Study Reveals Sharp Decline in Mothers’ Mental Health

AHRQ Stats: U.S. Adults Treated for Diet-Related Conditions 

An average of 84.1 million adults were treated for at least one major diet-related condition annually during 2021 and 2022. The majority, 76.4 million, received treatment for cardiovascular diseases, while 25.4 million people received treatment for diabetes and 2.6 million people received treatment for breast and colorectal cancer. (Source: AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Statistical Brief #561, Expenditures for Key Diet-Related Health Conditions, 2021-2022.) 

Today’s Headlines:

• Study Reveals Sharp Decline in Mothers’ Mental Health.
• Breast Density Linked to Higher Cancer Risk.
• Measuring What Matters: SOPS Tools Capture Nursing Home Staff Views on Safety Culture.
• Access the New Quality Indicators Software Repository.
• Learn More About the AHRQ Safety Program for HAI Prevention: CLABSI—Webinar Recording Available.
• Register for Upcoming Webinars.
• AHRQ in the Professional Literature.

Study Reveals Sharp Decline in Mothers’ Mental Health

The percentage of mothers reporting “excellent” mental health dropped from 38 percent in 2016 to 26 percent in 2023, according to a new study in JAMA Internal Medicine. Using data from the National Survey of Children’s Health, researchers analyzed responses from 198,417 female biological or adoptive parents of children aged 0 to 17. During the same eight-year period, reports of “excellent” physical health declined from 28 percent to 24 percent. Mental health ratings were lower among mothers who were born in the United States, were single parents, had less education or had children who were publicly insured or uninsured. In contrast, fathers were more likely than mothers to report excellent mental and physical health, though their reports showed relatively similar declines throughout the study period. The authors suggest the decline in parents’ mental health may be an early warning sign of worsening mental health in the U.S. population, especially among women.

Breast Density Linked to Higher Cancer Risk

Women with dense breast tissue are more likely to develop breast cancer, according to a recent study co-funded by AHRQ and published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Using data from 33,542 women in the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium, researchers used a novel approach to account for differences in how easily cancer is detected in dense versus nondense breast tissue. Even after adjusting for these differences, women with dense breasts were about 1.7 times as likely to have breast cancer. The findings support laws requiring patient notification and underscore the importance of discussing personalized screening options with a healthcare provider. Clinicians can use this research to better inform patients and guide decisions around screening and risk assessment. Access the abstract.

Measuring What Matters: SOPS Tools Capture Nursing Home Staff Views on Safety Culture

AHRQ’s Surveys on Patient Safety Culture® (SOPS®) provide a standardized approach to enable healthcare facilities, researchers and policymakers to assess staff perceptions of patient safety culture in healthcare settings nationwide. The SOPS Program recently introduced updates to the Nursing Home Survey including a revised core survey, pilot test findings and updated results from the Workplace Safety Supplemental Items.

• The new SOPS Nursing Home Survey 2.0 is shorter than the original 2008 survey, reducing the number of items from 44 to 25 while maintaining core areas such as Staffing, Handoffs and Information Exchange and Management Support. It also includes Speaking Up, which assesses whether staff feel comfortable voicing safety concerns.
• A pilot test was conducted in 2024 with 1,341 respondents across 27 nursing homes, including administrators, nurses, nursing assistants, physicians, therapists and support staff. Among the findings: Speaking Up about safety concerns received the highest score at 86 percent positive, while staffing received the lowest score at 54 percent positive, reflecting ongoing concerns about workforce shortages and time constraints. Only 65 percent of respondents gave their nursing home an overall safety rating of Excellent or Very Good.
• Updated results from the 2025 Workplace Safety Supplemental Items reflect input from 3,683 staff across 72 nursing homes. These items, which are meant to complement the SOPS Nursing Home Survey by focusing on staff workplace safety culture, show mixed results. For example, 89 percent of respondents felt adequately equipped to move patients safely, but only 57 percent positively rated interactions among staff. 

Learn more about the new survey and latest results.

Access the New Quality Indicators Software Repository

AHRQ is excited to announce the launch of its Quality Indicators Software Repository, an open-source community designed to foster collaboration, innovation and improvements to the programming code used to calculate the AHRQ Quality Indicators (QIs). The repository will be a dedicated space for users to collaborate, share knowledge, suggest improvements, submit code modifications and contribute to measure refinements. The platform will serve as a hub for discussions, information exchange and cross-collaboration for users of the AHRQ QIs. Access the repository.

Learn More About the AHRQ Safety Program for HAI Prevention: CLABSI—Webinar Recording Available

Central-line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) affect about 30,000 hospital patients each year. To address this serious threat, the AHRQ Safety Program for Healthcare-Associated Infection Prevention is recruiting adult intensive care units and non-intensive care units to join a new CLABSI prevention cohort. In informational webinars held May 8 and 14, Valeria Fabre, M.D., co-investigator of the program and associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University, outlined how the program’s evidence-based strategies, expert coaching, benchmarking reports and other resources can help reduce CLABSI rates and strengthen teamwork and safety culture. Responding to webinar participants’ questions, Dr. Fabre explained that implementation advisors guide facilities through each step—from building staff buy-in to streamlining data collection. She noted that hospitals can share data already submitted to the National Healthcare Safety Network. Visit the website to access the presentation or register for an upcoming webinar on June 5, 11 or 24. Apply by June 30 to reduce CLABSI at your acute care facility.

Register for Upcoming Webinars

• AHRQ Safety Program for HAI Prevention: CLABSI Recruitment Webinars:
  • June 5, 10:30-11 a.m. ET.
  • June 11, 1:30-2 p.m. ET.
  • June 24, noon-12:30 p.m. ET.
• June 18, 3-4:30 p.m. ET: AHRQ Academy: From Bottlenecks to Breakthroughs: Innovations in Behavioral Health Integration. 

AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Framework to Assist Stakeholders in Technology Evaluation for Recovery (FASTER) to mental health and wellness. Agarwal S, Jalan M, Hill R, et al. BMC Health Serv Res 2025 Apr 30;25(1):623. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Using patient journey mapping and provider workflows to understand process barriers to pediatric mental and behavioral health care in emergency departments. Soman DA, Koscelny SN, Neyens D, et al. Appl Ergon 2025 Jul;126:104512. Epub 2025 Mar 28. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

A scoping review of machine learning models to predict risk of falls in elders, without using sensor data. Capodici A, Fanconi C, Curtin C, et al. Diagn Progn Res 2025 May 6;9(1):11. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Bringing team science to the ambulatory diagnostic process: how do patients and clinicians develop shared mental models? Samost-Williams A, Thomas EJ, Lounsbury O, et al. Diagnosis 2025 Feb 1;12(1):25-34. Epub 2024 Oct 21. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Surgical second opinion for pancreatic cancer patients. Quinn PL, Nikahd M, Saiyed S, et al. J Am Coll Surg 2025 Mar;240(3):270-8. Epub 2025 Feb 14. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Charting diagnostic safety: exploring patient-provider discordance in medical record documentation. Giardina TD, Vaghani V, Upadhyay DK, et al. J Gen Intern Med 2025 Mar;40(4):773-81. Epub 2024 Sep 05. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Real-time symptom monitoring using electronic patient-reported outcomes: a prospective study protocol to improve safety during care transitions for patients with multiple chronic conditions. Plombon S, Rudin RS, Rodriguez J, et al. J Hosp Med 2025 May;20(5):534-43. Epub 2025 Feb 16. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Adapting a risk prediction tool for neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome. Reese TJ, Wiese AD, Leech AA, et al. Pediatrics 2025 Apr;155(4):e2024068673. Access the abstract on PubMed®.