National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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Search All Research Studies
Topics
- Adverse Events (1)
- Care Coordination (1)
- Children/Adolescents (1)
- Chronic Conditions (1)
- Communication (2)
- Emergency Department (2)
- (-) Healthcare Delivery (6)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (1)
- Hospital Discharge (2)
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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 6 of 6 Research Studies DisplayedZhu W, Patterson BW, Smith M
A Markov chain model for transient analysis of handoff process in emergency departments.
Transfer of care between multiple units or facilities is of significant importance for patient safety, care quality, and operation efficiency. Such transfers are often referred to as handoffs in hospitals, which need to be carried out timely, safely, and smoothly with accurate information. This paper introduced a Markov chain model to study the transients of handoff process in hospital emergency departments.
AHRQ-funded; HS026624.
Citation: Zhu W, Patterson BW, Smith M .
A Markov chain model for transient analysis of handoff process in emergency departments.
IEEE Robot Autom Lett 2020 Jul;5(3):4360-67. doi: 10.1109/lra.2020.2996066..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Hospitals, Transitions of Care, Healthcare Delivery, Patient Safety
Hoonakker PLT, Wooldridge AR, Hose BZ
Information flow during pediatric trauma care transitions: things falling through the cracks.
In order to investigate information flow during pediatric trauma care transitions, researchers interviewed 18 clinicians about communication and coordination between the emergency department, operating room, and pediatric intensive care unit, then surveyed the clinicians about patient safety during these transitions. They found that, despite the fact that the many services and units involved in pediatric trauma cooperate well together during trauma cases, important patient care information is often lost when transitioning patients between units. To manage the transition of this fragile and complex population better, they recommend finding ways to manage the information flow during these transitions better by, for instance, providing technological support to ensure shared mental models.
AHRQ-funded; HS023837.
Citation: Hoonakker PLT, Wooldridge AR, Hose BZ .
Information flow during pediatric trauma care transitions: things falling through the cracks.
Intern Emerg Med 2019 Aug;14(5):797-805. doi: 10.1007/s11739-019-02110-7..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Communication, Emergency Department, Healthcare Delivery, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Patient Safety, Provider, Provider: Clinician, Surgery, Transitions of Care, Trauma
Wyatt DL
AHRQ Author: Wyatt DL
Employing technology to make care transitions safer.
This commentary discusses the potential for errors in patient handoffs; important information about medications and instructions regarding patient care may be overlooked when the patient is referred to special care, moved to a new hospital setting, or discharged. The problem is especially acute for patients with multiple chronic conditions who often undergo frequent transitions to new care settings and healthcare providers. The author describes AHRQ’s funding opportunities for health information technology interventions that aim to improve communication and coordination during care transitions, such as location-based smartphone alerts, a patient-centered discharge toolkit, and a ‘smart pillbox’ electronic medication adherence reporting project.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Wyatt DL .
Employing technology to make care transitions safer.
J Nurs Care Qual 2019 Jul/Sep;34(3):185-88. doi: 10.1097/ncq.0000000000000417..
Keywords: Adverse Events, Care Coordination, Chronic Conditions, Communication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Healthcare Delivery, Hospital Discharge, Medical Errors, Medication, Patient Safety, Transitions of Care
Mueller SK, Schnipper JL
Physician perspectives on interhospital transfers.
This study examined physician perspectives of the common problems that occur during acute care hospital interhospital transfers. The process tends to be nonstandardized which creates a number of issues. These issues include: patients sometimes, frequently, or always arriving without required specialized care (56% of the time), arriving with unrealistic expectations of care (77.2% of responses), arrived more than 24 hours after accepted transfer in 80.1% of responses, and arrived without necessary transfer records 86.9% of the time. The last issue and also time of day of arrival many physicians felt posed a risk to the transferred patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS023331.
Citation: Mueller SK, Schnipper JL .
Physician perspectives on interhospital transfers.
J Patient Saf 2019 Jun;15(2):86-89. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000312..
Keywords: Healthcare Delivery, Hospitals, Patient Safety, Provider, Provider: Physician, Transitions of Care
Mueller SK, Zheng J, Orav J
Interhospital transfer and receipt of specialty procedures.
This study examines the practice of transferring patients between acute care hospitals, and whether the patient actually receives the specialty services at the new hospital which is the reason for the transfer. A retrospective analysis used 2013 100% Master Beneficiary Summary and Inpatient claims files from the CMS. The cohort were aged 65 and above, continuously enrolled in Medicare A and B, with an acute care hospitalization claim, and transferred to another acute hospital with a primary diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, gastrointestinal bleed, renal failure, or hip fracture/dislocation. Of the 19,613 included beneficiaries, between 32.4% and 89.1% did not receive any associated specialty procedure at the receiving hospital.
AHRQ-funded; HS023331.
Citation: Mueller SK, Zheng J, Orav J .
Interhospital transfer and receipt of specialty procedures.
J Hosp Med 2018 Jun;13(6):383-87. doi: 10.12788/jhm.2875..
Keywords: Transitions of Care, Patient Safety, Surgery, Healthcare Delivery
Werner NE, Gurses AP, Leff B
Improving care transitions across healthcare settings through a human factors approach.
This article describes how a systems' approach known as Human Factors and Ergonomics can complement and further strengthen efforts to improve care transitions.
AHRQ-funded; HS022916.
Citation: Werner NE, Gurses AP, Leff B .
Improving care transitions across healthcare settings through a human factors approach.
J Healthc Qual 2016 Nov/Dec;38(6):328-43. doi: 10.1097/jhq.0000000000000025.
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Keywords: Healthcare Delivery, Provider, Hospital Discharge, Patient Safety, Transitions of Care