Extreme Heat From Climate Change Poses Threat to Patients With End-Stage Kidney Disease
November 9, 2021
AHRQ Stats
Access more data on this topic in the associated statistical brief, plus additional AHRQ data infographics.
Today's Headlines:
- Extreme Heat From Climate Change Poses Threat to Patients With End-Stage Kidney Disease.
- AHRQ Systematic Review: Current Migraine Treatments Effective for Most Patients..
- Interactive Tool Provides New Data on Hospital Trends for COVID-19 and Other Conditions.
- “Six Building Blocks” Toolkit Helps Clinics Improve Opioid Prescribing.
- Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network.
- Featured Impact Case Study: CommonSpirit Health Expands Use of AHRQ’s CANDOR Toolkit.
- New Research and Evidence From AHRQ.
- AHRQ in the Professional Literature.
Extreme Heat From Climate Change Poses Threat to Patients With End-Stage Kidney Disease
Higher temperatures are associated with increased deaths and hospital admissions risks for patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), according to an AHRQ-funded study published in Environmental Research. The authors analyzed data for 1,981 patients receiving hemodialysis treatments for ESKD from 2011 to 2019. They found that a one-degree centigrade increase in ambient temperature was associated with decreases in blood pressure and weight between dialysis sessions. However, their goal of explaining the relationship between temperature and deaths/hospital admissions for potential clinical interventions was not necessarily achieved as the authors found that changes in blood pressure and interdialytic weight gain may not fully explain the relationship between temperature and mortality/hospital admissions. Access the abstract.
AHRQ Systematic Review: Current Migraine Treatments Effective for Most Patients
Triptans and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs should remain the standard for episodic migraine, and two newer treatments (lasmiditan and calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonists) are effective in patients who cannot tolerate the former, according to an AHRQ-funded systematic review in JAMA. The two newer treatments need to be evaluated further for potential side effects such as dizziness or sleepiness, researchers suggested. Acetaminophen and other pharmacologic treatments also showed evidence of pain reduction. Nonpharmacologic treatments involving noninvasive nerve stimulation devices showed improved pain and function, though only a few studies examined their effectiveness, according to researchers. While opioids are often prescribed for migraine, the study found insufficient evidence for pain reduction and a higher risk of adverse events than other treatments, and researchers said the evidence supported the recommendation of current guidelines against their use. Access the associated AHRQ evidence report.
Interactive Tool Provides New Data on Hospital Trends for COVID-19 and Other Conditions
AHRQ has updated the HCUP Visualization of Inpatient Trends in COVID-19 and Other Conditions, an interactive visualization displaying state-specific monthly trends in inpatient stays related to COVID-19 and other conditions. This visualization now includes the first quarter of 2021 data for 11 states and full year 2020 data for 29 states. The underlying data tables and methods have also been updated and are available on the HCUP Summary Trend Tables page of HCUP-US. Access HCUP infographics for data findings on additional healthcare topics.
“Six Building Blocks” Toolkit Helps Clinics Improve Opioid Prescribing
An AHRQ-funded resource—“Six Building Blocks: A Team-Based Approach to Improving Opioid Management in Primary Care How-To-Implement Toolkit”—is available to help primary care teams reduce the number of patients on long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain. The evidence-based toolkit offers a quality improvement roadmap for redesigning patient care without practice facilitators or other external support. It helps clinical staff develop standardized workflows, track key measures and use electronic health record tools and registries.
Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network
AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network (PSNet) highlights journal articles, books and tools related to patient safety. Articles featured this week include:
- Staffing levels and nursing-sensitive patient outcomes: Umbrella review and qualitative study.
- Survey of nurses' experiences applying The Joint Commission's medication management titration standards.
- Patient safety strategies in psychiatry and how they construct the notion of preventable harm: a scoping review.
Review additional new publications in PSNet’s current issue or access recent cases and commentaries in AHRQ’s WebM&M (Morbidity and Mortality Rounds on the Web).
Featured Impact Case Study: CommonSpirit Health Expands Use of AHRQ’s CANDOR Toolkit
AHRQ’s latest Impact Case Study describes how CommonSpirit Health, one of the nation's largest health systems, is expanding its use of AHRQ's Communication and Optimal Resolution (CANDOR) toolkit across its network of 140 hospitals and 1,000 ambulatory care centers. CANDOR helps hospitals, health system leaders and clinicians communicate accurately and openly with patients and their families when something goes wrong with their care. The health system hopes to build on its initial success implementing CANDOR training at 35 affiliated hospitals, where officials estimate 85 patients were spared the additional harm of not knowing what happened or why. Access the Impact Case Study.
New Research and Evidence From AHRQ
- Systematic review: Prehabilitation and Rehabilitation for Major Joint Replacement.
AHRQ in the Professional Literature
Alignment between objective and subjective assessments of health system performance: findings from a mixed-methods study. Khodyakov D, Buttorff C, Xenakis L, et al. J Healthc Manag 2021 Sep-Oct;66(5):380-94. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Assess, prevent, and manage pain; both spontaneous awakening and breathing trials; choice of analgesia/sedation; delirium: assess, prevent, and manage; early mobility; family engagement and empowerment bundle implementation: quantifying the association of access to bundle-enhancing supplies and equipment. Jeffery AD, Werthman JA, Danesh V, et al. Crit Care Explor 2021 Sep 14;3(9):e0525. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Rapid diagnostic tests for meningitis and encephalitis-BioFire. Fleischer E, Aronson PL. Pediatr Emerg Care 2020 Aug;36(8):397-401. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Consolidation of providers into health systems increased substantially, 2016-18. Furukawa MF, Kimmey L, Jones DJ, et al. Health Aff 2020 Aug;39(8):1321-5. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Association of primary and behavioral health integrated care upon pediatric mental disorder treatment. Chen H, Upadhyay N, Lyu N, et al. Acad Pediatr 2021 Sep-Oct;21(7):1187-94. Epub 2021 Jun 1. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Health information technology to improve care for people with multiple chronic conditions. Samal L, Fu HN, Djibril SC, et al. Health Serv Res 2021 Oct;56(Suppl 1):1006-36. Epub 2021 Oct 5. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
Geographic variation of statin use among US nursing home residents with life-limiting illness. Mack DS, Baek J, Tjia J, et al. Med Care 2021 May;59(5):425-36. Access the abstract on PubMed®.
A study protocol to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the Clinical Nurse Leader care model in improving quality and safety outcomes. Bender M, Williams M, Cruz MF, et al. Nurs Open 2021 Nov;8(6):3688-96. Epub 2021 May 3. Access the abstract on PubMed®.