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 Events (9)
- Antibiotics (2)
- Arthritis (1)
- Comparative Effectiveness (2)
- Data (1)
- Diagnostic Safety and Quality (1)
- Elderly (1)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (1)
- Evidence-Based Practice (1)
- Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) (10)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (2)
- Hospitals (2)
- (-) Injuries and Wounds (13)
- Medication (3)
- Outcomes (3)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (4)
- Patient Safety (7)
- Prevention (4)
- Provider Performance (1)
- Quality Improvement (2)
- Quality Indicators (QIs) (1)
- Quality of Care (3)
- Registries (1)
- Risk (2)
- (-) Surgery (13)
- Telehealth (1)
- Transitions of Care (1)
- Women (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 13 of 13 Research Studies DisplayedSkube SJ, Hu Z, Arsoniadis EG
Characterizing surgical site infection signals in clinical notes.
Building off of previous work for automated and semi-automated surgical site infections (SSIs) detection using expert-derived "strong features" from clinical notes, researchers hypothesized that additional SSI phrases may be contained in clinical notes. They systematically characterized phrases and expressions associated with SSIs. While 83 percent of expert-derived original terms overlapped with new terms and modifiers, an additional 362 modifiers associated with both positive and negative SSI signals were identified.
AHRQ-funded; HS024532.
Citation: Skube SJ, Hu Z, Arsoniadis EG .
Characterizing surgical site infection signals in clinical notes.
Stud Health Technol Inform 2017;245:955-59.
.
.
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Surgery, Injuries and Wounds, Patient Safety, Adverse Events, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Jackson SS, Leekha S, Magder LS
Electronically available comorbidities should be used in surgical site infection risk adjustment.
A multicenter retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing surgical procedures at 28 US hospitals was performed. The authors developed a well-performing risk adjustment model for surgical site infections (SSI) using electronically available comorbidities. Healthcare-associated infections, such as SSIs, are used by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as pay-for-performance metrics. The authors recommended that comorbidity-based risk adjustment should be strongly considered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and CMS to adequately compare SSI rates across hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS022291.
Citation: Jackson SS, Leekha S, Magder LS .
Electronically available comorbidities should be used in surgical site infection risk adjustment.
Clin Infect Dis 2017 Sep 1;65(5):803-10. doi: 10.1093/cid/cix431..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Surgery, Patient Safety, Risk, Injuries and Wounds, Adverse Events
Olsen MA, Nickel KB, Fraser VJ
Prevalence and predictors of postdischarge antibiotic use following mastectomy.
This study determined utilization, predictors, and outcomes of postdischarge prophylactic antibiotics after mastectomy with or without immediate breast reconstruction. The study conclude that prophylactic postdischarge antibiotics are commonly prescribed after mastectomy; immediate reconstruction is the strongest predictor. The authors recommended stewardship efforts in this population to limit continuation of prophylactic antibiotics after discharge are needed to limit antimicrobial resistance.
AHRQ-funded; HS019455.
Citation: Olsen MA, Nickel KB, Fraser VJ .
Prevalence and predictors of postdischarge antibiotic use following mastectomy.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017 Sep;38(9):1048-54. doi: 10.1017/ice.2017.128.
.
.
Keywords: Antibiotics, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Medication, Patient Safety, Surgery, Injuries and Wounds, Prevention, Adverse Events, Risk
Calderwood MS, Huang SS, Keller V
Variable case detection and many unreported cases of surgical-site infection following colon surgery and abdominal hysterectomy in a statewide validation.
This study assesses hospital surgical-site infection (SSI) identification and reporting following colon surgery and abdominal hysterectomy via a statewide external validation. The authors concluded that claims-based surveillance is a standardized approach that hospitals can use to augment traditional surveillance methods and health departments can use for external validation.
AHRQ-funded; HS021424.
Citation: Calderwood MS, Huang SS, Keller V .
Variable case detection and many unreported cases of surgical-site infection following colon surgery and abdominal hysterectomy in a statewide validation.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017 Sep;38(9):1091-97. doi: 10.1017/ice.2017.134..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Surgery, Injuries and Wounds, Patient Safety, Women, Adverse Events, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Hospitals
Sears ED, Momoh AO, Chung KC
A national study of the impact of delayed flap timing for treatment of patients with deep sternal wound infection.
This study aimed to evaluate the impact of delayed flap closure on mortality and resource use for treatment of deep sternal wound infection. The timing of flap closure was delayed more than 7 days after diagnosis in 39 percent of patients. The study concluded that delay in flap closure was associated with greater mortality and resource use.
AHRQ-funded; HS023313.
Citation: Sears ED, Momoh AO, Chung KC .
A national study of the impact of delayed flap timing for treatment of patients with deep sternal wound infection.
Plast Reconstr Surg 2017 Aug;140(2):390-400. doi: 10.1097/prs.0000000000003514.
.
.
Keywords: Injuries and Wounds, Surgery, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Adverse Events, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Gandek B, Ware JE, Jr.
Validity and responsiveness of the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score: a comparative study among total knee replacement patients.
The researchers evaluated validity and responsiveness of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) in relation to other patient-reported outcome measures before and after total knee replacement (TKR). They concluded that KOOS scales were valid and responsive in a cohort of 1,143 US TKR patients. KOOS QOL performed particularly well in capturing aggregate knee-specific outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS018910; HS024632.
Citation: Gandek B, Ware JE, Jr. .
Validity and responsiveness of the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score: a comparative study among total knee replacement patients.
Arthritis Care Res 2017 Jun;69(6):817-25. doi: 10.1002/acr.23193.
.
.
Keywords: Arthritis, Surgery, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Outcomes, Injuries and Wounds
O'Toole RV, Gary JL, Reider L
A prospective randomized trial to assess fixation strategies for severe open tibia fractures: modern ring external fixators versus internal fixation (FIXIT study).
The FIXIT study is a prospective, multicenter randomized trial comparing 1-year outcomes after treatment of severe open tibial shaft fractures with modern external ring fixation versus internal fixation among men and women of ages 18-64. The primary outcome is rehospitalization for major limb complications. One-year treatment costs and patient satisfaction will be compared between the 2 groups.
AHRQ-funded; HS000029.
Citation: O'Toole RV, Gary JL, Reider L .
A prospective randomized trial to assess fixation strategies for severe open tibia fractures: modern ring external fixators versus internal fixation (FIXIT study).
J Orthop Trauma 2017 Apr;31 Suppl 1:S10-s17. doi: 10.1097/bot.0000000000000804.
.
.
Keywords: Injuries and Wounds, Surgery, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Comparative Effectiveness, Outcomes, Evidence-Based Practice
Obremskey WT, Schmidt AH, O'Toole RV
A prospective randomized trial to assess oral versus intravenous antibiotics for the treatment of postoperative wound infection after extremity fractures (POvIV study).
The POvIV study is a prospective, multicenter, randomized trial to compare oral (PO) with intravenous (IV) antibiotic therapy in patients with postoperative wound infections after extremity fractures. This study will be the largest prospective randomized trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of PO antibiotic use for treatment of postoperative wound infections. Results will inform clinician decisions on antibiotic delivery in patients with postoperative wound infections.
AHRQ-funded; HS000029.
Citation: Obremskey WT, Schmidt AH, O'Toole RV .
A prospective randomized trial to assess oral versus intravenous antibiotics for the treatment of postoperative wound infection after extremity fractures (POvIV study).
J Orthop Trauma 2017 Apr;31 Suppl 1:S32-s38. doi: 10.1097/bot.0000000000000802.
.
.
Keywords: Antibiotics, Surgery, Injuries and Wounds, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Comparative Effectiveness, Medication, Patient Safety, Adverse Events, Prevention, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Outcomes
Hu Z, Melton GB, Arsoniadis EG
Strategies for handling missing clinical data for automated surgical site infection detection from the electronic health record.
Proper handling of missing data is important for many secondary uses of electronic health record (EHR) data. Data imputation methods can be used to handle missing data, but their use for postoperative complication detection is unclear. Overall, models with missing data imputation almost always outperformed reference models without imputation that included only cases with complete data for detection of SSI overall achieving very good average area under the curve values.
AHRQ-funded; HS024532.
Citation: Hu Z, Melton GB, Arsoniadis EG .
Strategies for handling missing clinical data for automated surgical site infection detection from the electronic health record.
J Biomed Inform 2017 Apr;68:112-20. doi: 10.1016/j.jbi.2017.03.009.
.
.
Keywords: Data, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Registries, Surgery, Injuries and Wounds, Health Information Technology (HIT), Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Adverse Events
O'Toole RV, Joshi M, Carlini AR
Supplemental perioperative oxygen to reduce surgical site infection after high-energy fracture surgery (OXYGEN study).
This study is a clinical trial with a primary goal of assessing the efficacy of 2 different concentrations of perioperative oxygen in the prevention of surgical site infection (SSI) in adults with tibial plateau, pilon (tibial plafond), or calcaneus fractures at higher risk of infection and definitively treated with plate and screw fixation.
AHRQ-funded; HS000029.
Citation: O'Toole RV, Joshi M, Carlini AR .
Supplemental perioperative oxygen to reduce surgical site infection after high-energy fracture surgery (OXYGEN study).
J Orthop Trauma 2017 Apr;31 Suppl 1:S25-s31. doi: 10.1097/bot.0000000000000803.
.
.
Keywords: Injuries and Wounds, Surgery, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Prevention, Patient Safety, Adverse Events
Fernandes-Taylor S, Gunter RL, Bennett KM
Feasibility of implementing a patient-centered postoperative wound monitoring program using smartphone images: a pilot protocol.
The researchers propose a protocol of postoperative wound monitoring using smartphone digital images. Their study will help establish the feasibility of such a program, both for patients and for the clinical care team. The feasibility trial will confirm whether patients and their caregivers can learn to use a postdischarge wound monitoring smartphone app and will assess patient and provider satisfaction.
AHRQ-funded; HS023395.
Citation: Fernandes-Taylor S, Gunter RL, Bennett KM .
Feasibility of implementing a patient-centered postoperative wound monitoring program using smartphone images: a pilot protocol.
JMIR Res Protoc 2017 Feb 22;6(2):e26. doi: 10.2196/resprot.6819.
.
.
Keywords: Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Surgery, Injuries and Wounds, Transitions of Care
Gans I, Jain A, Sirisreetreerux N
Current practice of antibiotic prophylaxis for surgical fixation of closed long bone fractures: a survey of 297 members of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association.
This study found heterogeneity in the use of single- versus multiple-dose antibiotic prophylaxis for surgical repair of closed long bone fractures. Many surgeons were unsure of current evidence-based recommendations regarding perioperative antibiotic use. Most respondents indicated they would be receptive to high-level evidence regarding the single- versus multiple-dose perioperative prophylactic antibiotics for the treatment of closed long bone fractures.
AHRQ-funded; HS024547.
Citation: Gans I, Jain A, Sirisreetreerux N .
Current practice of antibiotic prophylaxis for surgical fixation of closed long bone fractures: a survey of 297 members of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association.
Patient Saf Surg. 2017 Jan 16;11:2. doi: 10.1186/s13037-016-0118-5.
.
.
Keywords: Injuries and Wounds, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Medication, Prevention, Surgery
Calderwood MS, Kleinman K, Huang SS
Surgical site infections: volume-outcome relationship and year-to-year stability of performance rankings.
The researchers evaluated the volume-outcome relationship as well as the year-to-year stability of performance rankings following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery and hip arthroplasty. They concluded that aggregate surgical site infection risk is highest in hospitals with low annual procedure volumes. Even for higher volume hospitals, year-to-year random variation makes past experience an unreliable estimator of current performance.
AHRQ-funded; HS021424.
Citation: Calderwood MS, Kleinman K, Huang SS .
Surgical site infections: volume-outcome relationship and year-to-year stability of performance rankings.
Med Care 2017 Jan;55(1):79-85. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000000620.
.
.
Keywords: Surgery, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Adverse Events, Injuries and Wounds, Hospitals, Provider Performance, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality of Care, Patient Safety, Elderly