National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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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
1 to 10 of 10 Research Studies DisplayedPatel MD, Lin P, Cheng Q
Patient sex, racial and ethnic disparities in emergency department triage: a multi-site retrospective study.
The purpose of this multi-site retrospective study was to assess differences in the assignment of Emergency Severity Index (ESI) by patient sex and race/ethnicity, factoring in age, clinical factors, and ED operating conditions. The study assessed differences in the assignment of Emergency Severity Index (ESI) by patient sex and race/ethnicity, accounting for age, clinical factors, and ED operating conditions. For the study outcome, ESI levels were grouped into three categories: 1-2 (highest acuity), 3, and 4-5 (lowest acuity). The researchers analyzed patient-level data from three EDs affiliated with a large Southeastern United States health system. The study found 186,840 eligible ED visits with 56,417 from an academic ED, 69,698 from a metropolitan community ED, and 60,725 from a rural community ED. The majority of patients were assigned ESI 3 in the academic and metropolitan community EDs (61% and 62%, respectively) whereas 47% were assigned ESI 3 in the rural community ED. In adjusted analyses, White females had a lower likelihood of being assigned ESI 1-2 compared to White males although both groups were roughly comparable in the assignment of ESI 4-5. Non-White and Hispanic females were generally least likely to be assigned ESI 1-2 in all EDs. Interactions between ED wait time and race/ethnicity-sex were not statistically significant.
AHRQ-funded; HS029078.
Citation: Patel MD, Lin P, Cheng Q .
Patient sex, racial and ethnic disparities in emergency department triage: a multi-site retrospective study.
Am J Emerg Med 2024 Feb; 76:29-35. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2023.11.008..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Disparities, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Johnson CL, Colley A, Pierce L
Disparities in advance care planning rates persist among emergency general surgery patients: current state and recommendations for improvement.
A sudden shift in health condition and the intensification of chronic conditions often necessitate the consideration of emergency general surgery (EGS). While goal-oriented care discussions can enhance goal-concordant care and mitigate feelings of depression and anxiety in patients and caregivers, such conversations, along with standardized documentation, are seldom conducted for EGS patients. The researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study employing data from electronic health records of patients admitted to the EGS service in a high-level academic center to ascertain the frequency of significant advance care planning (ACP) documentation (discussions and legal ACP forms) during EGS hospitalization. Multivariable regression was used to identify patient, clinician, and procedural elements contributing to the absence of ACP. The study found that out of the 681 patients admitted to the EGS service in 2019, only 20.1% had ACP documentation in the electronic health record at any stage during their hospital stay. Two-thirds (65.8%) of the entire cohort underwent surgery during their admission, but none of them had an ACP conversation documented with the surgical team before the operation. Patients with ACP documentation were likely to be insured by Medicare and had a higher incidence of comorbid conditions.
AHRQ-funded; HS024532.
Citation: Johnson CL, Colley A, Pierce L .
Disparities in advance care planning rates persist among emergency general surgery patients: current state and recommendations for improvement.
J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2023 Jun; 94(6):863-69. doi: 10.1097/ta.0000000000003909..
Keywords: Disparities, Surgery, Emergency Department, Chronic Conditions
Moriya AS, Chakravarty S
AHRQ Author: Moriya AS
Racial and ethnic disparities in preventable hospitalizations and ED visits five years after ACA Medicaid expansions,.
This AHRQ-authored paper examined whether the 2014 Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansions mitigated existing racial or ethnic disparities in preventable hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits. The authors used inpatient data from twenty-nine states and ED data from twenty-six states for the period 2011 to 2018. They found that Medicaid expansions decreased disparities in preventable hospitalizations and ED visits between non-Hispanic Black and White nonelderly adults by 10 percent or more. There were no significant effects on disparities between Hispanic and non-Hispanic White nonelderly adults. Their findings highlight sustained improvements in community-level care for non-Hispanic Black populations, but also suggest access barriers experienced by Hispanic adults that need to be addressed beyond Medicaid eligibility expansion.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Moriya AS, Chakravarty S .
Racial and ethnic disparities in preventable hospitalizations and ED visits five years after ACA Medicaid expansions,.
Health Aff 2023 Jan; 42(1):26-34. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2022.00460..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Emergency Department, Hospitalization, Disparities, Medicaid, Health Insurance, Access to Care
Trent SA, George N, Havranek EP
Established evidence-based treatment guidelines help mitigate disparities in quality of emergency care.
Evidence-based guidelines are often cited as a means of ensuring high-quality care for all patients. The objective of this study was to assess whether emergency department (ED) adherence to core evidence-based guidelines differed by patient sex and race/ethnicity and to assess the effect of ED guideline adherence on patient outcomes by sex and race/ethnicity. The investigators concluded that longstanding, nationally reported evidence-based guidelines can help eliminate sex and race/ethnicity disparities in quality of care.
AHRQ-funded; HS022400.
Citation: Trent SA, George N, Havranek EP .
Established evidence-based treatment guidelines help mitigate disparities in quality of emergency care.
Acad Emerg Med 2021 Sep;28(9):1051-60. doi: 10.1111/acem.14235..
Keywords: Evidence-Based Practice, Guidelines, Emergency Department, Disparities, Quality of Care
Marin JR, Rodean J, Hall M
Racial and ethnic differences in emergency department diagnostic imaging at US children's hospitals, 2016-2019.
Researchers evaluated racial and ethnic differences in the performance of common ED imaging studies and examined patterns across diagnoses. In this study, which evaluated visits by nonhospitalized patients younger than 18 years in 44 US children's hospital EDs, they found that non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic children were less likely to receive diagnostic imaging during ED visits compared with non-Hispanic White children. They recommended further investigation to understand and mitigate these potential disparities in health care delivery and to evaluate the effect of these differential imaging patterns on patient outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS026006.
Citation: Marin JR, Rodean J, Hall M .
Racial and ethnic differences in emergency department diagnostic imaging at US children's hospitals, 2016-2019.
JAMA Netw Open 2021 Jan 4(1):e2033710. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.33710..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Hospitals, Emergency Department, Imaging, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Disparities, Diagnostic Safety and Quality
Goyal MK, Johnson TJ, Chamberlain JM
Racial and ethnic differences in emergency department pain management of children with fractures.
Researchers tested the hypotheses that minority children with long-bone fractures are less likely to receive analgesics, to receive opioid analgesics, and to achieve pain reduction. Using data from the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network Registry, they found that there are differences in process and outcome measures by race and ethnicity in the emergency department management of pain among children with long-bone fractures. Although minority children are more likely to receive analgesics and achieve reduction in pain, they are less likely to receive opioids and achieve optimal pain reduction.
AHRQ-funded; HS020270.
Citation: Goyal MK, Johnson TJ, Chamberlain JM .
Racial and ethnic differences in emergency department pain management of children with fractures.
Pediatrics 2020 May;145(5):e20193370. doi: 10.1542/peds.2019-3370..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Emergency Department, Pain, Injuries and Wounds, Medication, Opioids, Disparities
Hanchate AD, Paasche-Orlow MK, Baker WE
Association of race/ethnicity with emergency department destination of emergency medical services transport.
The authors examined the patterns of emergency department (ED) destination of emergency medical services (EMS) transport according to patient race/ethnicity and compared the patterns between those transported by EMS and those who did not draw on EMS. Using Medicare claims data, they found race/ethnicity variation in ED destination for patients using EMS transport, with black and Hispanic patients more likely to be transported to a safety-net hospital ED compared with white patients living in the same zip code.
AHRQ-funded; HS022242.
Citation: Hanchate AD, Paasche-Orlow MK, Baker WE .
Association of race/ethnicity with emergency department destination of emergency medical services transport.
JAMA Netw Open 2019 Sep 4;2(9):e1910816. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.10816..
Keywords: Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Emergency Department, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Medicare, Disparities
Hanchate AD, Dyer KS, Paasche-Orlow MK
Disparities in emergency department visits among collocated racial/ethnic Medicare enrollees.
In this retrospective cohort study, the investigators estimated emergency department (ED) use differences across Medicare enrollees of different race/ethnicity who were residing in the same zip codes. The investigators found that among Medicare enrollees, blacks and Hispanics had higher ED use rates than whites overall and among subgroups by demographics and socioeconomic status.
AHRQ-funded; HS022242.
Citation: Hanchate AD, Dyer KS, Paasche-Orlow MK .
Disparities in emergency department visits among collocated racial/ethnic Medicare enrollees.
Ann Emerg Med 2019 Mar;73(3):225-35. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2018.09.007..
Keywords: Disparities, Emergency Department, Healthcare Utilization, Medicare, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Goyal MK, Johnson TJ, Chamberlain JM
Racial and ethnic differences in antibiotic use for viral illness in emergency departments.
The researchers sought to investigate whether patient race and ethnicity was associated with differences in antibiotic prescribing for viral acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) in the pediatric emergency department (PED). They found that compared with non-Hispanic (NH) white children, NH black and Hispanic children were less likely to receive antibiotics for viral ARTIs in the PED.
AHRQ-funded; HS020270.
Citation: Goyal MK, Johnson TJ, Chamberlain JM .
Racial and ethnic differences in antibiotic use for viral illness in emergency departments.
Pediatrics 2017 Oct;140(4). doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-0203.
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Keywords: Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Emergency Department, Children/Adolescents, Disparities, Practice Patterns
Kessler DO, Walsh B, Whitfill T
Disparities in adherence to pediatric sepsis guidelines across a spectrum of emergency departments: a multicenter, cross-sectional observational in situ simulation study.
The authors sought to measure and compare adherence to pediatric sepsis guidelines across a spectrum of emergency departments. They found that among 47 teams across 24 emergency departments, adherent teams had significantly higher Emergency Medical Services for Children readiness scores, MD composition of physicians to total team members, teamwork scores, provider perceptions of pediatric preparedness, and provider perceptions of sepsis preparedness. They concluded that only composite team experience level of the providers was associated with improved guideline adherence.
AHRQ-funded; HS020286.
Citation: Kessler DO, Walsh B, Whitfill T .
Disparities in adherence to pediatric sepsis guidelines across a spectrum of emergency departments: a multicenter, cross-sectional observational in situ simulation study.
J Emerg Med 2016 Mar;50(3):403-15.e1-3. doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2015.08.004.
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Keywords: Emergency Department, Disparities, Guidelines, Children/Adolescents, Sepsis