National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
Latest available findings on quality of and access to health care
Data
- Data Infographics
- Data Visualizations
- Data Tools
- Data Innovations
- All-Payer Claims Database
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)
- Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
- AHRQ Quality Indicator Tools for Data Analytics
- State Snapshots
- United States Health Information Knowledgebase (USHIK)
- Data Sources Available from AHRQ
Search All Research Studies
AHRQ Research Studies Date
Topics
- Adverse Drug Events (ADE) (2)
- Adverse Events (1)
- Care Management (1)
- Children/Adolescents (1)
- Clinician-Patient Communication (1)
- Communication (1)
- Community-Based Practice (1)
- Comparative Effectiveness (1)
- Education: Continuing Medical Education (2)
- Elderly (1)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (1)
- Emergency Department (1)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (3)
- Health Literacy (1)
- Hospitals (1)
- Infectious Diseases (1)
- Medication (14)
- Medication: Safety (5)
- Opioids (4)
- Patient-Centered Healthcare (2)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (1)
- Patient and Family Engagement (1)
- Patient Safety (8)
- Policy (1)
- Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN) (1)
- Prevention (1)
- Provider (9)
- Provider: Health Personnel (1)
- (-) Provider: Pharmacist (18)
- Quality Improvement (1)
- Quality of Care (2)
- Risk (1)
- Shared Decision Making (1)
- Substance Abuse (3)
- Vaccination (1)
- Web-Based (1)
AHRQ Research Studies
Sign up: AHRQ Research Studies Email updates
Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 18 of 18 Research Studies DisplayedAilabouni NJ, Marcum ZA, Schmader KE
Medication use quality and safety in older adults: 2018 update.
This study identified four key articles from 2018 that address medication use quality and safety for older adults. The first study highlighted a cluster-randomized trial that utilized a pharmacist-led education-based intervention delivered to both patients and doctors to deprescribe four types of inappropriate medications. The second study from the UK examined the association between anticholinergic exposure, overall and by medication class, and dementia risk in 40,770 older adults. The third study was a Swedish longitudinal cohort study examining the association between antihypertensive medications and incident dementia. The fourth and last study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial and examined the effect of daily low-dose aspirin for primary prevention of cardiac events and hemorrhage in 19,144 community-dwelling older adults.
AHRQ-funded; HS022982.
Citation: Ailabouni NJ, Marcum ZA, Schmader KE .
Medication use quality and safety in older adults: 2018 update.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2019 Dec;67(12):2458-62. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16243..
Keywords: Elderly, Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Quality of Care, Provider: Pharmacist, Provider
Reddy A, Lester CA, Stone JA
Applying participatory design to a pharmacy system intervention.
Researchers used participatory design (PD) to develop a patient-centered prototype for a community pharmacy. The stakeholders recruited for the intervention were pharmacy staff and older adult patients who received prescriptions at the pharmacy corporation involved in this study. The PD process is a series of six adaptive sessions: 1) problem identification, 2) solution generation, 3) convergence, 4) prototyping, 5) initial evaluation, and 6) formative evaluation. The sessions resulted in the development of a patient-centered community pharmacy prototype.
AHRQ-funded; HS024490.
Citation: Reddy A, Lester CA, Stone JA .
Applying participatory design to a pharmacy system intervention.
Res Social Adm Pharm 2019 Nov;15(11):1358-67. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2018.11.012..
Keywords: Provider: Pharmacist, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Medication, Patient Safety
Kurian S, Baloy B, Baird J
Attitudes and perceptions of naloxone dispensing among a sample of Massachusetts community pharmacy technicians.
AHRQ-funded; HS024021.
Citation: Kurian S, Baloy B, Baird J .
Attitudes and perceptions of naloxone dispensing among a sample of Massachusetts community pharmacy technicians.
J Am Pharm Assoc 2019 Nov-Dec;59(6):824-31. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2019.08.009..
Keywords: Medication, Medication: Safety, Opioids, Substance Abuse, Provider: Pharmacist, Provider, Patient Safety
Gilson AM, Stone JA, Reddy A
Exploring how pharmacists engage with patients about over-the-counter medications.
This study used an innovative information-gathering approach to provide insight into the nature and structure of pharmacy staff encounters with patients seeking over-the-counter (OTC) medications and revealed specific activities of pharmacy staff around these encounters. Through an 8-item OTC Encounter Form, results showed that pharmacists play a key role in ensuring that the benefits of OTC medications outweigh the risks, thereby providing an important resource for patient engagement about safe medication selection and use. Examining the features of OTC encounters creates an evidence base to promote best practices for OTC encounters, increasing pharmacists' ability to help people, especially older adults, navigate the intricacies of OTC medication use, without significantly increasing pharmacy staff workload.
AHRQ-funded; HS024490.
Citation: Gilson AM, Stone JA, Reddy A .
Exploring how pharmacists engage with patients about over-the-counter medications.
J Am Pharm Assoc 2019 Nov - Dec;59(6):852-56. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2019.08.001..
Keywords: Medication, Provider: Pharmacist, Provider, Patient and Family Engagement
Bach P, Hartung D
Leveraging the role of community pharmacists in the prevention, surveillance, and treatment of opioid use disorders.
This narrative review explores the literature describing novel programs designed to capitalize on the role of the community pharmacist in helping to reduce opioid-related harms, as well as evaluations of existing practices already in place in the US and elsewhere around the world. Specific approaches examined include strategies to facilitate pharmacist monitoring for problematic opioid use, to increase pharmacy-based harm reduction efforts (including naloxone distribution and needle exchange programs), and to involve community pharmacists in the dispensation of opioid agonist therapy.
AHRQ-funded; HS024227; 2902015000091.
Citation: Bach P, Hartung D .
Leveraging the role of community pharmacists in the prevention, surveillance, and treatment of opioid use disorders.
Addict Sci Clin Pract 2019 Sep 2;14(1):30. doi: 10.1186/s13722-019-0158-0..
Keywords: Medication, Opioids, Provider, Provider: Pharmacist, Substance Abuse
McCarthy DM, Russell AM , Effler MR
Implementation fidelity of patient-centered prescription label to promote opioid safe use.
The authors assessed implementation of a patient-centered "PRN" (as needed) label entitled "Take-Wait-Stop" (TWS) with three deconstructed steps replacing traditional wording. They found that exact intervention adherence was not achieved in the majority of cases, limiting impact, but that community pharmacies were responsive to new instructions, with higher implementation reliability requiring additional supports.
AHRQ-funded; HS023459.
Citation: McCarthy DM, Russell AM , Effler MR .
Implementation fidelity of patient-centered prescription label to promote opioid safe use.
Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2019 Sep;28(9):1251-57. doi: 10.1002/pds.4795..
Keywords: Opioids, Patient Safety, Health Literacy, Medication, Provider: Pharmacist, Provider
Nolan K, Zullo AR, Bosco E
Controlled substance diversion in health systems: a failure modes and effects analysis for prevention.
This study’s purpose was to demonstrate the utility of failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) to identify potential sources of controlled substance diversion and developing solutions in an academic health system. A cross-functional team of 18 members was developed from the department of pharmacy. Scoring criteria was developed and ways were identified in which step of the medication supply there could be failure and result in diversion of controlled substances. Failure was indicated with a vulnerability score of 48 or 64. A total of 10 major steps and 30 substeps in the supply process was identified. From this 103 potential failure modes were identified, with 24 modes (23%) considered failing. Notable failure included controlled substance activity under temporary patients and discrepancy trends. Expanded use of cameras in high-risk areas and added verification checks were implemented after the analysis.
AHRQ-funded; HS022998.
Citation: Nolan K, Zullo AR, Bosco E .
Controlled substance diversion in health systems: a failure modes and effects analysis for prevention.
Am J Health Syst Pharm 2019 Jul 18;76(15):1158-64. doi: 10.1093/ajhp/zxz116..
Keywords: Medication, Provider: Pharmacist, Hospitals, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Snyder ME, Jaynes H, Gernant SA
Alerts for community pharmacist-provided medication therapy management: recommendations from a heuristic evaluation.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of alerts for community pharmacist-provided medication therapy management (MTM). The alerts come in five categories: indication, effectiveness, safety, adherence, and cost-containment. The heuristic evaluation used the Instrument for Evaluating Human-Factors Principles in Medication-Related Decision Support Alerts (I-MeDeSA). Four analysts’ individual ratings were summed for each alert, and a mean score on the modified I-MeDeSA was computed. The analysts’ scores were similar. The scores indicated opportunities for improvement across all MTM alert categories including principles of alert prioritization; text-based information; alarm philosophy; and corrective actions.
AHRQ-funded; HS025005.
Citation: Snyder ME, Jaynes H, Gernant SA .
Alerts for community pharmacist-provided medication therapy management: recommendations from a heuristic evaluation.
BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 2019 Jul 16;19(1):135. doi: 10.1186/s12911-019-0866-0..
Keywords: Shared Decision Making, Health Information Technology (HIT), Medication, Provider, Provider: Pharmacist
Donovan E, Case P, Bratberg JP
Beliefs associated with pharmacy-based naloxone: a qualitative study of pharmacy-based naloxone purchasers and people at risk for opioid overdose.
The purpose of this study was to understand factors that impact the likelihood of obtaining pharmacy-based naloxone. Results showed that several themes emerged from the interview data: individual, interpersonal, pharmacy, community, and societal, suggesting that these factors can be used to inform interventions seeking to increase the provision of pharmacy-based naloxone.
AHRQ-funded; HS024021.
Citation: Donovan E, Case P, Bratberg JP .
Beliefs associated with pharmacy-based naloxone: a qualitative study of pharmacy-based naloxone purchasers and people at risk for opioid overdose.
J Urban Health 2019 Jun;96(3):367-78. doi: 10.1007/s11524-019-00349-1..
Keywords: Medication, Provider, Provider: Pharmacist, Opioids, Risk, Substance Abuse
Schiff GD, Klinger E, Salazar A
Screening for adverse drug events: a randomized trial of automated calls coupled with phone-based pharmacist counseling.
In this study, the investigators evaluated an automated telephone surveillance system coupled with transfer to a live pharmacist- to screen potentially drug-related symptoms after newly starting medications for four common primary care conditions: hypertension, diabetes, depression, and insomnia. Systematic automated telephone outreach monitoring coupled with real-time phone referral to a pharmacist identified a substantial number of previously unidentified potentially drug-related symptoms, many of which were validated as probably or possibly related to the drug by the pharmacist or their physicians.
AHRQ-funded; HS021094.
Citation: Schiff GD, Klinger E, Salazar A .
Screening for adverse drug events: a randomized trial of automated calls coupled with phone-based pharmacist counseling.
J Gen Intern Med 2019 Feb;34(2):285-92. doi: 10.1007/s11606-018-4672-7..
Keywords: Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medication, Medication: Safety, Health Information Technology (HIT), Provider: Pharmacist, Provider, Patient Safety
Gernant SA, Snyder ME, Jaynes H
The effectiveness of pharmacist-provided telephonic medication therapy management on emergency department utilization in home health patients.
This article's objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of a telephonic medication therapy management (MTM) service on reducing emergency department utilization within a Medicare-insured home health population. The authors found that this pharmacist-delivered telephonic medication therapy management program did not decrease emergency department utilization overall but may further reduce the such risk among patients who are at lower risk of utilization.
AHRQ-funded; HS022119.
Citation: Gernant SA, Snyder ME, Jaynes H .
The effectiveness of pharmacist-provided telephonic medication therapy management on emergency department utilization in home health patients.
J Pharm Technol 2016 Oct 1;32(5):179-84. doi: 10.1177/8755122516660376.
.
.
Keywords: Care Management, Emergency Department, Medication, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Prevention, Provider: Pharmacist, Provider
Pevnick JM, Shane R, Schnipper JL
The problem with medication reconciliation.
The authors discussed medication reconciliation and the issue that benefits reaped by organizations focused on interventions have not generalized easily to other institutions. They specified that medication reconciliation interventions need to be carefully matched to organizational strengths, workflows, and goals based on institutional priorities, and that there are several broad recommendations that can be targeted to organizational leaders, clinicians and investigators.
AHRQ-funded; HS019598; HS023757.
Citation: Pevnick JM, Shane R, Schnipper JL .
The problem with medication reconciliation.
BMJ Qual Saf 2016 Sep;25(9):726-30. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2015-004734.
.
.
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Medication, Patient Safety, Provider: Pharmacist
Trogdon JG, Shafer PR, Shah PD
Are state laws granting pharmacists authority to vaccinate associated with HPV vaccination rates among adolescents?
Researchers explored whether state laws allowing pharmacists to administer human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations to adolescents are associated with a higher likelihood of HPV vaccine uptake. They concluded that, as currently implemented, state laws allowing pharmacists to administer HPV vaccine to adolescents were not associated with uptake.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Trogdon JG, Shafer PR, Shah PD .
Are state laws granting pharmacists authority to vaccinate associated with HPV vaccination rates among adolescents?
Vaccine 2016 Aug 31;34(38):4514-19. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.07.056.
.
.
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Infectious Diseases, Policy, Provider: Pharmacist, Vaccination
Augustine J, Warholak TL, Hines LE
Ability and use of comparative effectiveness research by P&T committee members and support staff: a 1-year follow-up.
The study’s objective was to provide a follow-up assessment of the use of comparative effectiveness research (CER) in the pharmacy and therapeutics (P&T) committee decision-making process, using information collected from participants 1 year after attending a live continuing education program. It concluded that health professionals attending a continuing education CER program reported higher use of CER materials compared with nonattendees.
AHRQ-funded; HS019220.
Citation: Augustine J, Warholak TL, Hines LE .
Ability and use of comparative effectiveness research by P&T committee members and support staff: a 1-year follow-up.
J Manag Care Spec Pharm 2016 Jun;22(6):618-25. doi: 10.18553/jmcp.2016.22.6.618.
.
.
Keywords: Comparative Effectiveness, Education: Continuing Medical Education, Provider: Health Personnel, Provider: Pharmacist
Snyder ME, Frail CK, Gernant SA
Fellowships in community pharmacy research: experiences of five schools and colleges of pharmacy.
The researchers described common facilitators, challenges, and lessons learned in 5 schools and colleges of pharmacy in establishing community pharmacy research fellowships. They found that common characteristics across the programs include length of training, prerequisites, graduate coursework, mentoring structure, and immersion into a pharmacist patient care practice. A common challenge has been recruitment, with many programs experiencing at least one year without filling the fellowship position.
AHRQ-funded; HS022119.
Citation: Snyder ME, Frail CK, Gernant SA .
Fellowships in community pharmacy research: experiences of five schools and colleges of pharmacy.
J Am Pharm Assoc 2016 May-Jun;56(3):316-22. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2015.11.015.
.
.
Keywords: Community-Based Practice, Education: Continuing Medical Education, Provider: Pharmacist
Kennelty KA, Witry MJ, Gehring M
A four-phase approach for systematically collecting data and measuring medication discrepancies when patients transition between health care settings.
This article proposes a four-phase approach for systematically collecting medication data and measuring medication discrepancies between a hospital and community pharmacies. Using this phase-based approach, the study team successfully identified and reported medication discrepancies between a hospital and community pharmacies at the patient, medication, and community pharmacy units of analyses.
AHRQ-funded; HS021984.
Citation: Kennelty KA, Witry MJ, Gehring M .
A four-phase approach for systematically collecting data and measuring medication discrepancies when patients transition between health care settings.
Res Social Adm Pharm 2016 Jul-Aug;12(4):548-58. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2015.09.001..
Keywords: Medication, Medication: Safety, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Patient Safety, Provider: Pharmacist
Kozak MA, Melton JR, Gernant SA
A needs assessment of unused and expired medication disposal practices: a study from the Medication Safety Research Network of Indiana.
The investigators sought to describe the extent of the unused and expired medication (UEM) issue in Indiana, identify patient beliefs about UEM, and determine any association between those beliefs and various personal and demographic characteristics. They concluded that there remains a need for more disposal locations for both non-controlled and controlled medication.
AHRQ-funded; HS022119.
Citation: Kozak MA, Melton JR, Gernant SA .
A needs assessment of unused and expired medication disposal practices: a study from the Medication Safety Research Network of Indiana.
Res Social Adm Pharm 2016 Mar-Apr;12(2):336-40. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2015.05.013.
.
.
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Provider: Pharmacist, Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN)
Lee JL, Choudhry NK, Wu AW
Patient use of email, Facebook, and physician websites to communicate with physicians: a national online survey of retail pharmacy users.
The researchers explored patient behavior and interest in using the Internet to contact physicians. They surveyed CVS customers with at least one chronic condition in the household and found strong interest among patients in the use of email and Facebook to communicate with their physicians. They identified a gap between patient interest and what physicians may currently provide. They suggested the adoption of secure Web messaging systems as a possible solution that addresses both institutional concerns and patient demand.
AHRQ-funded; HS000029.
Citation: Lee JL, Choudhry NK, Wu AW .
Patient use of email, Facebook, and physician websites to communicate with physicians: a national online survey of retail pharmacy users.
J Gen Intern Med 2016 Jan;31(1):45-51. doi: 10.1007/s11606-015-3374-7.
.
.
Keywords: Communication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Clinician-Patient Communication, Provider: Pharmacist, Web-Based