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
- Access to Care (3)
- Adverse Drug Events (ADE) (3)
- Adverse Events (11)
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (2)
- Antibiotics (3)
- Antimicrobial Stewardship (2)
- Burnout (1)
- Cancer (5)
- Cancer: Colorectal Cancer (1)
- Cardiovascular Conditions (8)
- Care Coordination (4)
- Caregiving (4)
- Care Management (3)
- Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) (1)
- Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI) (2)
- Children/Adolescents (17)
- Chronic Conditions (4)
- Clinician-Patient Communication (1)
- Clostridium difficile Infections (1)
- Communication (6)
- Community-Acquired Infections (1)
- Comparative Effectiveness (1)
- Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) (4)
- Critical Care (5)
- Cultural Competence (1)
- Data (1)
- Diagnostic Safety and Quality (1)
- Disparities (1)
- Elderly (4)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (7)
- Emergency Department (8)
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) (1)
- Evidence-Based Practice (3)
- Falls (4)
- Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) (13)
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) (6)
- Healthcare Costs (11)
- Healthcare Delivery (17)
- Healthcare Utilization (7)
- Health Information Exchange (HIE) (2)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (15)
- Health Insurance (4)
- Health Literacy (1)
- Health Promotion (1)
- Health Services Research (HSR) (4)
- Health Systems (2)
- Heart Disease and Health (3)
- Home Healthcare (3)
- Hospital Discharge (7)
- Hospitalization (16)
- Hospital Readmissions (17)
- (-) Hospitals (129)
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (1)
- Implementation (2)
- Infectious Diseases (8)
- Injuries and Wounds (2)
- Inpatient Care (15)
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (6)
- Labor and Delivery (4)
- Long-Term Care (1)
- Low-Income (1)
- Maternal Care (3)
- Medicaid (1)
- Medical Errors (2)
- Medicare (12)
- Medication (8)
- Medication: Safety (2)
- Mortality (10)
- Neurological Disorders (1)
- Newborns/Infants (4)
- Nursing (2)
- Nursing Homes (4)
- Opioids (1)
- Orthopedics (1)
- Outcomes (14)
- Pain (1)
- Palliative Care (1)
- Patient-Centered Healthcare (3)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (8)
- Patient and Family Engagement (4)
- Patient Experience (5)
- Patient Safety (29)
- Payment (9)
- Pneumonia (1)
- Policy (5)
- Practice Patterns (4)
- Pregnancy (6)
- Pressure Ulcers (1)
- Prevention (4)
- Primary Care (1)
- Primary Care: Models of Care (1)
- Provider (5)
- Provider: Clinician (1)
- Provider: Nurse (3)
- Provider: Pharmacist (1)
- Provider: Physician (2)
- Provider Performance (11)
- Public Health (2)
- Public Reporting (1)
- Quality Improvement (19)
- Quality Indicators (QIs) (7)
- Quality Measures (8)
- Quality of Care (38)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (2)
- Research Methodologies (2)
- Respiratory Conditions (2)
- Risk (5)
- Rural Health (2)
- Sepsis (8)
- Shared Decision Making (1)
- Sleep Problems (1)
- Stroke (4)
- Surgery (20)
- Surveys on Patient Safety Culture (2)
- Teams (3)
- TeamSTEPPS (1)
- Telehealth (1)
- Transitions of Care (13)
- Uninsured (1)
- Urban Health (1)
- Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) (1)
- Women (6)
- Workflow (1)
- Workforce (4)
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
26 to 50 of 129 Research Studies DisplayedSmith AB, Mueller D, Garren B
Using qualitative research to reduce readmissions and optimize perioperative cystectomy care.
This study examined the need for qualitative research on meaningful patient-reported outcomes (PROs) to prevent complications and readmissions after cystectomy. The investigators looked at the potential use of mobile communication devices (mHealth) to capture patients’ experiences and to improve outcomes. Interviews were conducted with 15 readmitted patients and 10 of their partners over 45 semi-structured in-depth interviews. The most common perspectives were that patients and their caregivers were overloaded with cystectomy education; they need to know what are normal post-operative symptoms; and that using mHealth would help with patient and caregiver education.
AHRQ-funded; HS024134.
Citation: Smith AB, Mueller D, Garren B .
Using qualitative research to reduce readmissions and optimize perioperative cystectomy care.
Cancer 2019 Oct 15;125(20):3545-53. doi: 10.1002/cncr.32362..
Keywords: Hospital Readmissions, Surgery, Health Information Technology (HIT), Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Hospitals, Patient-Centered Healthcare
Goldstone AB, Chiu P, Baiocchi M
Interfacility transfer of Medicare beneficiaries with acute type a aortic dissection and regionalization of care in the United States.
Researchers investigated the hypothesis that regionalizing care at high-volume hospitals for acute type A aortic dissections will lower mortality. Operative mortality and long-term survival were compared for Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with an acute type A aortic dissection who were transferred versus not transferred, underwent surgery at high-volume versus low-volume hospitals, and were rerouted versus not rerouted to a high-volume hospital for treatment. The researchers found that, despite delaying surgery, a regionalization policy that transfers patients to high-volume hospitals was associated with a 7.2% absolute risk reduction in operative mortality. They recommended that policymakers evaluate the feasibility and benefits of regionalizing the surgical treatment of acute type A aortic dissection in the United States.
AHRQ-funded; HS022192.
Citation: Goldstone AB, Chiu P, Baiocchi M .
Interfacility transfer of Medicare beneficiaries with acute type a aortic dissection and regionalization of care in the United States.
Circulation 2019 Oct 8;140(15):1239-50. doi: 10.1161/circulationaha.118.038867..
Keywords: Transitions of Care, Medicare, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Risk, Evidence-Based Practice, Mortality, Hospitals
Childers CP, Maggard-Gibbons M, Nuckols T
A comparison of costs: how California teaching hospitals achieved slower growth than nonteaching hospitals in operating room costs from 2005 to 2014.
This study compared risk-adjusted operating room costs between California teaching and nonteaching hospitals using financial statements from fiscal years 2005-2014. Findings showed that California teaching hospitals had lower operating room costs per minute than nonteaching hospitals because of relative labor productivity gains and slower indirect cost growth. Implications for patients and nonteaching hospitals warrant evaluation.
AHRQ-funded; HS025079.
Citation: Childers CP, Maggard-Gibbons M, Nuckols T .
A comparison of costs: how California teaching hospitals achieved slower growth than nonteaching hospitals in operating room costs from 2005 to 2014.
Acad Med 2019 Oct;94(10):1539-45. doi: 10.1097/acm.0000000000002844..
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Hospitals, Surgery
Mixon AS, Kripalani S, Stein J
An on-treatment analysis of the MARQUIS study: interventions to improve inpatient medication reconciliation.
This paper examined evidence-based interventions implemented in five US hospitals to improve inpatient medication reconciliation. The sites implemented one to seven interventions in 791 patients during a 25-month implementation period. Three interventions were associated with significant decreases in potentially harmful reconciliation rates while two interventions were associated with significant increases. The positive interventions included: defining clinical roles and responsibilities, training, and hiring staff to perform discharge medication reconciliation. The negative interventions were training staff to take medication histories and implementing a new electronic health record (EHR) system.
AHRQ-funded; HS019598.
Citation: Mixon AS, Kripalani S, Stein J .
An on-treatment analysis of the MARQUIS study: interventions to improve inpatient medication reconciliation.
J Hosp Med 2019 Oct;14(10):614-17. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3308..
Keywords: Medication, Evidence-Based Practice, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Hospitals, Healthcare Delivery, Inpatient Care
Everson J, Hollingsworth JM, Adler-Milstein J
Comparing methods of grouping hospitals.
The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of widely used approaches for defining groups of hospitals and a new approach based on network analysis of shared patient volume. Results showed that community detection algorithm-defined hospital groups offer high validity, reliability to different specifications, and generalizability to many uses when compared to approaches in widespread use today. They may offer a better choice for efforts seeking to analyze the behaviors and dynamics of groups of hospitals. Measures of modularity, shared information, inclusivity, and shared behavior can be used to evaluate different approaches to grouping providers.
AHRQ-funded; HS024525; HS024728; HS024454.
Citation: Everson J, Hollingsworth JM, Adler-Milstein J .
Comparing methods of grouping hospitals.
Health Serv Res 2019 Oct;54(5):1090-98. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13188..
Keywords: Health Services Research (HSR), Hospitals, Research Methodologies
Ji W, McKenna C, Ochoa A
Development and assessment of objective surveillance definitions for nonventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia.
The authors sought to propose and assess potentially objective, efficient, and reproducible surveillance definitions for non-ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP) using routine clinical data stored in electronic health record systems. They found that objective surveillance for NV-HAP using electronically computable definitions that incorporate common clinical criteria is feasible and generates incidence, mortality, and adjusted odds ratios for hospital mortality similar to estimates from manual surveillance. They concluded that these definitions have the potential to facilitate widespread, automated surveillance for NV-HAP and thus inform the development and evaluation of prevention programs.
AHRQ-funded; HS025008.
Citation: Ji W, McKenna C, Ochoa A .
Development and assessment of objective surveillance definitions for nonventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia.
JAMA Netw Open 2019 Oct 2;2(10):e1913674. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.13674..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospitals, Respiratory Conditions, Public Health, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Jones KJ, Skinner A, Venema D
Evaluating the use of multiteam systems to manage the complexity of inpatient falls in rural hospitals.
Researchers evaluated the implementation and outcomes of evidence-based fall-risk-reduction processes when those processes are implemented using a multiteam system (MTS) structure. They found that multiteam systems that effectively coordinate fall-risk-reduction processes may improve the capacity of hospitals to manage the complex patient, environmental, and system factors that result in falls.
AHRQ-funded; HS024630; HS021429.
Citation: Jones KJ, Skinner A, Venema D .
Evaluating the use of multiteam systems to manage the complexity of inpatient falls in rural hospitals.
Health Serv Res 2019 Oct;54(5):994-1006. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13186..
Keywords: Falls, Hospitals, Inpatient Care, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement, Patient Safety, Prevention, Risk
Vest JR, Unruh MA, Freedman S
Health systems' use of enterprise health information exchange vs single electronic health record vendor environments and unplanned readmissions.
Enterprise health information exchange (HIE) and a single electronic health record (EHR) vendor solution are 2 information exchange approaches to improve performance and increase the quality of care. This study sought to determine the association between adoption of enterprise HIE vs a single vendor environment and changes in unplanned readmissions. The investigators concluded that reductions in the probability of an unplanned readmission after a hospital adopts a single vendor environment suggested that HIE technologies can better support the aim of higher quality care.
AHRQ-funded; HS024717.
Citation: Vest JR, Unruh MA, Freedman S .
Health systems' use of enterprise health information exchange vs single electronic health record vendor environments and unplanned readmissions.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2019 Oct;26(10):989-98. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocz116..
Keywords: Health Systems, Health Information Exchange (HIE), Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Hospital Readmissions, Hospitals
Anandaiah AM, Stevens JP, Sullivan AM
Implementation of a bundled consent process in the ICU: a single-center experience.
This study examined perceptions of internal medicine residents in the ICU of an urban academic medical center about using a bundled consent process with patients and their families. The bundled consent provides consent for all commonly performed procedures on a single form. It has been advocated as an efficient method, but there is little published literature about its use. Out of 164 internal residents surveyed, 102 completed the survey. The majority (78%) felt it scared or stressed families, and only 26% felt confident that they would obtain valid informed consent.
AHRQ-funded; HS024288.
Citation: Anandaiah AM, Stevens JP, Sullivan AM .
Implementation of a bundled consent process in the ICU: a single-center experience.
Crit Care Med 2019 Oct;47(10):1332-36. doi: 10.1097/ccm.0000000000003905..
Keywords: Implementation, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Hospitals, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication
Kelly LA, McHugh MD, Aiken LH
Nurse Outcomes in Magnet(R) and non-magnet hospitals.
The goal of this study was to determine whether work environments, staffing, and nurse outcomes differ between Magnet and non-Magnet hospitals. Results demonstrated superior nurse work environments in Magnet hospitals compared with non-Magnet hospitals, with better work environments being associated with lower nurse job dissatisfaction and burnout. Three decades of evidence showing superior outcomes for Magnet hospitals place this organizational innovation into a class all of its own as best practice, deserving the attention of hospital leaders, nurses, and the public.
AHRQ-funded; HS017551.
Citation: Kelly LA, McHugh MD, Aiken LH .
Nurse Outcomes in Magnet(R) and non-magnet hospitals.
J Nurs Adm 2019 Oct;49(10S Suppl):S19-s24. doi: 10.1097/nna.0000000000000801..
Keywords: Burnout, Hospitals, Provider, Provider: Nurse, Workforce
Schwarzkopf R, Behery OA, Yu H
Patterns and costs of 90-day readmission for surgical and medical complications following total hip and knee arthroplasty.
Unplanned readmissions following elective total hip (THA) and knee (TKA) arthroplasty as a result of surgical complications likely have different quality improvement targets and cost implications than those for nonsurgical readmissions. In this study, the investigators compared payments, timing, and location of unplanned readmissions with Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)-defined surgical complications to readmissions without such complications.
AHRQ-funded; HS022882.
Citation: Schwarzkopf R, Behery OA, Yu H .
Patterns and costs of 90-day readmission for surgical and medical complications following total hip and knee arthroplasty.
J Arthroplasty 2019 Oct;34(10):2304-07. doi: 10.1016/j.arth.2019.05.046..
Keywords: Orthopedics, Surgery, Hospital Readmissions, Adverse Events, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Medicare, Hospitals
Auger KA, Harris JM, Gay JC
Progress (?) toward reducing pediatric readmissions.
Investigators sought to determine if pediatric readmission rates have changed over time. Using data from the Inpatient Essentials Database, they found that both all-cause and potentially preventable readmission rates have remained unchanged over six years in spite of significant national efforts to reduce pediatric readmissions.
AHRQ-funded; HS024735.
Citation: Auger KA, Harris JM, Gay JC .
Progress (?) toward reducing pediatric readmissions.
J Hosp Med 2019 Oct;14(10):618-21. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3210..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Hospital Readmissions, Hospitals
Popescu I, Sood N, Joshi S
Trends in the use of skilled nursing facility and home health care under the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program: an interrupted time-series analysis.
Medicare's Hospital Readmission Reduction Program penalizes hospitals with elevated 30-day readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, or pneumonia. The authors investigated if, in order to reduce readmissions, hospitals may have increased referrals to skilled nursing facilities and home health care. They found that hospitals might be shifting to more intensive postacute care to avoid readmissions among seniors with pneumonia. At the same time, penalized hospitals' efforts to prevent readmissions may be keeping higher proportions of their patients in the community.
AHRQ-funded; HS024284; HS025394.
Citation: Popescu I, Sood N, Joshi S .
Trends in the use of skilled nursing facility and home health care under the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program: an interrupted time-series analysis.
Med Care 2019 Oct;57(10):757-65. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001184..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Nursing Homes, Chronic Conditions, Hospital Readmissions, Long-Term Care, Hospitals, Heart Disease and Health, Pneumonia, Cardiovascular Conditions
Alexander LT, Fuentes-Rivera E, Saavedra-Avendano B
Utilisation of second-trimester spontaneous and induced abortion services in public hospitals in Mexico, 2007-2015.
This study examined data on utilization of in-facility second-trimester abortion services in Mexico. Data from Mexico’s Automated Hospital Discharge System (SAEH) from 2007-2015 was used to identify second-trimester abortions in public hospitals across Mexico’s 32 states. A total 145,956 second-trimester abortion services or 13.4% of total documented hospitalizations for abortion were identified. The rate remained constant for women aged 15-44 years. Women living in poorer socioeconomic conditions or highly marginalized municipalities were most likely to have second-trimester abortions compared to women in higher socioeconomic conditions who were able to utilize services in their first trimester.
AHRQ-funded; HS025155; HS022981.
Citation: Alexander LT, Fuentes-Rivera E, Saavedra-Avendano B .
Utilisation of second-trimester spontaneous and induced abortion services in public hospitals in Mexico, 2007-2015.
BMJ Sex Reprod Health 2019 Oct;45(4):283-89. doi: 10.1136/bmjsrh-2018-200300..
Keywords: Pregnancy, Women, Healthcare Utilization, Hospitals, Healthcare Delivery
Jones KJ, Crowe J, Allen JA
The impact of post-fall huddles on repeat fall rates and perceptions of safety culture: a quasi-experimental evaluation of a patient safety demonstration project.
The purpose of this study was to determine associations between conducting post-fall huddles and repeat fall rates and between post-fall huddle participation and perceptions of teamwork and safety culture. The investigators concluded that post-fall huddles may reduce the risk of repeat falls. Staff who participate in post-fall huddles were likely to have positive perceptions of teamwork support for fall-risk reduction and safety culture because huddles are a team-based approach to reporting, adapting, and learning.
AHRQ-funded; HS024630; HS021429.
Citation: Jones KJ, Crowe J, Allen JA .
The impact of post-fall huddles on repeat fall rates and perceptions of safety culture: a quasi-experimental evaluation of a patient safety demonstration project.
BMC Health Serv Res 2019 Sep 9;19(1):650. doi: 10.1186/s12913-019-4453-y..
Keywords: TeamSTEPPS, Falls, Adverse Events, Surveys on Patient Safety Culture, Patient Safety, Hospitals, Teams
Montalbano A, Quinonez RA, Hall M
Achievable benchmarks of care for pediatric readmissions.
This study’s objective was to calculate mean readmission rates and the Achievable Benchmarks of Care (ABCs) for pediatric diagnoses by different hospital types: metropolitan teaching, metropolitan nonteaching, and nonmetropolitan hospitals. The authors used a cross-sectional retrospective study of 30-day, all-cause same-hospital readmission of patients less than 18 years of age using the 2014 HCUP National Readmission Database. They calculated mean readmission and corresponding ABCs for the 17 most common readmission diagnosis. They found that sickle cell disease (SCD), bipolar and major depressive disorders were the most common reasons for readmission.
AHRQ-funded; HS024554.
Citation: Montalbano A, Quinonez RA, Hall M .
Achievable benchmarks of care for pediatric readmissions.
J Hosp Med 2019 Sep;14(9):534-40. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3201..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Children/Adolescents, Hospital Readmissions, Hospitals, Quality of Care
Kim KL, LI L, Kuang M
Changes in hospital referral patterns to skilled nursing facilities under the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program.
The objective of this study was to investigate the association between changes in hospital referral patterns to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) penalty pressure. Results showed that HRRP did not prompt substantial changes in hospital referral patterns to SNFs, although readmissions for patients referred to SNFs differentially decreased more than for other patients, warranting investigation of other mechanisms underlying readmissions reduction.
AHRQ-funded; HS022882.
Citation: Kim KL, LI L, Kuang M .
Changes in hospital referral patterns to skilled nursing facilities under the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program.
Med Care 2019 Sep;57(9):695-701. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001169..
Keywords: Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Hospital Readmissions, Payment, Provider Performance
Timbie JW, Kranz AM, Mahmud A
Federally qualified health center strategies for integrating care with hospitals and their association with measures of communication.
Federally qualified health centers have aligned clinical services and systems with local hospitals, but little is known about the specific care integration strategies health centers use or their impact on care. In this study, a research team examined the use of strategies by health centers to integrate care with hospitals and emergency departments (EDs) and their association with performance on measures of health center-hospital communication.
AHRQ-funded; HS024067.
Citation: Timbie JW, Kranz AM, Mahmud A .
Federally qualified health center strategies for integrating care with hospitals and their association with measures of communication.
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2019 Sep;45(9):620-28. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2019.06.004..
Keywords: Patient-Centered Healthcare, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Hospitals, Communication, Emergency Department, Care Coordination, Healthcare Delivery
Law AC, Stevens JP, Walkey AJ
Hospital variation in gastrostomy tube use among the critically ill.
This article describes an analysis of hospital variation in gastrostomy tube use among critically ill patients in hospitals. The investigators used the AHRQ National Inpatient Sample Database from 2014. They identified hospitalized patients using ICD-9, Clinical Modification codes consistent with critical illness who received gastrostomy tubes. Overall, the median rate was 2.0 per 100 critically ill patients with no variation between hospital size.
AHRQ-funded; HS024288.
Citation: Law AC, Stevens JP, Walkey AJ .
Hospital variation in gastrostomy tube use among the critically ill.
Ann Am Thorac Soc 2019 Sep;16(9):1201-03. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201903-250RL..
Keywords: Surgery, Critical Care, Practice Patterns, Hospitals
Shorr RI, Staggs VS, Waters TM
Impact of the hospital-acquired conditions initiative on falls and physical restraints: a longitudinal study.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented the Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HACs) Initiative in October 2008; the CMS no longer reimbursed hospitals for fall injury. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of the 2008 HACs Initiative on the rates of falls, injurious falls, and physical restraint use. The investigators concluded that since the HACs Initiative, there was at best a modest decline in the rates of falls and injurious falls observed primarily in larger, major teaching hospitals. An increase in restraint use was not observed.
AHRQ-funded; HS020627.
Citation: Shorr RI, Staggs VS, Waters TM .
Impact of the hospital-acquired conditions initiative on falls and physical restraints: a longitudinal study.
J Hosp Med 2019 Sep 6;14:E31-E36. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3295..
Keywords: Falls, Adverse Events, Hospitals, Payment, Policy, Elderly
Campbell Britton M, Hodshon B, Chaudhry SI
Implementing a warm handoff between hospital and skilled nursing facility clinicians.
This study focused on increasing better communication during transfers from hospitals and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Warm handoffs between hospital and SNF physicians was implemented. Participation in warm handoffs gradually increased – starting at 15.78% in stage 1 and increasing to 46.89% in stage 3. A total of 2417 patient discharges were included in this study.
AHRQ-funded; HS023554.
Citation: Campbell Britton M, Hodshon B, Chaudhry SI .
Implementing a warm handoff between hospital and skilled nursing facility clinicians.
J Patient Saf 2019 Sep;15(3):198-204. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000529..
Keywords: Communication, Patient Safety, Hospital Discharge, Transitions of Care, Care Coordination, Hospitals, Nursing Homes
Chopra V, Kaatz S, Swaminathan L
Variation in use and outcomes related to midline catheters: results from a multicentre pilot study.
This study examined complication rates from placement of midline vascular catheters. They have become more common in use recently. Complications were analyzed using medical records from hospitalized patients in 12 hospitals from January 2017 to February 2018. Most midline catheters were placed in general ward settings for difficult intravenous access. About half were removed within 5 days of insertion. Major or minor complications occurred in 10.3% of midlines with minor complications accounting for 71% of all adverse events. These minor complications included dislodgement, leaking, and infiltration. Major complications included occlusion, upper-extremity DVT and BSI. Use of midlines and outcomes varied widely across hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS025891.
Citation: Chopra V, Kaatz S, Swaminathan L .
Variation in use and outcomes related to midline catheters: results from a multicentre pilot study.
BMJ Qual Saf 2019 Sep;28(9):714-20. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2018-008554..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Infectious Diseases, Adverse Events, Practice Patterns, Outcomes, Hospitals
Anderson DJ, Watson S, Moehring RW
Feasibility of core antimicrobial stewardship interventions in community hospitals.
The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and results of implementing 2 core stewardship intervention strategies in community hospitals. The two antimicrobial stewardship strategies targeted vancomycin hydrochloride, piperacillin-tazobactam, and the antipseudomonal carbapenems on formulary at the study hospitals: (1) modified preauthorization (PA), in which the prescriber had to receive pharmacist approval for continued use of the antibiotic after the first dose, and (2) postprescription audit and review (PPR), in which the pharmacist would engage the prescriber about antibiotic appropriateness after 72 hours of therapy.
AHRQ-funded; HS023866.
Citation: Anderson DJ, Watson S, Moehring RW .
Feasibility of core antimicrobial stewardship interventions in community hospitals.
The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and results of implementing 2 core stewardship intervention strategies in community hospitals. The two antimicrobial stewardship strategies targeted vancomycin hydrochloride, piperacillin-tazobactam, and the antipseudomonal carbapenems on formulary at the study hospitals: (1) modified preauthorization (PA), in which the prescriber had to receive pharmacist approval for continued use of the antibiotic after the first dose, and (2) postprescription audit and review (PPR), in which the pharmacist would engage the prescriber about antibiotic appropriateness after 72 hours of therapy..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospitals, Infectious Diseases, Medication, Patient Safety
Zachrison KS, Dhand A, Schwamm LH
A network approach to stroke systems of care.
This study provided a network analysis of stroke systems of care. Stroke patients are increasing transferred between hospitals to receive higher levels of care, but coordination and triage of these patients remains a challenge. The network analysis provides an understanding of the central hubs, the change of network structure over time, and the dissemination of innovations.
AHRQ-funded; HS024561.
Citation: Zachrison KS, Dhand A, Schwamm LH .
A network approach to stroke systems of care.
Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2019 Aug;12(8):e005526. doi: 10.1161/circoutcomes.119.005526..
Keywords: Stroke, Care Coordination, Transitions of Care, Care Management, Cardiovascular Conditions, Hospitals
Odell DD, Quinn CM, Matulewicz RS
Association between hospital safety culture and surgical outcomes in a statewide surgical quality improvement collaborative.
The "safety culture" within hospital systems is increasingly recognized as important to delivery of high-quality care. In this study, the investigators examined the safety culture in a statewide hospital quality improvement collaborative and its associations with surgical outcomes. The authors found, among other results that operating room safety culture scores were highest (97.7% positive) compared with the other domains, and ratings of hospital management were lowest (75.9% positive).
AHRQ-funded; HS024516.
Citation: Odell DD, Quinn CM, Matulewicz RS .
Association between hospital safety culture and surgical outcomes in a statewide surgical quality improvement collaborative.
J Am Coll Surg 2019 Aug;229(2):175-83. doi: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2019.02.046..
Keywords: Hospitals, Patient Safety, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement, Outcomes, Surgery, Surveys on Patient Safety Culture