AHRQ Views Blog: AHRQ Data Underscore Uneven Impact of COVID-19

Editor’s Note: Due to the holidays, AHRQ News Now will not publish again until Jan. 11, 2022. Happy New Year from AHRQ!

AHRQ Stats: Dental and Medical Visits

About 37 percent of Americans visited a dentist and physician at least once in 2018, while another 9 percent visited only a dentist. (Source: AHRQ, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey #537: Trends in the Number and Percentage of the Population with Any Dental or Medical Visits, 2003-2018.)

Today's Headlines:

• AHRQ Views Blog: AHRQ Data Underscore Uneven Impact of COVID-19.
• AHRQ-Supported Research Examines Value, Use of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Orthopedic Surgery.
• Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network.
• AHRQ in the Professional Literature.

AHRQ Views Blog: AHRQ Data Underscore Uneven Impact of COVID-19

Insights gained from recent AHRQ data analyses about trends in COVID-19-related hospitalizations and hospital deaths is the subject of a new blog post coauthored by AHRQ Senior Research Scientist Pamela Owens, Ph.D., and Acting Director David Meyers, M.D. Statistical Briefs from AHRQ’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project underscore the uneven impacts of the pandemic among minorities and rural populations. When combined with additional information related to COVID-19, socioeconomic factors and healthcare services in communities, these data can help evaluate the nation’s capacity to respond to public health emergencies, identify communities with the most urgent needs and understand how crises impact the structure and financing of the supply-side of the healthcare delivery system. Access the blog post. To receive all blog posts, submit your email address and select “AHRQ Views Blog.”

AHRQ-Supported Research Examines Value, Use of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Orthopedic Surgery

Results from an AHRQ-funded project could identify best practices for improving postoperative care and outcomes for patients undergoing orthopedic surgery, provide insight into shared decision-making and orthopedic patient outcomes, and improve how orthopedic surgeons use Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) and patient-preferred outcomes to enhance patient engagement. In studies published by the Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, orthopedic patients and providers agreed that tailoring outcome measurements to patient priorities provides greater value than using standardized PROM alone. While surgeons felt that PROM scores were useful for tracking clinical care, they noted that cumbersome health record integration, incomplete data and poor patient understanding limited their use. Additional research in The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research suggested that improved shared decision-making and certain surgeon care strategies may improve patient outcomes. .

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:

• The reduction of race and gender bias in clinical treatment recommendations using clinician peer networks in an experimental setting.
• Reducing medication errors for adults in hospital settings.
• Harnessing event report data to identify diagnostic error during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Strategies to Improve Patient Safety: Final Report to Congress Required by the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005.

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).

AHRQ in the Professional Literature

End-of-life spending and healthcare utilization among older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Iyer AS, Goodrich CA, Dransfield MT, et al. Am J Med 2020 Jul;133(7):817-24.e1. Epub 2019 Dec 27. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Depressive symptoms do not discriminate: racial and economic influences between time-varying depressive symptoms and mortality among REGARDS participants. Jannat-Khah DP, Khodneva Y, Bryant K, et al. Ann Epidemiol 2020 Jun;46:31-40.e2. Epub 2020 May 7. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

A predictive tool for identification of SARS-CoV-2 PCR-negative emergency department patients using routine test results. Joshi RP, Pejaver V, Hammarlund NE, et al. J Clin Virol 2020 Aug;129:104502. Epub 2020 Jun 10. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Systems analysis of a dedicated ambulatory respiratory unit for seeing and ensuring follow-up of patients with COVID-19 symptoms. Benneyan JC, White T, Nehls N, et al. J Ambul Care Manage 2021 Oct-Dec;44(4):293-303. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Examining adherence and dose effect of an early palliative care intervention for advanced heart failure patients. Wells R, Dionne-Odom JN, Azuero A, et al. J Pain Symptom Manage 2021 Sep;62(3):471-81. Epub 2021 Feb 5. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

The role of the physical environment in shaping interruptions and disruptions in complex health care settings: a scoping review. Bayramzadeh S, Anthony MK, Sterling M, et al. Am J Med Qual 2021 Nov-Dec;36(6):449-58. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Prolonged emergency department length of stay for US pediatric mental health visits (2005-2015). Nash KA, Zima BT, Rothenberg C, et al. Pediatrics 2021 May;147(5). Epub 2021 Apr 5. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Variation in intraoperative and postoperative utilization for 3 common general surgery procedures. Childers CP, Ettner SL, Hays RD, et al. Ann Surg 2021 Jul 1;274(1):107-13. Access the abstract on PubMed®.