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
- (-) Blood Pressure (13)
- Cardiovascular Conditions (6)
- Children/Adolescents (1)
- Chronic Conditions (2)
- Clinical Decision Support (CDS) (2)
- Community-Based Practice (1)
- COVID-19 (1)
- Diabetes (3)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (2)
- Evidence-Based Practice (5)
- Guidelines (1)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (5)
- Kidney Disease and Health (1)
- Maternal Care (3)
- Medication (1)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (3)
- Practice Improvement (1)
- Prevention (1)
- Primary Care (1)
- Public Health (1)
- Quality Improvement (1)
- Quality of Care (1)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (1)
- Risk (1)
- Rural/Inner-City Residents (1)
- Rural Health (1)
- Screening (1)
- Telehealth (3)
- U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) (1)
- Vulnerable Populations (1)
- Women (3)
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 13 of 13 Research Studies DisplayedDevine JW, Tadrous M, Hernandez I
A retrospective cohort study of the 2018 angiotensin receptor blocker recalls and subsequent drug shortages in patients with hypertension.
Researchers compared the risk of adverse events between hypertensive patients who used valsartan and a propensity score-matched group who used nonrecalled angiotensin receptor blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Valsartan usage at the time of its recall was associated with higher risks of all-cause hospitalization, emergency department or urgent care use, and the composite of cardiac events within 6 months after the recall. The valsartan recall and shortage affected hypertensive patients. Local- and national-level systems need to be enhanced to protect patients from drug shortages by providing safe and reliable medication alternatives.
AHRQ-funded; HS027985.
Citation: Devine JW, Tadrous M, Hernandez I .
A retrospective cohort study of the 2018 angiotensin receptor blocker recalls and subsequent drug shortages in patients with hypertension.
J Am Heart Assoc 2024 Jan 2; 13(1):e032266. doi: 10.1161/jaha.123.032266.
Keywords: Blood Pressure, Medication, Cardiovascular Conditions
Engelberg RS, Scheidell JD, Islam N
Associations between incarceration history and risk of hypertension and hyperglycemia: consideration of differences among Black, Hispanic, Asian and White Subgroups.
This study’s objective was to assess racial/ethnic group differences in the association between incarceration and hypertension and hyperglycemia. The authors performed a secondary data analysis using the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). They used Poisson regression to estimate the associations between lifetime history of incarceration reported during early adulthood with hypertension and hyperglycemia outcomes measured in mid-adulthood, including incident diagnosis. They evaluated whether associations varied by self-reported race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and Asian) with an analytic sample of 4,015 Add Health respondents. Outcome measures included hypertension, systolic blood pressure >130 mmHG, and hyperglycemia. There was no evidence of an association between incarceration and measured health outcomes among non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White participants. Among Hispanic participants, incarceration was associated with hyperglycemia (Adjusted Risk Ratio (ARR): 2.1), but not with hypertension risk. Incarceration was associated with elevated systolic blood pressure (ARR: 3.1) and hypertension (ARR: 1.7) among Asian participants, but not with hyperglycemia risk. Incarceration was associated with incident hypertension (ARR 2.5) among Asian subgroups.
AHRQ-funded; HS026120.
Citation: Engelberg RS, Scheidell JD, Islam N .
Associations between incarceration history and risk of hypertension and hyperglycemia: consideration of differences among Black, Hispanic, Asian and White Subgroups.
J Gen Intern Med 2024 Jan; 39(1):5-12. doi: 10.1007/s11606-023-08327-9..
Keywords: Vulnerable Populations, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Conditions, Risk
Dullabh P, Heaney-Huls KK, Chiao AB
Implementation and evaluation of an electronic health record-integrated app for postpartum monitoring of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy using patient-contributed data collection.
This paper describes a pilot intervention of a smartphone app for postpartum monitoring of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) that integrates patient-contributed data into electronic health records (EHRs) to support monitoring and clinical decision-making. Results from the pilot evaluation highlighted the resources needed when implementing the app, challenges for integrating an app into the EHR, and the usability and utility of the HDP monitoring app for patient and clinician users. Key observations of the implementation team included the importance of a local clinical champion, more robust patient involvement and support for the remote patient monitoring program, an impetus for EHR developers to adopt data integration standards, and a need to expand the capabilities of the standards to support interventions using patient-contributed data.
AHRQ-funded; 233201500023I.
Citation: Dullabh P, Heaney-Huls KK, Chiao AB .
Implementation and evaluation of an electronic health record-integrated app for postpartum monitoring of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy using patient-contributed data collection.
JAMIA Open 2023 Dec; 6(4):ooad098. doi: 10.1093/jamiaopen/ooad098..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Maternal Care, Blood Pressure, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Women
Ross SM, Wang A, Anthony L
Is more better? The impact of implementing more interventions for hypertension control in a practice facilitation study for small- and medium-sized practices.
The purpose of this study was to research the effects of interventions for blood pressure in small- and medium-sized practices. The researchers utilized retrospective analysis on data from Healthy Hearts in the Heartland (H3), a research program conducted in 2016-2018 as part of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's EvidenceNOW initiative, to examine the impact of implementing more interventions for BP control in these settings. The study included 38 H3 practices which met inclusion criteria and researchers assigned each practice to an implementer group (high or low) based on the number of interventions implemented. Practices in the high-implementer group implemented an average of 2.2 additional interventions relative to the low-implementer group. Groups were compared on two measures of BP control: (1) mean percentage of hypertensive patients with a most recent BP below 140/90, and (2) mean systolic and diastolic BP of hypertensive patients. In the first measure, practices in the high-implementer group had better improvement between baseline and the end of the study. Among the 10,150 patients included in the second measure, reductions in mean SBP and DBP were better for the high-implementer group.
AHRQ-funded; HS000078; HS000084; HS023921.
Citation: Ross SM, Wang A, Anthony L .
Is more better? The impact of implementing more interventions for hypertension control in a practice facilitation study for small- and medium-sized practices.
J Hum Hypertens 2023 Nov; 37(11):1007-14. doi: 10.1038/s41371-023-00813-1..
Keywords: Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Conditions, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Evidence-Based Practice, Practice Improvement
Henderson JT, Webber EM, Thomas RG
Screening for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: updated evidence report and systematic review for the US Preventive Services Task Force.
The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review to update the evidence on the effectiveness of screening for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy with the purpose of informing the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. The main outcome was Morbidity or mortality, with measures of health-related quality of life. The review included 6 fair-quality studies comparing changes in prenatal screening practices with routine screening at in-person office visits (usual care). This systematic review did not find evidence that any alternate screening strategies for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy had increased effectiveness over routine blood pressure measurement at in-person prenatal visits. No harms of the different screening strategies were identified.
AHRQ-funded; 75Q80120D00004.
Citation: Henderson JT, Webber EM, Thomas RG .
Screening for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy: updated evidence report and systematic review for the US Preventive Services Task Force.
JAMA 2023 Sep 19; 330(11):1083-91. doi: 10.1001/jama.2023.4934..
Keywords: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), Blood Pressure, Screening, Prevention, Evidence-Based Practice, Guidelines, Maternal Care, Women
Benziger CP, Suess M, Allen CI
Adapting a clinical decision support system to improve identification of pediatric hypertension in a rural health system: design of a pragmatic trial.
This paper’s objective is to describe the protocol for a study that will adapt an electronic health record linked, web-based clinical decision support (CDS) tool called PedsBP that identifies hypertension (HTN) in children for use in a mostly rural health system and to evaluate the effectiveness of PedsBP for repeat of hypertensive level blood pressure (BP) measurements and HTN recognition among youth 6-17 years of age in primary care settings, comparing low-intensity and high-intensity implementation approaches. A pilot of the tool was conducted in 2 primary care clinics and modified prior to the full trial. Forty community-based primary care clinics (or clusters of clinics) were randomly allocated equally to usual care, low-intensity implementation (CDS only), or high-intensity implementation (CDS plus in-person training, monthly use reports, and ongoing communication between study staff and clinics). Eligible patient recruitment started on August 1, 2022 and will continue for 18 months. Primary outcomes will include repeating hypertensive level BP measurements at office visits and clinical recognition of HTN. Secondary outcomes will include lifestyle counseling, dietician referral, and BP at follow-up.
AHRQ-funded; HS027402.
Citation: Benziger CP, Suess M, Allen CI .
Adapting a clinical decision support system to improve identification of pediatric hypertension in a rural health system: design of a pragmatic trial.
Contemp Clin Trials 2023 Sep; 132:107293. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2023.107293..
Keywords: Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Children/Adolescents, Rural Health, Rural/Inner-City Residents, Blood Pressure
Steele DW, Adam GP, Saldanha IJ
Postpartum home blood pressure monitoring: a systematic review.
This systematic review’s objective was to assess the effectiveness of postpartum home blood pressure (BP) monitoring compared with clinic-based follow-up and the comparative effectiveness of alternative home BP-monitoring regimens. The authors included randomized controlled trials (RCTs), nonrandomized comparative studies, and single-arm studies that evaluated the effects of postpartum home BP monitoring (up to 1 year), with or without telemonitoring, on postpartum maternal and infant outcomes, health care utilization, and harm outcomes. After double screening, they extracted demographics and outcomes to SRDR+. Thirteen studies (3 RCTs, 2 nonrandomized comparative studies, and 8 single-arm studies) met eligibility criteria. Home BP monitoring was not associated with the rate of BP treatment initiation but was associated with reduced unplanned hypertension-related hospital admissions. Home BP monitoring, compared with office-based follow-up, was associated with reduced racial disparities in BP ascertainment by approximately 50%. Most patients (ranging from 83.3% to 87.0%) were satisfied with management related to home BP monitoring.
AHRQ-funded; 75Q80120D00001; 75Q80121F32006.
Citation: Steele DW, Adam GP, Saldanha IJ .
Postpartum home blood pressure monitoring: a systematic review.
Obstet Gynecol 2023 Aug 1; 142(2):285-95. doi: 10.1097/aog.0000000000005270..
Keywords: Maternal Care, Blood Pressure, Women, Evidence-Based Practice, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Chu CD, Xia F, Du Y
Estimated prevalence and testing for albuminuria in US adults at risk for chronic kidney disease.
The purpose of this cohort study was to assess the extent of albuminuria underdetection from lack of testing and examine its association with CKD treatment. Researchers examined records of adults with hypertension or diabetes, utilizing data from the 2007 to 2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) and the Optum deidentified electronic health record (EHR) data set of US health care organizations. The total EHR study population included 192,108 patients; 96.6% with hypertension, and 26.2% with diabetes. The study found that 17.5% of patients had albuminuria testing; of whom 34.3% had albuminuria. Among 158,479 patients who were untested, the estimated albuminuria prevalence rate was 13.4%. Thus, only 35.2% of the projected population with albuminuria had been tested. Albuminuria testing was associated with higher adjusted odds of receiving ACEi or ARB treatment, SGLT2i treatment, and having blood pressure controlled to less than 140/90 mm Hg. The researchers concluded that approximately two-thirds of patients with albuminuria were undetected due to lack of testing.
AHRQ-funded; HS026383.
Citation: Chu CD, Xia F, Du Y .
Estimated prevalence and testing for albuminuria in US adults at risk for chronic kidney disease.
JAMA Netw Open 2023 Jul; 6(7):e2326230. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.26230..
Keywords: Kidney Disease and Health, Chronic Conditions, Diabetes, Blood Pressure, Evidence-Based Practice
Blecker S, Gannon M, De Leon S
Practice facilitation for scale up of clinical decision support for hypertension management: study protocol for a cluster randomized control trial.
This paper describes a protocol for a study that will be conducted to compare the effect of hypertension-focused clinical decision support (CDS) plus practice facilitation on blood pressure (BP) control, as compared to CDS alone. The investigators will conduct a cluster randomized control trial that will include initial training on the CDS and a review of current guidelines along with follow-up for coaching and integration support. They will randomize 46 small primary care practices in New York City who use the same electronic health record vendor to intervention or control. They will also assess implementation of CDS in all practices and practice facilitation in the intervention group.
AHRQ-funded; HS027120.
Citation: Blecker S, Gannon M, De Leon S .
Practice facilitation for scale up of clinical decision support for hypertension management: study protocol for a cluster randomized control trial.
Contemp Clin Trials 2023 Jun; 129:107177. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2023.107177..
Keywords: Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Health Information Technology (HIT), Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Conditions
Lindner SR, Balasubramanian B, Marino M
Estimating the cardiovascular disease risk reduction of a quality improvement initiative in primary care: findings from EvidenceNOW.
The purpose of this study was to estimate decreases in 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk associated with EvidenceNOW, an initiative spanning multiple states that sought to improve cardiovascular preventive care by providing supportive interventions such as practice facilitation to address the “ABCS”: (A)spirin for high-risk patients, (B)lood pressure control for hypertensive people, (C)holesterol management, and (S)moking screening and cessation counseling. The researchers conducted an analytic modeling study that combined 1) data from 1,278 EvidenceNOW practices collected from 2015 to 2017; (2) patient-level information of 1,295 individuals who participated in the 2015 to 2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; and (3) 10-year ASCVD risk prediction equations. The study found the average 10-year ASCVD risk of these patients before intervention was 10.11%. Improvements in ABCS due to EvidenceNOW reduced their 10-year ASCVD risk to 10.03% which would prevent 3,169 ASCVD events over 10 years and $150 million in 90-day direct medical costs.
AHRQ-funded; HS023940.
Citation: Lindner SR, Balasubramanian B, Marino M .
Estimating the cardiovascular disease risk reduction of a quality improvement initiative in primary care: findings from EvidenceNOW.
J Am Board Fam Med 2023 May 8; 36(3):462-76. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.2022.220331R1..
Keywords: Cardiovascular Conditions, Primary Care, Evidence-Based Practice, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Blood Pressure
Chu CD, Lenoir KM, Rai NK
Concordance between clinical outcomes in the systolic blood pressure intervention trial and in the electronic health record.
This study examined the role that electronic health records (EHRs) can play in follow-up for concordance with trial-ascertained outcomes. The authors linked EHR and trial data for participants in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), a randomized trial comparing intensive and standard blood pressure targets. Among participants with available EHR data concurrent to trial-ascertained outcomes, they calculated sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for EHR-recorded cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, using the gold standard of SPRINT-adjudicated outcomes (myocardial infarction (MI)/acute coronary syndrome (ACS), heart failure, stroke, and composite CVD events). They additionally compared the incidence of non-CVD adverse events (hyponatremia, hypernatremia, hypokalemia, hyperkalemia, bradycardia, and hypotension) in trial versus EHR data. Of the 2468 SPRINT participants included, EHR data demonstrated ≥80% sensitivity and specificity, and ≥99% negative predictive value for MI/ACS, heart failure, stroke, and composite CVD events. Positive predictive value ranged from 26% for heart failure to 52% for MI/ACS. Conclusions were that EHR data uniformly identified more non-CVD adverse events and higher incidence rates compared with trial ascertainment.
AHRQ-funded; HS026383.
Citation: Chu CD, Lenoir KM, Rai NK .
Concordance between clinical outcomes in the systolic blood pressure intervention trial and in the electronic health record.
Contemp Clin Trials 2023 May; 128:107172. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2023.107172..
Keywords: Blood Pressure, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Cardiovascular Conditions
AA Payán, DD Brown, TT
AHRQ Author: Tierney
Telehealth use, care continuity, and quality: diabetes and hypertension care in community health centers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a cohort study, researchers examined the association of care continuity with diabetes and hypertension care quality in community health centers (CHCs) before and during COVID-19, and the mediating effect of telehealth. Patients with diabetes and/or hypertension with at least 2 encounters per year during 2019 and 2020 were identified via electronic health record data from 166 CHCs; multivariable logistic regression models estimated the association of care continuity with telehealth use and care processes. The results showed that higher care continuity was associated with telehealth use and A1c testing, and lower A1c and blood pressure. The researchers concluded that care continuity might facilitate telehealth use and resilient performance on process measures.
AHRQ-funded; HS022241.
Citation: AA Payán, DD Brown, TT .
Telehealth use, care continuity, and quality: diabetes and hypertension care in community health centers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Med Care 2023 Apr 1;61(Suppl 1):S62-s69. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001811.
Keywords: COVID-19, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Diabetes, Blood Pressure, Community-Based Practice, Public Health
Rodriguez HP, Ciemins EL, Rubio K
Health systems and telemedicine adoption for diabetes and hypertension care.
This study examined differences in telemedicine use for adults with diabetes and/or hypertension across 10 health systems and analyzed practice and patient characteristics associated with greater use. Encounter-level data from the AMGA Optum Data Warehouse for March 13, 2020 to December 31, 2020 were analyzed. This included 3,016,761 clinical encounters from 764,521 adults with diabetes and/or hypertension attributed to 1 of 1207 practice sites with at least 50 system-attributed patients. Telemedicine use time was divided into adoption (weeks 0-4), de-adoption (weeks 5-12), and maintenance (weeks 13-42) periods. Telemedicine use peaked after 4 weeks at 11-42% of weekly encounters. Small practices had lower telemedicine use for adults with diabetes during the maintenance period compared with larger practices, with ownership showing no association with telemedicine use. Practices with higher proportions of Black patients continued their expansion of telemedicine use during the de-adoption and maintenance periods.
Citation: Rodriguez HP, Ciemins EL, Rubio K .
Health systems and telemedicine adoption for diabetes and hypertension care.
Am J Manag Care 2023 Jan; 29(1):42-49. doi: 10.37765/ajmc.2023.89302..
Keywords: Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Diabetes, Blood Pressure, Chronic Conditions