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Research Studies is a monthly compilation of research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers and recently published in journals or newsletters.
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1 to 25 of 10463 Research Studies Displayed
Yakovchenko V, Morgan TR, Chinman MJ
Mapping the road to elimination: a 5-year evaluation of implementation strategies associated with hepatitis C treatment in the Veterans Health Administration.
While few countries and healthcare systems are on track to meet the World Health Organization's hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination goals, the US Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has been a leader in these efforts. In this study the investigators aimed to determine which implementation strategies were associated with successful national viral elimination implementation within the VHA. They conducted a five-year, longitudinal cohort study of the VHA Hepatic Innovation Team (HIT) Collaborative between October 2015 and September 2019.
AHRQ-funded; HS019461.
Citation:
Yakovchenko V, Morgan TR, Chinman MJ .
Mapping the road to elimination: a 5-year evaluation of implementation strategies associated with hepatitis C treatment in the Veterans Health Administration.
BMC Health Serv Res 2021 Dec 18;21(1):1348. doi: 10.1186/s12913-021-07312-4..
Keywords:
Hepatitis, Chronic Conditions, Veterans
Wurcel AG, Essien UR, Ortiz C
Variation by race in antibiotics prescribed for hospitalized patients with skin and soft tissue infections.
This cohort study examined antibiotics prescribed and variations by race among hospitalized patients with skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). A subanalysis of multisite, cross-sectional data collected through a national survey of acute care hospital groups within Vizient, Inc. considering adult inpatients treated for SSTIs was used. Of the 1242 adult inpatients included from 91 US hospitals, 45% were female, 18% were Black, and 69% were White with a mean age of 58 years. Penicillin allergy with hives was found in 23%, 19% with rash, and 18% with unknown effects, with allergy found more frequent in Black patients (23%) versus White (18%). Adjusting for multiple factors, White inpatients were at an increased risk of cefazolin use and decreased risk of clindamycin use compared with Black inpatients. Cefazolin use with less likely to be prescribed to Black inpatients than White inpatients and they were likely to be prescribed clindamycin. Cefazolin is considered a first-line SSTI treatment with clindamycin not recommended given frequent dosing and high potential for adverse effects including Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). Although penicillin allergy is described as more prevalent among White patients, the authors observed an increased prevalence among Black inpatients compared with White inpatients treated for SSTI.
Citation:
Wurcel AG, Essien UR, Ortiz C .
Variation by race in antibiotics prescribed for hospitalized patients with skin and soft tissue infections.
JAMA Netw Open 2021 Dec;4(12):e2140798. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.40798..
Keywords:
Antibiotics, Skin Conditions, Racial / Ethnic Minorities, Practice Patterns, Medication
Adams C, Wortley P, Chamberlain A
Declining COVID-19 case-fatality in Georgia, USA, March 2020 to March 2021: a sign of real improvement or a broadening epidemic?
This article examined whether declines in the crude US COVID-19 case fatality ratio is due to improved clinical care and/or other factors. The authors used multivariable logistic regression to examine associations between report month and mortality among confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and hospitalized cases in Georgia from March 2020 through March 2021. Mortality risk was lowest in November 2020 compared to August 2020 and remained lower until March 2021. Among hospitalized cases, mortality risk increased in December 2020 and January 2021 before declining in March 2021. The authors concluded that improved clinical management may have contributed to lower mortality risk.
AHRQ-funded; HS025987.
Citation:
Adams C, Wortley P, Chamberlain A .
Declining COVID-19 case-fatality in Georgia, USA, March 2020 to March 2021: a sign of real improvement or a broadening epidemic?
Ann Epidemiol 2022 Aug;72:57-64. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2022.05.008..
Keywords:
COVID-19, Public Health, Mortality
Beeber AS, Hoben M, Leeman J
Developing a toolkit to improve resident and family engagement in the safety of assisted living: Engage-A stakeholder-engaged research protocol.
This paper describes an AHRQ-funded study protocol (Engage) to develop a toolkit for increasing resident and family engagement in assisted living (AL) safety. The study goals are to engage AL residents and family caregivers, AL staff, and other AL stakeholders to (1) identify common AL safety problems; (2) prioritize safety problems and identify and evaluate existing PFE interventions with the potential to address safety problems in the AL setting; and (3) develop a testable toolkit to improve PFE in AL safety. Methods, including qualitative interviews, a scoping review of persona and family engagement (PFE) interventions, and stakeholder panel meetings are discussed. The authors also detail how the protocol was modified to address the unique challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
AHRQ-funded; HS026473.
Citation:
Beeber AS, Hoben M, Leeman J .
Developing a toolkit to improve resident and family engagement in the safety of assisted living: Engage-A stakeholder-engaged research protocol.
Res Nurs Health 2022 Aug;45(4):413-23. doi: 10.1002/nur.22232..
Keywords:
Patient and Family Engagement, Patient Safety, Caregiving, Public Health, Long-Term Care
Eldridge N, Wang Y, Metersky M
Trends in adverse event rates in hospitalized patients, 2010-2019.
This AHRQ-authored serial cross-sectional study’s objective was to determine the change in the rate of adverse events in hospitalized patients from 2010 to 2019. The study used data from the Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System and included 244,542 adult patients hospitalized in 3156 acute care hospitals across 4 condition groups: acute myocardial infarction (17%), heart failure (17%) pneumonia (21%), major surgical procedures (22%), and all other conditions (22%). Information on adverse events collected included 21 measures across 4 adverse event domains: adverse drug events, hospital-acquired infections, adverse events after a procedure, and general adverse events such as pressure ulcers and falls. The study sample included 190,286 hospital discharges in the combined 4 condition-based groups and 54,256 hospital discharges for all other conditions. From 2010 to 2019, the total change for adverse events per 1000 discharges for acute myocardial infarction decreased from 218 to 139, from 168 to 116 for heart failure, from 195 to 119 for pneumonia, and from 204 to 130 for major surgical procedures. The rate for all other conditions remained unchanged at 70 adverse events per 1000 discharges.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 290201800005C.
Citation:
Eldridge N, Wang Y, Metersky M .
Trends in adverse event rates in hospitalized patients, 2010-2019.
JAMA 2022 Jul 12;328(2):173-83. doi: 10.1001/jama.2022.9600..
Keywords:
Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Hospitals, Inpatient Care
Doty AM, Rising KL, Hsiao T
"Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for you": how resident physicians communicate diagnostic uncertainty to patients during emergency department discharge.
This study’s objective was to describe how emergency medicine resident physicians discuss diagnostic uncertainty during a simulated emergency department (ED) discharge discussion. Most residents in the simulation explained the evaluation revealed no cause for symptoms, noted concerning diagnoses that were excluded, and acknowledged both symptoms and patients’ feelings. However, 28% of residents did not discuss diagnostic uncertainty in any form. All residents were reassuring. Those who did discuss diagnostic uncertainty used explicit and implicit language with similar frequency.
AHRQ-funded; HS025651.
Citation:
Doty AM, Rising KL, Hsiao T .
"Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for you": how resident physicians communicate diagnostic uncertainty to patients during emergency department discharge.
Patient Educ Couns 2022 Jul;105(7):2053-57. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2021.12.002..
Keywords:
Clinician-Patient Communication, Emergency Department, Communication, Diagnostic Safety and Quality
Topham EW, Bristol A, Luther B
Caregiver inclusion in IDEAL discharge teaching: implications for transitions from hospital to home.
The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of caregivers regarding their discharge preparation, focusing particular attention on whether and how they believed discharge preparation impacted post-discharge patient outcomes. Through interviews with four English-speaking caregivers, findings showed that, once home, the caregivers reported gaps in their knowledge of how to care for the patient, suggesting key gaps related to knowledge of warning signs and problems. Two of the four caregiver participants attributed a hospital readmission to post-discharge knowledge gaps. This study of caregiver experiences suggests that AHRQ’s IDEAL discharge planning strategy remains a useful and important framework for case managers to follow when providing discharge services.
AHRQ-funded; HS026248.
Citation:
Topham EW, Bristol A, Luther B .
Caregiver inclusion in IDEAL discharge teaching: implications for transitions from hospital to home.
Prof Case Manag 2022 Jul-Aug;27(4):181-93. doi: 10.1097/ncm.0000000000000563..
Keywords:
Hospital Discharge, Transitions of Care, Caregiving
Merkow RP, Chung JW, Slota JM
Correlation of the US News and World Report-calculated nurse staffing index with actual hospital-reported nurse staffing.
This study’s objective was to understand how the Nurse Staffing Index (NSI) used in the US News and World Report “Best Hospitals” rankings correlates to actual nurse staffing levels. Nurse staffing data was obtained from publicly available data in the states of Illinois, California, and New Jersey. No other states had publicly accessible data. Hospital characteristics were obtained from the 2016 American Hospital Association (AHA) survey. The NSI was calculated using AHA data and is defined as the number of FTE RNs per adjusted patient day. Hospital characteristics were assessed using Hospital Compare data. Higher actual hospital-reported nurse staffing in Illinois and New Jersey was paradoxically associated with lower nurse staffing when measured by the NSI. California hospital-reported staffing intensity was weakly correctly with the NSI and RN nursing hours per patient day was not correlated with any of the 9 structural measures of hospital quality, while NSI was positively correlated with 3 of the 9 measures, particularly hospital volume status. None of the 11 outcome measures the authors assessed were associated with RN nursing hours per patient day or the NSI in either Illinois or California. All 12 patient experience measures were significantly and positively correlated with RN nursing hours in Illinois. However, none of the patient experience measures were significantly associated with the NSI in Illinois. The authors concluded that the NSI may not measure actual nurse staffing as intended.
AHRQ-funded; HS024516; HS026385.
Citation:
Merkow RP, Chung JW, Slota JM .
Correlation of the US News and World Report-calculated nurse staffing index with actual hospital-reported nurse staffing.
J Nurs Care Qual 2022 Jul-Sep;37(3):195-98. doi: 10.1097/ncq.0000000000000619..
Keywords:
Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Provider: Nurse, Workforce
Sorra J, Zebrak K, Yount N
Development and pilot testing of survey items to assess the culture of value and efficiency in hospitals and medical offices.
Given rising costs and changing payment models, healthcare organisations are increasingly focused on value and efficiency. The goal of this study was to develop survey items to assess clinician and staff perspectives about the extent to which the organizational culture in hospitals and medical offices supports value and efficiency. The investigators concluded when added to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Surveys on Patient Safety Culture, the item sets they developed extended those surveys by assessing additional dimensions of organizational culture that affect care delivery.
AHRQ-funded; 290201000025I.
Citation:
Sorra J, Zebrak K, Yount N .
Development and pilot testing of survey items to assess the culture of value and efficiency in hospitals and medical offices.
BMJ Qual Saf 2022 Jul;31(7):493-502. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2020-012407..
Keywords:
Surveys on Patient Safety Culture, Organizational Change, Value
Balamuth F, Scott HF, Weiss SL
Validation of the pediatric Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score and evaluation of Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock Definitions in the pediatric emergency department.
This study analyzed whether a measure used to quantity organ dysfunction, the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) in adults can also be used for critically ill children in an emergency department (ED) population. This retrospective cohort study took place in 9 US children’s hospitals included in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN registry from January 2012 to January 31, 2020. A score of 2 or more can indicate an infection. Almost 4 million ED visits were included, with 3.2% having a pSOFA score of 2 or more. The pSOFA score showed poor sensitivity as a screening tool for hospital mortality but children with a pSOfA score of 2 or less were at very low risk of death, with high specificity and negative predictive value.
AHRQ-funded; HS020270.
Citation:
Balamuth F, Scott HF, Weiss SL .
Validation of the pediatric Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score and evaluation of Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock Definitions in the pediatric emergency department.
JAMA Pediatr 2022 Jul;176(7):672-78. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.1301..
Keywords:
Children/Adolescents, Sepsis, Emergency Department
Eiraldi R, McCurdy BL, Khanna MS
Development and evaluation of a remote training strategy for the implementation of mental health evidence-based practices in rural schools: pilot study protocol.
This paper describes a pilot study protocol to develop and evaluate a remote training strategy for the implementation of mental health evidence-based practices (EBPs) in rural schools. Rural schools are increasingly implementing multi-tier positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) to address school-climate problems. The study will use a mixed-methods approach for the development of the training platform, and a hybrid type 2, pilot randomized controlled trial to examine the implementation and student outcomes of two training strategies: Remote Video vs. Remote Video plus Coaching. The EPBs will be evaluated on appropriateness, feasibility, acceptability, usability, and preliminary student outcomes of the two online training strategies for the implementation of EPBs at PBIS Tier 2.
AHRQ-funded; HS027755.
Citation:
Eiraldi R, McCurdy BL, Khanna MS .
Development and evaluation of a remote training strategy for the implementation of mental health evidence-based practices in rural schools: pilot study protocol.
Pilot Feasibility Stud 2022 Jun 17;8(1):128. doi: 10.1186/s40814-022-01082-4..
Keywords:
Children/Adolescents, Behavioral Health, Evidence-Based Practice, Rural Health, Training
Blanco C, Kato EU, Aklin WM
Research to move policy - using evidence to advance health equity for substance use disorders.
This paper discusses ways that evidence-based research can advance health equity for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. Racial and ethnic disparities in treatment access and outcomes have widened, despite substantial efforts to address the epidemic of overdose-related deaths in the US. Overdose rates are rising faster in Black, Latinx, and American Indian and Alaska Native populations than in White populations. Possible opportunities to address these disparities include addressing social determinants of health, implementing prevention measures, and supporting data science. The steps to ensure that research reduces disparities are to: 1) include members of underrepresented groups in the development of preventive interventions and treatments, 2) adequately recruit members of historically represented groups and ensure that studies are large enough to measure differences in outcomes according to race and ethnic group, 3) establish equitable partnerships with people who currently have or have had SUDS and their families and engage these groups in evidence production, 4) diversify the scientific workforce, and 4) have investigators measure the effects of policies and interventions on equity.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation:
Blanco C, Kato EU, Aklin WM .
Research to move policy - using evidence to advance health equity for substance use disorders.
N Engl J Med 2022 Jun 16;386(24):2253-55. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp2202740..
Keywords:
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Health, Policy, Racial / Ethnic Minorities, Disparities, Social Determinants of Health
Dullabh P, Sandberg SF, Heaney-Huls K
Challenges and opportunities for advancing patient-centered clinical decision support: findings from a horizon scan.
This AHRQ-authored horizon scan identified challenges and opportunities for advancing patient-centered clinical decision support (PC CDS) and future directions for PC CDS. The authors engaged a technical expert panel, conducted a scoping literature review, and interviewed key informants. They quantitatively analyzed literature and interview transcripts and mapped the findings to the 4 phases translating evidence into PC CDS interventions (Prioritizing, Authoring, Implementing, and Measuring) and to external factors. Twelve challenges were identified for PC CDS development with lack of patient input identified as a critical challenge. Lack of patient-centered terminology standards was viewed as a challenge in authoring PC CDS. They also found a dearth of CDS studies that measured clinical outcomes, creating significant gaps in the understanding of PC CDS’ impact.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 233201500023I.
Citation:
Dullabh P, Sandberg SF, Heaney-Huls K .
Challenges and opportunities for advancing patient-centered clinical decision support: findings from a horizon scan.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2022 Jun 14;29(7):1233-43. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocac059.
.
.
Keywords:
Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Patient-Centered Healthcare, Health Information Technology (HIT), Decision Making, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Evidence-Based Practice
Fang Y, Idnay B, Sun Y
Combining human and machine intelligence for clinical trial eligibility querying.
This study’s objective was to combine machine efficiency and human intelligence for converting complex clinical trial eligibility criteria text into cohort queries. The machine interactive tool Criteria2Query (C2Q) 2.0 was developed to enable real-time user intervention for criteria selection and simplification, parsing error correction, and concept mapping. This tool had been previously evaluated using a curated gold standard – the annotated eligibility criteria of 1010 COVID-19 clinical trials. The usability and usefulness were evaluated by 10 research coordinators using 5 Alzheimer’s disease trials with data collected by user interaction logging, a demographic questionnaire, the Health Information Technology Usability Evaluation Scale (Health-ITUES), and a feature-specific questionnaire. C2Q 2.0 achieved a moderate usability score (3.84/5) and a high learnability score (4.54/5). Experienced researchers made more modifications to the tool than novice researchers. The most frequent modification was deletion.
AHRQ-funded; HS028752.
Citation:
Fang Y, Idnay B, Sun Y .
Combining human and machine intelligence for clinical trial eligibility querying.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2022 Jun 14;29(7):1161-71. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocac051..
Keywords:
Health Information Technology (HIT)
Besagar S, Robles PLA, Rojas C
"What's in a name?" Identification of newborn infants at birth using their given names.
This study’s objective was to determine the proportion of pregnant women who selected names for their babies before they were born or at birth and were willing to disclose them for use in hospital systems, thereby reducing infant identification errors. A survey of pregnant women admitted to postpartum or antepartum units at a large academic hospital was conducted. Of postpartum participants, 79% had names for their newborns at birth. The proportion was significantly lower in self-identified non-Hispanic, white, and married women. Of antepartum participants, 65.7% had selected a name by the time they were surveyed.
AHRQ-funded; HS026121.
Citation:
Besagar S, Robles PLA, Rojas C .
"What's in a name?" Identification of newborn infants at birth using their given names.
J Perinatol 2022 Jun;42(6):752-55. doi: 10.1038/s41372-021-01270-9..
Keywords:
Newborns/Infants, Patient Safety
Kowitt SD, Goldstein AO, Cykert S
A heart healthy intervention improved tobacco screening rates and cessation support in primary care practices.
This study investigated the outcomes of an evidence-based cardiovascular disease risk reduction tool called Heart Health Now to improve rates for tobacco cessation screening and counseling in small primary care practices in North Carolina. This tool was developed as part of AHRQ’s EvidenceNow initiative. This stepped wedge, stratified, cluster randomized trial looked at 28 practices that were staffed by 10 or fewer clinicians and had an electronic health record. Heart Health Now consisted of education tools, onsite practice facilitation for a year, and a practice-specific cardiovascular population management dashboard that included monthly, measure-specific run charts to help guide quality improvement. The practices included in their analyses consisted of 78,120 patients, and 17,687 smokers. From pre- to post-intervention, screening rates significantly increased from 82.7 to 96.2%. Cessation support rates also significantly increased from 44.3% to 50.1%. Some of the practices associated with improvement included being in an academic health center or faculty, having more clinicians, and having a lower percentage of White patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS023912.
Citation:
Kowitt SD, Goldstein AO, Cykert S .
A heart healthy intervention improved tobacco screening rates and cessation support in primary care practices.
J Prev 2022 Jun;43(3):375-86. doi: 10.1007/s10935-022-00672-5..
Keywords:
Tobacco Use, Tobacco Use: Smoking Cessation, Screening, Primary Care, Evidence-Based Practice, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions
Campbell JI, Dubois MM, Savage TJ
Comorbidities associated with hospitalization and progression among adolescents with symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019.
This study’s objective was to identify subgroups likely to benefit from monoclonal antibody and antiviral therapy to treat COVID-19 by evaluating the relationship between comorbidities and hospitalization among US adolescents aged 12-17 with symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The authors used the Pediatric COVID-19 US registry to identify patients who met their inclusion criteria of comorbidities including obesity, chronic kidney disease (CKD), diabetes, immunosuppressive disease or treatment, sickle cell disease (SCD), heart disease, neurologic disease/neurodevelopmental disorders, and pulmonary disease (excluding patients with mild asthma). Out of 1877 total patients included 284 (15%) were hospitalized within 28 days of their COVID-19 diagnosis. The following comorbidities were associated with increased odds of hospitalization: SCD, immunocompromising condition, obesity, diabetes, neurologic disease, and pulmonary disease (excluding mild asthma).
AHRQ-funded; HS000063.
Citation:
Campbell JI, Dubois MM, Savage TJ .
Comorbidities associated with hospitalization and progression among adolescents with symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019.
J Pediatr 2022 Jun;245:102-10.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2022.02.048..
Keywords:
Children/Adolescents, Diabetes, Asthma, Kidney Disease and Health, Hospitalization
Sanchez JI, Shankaran V, Unger JM
Disparities in post-operative surveillance testing for metastatic recurrence among colorectal cancer survivors.
This population-based study assesses individual- and neighborhood-level factors associated with receipt of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and computer tomography (CT) surveillance testing. Using SEER-Medicare data to identify beneficiaries diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC) stages II-III, they found that, overall, 78% and 58% of CRC survivors received CEA and CT testing, respectively. Further, Medicare-Medicaid dual coverage was associated with 39% lower odds of receipt of CEA tests among non-Hispanic Whites, while Blacks with dual coverage had almost two times the odds of receiving CEA tests compared to Blacks without dual coverage. Although this study did not find significant differences in receipt of initial CEA and CT surveillance testing across racial/ethnic groups, the assessment of the factors that measure access to care suggests differences in access to these procedures within racial/ethnic groups.
AHRQ-funded; HS013853.
Citation:
Sanchez JI, Shankaran V, Unger JM .
Disparities in post-operative surveillance testing for metastatic recurrence among colorectal cancer survivors.
J Cancer Surviv 2022 Jun;16(3):638-49. doi: 10.1007/s11764-021-01057-z..
Keywords:
Disparities, Cancer: Colorectal Cancer, Cancer
Huang J, Park GW, Jones RM
Efficacy of EPA-registered disinfectants against two human norovirus surrogates and Clostridioides difficile endospores.
This study’s goal was to determine the efficacy of a panel of nine EPA-registered disinfectants against two human norovirus (HuNoV) surrogates (feline calicivirus [FCV] and Tulane virus [TuV]) and Clostridioides difficile endospores. These products, five of which contained H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) as the active ingredient, were tested against infectious FCV, TuV, and C. difficile endospores using two ASTM methods, a suspension and carrier test. Products containing hydrogen peroxide were the most efficacious. Of the five products containing hydrogen peroxide, no strong correlation was observed between disinfection efficacy and hydrogen peroxide concentration. Addition of 0.025% ferrous sulphate to 1% hydrogen peroxide solution improved efficacy against FCV, TuV and C. difficile.
AHRQ-funded; HS025987.
Citation:
Huang J, Park GW, Jones RM .
Efficacy of EPA-registered disinfectants against two human norovirus surrogates and Clostridioides difficile endospores.
J Appl Microbiol 2022 Jun;132(6):4289-99. doi: 10.1111/jam.15524..
Keywords:
Clostridium difficile Infections, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Prevention, Patient Safety
Bardach NS, Stotts JR, Fiore DM
Family Input for Quality and Safety (FIQS): using mobile technology for in-hospital reporting from families and patients.
This study’s goal was to test a real-time mobile-responsive website called Family Input for Quality and Safety (FIQS) for inpatient reporting from families and patients. The tool was piloted from June 2017 to April 2018 on the medical-surgical unit of a children’s hospital. The authors enrolled 253 patients aged 13 and older and patient family members. This resulted in 8.15 safety reports/100 patient-days, most frequently regarding medications (29% of reports) and communication (20% of reports). Fifty-one reports met incident reporting (IR) criteria with only 1 having been reported via the IR system. White participants submitted more observations than Latinx participants.
AHRQ-funded; HS028477; HS024553.
Citation:
Bardach NS, Stotts JR, Fiore DM .
Family Input for Quality and Safety (FIQS): using mobile technology for in-hospital reporting from families and patients.
J Hosp Med 2022 Jun;17(6):456-65. doi: 10.1002/jhm.2777..
Keywords:
Quality of Care, Patient Safety, Health Information Technology (HIT), Patient and Family Engagement
Luo Q, Moghtaderi A, Markus A
Financial impacts of the Medicaid expansion on community health centers.
This study’s objective was to determine the impact of Medicaid expansion on community health centers. The authors combined data from the Uniform Data System, IRS nonprofit tax returns, and county-level characteristics from the Census Bureau. Their final dataset included 5841 center-year observations. They found a $2.08 million relative increase in Medicaid revenues, offset by a $0.44 million decrease in total grants among community health centers in expansion states compared with centers in non-expansion states. They found a large but not statistically significant $0.98 million relative increase in total expenditures among expansion state centers. Uncompensated care for health centers in expansion states decreased by $1.19 million relative to their counterparts in non-expansion states.
AHRQ-funded; HS026816.
Citation:
Luo Q, Moghtaderi A, Markus A .
Financial impacts of the Medicaid expansion on community health centers.
Health Serv Res 2022 Jun;57(3):634-43. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13897..
Keywords:
Medicaid, Community-Based Practice, Healthcare Costs
Djulbegovic B, Ahmed MM, Hozo I
High quality (certainty) evidence changes less often than low-quality evidence, but the magnitude of effect size does not systematically differ between studies with low versus high-quality evidence.
The study researchers state that assumptions and general beliefs exist about certainty of evidence (CoE) and its impact on estimates of treatment effects, however empirical assessment of those assumptions and beliefs is lacking. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences between low CoE (low-quality evidence) and high CoE (high-quality evidence) in precision of estimating treatment effects. The researchers reviewed the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from January 2016 through May 2021 for pairs of original and updated reviews for change in CoE assessments based on the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) method. Differences in effect sizes between the original reviews and the updated reviews were assessed as a function of change in CoE. The researchers concluded that low CoE changes more frequently than high CoE, but the effect size in low CoE studies did not differ from the effect size in high CoE studies. The researchers state that the effect size finding is an indicator of the need to further assess and improve the critical appraisal methods currently utilized in evidence-based medicine.
AHRQ-funded; HS024917.
Citation:
Djulbegovic B, Ahmed MM, Hozo I .
High quality (certainty) evidence changes less often than low-quality evidence, but the magnitude of effect size does not systematically differ between studies with low versus high-quality evidence.
J Eval Clin Pract 2022 Jun;28(3):353-62. doi: 10.1111/jep.13657..
Keywords:
Research Methodologies, Evidence-Based Practice
Zrelak PA, Utter GH, McDonald KM
Incorporating harms into the weighting of the revised Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety for Selected Indicators Composite (Patient Safety Indicator 90).
The purpose of this study was to reweight AHRQ’s Patient Safety for Selected Indicators Composite (Patient Safety Indicator 90) from weights based solely on the frequency of component Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) to those that incorporate excess harm reflecting patients' preferences for outcome-related health states. Findings showed that including harms in the weighting scheme changed individual component weights from the original frequency-based weighting. In the reweighted composite, PSIs 11, 13, and 12 contributed the greatest harm. The investigators concluded that reformulation of PSI 90 with harm-based weights is feasible and results in satisfactory reliability and discrimination.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 290201200003I.
Citation:
Zrelak PA, Utter GH, McDonald KM .
Incorporating harms into the weighting of the revised Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety for Selected Indicators Composite (Patient Safety Indicator 90).
Health Serv Res 2022 Jun;57(3):654-67. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13918..
Keywords:
Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Patient Safety, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality Measures, Quality of Care, Adverse Events, Medicare
Andino JJ, Zhu Z, Surapaneni M
Interstate telehealth use by Medicare beneficiaries before and after COVID-19 licensure waivers, 2017-20.
This study analyzed trends in interstate telehealth use by Medicaid beneficiaries during 2017-2020, which covers the period both directly before and during the first year of the pandemic. Although the volume of interstate telehealth use increased in 2020, out-of-state telehealth only made up 0.8% of all outpatient visits, and 5% of all telehealth visits overall. For individual states, out-of-state telehealth made up between 0.2-9.3% of all outpatient visits. Most out-of-state telehealth visits were used for established patient care, and a higher percentage of out-of-state telehealth users lived in rural areas compared with beneficiaries who stayed with in-state care (28% versus 23%).
AHRQ-funded; HS027632.
Citation:
Andino JJ, Zhu Z, Surapaneni M .
Interstate telehealth use by Medicare beneficiaries before and after COVID-19 licensure waivers, 2017-20.
Health Aff 2022 Jun;41(6):838-45. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01825.
AHRQ-funded; HS027632..
AHRQ-funded; HS027632..
Keywords:
Telehealth, COVID-19, Health Information Technology (HIT), Medicare, Healthcare Delivery
Mobley EM, Moke DJ, Milam J
Interventions to address disparities and barriers to pediatric cancer survivorship care: a scoping review.
This scoping review’s aim was to demonstrate evidence-based approaches to alleviate barriers and decrease disparities among childhood cancer survivors. A literature review identified 16 proposed strategies to address disparities and barriers endorsed by professional organizations including 9 clinical practice guidelines, 4 policy statements, and 3 recommendations. Twenty-seven published studies evaluated an intervention; however these evaluated interventions were not well aligned with the proposed strategies endorsed by professional organizations. Interventions most commonly evaluated survivorship care plans (n = 11), or models of care (n = 11) followed by individual survivorship care services (n= 9). Interventions predominantly targeted patients rather than providers or systems.
AHRQ-funded; 75Q80120D00009
Citation:
Mobley EM, Moke DJ, Milam J .
Interventions to address disparities and barriers to pediatric cancer survivorship care: a scoping review.
J Cancer Surviv 2022 Jun;16(3):667-76. doi: 10.1007/s11764-021-01060-4..
Keywords:
Children/Adolescents, Disparities, Cancer
