Webinars Highlight CAUTI Program Resources and Recruitment Details: Recording Available

Today’s Headlines:

• Webinars Highlight CAUTI Program Resources and Recruitment Details: Recording Available.
• Federal Support Strengthens Primary Care Practices and Outcomes.
• No Evidence That Non-Antibiotic Medications Reduce Symptoms of Lower Respiratory Tract Infections.
• Algorithm Enhances Identification of Tobacco Use Among Veterans.
• Triptans May Be Offered to Well-Informed Pregnant Women With Migraines.
• Register for Upcoming Webinars.
• AHRQ Stats: Prevalence of Chronic Conditions or Obesity in Geographic Regions.  
• New Research and Evidence.
• AHRQ in the Professional Literature.

Webinars Highlight CAUTI Program Resources and Recruitment Details: Recording Available

In December, the AHRQ Safety Program for Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI) Prevention hosted two informational recruitment webinars for hospitals interested in joining the cohort focused on preventing catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI). The December 2 and December 11 sessions— featuring lead subject matter experts Sara Keller, M. D., M.P.H., M.S.P.H., and Valeria Fabre, M.D.—included Q&A discussions addressing participant questions. Speakers highlighted that the program will offer resources for diagnostic stewardship, including materials and a webinar focused on urine cultures and urinalysis. In addition, presenters outlined data collection support, including tools, checklists, and a collection guide outlining all requirements. Don’t miss the final two informational webinars on January 13 and January 22. Visit the website to register, or download presentation materials to learn more about participation benefits including expert coaching, implementation support, and free CME/CEU credits. Act now and apply for the program before the January 30, 2026, deadline. Recruitment is open to all states. The program is especially interested in participants representing the Midwest, Northeast, and Northwest.

Federal Support Strengthens Primary Care Practices and Outcomes

A systematic review in JAMA Health Forum, written collaboratively by AHRQ and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services staff, found that federal investments in primary care resulted in better access to needed services, reduced acute care utilization, and increases in care that physicians and practices rate as high quality. The study examined 142 records from 5 federal programs over the course of 10 years (2011–2021): the Federally Qualified Health Center Advanced Primary Care Practice demonstration, the Multi-Payer Advanced Primary Care Practice model, the Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) initiative, CPC Plus, and AHRQ’s EvidenceNOW Advancing Heart Health. Program implementation led to greater patient engagement, much improved care delivery, modest utilization reductions, and net increases in expenditures. Researchers also found that barriers to program implementation included funding limitations, difficulties with electronic health records and payer data, and practice staff turnover. Access the study for more details.

No Evidence That Non-Antibiotic Medications Reduce Symptoms of Lower Respiratory Tract Infections

Medications such as corticosteroids, anti-cough medication, and inhalers are not associated with the duration or severity of illness for adult outpatients with lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI), according to an AHRQ-funded study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. The authors examined the use and effectiveness of non-antibiotic alternatives in patients with LRTI because physicians frequently prescribe them to avoid risks of microbial resistance, but there are few studies on their impact. The team enrolled 718 primary and urgent care patients with acute LRTI and followed them for up to 28 days to study symptom progressions. They found no association between receiving a corticosteroid, a short-action inhaler, or benzonatate (a cough suppressant) with the duration or severity of cough or the need for an unscheduled followup visit. The authors suggested that use of these non-antibiotic medications is inappropriate and carries real risks for patients.

Algorithm Enhances Identification of Tobacco Use Among Veterans

A new algorithm, developed through an AHRQ-funded study, identifies tobacco use among veterans using electronic health record (EHR) data. Tobacco use remains a leading cause of death in the United States, yet it can be hard to track in EHRs because information is scattered across multiple data sources. Researchers created a rules-based algorithm using data from the Veterans Affairs Corporate Data Warehouse, including health factors, diagnosis codes, medication orders, billing, and encounter information. They then validated the algorithm’s accuracy against 429 manually reviewed EHR charts and a national self-report survey. The algorithm, which will be available for Veterans Health Administration researchers, could improve identification of veterans with a history of tobacco use, helping target prevention, screening, and future research on tobacco-related health risks. Read the full article in Annals of Epidemiology.

Triptans May Be Offered to Well-Informed Pregnant Women With Migraines 

An AHRQ-funded study found that using triptans—medications for migraine relief—during pregnancy did not lead to higher risks of birth complications. Researchers analyzed data from over two decades for more than 3,800 pregnant women with migraines and found no major differences in outcomes like preterm birth, cesarean delivery, or birth defects between those who used triptans and those who did not. Importantly, the triptan group reported no cases of miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, or hypertensive disorders like preeclampsia. These results suggest that triptans, especially sumatriptan, may be a safe option for pregnant women who need medication to manage severe migraines. Access the abstract in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Register for Upcoming Webinars

• AHRQ Safety Program for HAI Prevention: CAUTI Informational Webinar:
  • January 13, 3–3:30 p.m. ET.
  • January 22, 2–2:30 p.m. ET.
• January 15, 1–2 p.m. ET: CAHPS End-of-Life Care Survey Webcast.
• January 20, 1–3 p.m. ET: AHRQ Evidence-based Practice Center Program Grand Rounds session on Workplace Safety and Well-Being.

AHRQ Stats: Prevalence of Chronic Conditions or Obesity in Geographic Regions

The prevalence of adult obesity or chronic condition diagnoses varied by region in 2022, ranging from 72.4 percent in the West to between 77.2 percent and 79.2 percent in other regions. Of adults not living in a Metropolitan Statistical Area, 85.2 percent had a diagnosis compared with 76 percent of those living in a Metropolitan Statistical Area. (Source: AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Research Findings #52, Combined Prevalence of Chronic Conditions or Obesity for Adults in 2022.)

New Research and Evidence

• Systematic Review: Comparative Effectiveness of Medical Therapies for Locally Advanced Gastric Adenocarcinoma.

AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Maintaining neck biopsy diagnostic yield and time-to-biopsy through volume increase: a quality improvement initiative. Behzadi F, Kim J, Satani AA, et al. J Healthc Qual 2025 Sep 15. [Epub ahead of print.] Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Trends in consolidation of outpatient providers into health systems and corporate owners, 2020-2023. Furukawa MF, Crosson J, Liu L, et al. Health Aff Sch 2025 Oct;3(10):qxaf181. Epub 2025 Sep 11. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

What should patients learn? Co-designing patient education to improve medication safety, professional-patient communication, and partnership. Hendrix ZN, Jallow F, Fulda KG, et al. Front Med 2025 Sep 10;12:1631606. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Clinician communication and patient safety in pediatrics: a practical application of human-centered design for problem identification and analysis. Ruppel H, Luo B, Won J, et al. J Patient Saf 2025 Oct 1;21(7 suppl):S89-S95. Epub 2025 Sep 23. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Development of a patient-facing clinical decision support application for hypertension. Bobo M, Canfield SM, Shaffer VA, et al. Appl Clin Inform 2025 Aug;16(4):1298-1309. Epub 2025 Sep 8. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Enhancing medication safety with System Approach to Verifying Electronic Prescriptions (SAV E-Rx): pharmacists' review of product selection outcomes between prescribed and dispensed medications. Gong J, Marshall VD, Whitaker M, et al. BMJ Health Care Inform 2025 Sep 21;32(1):e101561. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Growth in number of practices and clinicians participating in concierge and direct primary care, 2018-23. Zhu JM, Marsh T, Polsky D, et al. Health Aff 2025 Dec;44(12):1473-81. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Time allocated to nursing tasks on hospital units caring for older patients. Hollingsworth EK, Slagle J, Wilson L, et al. J Healthc Qual 2025 Jul-Sep;47(3):e0483. Epub 2025 Jun 27. Access the abstract on PubMed®.