Systemic and Public Policy Changes Needed To Improve Care for Patients With Psychiatric Conditions and Substance Use Disorders

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Today's Headlines:

• Systemic and Public Policy Changes Needed To Improve Care for Patients With Psychiatric Conditions and Substance Use Disorders.
• Article Details Findings From AHRQ-Convened Primary Care Learning Community in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic.
• AHRQ Seeks Input on Development of The National Action Alliance to Advance Patient Safety.
• Jason S. Adelman Wins Eisenberg Award for Advancing Patient Safety.
• Researchers Identify Barriers to Infection Prevention Training for Home Infusion Therapy Staff.
• Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network.
• Webinar To Provide Technical Assistance to Applicants Seeking Learning Health System Grants.
• AHRQ in the Professional Literature.

Systemic and Public Policy Changes Needed To Improve Care for Patients With Psychiatric Conditions and Substance Use Disorders

Systemic changes and local interventions are urgently needed to mitigate challenges and improve patient care for people with psychiatric conditions and/or substance abuse disorders, according to an AHRQ-funded study in Annals of Emergency Medicine. These changes also will enhance the treatment experience for physicians and nurses and reduce any biases against their patients. Researchers interviewed 86 emergency department physicians and nurses from four large academic medical centers and four community hospitals in the northeastern United States and recorded their experiences in caring for patients with such conditions. Most respondents described emotional, diagnostic and logistical challenges magnified by existing healthcare system issues and social structures. The findings indicate that the challenges and subsequent biases associated with patients with psychiatric conditions and/or substance use disorders end up adversely affecting clinician well-being and, in turn, patient care. Access the abstract.

Article Details Findings From AHRQ-Convened Primary Care Learning Community in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally threatened the viability of primary care practices, but clinicians and practices used the pandemic as an opportunity to reconsider how primary care is designed, delivered and compensated. This was the finding of a Primary Care Learning Community that AHRQ convened in late 2020 and 2021. The learning community, comprising more than 250 participants from more than 200 primary care-related organizations in 41 states, provided a forum for participants to share learning and peer support, understand the stressors and challenges confronting practices, ascertain needs and identify potential solutions in response to the pandemic. In an article newly published in Annals of Family Medicine, learning community organizers reflected on lessons learned and concluded that the effort to identify real-time response and innovation in the context of the pandemic provides insights to inform research and policy. Access the abstract.

AHRQ Seeks Input on Development of The National Action Alliance to Advance Patient Safety

On behalf of HHS, AHRQ is seeking public comment by Jan. 26 about the development of The National Action Alliance to Advance Patient Safety to advance patient and workforce safety. The National Action Alliance is intended to support improvements across healthcare delivery settings and between settings of care. It will welcome all healthcare systems, including public, not-for-profit and for-profit health systems; rural, suburban and urban systems; and systems focused on caring for diverse populations. The request follows a Nov. 14, 2022, event at which HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra convened a listening session that included chief executive officers of the country's largest healthcare systems, board members, organizational patient safety leaders and patient and family safety advocates. Access the Request for Information, including questions intended to be addressed.

Jason S. Adelman Wins Eisenberg Award for Advancing Patient Safety

AHRQ grantee Jason S. Adelman, M.D., M.S., has been awarded the 2022 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award for individual achievement from the Joint Commission and National Quality Forum. The Eisenberg Awards honor the late John M. Eisenberg, M.D., M.B.A., a former AHRQ director who was recognized as an impassioned advocate for healthcare quality improvement. Dr. Adelman is executive director and founder of the Center for Patient Safety Research, a multidisciplinary collaboration between Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian. He has developed methods to measure and prevent errors in health information technology systems, including development of the Wrong-Patient Retract-and-Reorder (RAR) Measure that detects wrong patient orders in electronic health record data. The RAR Measure has facilitated a large body of patient safety research, including medication errors and wrong-patient orders in neonatal intensive care units.

Researchers Identify Barriers to Infection Prevention Training for Home Infusion Therapy Staff

AHRQ-funded researchers found a lack of formal infection prevention and surveillance training for home infusion therapy staff, according to a study published in American Journal of Infection Control. Researchers interviewed 21 home infusion staff, primarily nurses, and identified three main barriers to training in-home infusion infection surveillance: lack of learning resources, such as user-friendly toolkits that support learning in high-workload and time-pressured environments; few available professional development resources; and no formal training provided by their organizations. The authors concluded that surveillance staff should be made aware of resources available for home infusion infection surveillance training and should be provided access to training materials. Access the abstract.

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:

• Paediatric family activated rapid response interventions; qualitative systematic review.
• Cognitive aids in the management of clinical emergencies: a systematic review.
• Self-reported gaps in care coordination and preventable adverse outcomes among older adults receiving home health care.

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).

Webinar To Provide Technical Assistance to Applicants Seeking Learning Health System Grants

A webinar on Jan. 30 from 1 to 2 p.m. ET will provide technical assistance to institutions that intend to apply for grants to create Learning Health System Embedded Scientist Training and Research (LHS E-STaR) Centers. A recent Notice of Funding Opportunity outlined plans by AHRQ and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to fund the training of embedded health system scientists and produce a cadre of learning health system scientists, mentors, and rapid learning projects to accelerate advances in knowledge, health system performance, and patient outcomes. The grant application deadline is March 24. Register now for the technical assistance webinar.

AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Psychosocial impact of COVID-19 among adults in the southeastern United States. Richmond J, Sanderson M, Shrubsole MJ, et al. Prev Med 2022 Oct;163:107191. Epub 2022 Aug 11. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Crohn's disease shared decision making intervention leads to more patients choosing combination therapy: a cluster randomised controlled trial. Zisman-Ilani Y, Thompson KD, Siegel LS, et al. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2023 Jan;57(2):205-14. Epub 2022 Nov 14. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Prehabilitation for total knee or total hip arthroplasty: a systematic review. Konnyu KJ, Thoma LM, Cao W, et al. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2023 Jan;102(1):1-10. Epub 2022 Mar 12. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Barriers to colorectal cancer screening and surveillance in homeless patients: a case report and policy recommendations. Schwartz HEM, Abel MK, Lin JA, et al. Ann Surg Open 2022 Sep;3(3):e183. Epub 2022 Aug 2. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Multi-sector stakeholder's perceptions of determinants of successful implementation of a pediatric weight management intervention. Persaud A, Castro I, Simione M, et al. Front Public Health 2022 Aug 25;10:954063. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

A mixed-methods analysis of telehealth implementation in nursing homes amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Powell KR, Winkler AE, Liu J, et al. J Am Geriatr Soc 2022 Dec;70(12):3493-502. Epub 2022 Aug 30. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Severe maternal morbidity and mortality risk at the intersection of rurality, race and ethnicity, and Medicaid. Interrante JD, Tuttle MS, Admon LK, et al. Womens Health Issues 2022 Nov-Dec;32(6):540-9. Epub 2022 Jun 25. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Association of registered nurse staffing with mortality risk of Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with sepsis. Cimiotti JP, Becker ER, Li Y, et al. JAMA Health Forum 2022 May 27;3(5):e221173. Access the abstract on PubMed®.