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
Topics
- Adverse Events (1)
- Antibiotics (1)
- Antimicrobial Stewardship (1)
- Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) (1)
- Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI) (1)
- (-) Clostridium difficile Infections (10)
- Community-Acquired Infections (1)
- Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) (8)
- (-) Hospitals (10)
- Infectious Diseases (3)
- Inpatient Care (1)
- Medication (1)
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (3)
- Patient Safety (5)
- Prevention (3)
- Public Health (1)
- Quality Improvement (1)
- Quality of Care (1)
- Risk (1)
- Sepsis (1)
- Shared Decision Making (1)
- Surgery (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 10 of 10 Research Studies DisplayedPage B, Klompas M, Chan C
Surveillance for healthcare-associated infections: hospital-onset adult sepsis events versus current reportable conditions.
US hospitals are required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to publicly report central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), Clostridioidesdiffficile, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, and selected surgical site infections for benchmarking and pay-for-performance programs. In this study the investigators retrospectively assessed the overlap between HO-ASEs and reportable HAIs among adults hospitalized between June 2015-June 2018 in 3 hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS025008.
Citation: Page B, Klompas M, Chan C .
Surveillance for healthcare-associated infections: hospital-onset adult sepsis events versus current reportable conditions.
Clin Infect Dis 2021 Sep 15;73(6):1013-19. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab217..
Keywords: Sepsis, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospitals, Clostridium difficile Infections, Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI), Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI)
Cabral SM, Goodman KE, Blanco N
Comorbidity and severity-of-illness risk adjustment for hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infection using data from the electronic medical record.
This study’s objective was to determine whether electronically available comorbidities and laboratory values on admission are risk factors for hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infection (HO-CDI) across multiple institutions and whether they could be used to improve risk adjustment. Adult patients admitted to 3 hospitals in Maryland from 2016 to 2018 were included. Patients with comorbid conditions were assigned using the Elixhauser comorbidity index. Standardized infection rates (SIRs) were computed using current CDC risk adjustment methodology and included the addition of Elixhauser score and individual comorbidities. Hospital 1 had 314 (0.65%) of patients with a HO-CDI, Hospital 2 had 41 (0.47%) with a HO-CDI, and Hospital 3 had 75 (0.26%) with a HO-CDI. Elixhauser score in multivariable regression was a significant risk factor for HO-CDI at all hospitals when controlling for age, antibiotic user, and antacid use. Abnormal leukocyte level at hospital admission was a significant risk factor at hospitals 1 and 2. Including the Elixhauser score in the risk adjustment model was statistically significant.
AHRQ-funded; HS022291.
Citation: Cabral SM, Goodman KE, Blanco N .
Comorbidity and severity-of-illness risk adjustment for hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infection using data from the electronic medical record.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2021 Aug;42(8):955-61. doi: 10.1017/ice.2020.1344..
Keywords: Clostridium difficile Infections, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospitals, Risk
Tamma PD, Miller MA, Dullabh P
AHRQ Author: Miller MA
Association of a safety program for improving antibiotic use with antibiotic use and hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infection rates among US hospitals.
Regulatory agencies and professional organizations recommend antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs) in US hospitals. The optimal approach to establish robust, sustainable ASPs across diverse hospitals is unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess whether the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Safety Program for Improving Antibiotic Use was associated with reductions in antibiotic use across US hospitals. The investigators concluded that AHRQ Safety Program appeared to enable diverse hospitals to establish ASPs and teach frontline clinicians to self-steward their antibiotic use.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 233201500020I.
Citation: Tamma PD, Miller MA, Dullabh P .
Association of a safety program for improving antibiotic use with antibiotic use and hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infection rates among US hospitals.
JAMA Netw Open 2021 Feb;4(2):e210235. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.0235..
Keywords: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Medication, Shared Decision Making, Clostridium difficile Infections, Patient Safety, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Hospitals
Ilies I, Benneyan JC, Jabur TBC
Impact of molecular testing on reported Clostridoides difficile infection rates.
This study examined the impact of changing from the enzyme immunoassay (EIA) method to nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) to detect incidence of Cloistridoides difficile infection (CDI) in hospitals. The authors analyzed retrospective data from 2009-2017 from 47 hospitals in the southeastern United States. During that time period 37 hospitals switched to NAAT, including 24 with good pre- and post-switch data for statistical analysis. The incidence of CDI detection did go up in hospitals that had transitioned from 10.9 to 23.9 per 10,000 patient days, an average increase of 75%.
AHRQ-funded; HS023821.
Citation: Ilies I, Benneyan JC, Jabur TBC .
Impact of molecular testing on reported Clostridoides difficile infection rates.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2020 Mar;41(3):306-12. doi: 10.1017/ice.2019.327..
Keywords: Clostridium difficile Infections, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Patient Safety, Hospitals
McHaney-Lindstrom M, Hebert C, Miller H
Network analysis of intra-hospital transfers and hospital onset Clostridium difficile infection.
This paper explores how social network analysis (SNA) software can be used to analyze intra-hospital networks of individuals with a healthcare associated infection (HAI) for further analysis in a GIS environment. The SNA analysis compared cases to controls which highlighted significant differences in the overall structure of the networks.
AHRQ-funded; HS024379.
Citation: McHaney-Lindstrom M, Hebert C, Miller H .
Network analysis of intra-hospital transfers and hospital onset Clostridium difficile infection.
Health Info Libr J 2020 Mar;37(1):26-34. doi: 10.1111/hir.12274..
Keywords: Clostridium difficile Infections, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Infectious Diseases, Hospitals, Public Health
Turner NA, Grambow SC, Woods CW
Epidemiologic trends in Clostridioides difficile infections in a regional community hospital network.
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) remains a leading cause of health care facility-associated infection. A greater understanding of the regional epidemiologic profile of CDI could inform targeted prevention strategies. The objectives of this study was to assess trends in incidence of health care facility-associated and community-acquired CDI among hospitalized patients over time and to conduct a subanalysis of trends in the NAP1 strain of CDI over time.
AHRQ-funded; HS023866.
Citation: Turner NA, Grambow SC, Woods CW .
Epidemiologic trends in Clostridioides difficile infections in a regional community hospital network.
JAMA Netw Open 2019 Oct 2;2(10):e1914149. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.14149..
Keywords: Clostridium difficile Infections, Community-Acquired Infections, Infectious Diseases, Hospitals
Anderson DJ, Moehring RW, Weber DJ
Effectiveness of targeted enhanced terminal room disinfection on hospital-wide acquisition and infection with multidrug-resistant organisms and Clostridium difficile: a secondary analysis of a multicentre cluster randomised controlled trial with crossover
In this study, the investigators aimed to assess the effectiveness of four disinfection strategies on hospital-wide incidence of multidrug-resistant organisms and Clostridium difficile in the Benefits of Enhanced Terminal Room (BETR) Disinfection study. The investigators found that enhanced terminal room disinfection with ultraviolet (UV) in a targeted subset of high-risk rooms led to a decrease in hospital-wide incidence of C difficile and vancomycin-resistant enterococci.
AHRQ-funded; HS023866.
Citation: Anderson DJ, Moehring RW, Weber DJ .
Effectiveness of targeted enhanced terminal room disinfection on hospital-wide acquisition and infection with multidrug-resistant organisms and Clostridium difficile: a secondary analysis of a multicentre cluster randomised controlled trial with crossover
Lancet Infect Dis 2018 Aug;18(8):845-53. doi: 10.1016/s1473-3099(18)30278-0..
Keywords: Clostridium difficile Infections, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospitals, Infectious Diseases, Inpatient Care, Patient Safety, Prevention
Deshpande A, Cadnum JL, Fertelli D
Are hospital floors an underappreciated reservoir for transmission of health care-associated pathogens?
In a survey of 5 hospitals, the researchers found that floors in patient rooms were frequently contaminated with pathogens and high-touch objects such as blood pressure cuffs and call buttons were often in contact with the floor. Contact with objects on floors frequently resulted in transfer of pathogens to hands.
AHRQ-funded; HS020004.
Citation: Deshpande A, Cadnum JL, Fertelli D .
Are hospital floors an underappreciated reservoir for transmission of health care-associated pathogens?
Am J Infect Control 2017 Mar;45(3):336-38. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2016.11.005.
.
.
Keywords: Hospitals, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Clostridium difficile Infections, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Prevention, Patient Safety
Anderson DJ, Chen LF, Weber DJ
Enhanced terminal room disinfection and acquisition and infection caused by multidrug-resistant organisms and Clostridium difficile (the Benefits of Enhanced Terminal Room Disinfection study): a cluster-randomised, multicentre, crossover study.
The researchers determined the effects of three enhanced strategies for terminal room disinfection (disinfection of a room between occupying patients) on acquisition and infection due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, C difficile, and multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter. They found that the incidence of target organisms among exposed patients was significantly lower after adding UV (quaternary ammonium disinfectant and disinfecting ultraviolet [UV-C]) light to standard cleaning strategies.
AHRQ-funded; HS023866.
Citation: Anderson DJ, Chen LF, Weber DJ .
Enhanced terminal room disinfection and acquisition and infection caused by multidrug-resistant organisms and Clostridium difficile (the Benefits of Enhanced Terminal Room Disinfection study): a cluster-randomised, multicentre, crossover study.
Lancet 2017 Feb 25;389(10071):805-14. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(16)31588-4.
.
.
Keywords: Clostridium difficile Infections, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospitals, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Prevention, Patient Safety
Abdelsattar ZM, Krapohl G, Alrahmani L
Postoperative burden of hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile infection.
The researchers studied clostridium dificile infection (CDI) across diverse surgical settings. They found that incidence of postoperative CDI varied by surgical procedure and was associated with higher rates of extended length of stay, emergency room presentations, and readmissions, placing a potentially preventable burden on hospital resources.
AHRQ-funded; HS000053.
Citation: Abdelsattar ZM, Krapohl G, Alrahmani L .
Postoperative burden of hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile infection.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2015 Jan;36(1):40-6. doi: 10.1017/ice.2014.8.
.
.
Keywords: Surgery, Clostridium difficile Infections, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Adverse Events, Hospitals