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
- Adverse Drug Events (ADE) (3)
- Adverse Events (20)
- Caregiving (1)
- Chronic Conditions (2)
- Clinical Decision Support (CDS) (1)
- Dementia (1)
- Depression (1)
- Education: Patient and Caregiver (2)
- Elderly (22)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (1)
- Emergency Department (3)
- Evidence-Based Practice (3)
- (-) Falls (45)
- Healthcare Costs (2)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (5)
- Home Healthcare (1)
- Hospitals (10)
- Injuries and Wounds (7)
- Inpatient Care (4)
- Long-Term Care (2)
- Medical Errors (1)
- Medicare (1)
- Medication (6)
- Medication: Safety (2)
- Neurological Disorders (2)
- Nursing Homes (4)
- Opioids (1)
- Organizational Change (1)
- Pain (1)
- Patient-Centered Healthcare (1)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (1)
- Patient and Family Engagement (1)
- (-) Patient Safety (45)
- Prevention (15)
- Provider: Nurse (1)
- Quality Improvement (2)
- Quality of Care (2)
- Risk (13)
- Rural Health (1)
- Shared Decision Making (2)
- Surveys on Patient Safety Culture (1)
- Teams (2)
- TeamSTEPPS (1)
- Tools & Toolkits (3)
- Urban Health (1)
- Web-Based (1)
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 45 Research Studies DisplayedLeland NE, Lekovitch C, Martínez J
Optimizing post-acute care patient safety: a scoping review of multifactorial fall prevention interventions for older adults.
The purpose of this scoping review was to describe the evidence for multifactorial post-acute care (PAC) fall prevention interventions for older patients. The researchers included 33 studies and characterized common intervention domains including: evaluating patient-specific fall risk factors, developing an individualized risk profile and treatment plan that targets each patient's fall risk factors, and implementing facility-based strategies such as staff education. There was not consensus across studies in how the domains were addressed and to what extent. The researchers concluded that health system efforts to prevent accidental falls in PAC should consider a patient-centered multifactorial approach.
AHRQ-funded; HS022907.
Citation: Leland NE, Lekovitch C, Martínez J .
Optimizing post-acute care patient safety: a scoping review of multifactorial fall prevention interventions for older adults.
J Appl Gerontol 2022 Oct;41(10):2187-96. doi: 10.1177/07334648221104375..
Keywords: Elderly, Falls, Prevention, Patient Safety, Evidence-Based Practice
Chen C, Winterstein AG, Lo-Ciganic WH
Concurrent use of prescription gabapentinoids with opioids and risk for fall-related injury among older US Medicare beneficiaries with chronic noncancer pain: a population-based cohort study.
This study compared the risk of fall-related injury in two cohorts who used gabapentinoids concurrently with opioid use and those who used opioids only. The authors created 2 cohorts based on whether concurrent users initiated gabapentinoids on the day of opioid initiation (Cohort 1) or after opioid initiation (Cohort 2). Both cohorts were identified from a sample of older Medicare beneficiaries with chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP). Four concurrent users were matched up with 1 opioid-only user. They identified 6,733 concurrent users and 27,092 matched opioid-only users in Cohort 1 and 5,709 concurrent users and 22,388 matched opioid-only users in Cohort 2. Cohort 1’s incidence rate of fall-related injury was 24.5 per 100 person-users during follow-up and was 18.0 per 100-person-years during follow-up for Cohort 2. Concurrent users had had similar risk of fall-related injury as opioid-only users in Cohort 1 but had higher risk for fall-related injury than opioid-only users in Cohort 2.
AHRQ-funded; HS027230.
Citation: Chen C, Winterstein AG, Lo-Ciganic WH .
Concurrent use of prescription gabapentinoids with opioids and risk for fall-related injury among older US Medicare beneficiaries with chronic noncancer pain: a population-based cohort study.
PLoS Med 2022 Mar;19(3):e1003921. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003921..
Keywords: Elderly, Opioids, Medication, Medication: Safety, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Falls, Patient Safety, Injuries and Wounds, Pain, Chronic Conditions
Dykes PC, Khasnabish S, Burns Z
Development and validation of a fall prevention efficiency scale.
This study examined nurses’ perception of implementing the Fall TIPS (Tailoring Interventions for Patient Safety) tool, which is an evidence-based fall prevention program which was shown to reduce falls in hospitalized adults by 25%. The authors conducted a 3-phase mixed method study at 3 hospitals in Massachusetts and 3 in New York to assess nurses’ perceptions of burdens imposed on them by using Fall TIPS or other fall prevention programs. A 20-item prototype Fall Prevention Efficiency Scale was developed and administered to 383 clinical nurses. This scale was reduced to 13 items. The scale achieved excellent internal consistency values when examined with the test, validation, and paired (both test and retest) samples.
AHRQ-funded; HS025128.
Citation: Dykes PC, Khasnabish S, Burns Z .
Development and validation of a fall prevention efficiency scale.
J Patient Saf 2022 Mar 1;18(2):94-101. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000811..
Keywords: Falls, Prevention, Patient Safety, Hospitals
Dykes PC, KhasnabishE S, Adkison LE
Use of a perceived efficacy tool to evaluate the FallTIPS program.
The authors assessed nurses' opinions of the efficacy of using the FallTIPS (Tailoring Interventions for Patient Safety) fall prevention program. They found that the nurses who used FallTIPS perceived that efficiencies in patient care compensated for the time spent on FallTIPS. Nurses valued the program, and findings confirmed the importance of patient and family engagement with staff in the fall prevention process.
AHRQ-funded; HS025128.
Citation: Dykes PC, KhasnabishE S, Adkison LE .
Use of a perceived efficacy tool to evaluate the FallTIPS program.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2021 Dec;69(12):3595-601. doi: 10.1111/jgs.17436..
Keywords: Falls, Patient Safety, Prevention, Provider: Nurse, Adverse Events
Piatkowski M, Taylor E, Wong B
Designing a patient room as a fall protection strategy: the perspectives of healthcare design experts.
This multi-year study aimed to better understand how patient room design can increase stability during ambulation, serving as a fall protection strategy for frail and/or elderly patients. Specifically, the aim of this portion of the study was to ascertain the architect's perspective on designing a room to mitigate the risk of falls, as well as to evaluate the face validity of a predictive algorithm to assess risk in room design using the input of a design advisory council (AC).
AHRQ-funded; HS025606.
Citation: Piatkowski M, Taylor E, Wong B .
Designing a patient room as a fall protection strategy: the perspectives of healthcare design experts.
Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021 Aug 19;18(16). doi: 10.3390/ijerph18168769..
Keywords: Falls, Patient Safety, Prevention, Adverse Events, Inpatient Care
Leung WY, Adelman J, Bates DW
Validating fall prevention icons to support patient-centered education.
Falls with injury are the most prevalent hospital adverse event. The objective of this project was to refine fall risk and prevention icons for a patient-centric bedside toolkit to promote patient and nurse engagement in accurately assessing fall risks and developing a tailored fall prevention plan. The investigators indicated that all 16 icons were refined and used to form the basis for a bedside fall prevention toolkit.
AHRQ-funded; HS023535.
Citation: Leung WY, Adelman J, Bates DW .
Validating fall prevention icons to support patient-centered education.
J Patient Saf 2021 Aug 1;17(5):e413-e22. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000354..
Keywords: Falls, Prevention, Patient Safety, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Education: Patient and Caregiver, Hospitals, Adverse Events
Christiansen TL, Lipsitz S, Scanlan M
Patient activation related to fall prevention: a multisite study.
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the Fall TIPS (Tailoring Interventions for Patient Safety) program on patient activation related to fall prevention. Researchers used the short form Patient Activation Measure (PAM-13) adapted for fall prevention. Their findings showed that patient activation improved from preintervention to postintervention at all three studied sites. Patients with access to the Fall TIPS program are more activated and engaged in their fall prevention plan. Recommendations include engaging patients in the fall prevention plan to increase their knowledge, skill, and confidence.
AHRQ-funded; HS023535.
Citation: Christiansen TL, Lipsitz S, Scanlan M .
Patient activation related to fall prevention: a multisite study.
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2020 Mar;46(3):129-35. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2019.11.010..
Keywords: Falls, Prevention, Patient Safety, Patient and Family Engagement, Education: Patient and Caregiver
Venema DM, Skinner AM, Nailon R
Patient and system factors associated with unassisted and injurious falls in hospitals: an observational study.
Unassisted falls are more likely to result in injury than assisted falls. However, little is known about risk factors for falling unassisted. Furthermore, rural hospitals, which care for a high proportion of older adults, are underrepresented in research on hospital falls. This study identified risk factors for unassisted and injurious falls in rural hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS021429.
Citation: Venema DM, Skinner AM, Nailon R .
Patient and system factors associated with unassisted and injurious falls in hospitals: an observational study.
BMC Geriatr 2019 Dec 11;19(1):348. doi: 10.1186/s12877-019-1368-8..
Keywords: Falls, Injuries and Wounds, Patient Safety, Elderly, Risk, Hospitals, Adverse Events
Allen JA, Reiter-Palmon R, Kennel V, et al.
Group and organizational safety norms set the stage for good post-fall huddles.
In this study, the investigators explored group and organizational safety norms as antecedents to meeting leader behaviors and achievement of desired outcomes in a special after-action review case-a post-fall huddle. Findings indicated that organizational and group safety norms related to perceived huddle meeting effectiveness through appropriate huddle leader behavior in a partial mediated framework.
AHRQ-funded; HS024630; HS021429.
Citation: Allen JA, Reiter-Palmon R, Kennel V, et al..
Group and organizational safety norms set the stage for good post-fall huddles.
J Leadersh Organ Stud 2019 Nov;26(4):465-75. doi: 10.1177/1548051818781820..
Keywords: Adverse Events, Falls, Organizational Change, Patient Safety
Jones KJ, Skinner A, Venema D
Evaluating the use of multiteam systems to manage the complexity of inpatient falls in rural hospitals.
Researchers evaluated the implementation and outcomes of evidence-based fall-risk-reduction processes when those processes are implemented using a multiteam system (MTS) structure. They found that multiteam systems that effectively coordinate fall-risk-reduction processes may improve the capacity of hospitals to manage the complex patient, environmental, and system factors that result in falls.
AHRQ-funded; HS024630; HS021429.
Citation: Jones KJ, Skinner A, Venema D .
Evaluating the use of multiteam systems to manage the complexity of inpatient falls in rural hospitals.
Health Serv Res 2019 Oct;54(5):994-1006. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13186..
Keywords: Falls, Hospitals, Inpatient Care, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement, Patient Safety, Prevention, Risk
Jones KJ, Crowe J, Allen JA
The impact of post-fall huddles on repeat fall rates and perceptions of safety culture: a quasi-experimental evaluation of a patient safety demonstration project.
The purpose of this study was to determine associations between conducting post-fall huddles and repeat fall rates and between post-fall huddle participation and perceptions of teamwork and safety culture. The investigators concluded that post-fall huddles may reduce the risk of repeat falls. Staff who participate in post-fall huddles were likely to have positive perceptions of teamwork support for fall-risk reduction and safety culture because huddles are a team-based approach to reporting, adapting, and learning.
AHRQ-funded; HS024630; HS021429.
Citation: Jones KJ, Crowe J, Allen JA .
The impact of post-fall huddles on repeat fall rates and perceptions of safety culture: a quasi-experimental evaluation of a patient safety demonstration project.
BMC Health Serv Res 2019 Sep 9;19(1):650. doi: 10.1186/s12913-019-4453-y..
Keywords: TeamSTEPPS, Falls, Adverse Events, Surveys on Patient Safety Culture, Patient Safety, Hospitals, Teams
Klock M, Kang H, Gon Y
Scoring patient fall reports using quality rubric and machine learning.
Employing AHRQ’s rubric for assessing the quality of fall reports, the authors compared three different machine-learning models and identified the most effective method for scoring fall reports. They intend that their study results will be applicable in healthcare facilities to score reports during reporting for reporters to improve report quality. Their ultimate goal is to increase learning from fall reports for better prevention of patient falls.
AHRQ-funded; HS022895.
Citation: Klock M, Kang H, Gon Y .
Scoring patient fall reports using quality rubric and machine learning.
Stud Health Technol Inform 2019 Aug 21;264:639-43. doi: 10.3233/shti190301..
Keywords: Falls, Patient Safety, Prevention, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement
Patterson BW, Jacobsohn GC, Shah MN
Development and validation of a pragmatic natural language processing approach to identifying falls in older adults in the emergency department.
This study examined development and validation of a pragmatic natural language processing (NLP) approach to identify fall risk in older adults after emergency department (ED) visits. A single center retrospective review using data from 500 emergency department provider notes on older adults age 65 and older were random selected for analysis. The NLP algorithm successfully identified falls in ED notes with over 90% precision, and looks promising to reduce labor-intensive manual abstraction.
AHRQ-funded; HS024558.
Citation: Patterson BW, Jacobsohn GC, Shah MN .
Development and validation of a pragmatic natural language processing approach to identifying falls in older adults in the emergency department.
BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 2019 Jul 22;19(1):138. doi: 10.1186/s12911-019-0843-7..
Keywords: Adverse Events, Elderly, Emergency Department, Falls, Risk, Patient Safety
Patterson BW, Engstrom CJ, Sah V
Training and interpreting machine learning algorithms to evaluate fall risk after emergency department visits.
This study examined the potential of using machine learning algorithms to evaluate fall risk after an emergency department (ED) visit. They compared several machine learning methodologies for creation of a risk stratification algorithm to predict the outcome of a return visit for a fall within 6 months of an ED visit.
AHRQ-funded; HS024558; HS024342.
Citation: Patterson BW, Engstrom CJ, Sah V .
Training and interpreting machine learning algorithms to evaluate fall risk after emergency department visits.
Med Care 2019 Jul;57(7):560-66. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001140..
Keywords: Adverse Events, Elderly, Emergency Department, Falls, Risk, Patient Safety
Aspinall SL, Springer SP, Zhao X
Central nervous system medication burden and risk of recurrent serious falls and hip fractures in Veterans Affairs nursing home residents.
This study investigated the association between taking central nervous system (CNS) medications with the risk of serious falls and hip fractures. Study participants were residents at a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Community Living Center (CLC) between July 1, 2005 and June 30, 2009. This was a nested case-control study. The investigators concluded that there was a higher risk in those residents receiving 3.0 or more daily CNS medications.
AHRQ-funded; HS023779.
Citation: Aspinall SL, Springer SP, Zhao X .
Central nervous system medication burden and risk of recurrent serious falls and hip fractures in Veterans Affairs nursing home residents.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2019 Jan;67(1):74-80. doi: 10.1111/jgs.15603..
Keywords: Elderly, Falls, Injuries and Wounds, Long-Term Care, Medication, Nursing Homes, Patient Safety, Risk
Kang H, Zhou S, Yao B
A prototype of knowledge-based patient safety event reporting and learning system.
In this study, a hierarchical list of contributing factors for patient falls, based on the key contributing factors defined by AHRQ Common Formats 2.0, was established by expert review and discussion. Using the list as an infrastructure, the investigators designed and developed a novel reporting system, where a strategy to identify contributing factors was intended to provide reporters knowledge support, in the form of similar cases and potential solutions.
AHRQ-funded; HS022895.
Citation: Kang H, Zhou S, Yao B .
A prototype of knowledge-based patient safety event reporting and learning system.
BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 2018 Dec 7;18(Suppl 5):110. doi: 10.1186/s12911-018-0688-5..
Keywords: Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Falls
Jayadevappa R, Chhatre S, Newman DK
Association between overactive bladder treatment and falls among older adults.
The purpose of this study was to analyze the risk of falls associated with overactive bladder (OAB) and the effects of OAB treatment on falls among older adult Medicare fee-for-service enrollees. Results showed that a diagnosis of OAB was associated with higher odds of falls compared to those without OAB and that treatment for OAB was associated with lower odds of falls compared to those untreated.
AHRQ-funded; HS024106.
Citation: Jayadevappa R, Chhatre S, Newman DK .
Association between overactive bladder treatment and falls among older adults.
Neurourol Urodyn 2018 Nov;37(8):2688-94. doi: 10.1002/nau.23719..
Keywords: Falls, Elderly, Patient Safety
Baernholdt M, Hinton ID
Fall rates in urban and rural nursing units: does location matter?
This paper discusses a study of fall rates in 65 rural hospitals with 222 nursing units and 560 urban hospitals with 4274 nursing units. The authors found that geographic region, unit type, and nurse staffing, education, experience, and outcomes were associated with fall rates.
AHRQ-funded; HS023147.
Citation: Baernholdt M, Hinton ID .
Fall rates in urban and rural nursing units: does location matter?
J Nurs Care Qual 2018 Oct/Dec;33(4):326-33. doi: 10.1097/ncq.0000000000000319..
Keywords: Falls, Patient Safety, Rural Health, Urban Health
Reiter-Palmon R, Kennel V, Allen J
Good catch! Using interdisciplinary teams and team reflexivity to improve patient safety.
This article considers the role of reflexivity in team innovation implementation and its association with inpatient fall rates. The study it describes examined 16 small rural hospitals in which interdisciplinary teams intended to decrease fall risk were implemented, supported, and evaluated. Team reflexivity was assessed at the start and at the end of the 2-year intervention, and innovation implementation assessed at the end of the intervention. The hospitals reported objective fall event data and patient days throughout the project. Both the theoretical and practical applications of the results are discussed.
AHRQ-funded; HS021429; HS024630.
Citation: Reiter-Palmon R, Kennel V, Allen J .
Good catch! Using interdisciplinary teams and team reflexivity to improve patient safety.
Group & Organization Management 2018 Jun;43(3):414-39. doi: 10.1177/1059601118768163..
Keywords: Teams, Patient Safety, Falls, Prevention, Hospitals, Adverse Events
Dore DD, Zullo AR, Mor V
Age, sex, and dose effects of nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics on hip fracture in nursing home residents.
This study examined the rate of hip fracture in nursing home residents prescribed nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics. A sample of nursing home residents was used and linked to Medicare and Minimum Data Set (2007-2008) data. The rate of hip fracture was higher in residents aged 90 and above, and lower in residents 70 or below. There was no different by sex.
AHRQ-funded; HS022998.
Citation: Dore DD, Zullo AR, Mor V .
Age, sex, and dose effects of nonbenzodiazepine hypnotics on hip fracture in nursing home residents.
J Am Med Dir Assoc 2018 Apr;19(4):328-32.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2017.09.015..
Keywords: Injuries and Wounds, Medication, Nursing Homes, Long-Term Care, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Falls, Risk, Patient Safety
Patterson BW, Repplinger MD, Pulia MS
Using the Hendrich II Inpatient Fall Risk Screen to predict outpatient falls after emergency department visits.
This study examined the utility of using the Hendrich II Inpatient Fall Risk Screen to predict outpatient falls in elderly patients after emergency department (ED) visits. Individuals aged 65 and older seen in the ED from January 2013 to September 30, 2015 participated in the study. The Hendrich II screen was found to correlate with outpatient falls, but it is likely it would have little utility as a stand-alone fall screen. When the screen was combined with other potential confounders or predictors, the screen performed much better.
AHRQ-funded; HS024558.
Citation: Patterson BW, Repplinger MD, Pulia MS .
Using the Hendrich II Inpatient Fall Risk Screen to predict outpatient falls after emergency department visits.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2018 Apr;66(4):760-65. doi: 10.1111/jgs.15299..
Keywords: Elderly, Falls, Risk, Emergency Department, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Prevention, Patient Safety, Adverse Events
Zhou S, Kang H, Gong Y
Design a learning-oriented fall event reporting system based on Kirkpatrick model.
Patient fall has been a severe problem in healthcare facilities around the world due to its prevalence and cost. Routine fall prevention training programs are not as effective as expected. Using event reporting systems is the trend for reducing patient safety events such as falls, although some limitations of the systems exist at current stage. The authors of this paper summarized these limitations through literature review, and developed an improved web-based fall event reporting system.
AHRQ-funded; HS022895.
Citation: Zhou S, Kang H, Gong Y .
Design a learning-oriented fall event reporting system based on Kirkpatrick model.
Stud Health Technol Inform 2017;245:828-32..
Keywords: Falls, Health Information Technology (HIT), Patient Safety, Web-Based, Adverse Events
Yao B, Kang H, Miao Q
Leveraging event reporting through knowledge support: a knowledge-based approach to promoting patient fall prevention.
The authors constructed a knowledge base of fall events by combining expert-reviewed fall prevention solutions and then integrating them into a reporting system. The knowledge base enables timely and tailored knowledge support and thus will serve as a prevailing fall prevention tool. This effort holds promise in making knowledge acquisition and management a routine process for enhancing the reporting and understanding of patient safety events.
AHRQ-funded; HS022895.
Citation: Yao B, Kang H, Miao Q .
Leveraging event reporting through knowledge support: a knowledge-based approach to promoting patient fall prevention.
Stud Health Technol Inform 2017;245:973-77.
.
.
Keywords: Adverse Events, Falls, Patient Safety, Prevention
Hoffman GJ, Hays RD, Shapiro MF
The costs of fall-related injuries among older adults: annual per-faller, service component, and patient out-of-pocket costs.
The researchers estimated expenditures for fall-related injuries (FRIs) among older Medicare beneficiaries. Estimated FRI expenditures were $9,389. Inpatient, physician/outpatient, skilled nursing facility, and home health comprised 31, 18, 39, and 12 percent of the total. OOP costs were $1,363. Expenditures for FRIs initially treated in inpatient/ED/outpatient settings were $21,424/$6,142/$8,622.
AHRQ-funded; HS000046.
Citation: Hoffman GJ, Hays RD, Shapiro MF .
The costs of fall-related injuries among older adults: annual per-faller, service component, and patient out-of-pocket costs.
Health Serv Res 2017 Oct;52(5):1794-816. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12554.
.
.
Keywords: Elderly, Falls, Healthcare Costs, Medicare, Patient Safety
Dykes PC, Duckworth M, Cunningham S
Pilot testing Fall TIPS (Tailoring Interventions for Patient Safety): a patient-centered fall prevention toolkit.
Patient falls during an acute hospitalization cause injury, reduced mobility, and increased costs. The laminated paper Fall TIPS Toolkit (Fall TIPS) provides clinical decision support at the bedside by linking each patient's fall risk assessment with evidence-based interventions. The investigators examined strategies to integrate this evidence into clinical practice. They concluded that engaging hospital and clinical leadership is critical in translating evidence-based care into clinical practice. They address and detail barriers to adoption of the protocol to provide guidance for spread to other institutions.
AHRQ-funded; HS025128.
Citation: Dykes PC, Duckworth M, Cunningham S .
Pilot testing Fall TIPS (Tailoring Interventions for Patient Safety): a patient-centered fall prevention toolkit.
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2017 Aug;43(8):403-13. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2017.05.002..
Keywords: Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Shared Decision Making, Evidence-Based Practice, Falls, Hospitals, Injuries and Wounds, Inpatient Care, Patient Safety, Prevention, Risk, Tools & Toolkits