The additional AHRQ programs and resources described below are relevant for primary care research audiences, including researchers and clinicians.
Optimizing Health and Function as We Age: Roundtable Report
This report (PDF, 1.7 MB) summarizes the discussion of the Roundtable on Optimizing Health and Functional Status as We Age. The roundtable was hosted by AHRQ and included about 40 experts from diverse backgrounds in healthcare, public health, social services, philanthropy, academia, and government, along with participants representing patient and community perspectives. The purpose of the roundtable was to advise AHRQ on meaningful ways to improve the organization and delivery of healthcare to optimize the health and well-being of the U.S. population as it ages.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
Under authorization from the U.S. Congress, AHRQ has convened and supported the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) since 1998. The Task Force is an independent, volunteer panel of national experts in prevention and evidence-based medicine that makes recommendations for primary care professionals about clinical preventive services.
The Task Force makes recommendations for clinical preventive services offered in primary care settings, including screenings (e.g., breast cancer screening), counseling services (e.g., tobacco cessation), and preventive medications (e.g., statins to prevent cardiovascular disease). The full list of recommendations can be found on the Task Force website.
In 2023 and 2024 AHRQ offered health policy residency rotations in preventive medicine for preventive medicine and primary care residents, in collaboration with the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research. Residents worked closely with USPSTF members and AHRQ staff.
Effective Health Care Program and Evidence-Based Practice Centers
The Effective Health Care (EHC) Program conducts patient-centered outcomes research and disseminates the findings. The Evidence-Based Practice Centers (EPCs)—located at universities, medical centers, and research institutions throughout the United States—produce resources to help patients and clinicians make informed healthcare decisions. Some primary care-relevant materials from the EHC program in FYs 2023 and 2024 are described below.
The report Research Gaps in Primary Care identifies gaps in primary care research through an examination of recent EPC reviews focused on primary care topics. These research gaps can advise researchers, funders, and policymakers about the questions that most urgently need to be addressed in primary care research to inform clinical practice and the types of studies necessary to address these questions.
- Technical Brief: Long COVID Models of Care.
- Rapid Evidence Report: Computerized Clinical Decision Support to Prevent Medication Errors and Adverse Drug Events.
- Systematic Review: Cannabis and Other Plant-Based Treatments for Chronic Pain.
- White Paper: Examining Excluded Full-Text Articles to Better Understand the Evidence Base on Plant-Based Treatments for Chronic Pain.
- Grand Rounds Webinar Recordings:
- March 2023: Telehealth—Findings from two EPC evidence reports: (1) Use of Telehealth During the COVID-19 Era; and (2) Improving Rural Health Through Telehealth-Guided Provider-to-Provider Communications.
- June 2023: Maternal Health—Findings from two EPC evidence reports: (1) Postpartum Care up to 1 Year After Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis; and (2) Management of Postpartum Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy.
- November 2023: Pain Management—Findings from three EPC evidence reports: (1) Nonopioid Pharmacologic Treatments for Chronic Pain; (2) Living Systematic Review on Cannabis and Other Plant-Based Treatments for Chronic Pain; and (3) Acute Treatments of Episodic Migraine.
AHRQ Quality Indicator Resources
The AHRQ Quality Indicators (AHRQ QIs) are measures of health care quality designed for use by program managers, researchers, and others at the Federal, State, and local levels interested in health care quality measurement. AHRQ QIs are standardized, evidence-based measures of health care quality that use hospital inpatient administrative data to measure and track clinical performance and outcomes, including primary care access and outcomes. They have implications for understanding and improving primary care and can be used for primary care research purposes.
For example, the Prevention Quality Indicators in Inpatient Settings (PQIs) use data from hospital discharges to identify admissions that might have been avoided through access to high-quality outpatient care and access to appropriate follow-up care after hospital discharge. Prevention Quality Indicators in Emergency Department Settings (PQEs) identify conditions for which access to quality ambulatory care could potentially reduce the likelihood of emergency department care, the Pediatric Quality Indicators (PDIs) focus on potentially preventable hospitalizations among pediatric patients, and the new Maternal Health Indicators (MHI) are geographic area level rates of severe maternal morbidity (SMM) and mortality that could potentially be prevented by high quality health care.
Surveys on Patient Safety Culture®
AHRQ’s Surveys on Patient Safety Culture® (SOPS®) Medical Office Survey is a survey instrument designed specifically for outpatient medical office providers and other staff to evaluate patient safety culture and healthcare quality in their medical offices. Safety culture is the values, beliefs, and norms that are shared by providers and other staff throughout their organization, influencing actions and behaviors related to patient safety. The SOPS Medical Office Survey includes measures such as communication about error and communication openness, teamwork, and work pressure and pace, plus two optional supplemental item sets on diagnostic safety and value and efficiency. The survey can be used to assess individual units or departments or can be administered organization wide.
The Medical Office Survey User's Guide (PDF, 1 MB) includes information on selecting a sample, determining data collection methods, establishing data collection procedures, conducting a web-based survey, preparing and analyzing data, and producing reports. The survey is available to the public free of charge and free technical assistance is provided. Medical offices can participate in the SOPS Medical Office Database and compare their results against other database medical offices.
