreases in the supply of surgical specialists and long-term decreases in the supply of physicians across multiple specialties. Because this decrease could lead to reduced access to care for rural residents, they recommended that future policy efforts focus on supporting and maintaining health care delivery models that do not depend on hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Germack HD, Kandrack R, Martsolf GR .
When rural hospitals close, the physician workforce goes.
Health Aff 2019 Dec;38(12):2086-94. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00916..
Keywords: Rural Health, Hospitals, Workforce, Provider: Physician, Provider
Mueller SK, Schnipper JL
Physician perspectives on interhospital transfers.
This study examined physician perspectives of the common problems that occur during acute care hospital interhospital transfers. The process tends to be nonstandardized which creates a number of issues. These issues include: patients sometimes, frequently, or always arriving without required specialized care (56% of the time), arriving with unrealistic expectations of care (77.2% of responses), arrived more than 24 hours after accepted transfer in 80.1% of responses, and arrived without necessary transfer records 86.9% of the time. The last issue and also time of day of arrival many physicians felt posed a risk to the transferred patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS023331.
Citation: Mueller SK, Schnipper JL .
Physician perspectives on interhospital transfers.
J Patient Saf 2019 Jun;15(2):86-89. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000312..
Keywords: Healthcare Delivery, Hospitals, Patient Safety, Provider, Provider: Physician, Transitions of Care
Simpkin AL, Khan A, West DC
Stress from uncertainty and resilience among depressed and burned out residents: a cross-sectional study.
This study examined how stress from uncertainty is related to resilience among medical residents and whether those attributes are related to depression and burnout. The investigators surveyed 86 residents in pediatric residency programs from 4 urban freestanding children’s hospitals in North America in 2015. They used the Physicians’ Reaction to Uncertainty Scale to measure stress from uncertainty, the 14-item Resilience Scale to measure uncertainty, the Harvard National Depression Scale for depression, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory for burnout. There was a response rate of 58.1%. Five residents met depression criteria, and 15 residents met the burnout criteria. Depressed and burned out residents both had higher mean levels of stress compared to residents who neither depressed nor burned out.
AHRQ-funded; HS022986.
Citation: Simpkin AL, Khan A, West DC .
Stress from uncertainty and resilience among depressed and burned out residents: a cross-sectional study.
Acad Pediatr 2018 Aug;18(6):698-704. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2018.03.002..
Keywords: Burnout, Stress, Depression, Provider: Physician, Behavioral Health, Provider, Education: Continuing Medical Education, Hospitals
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.
.
.
Keywords: Hospitals, Quality Improvement, Patient Safety, Surgery, Quality of Care, Provider: Physician, Provider