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 Drug Events (ADE) (11)
- Adverse Events (13)
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (3)
- Antibiotics (1)
- Anxiety (2)
- Autism (1)
- Behavioral Health (10)
- Brain Injury (11)
- Cardiovascular Conditions (12)
- Caregiving (16)
- Care Management (6)
- Case Study (5)
- Children/Adolescents (36)
- Chronic Conditions (15)
- Clinical Decision Support (CDS) (3)
- Clinician-Patient Communication (1)
- Communication (1)
- Comparative Effectiveness (3)
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine (3)
- COVID-19 (2)
- Critical Care (8)
- Cultural Competence (1)
- Data (1)
- Dementia (59)
- Dental and Oral Health (1)
- Depression (3)
- Diabetes (3)
- Diagnostic Safety and Quality (22)
- Digestive Disease and Health (1)
- Disabilities (2)
- Education: Continuing Medical Education (1)
- Education: Patient and Caregiver (3)
- Elderly (45)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (8)
- Emergency Department (5)
- Evidence-Based Practice (19)
- Falls (3)
- Family Health and History (2)
- Genetics (5)
- Guidelines (12)
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) (4)
- Healthcare Costs (12)
- Healthcare Delivery (5)
- Healthcare Utilization (8)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (20)
- Health Insurance (3)
- Health Literacy (2)
- Health Promotion (1)
- Health Services Research (HSR) (1)
- Health Status (1)
- Heart Disease and Health (3)
- Home Healthcare (2)
- Hospital Discharge (1)
- Hospitalization (9)
- Hospital Readmissions (7)
- Hospitals (7)
- Imaging (6)
- Implementation (1)
- Infectious Diseases (2)
- Injuries and Wounds (5)
- Inpatient Care (4)
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (9)
- Long-Term Care (10)
- Low-Income (2)
- Medicaid (1)
- Medicare (5)
- Medication (31)
- Medication: Safety (5)
- Mortality (8)
- (-) Neurological Disorders (197)
- Newborns/Infants (5)
- Nursing Homes (10)
- Nutrition (2)
- Opioids (1)
- Outcomes (20)
- Pain (4)
- Palliative Care (5)
- Patient-Centered Healthcare (4)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (25)
- Patient Adherence/Compliance (3)
- Patient and Family Engagement (5)
- Patient Experience (4)
- Patient Safety (10)
- Patient Self-Management (2)
- Pneumonia (3)
- Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN) (1)
- Practice Patterns (1)
- Pregnancy (1)
- Prevention (10)
- Primary Care (2)
- Provider (2)
- Provider: Clinician (1)
- Provider: Physician (2)
- Quality Improvement (6)
- Quality Indicators (QIs) (2)
- Quality Measures (2)
- Quality of Care (10)
- Quality of Life (11)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (6)
- Rehabilitation (4)
- Research Methodologies (2)
- Respiratory Conditions (4)
- Risk (17)
- Screening (8)
- Shared Decision Making (9)
- Sickle Cell Disease (2)
- Skin Conditions (1)
- Sleep Problems (5)
- Social Determinants of Health (2)
- Stress (3)
- Stroke (5)
- Surgery (16)
- Telehealth (6)
- Tools & Toolkits (3)
- Trauma (6)
- Treatments (5)
- U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) (3)
- Workflow (1)
- Young Adults (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 25 of 197 Research Studies DisplayedChase BA, Semenov I, Rubin S
Characteristics associated with response to subcutaneously administered anti-CGRP monoclonal antibody medications in a real-world community cohort of persons living with migraine: a retrospective clinical and genetic study.
This study’s objective was to evaluate response to anti-calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) migraine preventives in a real-world community cohort of persons living with migraine and to identify clinical and genetic characteristics associated with efficacious response. The authors looked at users of erenumab-aooeb, fremanezumab-vrfm, and galcanezumab-gnl and their reasons for stopping or starting these medications. No difference was seen at either first or second follow-ups between galcanezumab and fremanezumab or fremanezumab and erenumab. There was a decrease in MDM at follow-up that was generally proportional to baseline MDM, larger in females, and increased with months on medication, with the reasons for switching or stopping a preventive varying between medications and was often related to cost or insurance coverage. At both follow-ups, patient tolerance and continued use were high and similar across preventives.
AHRQ-funded; HS024057.
Citation: Chase BA, Semenov I, Rubin S .
Characteristics associated with response to subcutaneously administered anti-CGRP monoclonal antibody medications in a real-world community cohort of persons living with migraine: a retrospective clinical and genetic study.
Headache 2024 Jan; 64(1):68-92. doi: 10.1111/head.14655.AHRQ-funded; HS024057..
Keywords: Neurological Disorders, Medication
Shapiro HFJ, Loder E, Shapiro DJ
Association between clinician specialty and prescription of preventive medication for young adults with migraine: a retrospective cohort study.
The purpose of this multicenter retrospective cohort study was to compare prescribing patterns of preventive medications between pediatric and adult neurologists for young adults with migraine. The primary study outcome was whether the patient received a prescription for any preventive medication during the study period. Among the 767 included patients, 37.8% were seen by a pediatric neurologist. Preventive medications were prescribed for 45.2% of patients seen by a pediatric neurologist and 43.2% of patients seen by an adult neurologist. In the mixed effects logistic regression model, clinician specialty was not related with preventive medication use Female sex and number of visits during the study period were related with receiving preventive medication. The study concluded that proportion of young adults being prescribed migraine medications did not differ according to clinician specialty.
AHRQ-funded; HS000063.
Citation: Shapiro HFJ, Loder E, Shapiro DJ .
Association between clinician specialty and prescription of preventive medication for young adults with migraine: a retrospective cohort study.
Headache 2023 Oct; 63(9):1232-39. doi: 10.1111/head.14628..
Keywords: Young Adults, Medication, Pain, Neurological Disorders
Ramirez M, Duran MC, Penfold RB
STAR-Caregivers Virtual Training and Follow-up: a cultural adaptation for Latino caregivers of people with dementia.
This paper describes what is needed to adapt the STAR-Caregivers Virtual Training and Follow-up (STAR-VTF), an evidence-based intervention that teaches family caregivers how to manage behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia to Latino caregivers. This qualitative research study interviewed Spanish- and English-speaking caregivers of people with dementia who self-identify as Hispanic/Latino (N = 30) and healthcare and social service providers of older Latino clients and/or Latino family caregivers (N = 14). The authors identified three themes: (i) there was a need to increase awareness about dementia and decrease stigma; (ii) semantics mattered as certain words and phrases could be stigmatizing, offensive, or culturally inappropriate; and (iii) there was a need to incorporate into program materials the traditional family structure and nature of caregiving in Latino families. Based on findings, STAR-VTF was adapted to expand content to improve understanding of dementia, language was revised that was viewed as problematic, and cultural examples were added to reflect the range of family involvement in caring for people living with dementia and multigenerational living.
AHRQ-funded; HS026369.
Citation: Ramirez M, Duran MC, Penfold RB .
STAR-Caregivers Virtual Training and Follow-up: a cultural adaptation for Latino caregivers of people with dementia.
Transl Behav Med 2023 Sep 12; 13(9):625-34. doi: 10.1093/tbm/ibad028..
Keywords: Education: Patient and Caregiver, Cultural Competence, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Dementia, Neurological Disorders
Ramirez M, De Anda S, Jin H
Health information-seeking behavior of Latino caregivers of people living with dementia: a mixed-methods study.
This study examined the health information-seeking behavior of Latino caregivers of people living with dementia. This mixed-methods study used a structured survey and semi-structured interviews with 21 Latino caregivers in Los Angeles, California. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with six healthcare and social service providers. The results showed that caregivers sought information on what changes to expect as dementia progresses to be better prepared. The most common action they used was to search the Internet. However, those who did were concerned about the quality of information.
AHRQ-funded; HS00046,HS026369.
Citation: Ramirez M, De Anda S, Jin H .
Health information-seeking behavior of Latino caregivers of people living with dementia: a mixed-methods study.
J Appl Gerontol 2023 Aug; 42(8):1738-48. doi: 10.1177/07334648231163430..
Keywords: Caregiving, Dementia, Neurological Disorders, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Hua Y, Temkin-Greener H, Cai S
Primary care telemedicine use among assisted living residents with dementia during COVID-19: race and dual enrollment status.
The purpose of this study was to explore primary care telemedicine use among Medicare beneficiaries with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) who resided in Assisted Living Facilities (Als) during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on possible racial and socioeconomic differences. The study found that at the start of the pandemic in quarter 2 of 2020, Black residents were less likely to have telemedicine visits than their White counterparts. In the following two quarters, Black residents were more likely to receive primary care via telemedicine than White residents; a similar difference was observed between Hispanic and White residents, but with smaller effect sizes. Compared with nondual residents, dual residents were more likely to receive primary care via telemedicine in Q3. In addition, residents in AL communities with a higher proportion of dual residents, compared with those in low-dual ALs, were less likely to receive primary care via telemedicine throughout the study period. However, the difference in telemedicine use between higher vs lower dual ALs narrowed over time.
AHRQ-funded; HS026893.
Citation: Hua Y, Temkin-Greener H, Cai S .
Primary care telemedicine use among assisted living residents with dementia during COVID-19: race and dual enrollment status.
J Am Med Dir Assoc 2023 Aug; 24(8):1157-58.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2023.05.005..
Keywords: COVID-19, Primary Care, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Nursing Homes, Long-Term Care, Dementia, Neurological Disorders, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Elderly
Wissel BD, Greiner HM, Glauser TA
Automated, machine learning-based alerts increase epilepsy surgery referrals: a randomized controlled trial.
Researchers conducted a prospective, randomized controlled trial of a natural language processing-based clinical decision support system in the electronic health record at 14 pediatric neurology outpatient clinics to determine whether automated, electronic alerts increased referrals for epilepsy surgery. Children with epilepsy and at least two prior neurology visits were screened by the system prior to their scheduled visit to identify potential surgical candidates, and the potential candidates randomized 2:1 for their providers to receive an alert or standard of care (no alert). The results showed that patients whose providers received an alert were more likely to be referred for a presurgical evaluation. The researchers concluded that machine learning-based automated alerts may improve the utilization of referrals for epilepsy surgery evaluations.
AHRQ-funded; HS024977.
Citation: Wissel BD, Greiner HM, Glauser TA .
Automated, machine learning-based alerts increase epilepsy surgery referrals: a randomized controlled trial.
Epilepsia 2023 Jul; 64(7):1791-99. doi: 10.1111/epi.17629..
Keywords: Neurological Disorders, Surgery, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Sideman AB, Gilissen J, Harrison KL
Caregiver experiences navigating the diagnostic journey in a rapidly progressing dementia.
This mixed-methods study examined the diagnostic journey experience from the perspective of caregivers of people who died from sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (sCJD). Qualitative data were drawn from interviews with former caregivers of 12 people who had died from sCJD. Four overarching themes were identified, as well as 4 phases along the diagnostic journey. Findings suggested that more work was needed to improve clinician diagnostic knowledge and communication practices. The authors also noted that caregivers need better support during the diagnostic journey and concluded that lessons learned from studying sCJD and other rapidly progressive dementias is likely to be applicable to more common dementias.
AHRQ-funded; HS022241.
Citation: Sideman AB, Gilissen J, Harrison KL .
Caregiver experiences navigating the diagnostic journey in a rapidly progressing dementia.
J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2023 Jul; 36(4):282-94. doi: 10.1177/08919887221135552..
Keywords: Caregiving, Dementia, Neurological Disorders
Couch E, Ashford MT, Zhang W
Psychosocial and behavioral outcomes for persons with cognitive impairment and caregivers following amyloid-β PET scan disclosure: a systematic review.
This systematic review investigated the psychosocial and behavioral outcomes for persons with cognitive impairment and caregivers following amyloid-β pet scan disclosure. The authors identified 10 papers from 7 studies. While there was little evidence of an association between disclosure and depression, persons with mild cognitive impairment and their caregivers with elevated levels of amyloid had an increased risk of distress or anxiety compared with those without elevated amyloid. They did not identify any studies measuring behavioral outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS000011.
Citation: Couch E, Ashford MT, Zhang W .
Psychosocial and behavioral outcomes for persons with cognitive impairment and caregivers following amyloid-β PET scan disclosure: a systematic review.
Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord 2023 Jul-Sep; 37(3):246-58. doi: 10.1097/wad.0000000000000569..
Keywords: Neurological Disorders, Imaging
Earla JR, Li J, Hutton GJ
Comparative adherence trajectories of oral disease-modifying agents in multiple sclerosis.
This study’s objective was to compare the adherence trajectories of fingolimod (FIN), teriflunomide (TER), and dimethyl fumarate (DMF) users with multiple sclerosis (MS) as there is limited evidence regarding the comparative adherence patterns of different oral disease-modifying agents (DMAs). The authors used data from the IBM MarketScan Commercial Claims Database from 2015 to 2019. The study cohort included adults (≥18 years) with MS (International Classification of Diseases [ICD]-9/10-Clinical Modification [CM]:340/G35) diagnosis and ≥1 DMA prescription. 1913 patients with MS who were initiated with FIN (24.2%, n = 462), TER (24.0%, n = 458), and DMF (51.9%, n = 993) during 2016-2018 were included. The adherence rate among FIN, TER, and DMF users was found to be 70.8% (n = 327), 59.6% (n = 273), and 61.0% (n = 606), respectively. The Group-Based Trajectory Modeling (GBTM) grouped patients into three adherence trajectories: Complete Adherers-59.1%, Slow Decliners-22.6%, and Rapid Discontinuers-18.3%. DMF and TER users had higher odds to be rapid discontinuers than FIN users. In addition, TER users were more likely to be slow decliners compared with FIN users.
AHRQ-funded; HS028502.
Citation: Earla JR, Li J, Hutton GJ .
Comparative adherence trajectories of oral disease-modifying agents in multiple sclerosis.
Pharmacotherapy 2023 Jun; 43(6):473-84. doi: 10.1002/phar.2810..
Keywords: Medication, Patient Adherence/Compliance, Neurological Disorders
Growdon ME, Gan S, Yaffe K
New psychotropic medication use among Medicare beneficiaries with dementia after hospital discharge.
Hospital stays often trigger behavioral shifts in people with dementia (PWD), potentially leading to the prescription of psychotropic drugs despite their limited effectiveness and potential for harmful side-effects. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the prevalence of new psychotropic drug prescriptions in PWD living in the community after their discharge from the hospital, and within these new users, the percentage who continued their use for an extended duration. The researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study, utilizing a random selection of Medicare claims from 2017. The study included PWD hospital patients who were 68 years or older and covered by traditional and Part D Medicare. The primary outcome was the event of prescribing at the time of discharge psychotropic drugs including antipsychotics, sedative-hypnotics, antiepileptics, and antidepressants. The initiation was characterized as new prescriptions (from classes not utilized in the 180 days preceding admission) filled within a week of discharge from the hospital or skilled nursing facility. Extended use was defined as the percentage of new users who continued to refill the newly prescribed medications for more than 90 days post-discharge. The study population consisted of 117,022 hospitalized PWD with an average age of 81 years, with 63% being female. The study found that prior to admission, 63% were already using at least one psychotropic drug; 10% were using drugs from three or more psychotropic classes. These classes included antidepressants (44% pre-admission), antiepileptics (29%), sedative-hypnotics (21%), and antipsychotics (11%). The percentage of PWD discharged with new psychotropic prescriptions ranged from 1.9% (antipsychotics) to 2.9% (antiepileptics); 6.6% had at least one new class initiated. Among these new users, prolonged use varied from 36% (sedative-hypnotics) to 63% (antidepressants); across drug classes, prolonged use was observed in 51%. Factors associated with the initiation of new psychotropics included duration of hospital stay and delirium.
AHRQ-funded; HS026383.
Citation: Growdon ME, Gan S, Yaffe K .
New psychotropic medication use among Medicare beneficiaries with dementia after hospital discharge.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2023 Apr; 71(4):1134-44. doi: 10.1111/jgs.18161..
Keywords: Elderly, Medication, Medicare, Dementia, Neurological Disorders, Hospitalization
Urtecho M, Wagner B, Wang Z
A qualitative evidence synthesis of patient perspectives on migraine treatment features and outcomes.
This quality evidence synthesis examined patient perspectives on migraine treatment features and outcomes. A literature review was conducted, and 19 studies (21 publications) involving 459 patients were included. Eight themes were identified encompassing features preferred by patients in a migraine treatment process. Themes described include a treatment process that included shared decision-making, a tailored approach, trust in health-care professionals, sharing of knowledge and diversity of treatment options, a holistic approach that does not just address the headache, ease of communication especially for complex treatments, a non-undermining approach, and reciprocity with mutual respect between patient and provider. Seven themes emerged including patients' preferences for nonpharmacologic treatment, high effectiveness, rapidity of action, long-lasting effect, lower cost and more accessibility, self-management/self-delivery option that increases autonomy, and a mixed preference for abortive versus prophylactic treatments. High value treatment outcomes to patients included maintaining or improving function; avoiding side effects, potential for addiction to medications, and pain reoccurrence; and avoiding non-headache symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light or sounds.
AHRQ-funded; 290201500008I; 290201500013I; 290201700003C.
Citation: Urtecho M, Wagner B, Wang Z .
A qualitative evidence synthesis of patient perspectives on migraine treatment features and outcomes.
Headache 2023 Feb; 63(2):185-201. doi: 10.1111/head.14430..
Keywords: Neurological Disorders, Evidence-Based Practice, Outcomes
Coley RY, Smith JJ, Karliner L RY, Smith JJ, Karliner L
External validation of the eRADAR risk score for detecting undiagnosed dementia in two real-world healthcare systems.
Drupal date: Feb, 2023
It is estimated that half of the individuals with dementia remain undiagnosed. The electronic health record (EHR) Risk of Alzheimer's and Dementia Assessment Rule (eRADAR) was designed to detect older adults at risk of undiagnosed dementia using routinely gathered clinical information. The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to externally validate eRADAR in two real-world healthcare systems, examining its performance over time and across race/ethnicity. The study found a total of 7631 dementia diagnoses were observed at KPWA and 216 at UCSF. The area under the curve was 0.84 (95% confidence interval: 0.84-0.85) at KPWA and 0.79 (0.76-0.82) at UCSF. Using the 90th percentile as the cut point for identifying high-risk patients, sensitivity was 54% (53-56%) at KPWA and 44% (38-51%) at UCSF. Performance was consistent over time, including across the transition from International Classification of Diseases, version 9 (ICD-9) to ICD-10 codes, and across racial/ethnic groups (although small samples limited precision in some groups). The study concluded that eRADAR demonstrated strong external validity for identifying undiagnosed dementia in two healthcare systems with diverse patient populations and varying availability of external healthcare data for risk calculations. This study showed that eRADAR is generalizable from a research sample to real-world clinical populations, transportable across health systems, resilient to temporal changes in healthcare, and exhibits similar performance across major racial/ethnic groups.
It is estimated that half of the individuals with dementia remain undiagnosed. The electronic health record (EHR) Risk of Alzheimer's and Dementia Assessment Rule (eRADAR) was designed to detect older adults at risk of undiagnosed dementia using routinely gathered clinical information. The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to externally validate eRADAR in two real-world healthcare systems, examining its performance over time and across race/ethnicity. The study found a total of 7631 dementia diagnoses were observed at KPWA and 216 at UCSF. The area under the curve was 0.84 (95% confidence interval: 0.84-0.85) at KPWA and 0.79 (0.76-0.82) at UCSF. Using the 90th percentile as the cut point for identifying high-risk patients, sensitivity was 54% (53-56%) at KPWA and 44% (38-51%) at UCSF. Performance was consistent over time, including across the transition from International Classification of Diseases, version 9 (ICD-9) to ICD-10 codes, and across racial/ethnic groups (although small samples limited precision in some groups). The study concluded that eRADAR demonstrated strong external validity for identifying undiagnosed dementia in two healthcare systems with diverse patient populations and varying availability of external healthcare data for risk calculations. This study showed that eRADAR is generalizable from a research sample to real-world clinical populations, transportable across health systems, resilient to temporal changes in healthcare, and exhibits similar performance across major racial/ethnic groups.
AHRQ-funded; HS026369.
Citation: Coley RY, Smith JJ, Karliner L RY, Smith JJ, Karliner L .
External validation of the eRADAR risk score for detecting undiagnosed dementia in two real-world healthcare systems.
J Gen Intern Med 2023 Feb; 38(2):351-60. doi: 10.1007/s11606-022-07736-6..
Keywords: Dementia, Neurological Disorders, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Difazio RL, Shore BJ, Melvin P
Pneumonia after hip surgery in children with neurological complex chronic conditions.
The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to estimate rates of postoperative pneumonia in children with neurological complex chronic conditions (CCC) undergoing hip surgery, to determine the effect of pneumonia on postoperative hospital resource use, and to identify predictors. Researchers used data from the Pediatric Health Information System for children 4 years and older with a neurological CCC who had undergone hip surgery from 2016 to 2018 in U.S. children's hospitals. Findings indicate that postoperative pneumonia in children with a neurological CCC was associated with longer length-of-stay, readmissions, and higher costs. Children who had undergone pelvic osteotomies and who had multimorbidity needed additional clinical support to prevent postoperative pneumonia and to decrease resource utilization.
AHRQ-funded; HS024453.
Citation: Difazio RL, Shore BJ, Melvin P .
Pneumonia after hip surgery in children with neurological complex chronic conditions.
Dev Med Child Neurol 2023 Feb; 65(2):232-42. doi: 10.1111/dmcn.15339..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Surgery, Neurological Disorders, Pneumonia, Respiratory Conditions, Hospital Readmissions, Adverse Events
Treadwell JR, Kessler SK, Wu M
Pharmacologic and dietary treatments for epilepsies in children aged 1-36 months: a systematic review.
The purpose of this systematic review study was to assess the effectiveness and harms of pharmacologic and dietary treatments for epilepsy in children aged 1-36 months without infantile spasms. The researchers searched EMBASE, MEDLINE, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library for studies published from 1/1/1999 to 8/19/21 to identify studies reporting data on children aged 1-36 months receiving pharmacologic or dietary treatments for epilepsy. Twenty-three studies met the inclusion criteria. The study found that Levetiracetam leads to seizure freedom in some infants but the data on 6 other medications (lamotrigine, phenytoin, rufinamide, stiripentol, topiramate, and vigabatrin) were too limited to allow conclusions about their effectiveness. Three medications (lamotrigine, levetiracetam, and topiramate) were rarely discontinued due to adverse effects, and severe events were also rare. In the category of diets, the ketogenic diet lead to seizure freedom in some infants and both the ketogenic diet and modified Atkins diet reduced average seizure frequency.
AHRQ-funded; 75Q80120D00002.
Citation: Treadwell JR, Kessler SK, Wu M .
Pharmacologic and dietary treatments for epilepsies in children aged 1-36 months: a systematic review.
Neurology 2023 Jan 3;100(1):e16-e27. doi: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000201026..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Neurological Disorders, Newborns/Infants, Medication, Nutrition, Treatments, Evidence-Based Practice
Nelson KE, Finlay M, Huang E
Clinical characteristics of children with severe neurologic impairment: a scoping review.
This study’s aim was to extrapolate the clinical features of children with severe neurologic impairment (SNI) based on the functional characteristics and comorbidities described in published studies. The authors searched four databases and included studies that describe clinical features of a group of children with SNI (≥20 subjects <19 years of age with >1 neurologic diagnosis and severe functional limitation) using data from caregivers, medical charts, or prospective collection. They included 102 studies, spanning 5 continents over 43 years using 41 distinct terms for SNI. Most studies (79%) described ≥3 types of functional characteristics, such as technology assistance and motor impairment. All studies noted 59 comorbidities and surgeries across 10 categories. The most common comorbidities were related to feeding, nutrition, and the gastrointestinal system, which was described in 79 studies. Studies investigated seven clinical topics, with "Gastrointestinal reflux and feeding tubes" as the most common research focus (56%). The next most common topic was “Aspiration and respiratory issues” which was included in 13 studies (13%). Most studies were retrospective cohort or case series.
AHRQ-funded; HS025138.
Citation: Nelson KE, Finlay M, Huang E .
Clinical characteristics of children with severe neurologic impairment: a scoping review.
J Hosp Med 2023 Jan; 18(1):65-77. doi: 10.1002/jhm.13019..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Neurological Disorders
Thomson J, Richardson T, Auger KA
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospitalizations of children with neurologic impairment.
The purpose of this multicenter retrospective cohort study was to explore the effect of the early COVID-19 pandemic on hospital utilization for children with neurologic impairment (NI). The study found that compared with the pre-COVID period, there was a 14.4% decrease in the weekly median number of hospitalizations in the early-COVID era. Hospitalizations decreased for both noninfectious and infectious illnesses in the early-COVID era. Researchers reported that the decrease was the largest in spring 2020 and continued throughout 2020.
AHRQ-funded; HS024735; HS025138; HS026763.
Citation: Thomson J, Richardson T, Auger KA .
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospitalizations of children with neurologic impairment.
J Hosp Med 2023 Jan; 18(1):33-42. doi: 10.1002/jhm.13021..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, COVID-19, Neurological Disorders, Hospitalization
Anderson TS, Marcantonio ER, McCarthy EP
Association of diagnosed dementia with post-discharge mortality and readmission among hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries.
The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to examine whether patients with dementia have a higher risk of adverse outcomes post-discharge. The researchers included Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized in 2016 and evaluated the co-primary outcomes of mortality and readmission within 30 days of hospital discharge. The final cohort included 1,089,109 hospitalizations of which 19.3% were of patients with diagnosed dementia and 886,411 were of patients without dementia. The study found that at 30 days following discharge, 5.7% of patients with dementia had died compared to 3.1% of patients without dementia. At 30 days following discharge, 17.7% of patients with dementia had been readmitted compared to 13.1% of patients without dementia. Patients with dementia who were discharged to the community had an increased likelihood of being readmitted than those who were discharged to nursing facilities, and, when readmitted, had an increased likelihood of dying during the readmission. The study concluded that diagnosed dementia was related with a substantially increased risk of mortality and a modestly increased risk of readmission within 30 days of discharge.
AHRQ-funded; HS026215.
Citation: Anderson TS, Marcantonio ER, McCarthy EP .
Association of diagnosed dementia with post-discharge mortality and readmission among hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries.
J Gen Intern Med 2022 Dec;37(16):4062-70. doi: 10.1007/s11606-022-07549-7..
Keywords: Dementia, Neurological Disorders, Medicare, Elderly, Hospital Readmissions, Mortality
Gaugler JE, Rosebush CA, Zmora R
Outcomes of remote activity monitoring for persons living with dementia over an 18-month period.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether Remote Activity Monitoring (RAM) technology was associated with reductions in negative health transitions and service utilization for persons with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia over an 18-month period. The researchers enrolled 88 recipients and their caregivers in a clinical trial, with 88 care recipients and their caregivers in the RAM intervention arm and 91 care recipients and their caregivers in the control arm. The treatment group had the RAM system installed in their home. The attention control group did not receive RAM technology. Baseline and follow-up surveys assessed whether the care recipient had fallen or wandered in the past 6 months (yes/no). Caregivers were also asked whether the care recipient had used any of the following healthcare services in the past 6 months: nursing home stays, assisted living stays other residential care stays, hospital stays, or emergency room visits. The study found that in adjusted models, emergency department visits were almost 50% lower in the intervention group compared with the control group. In addition, the odds of experiencing a higher frequency of falls versus a lower frequency of falls was 0.36 for those in the intervention group compared with controls. The RAM technology did not have a statistically significant effect on any other outcome. The researchers concluded that although RAM did not provide direct support for the management of behaviors for persons with AD/ADRD, the findings imply that this technology may prevent some adverse health events for people living with dementia in the community. The ongoing, unobtrusive monitoring and system alerts of RAM may have resulted in caregivers identifying activity or the lack thereof that may
have prevented falls and wandering events. In turn, emergency room use among persons with dementia may have been avoided.
have prevented falls and wandering events. In turn, emergency room use among persons with dementia may have been avoided.
AHRQ-funded; HS022836.
Citation: Gaugler JE, Rosebush CA, Zmora R .
Outcomes of remote activity monitoring for persons living with dementia over an 18-month period.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2022 Aug;70(8):2439-42. doi: 10.1111/jgs.17839..
Keywords: Elderly, Dementia, Neurological Disorders, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Outcomes, Caregiving
Saldanha IJ, Cao W, Bhuma MR
Systematic reviews can guide clinical practice and new research on primary headaches in pregnancy: an editorial on the 2022 American Headache Society Members' Choice Award paper.
This article describes the systematic review paper that was done on management of primary headaches during pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding, which won the 2021 American Headache Society’s Member’s Choice Award. The findings are summarized in this paper, which discusses different pharmacologic interventions and their possible effects on the fetus/child and mother. Evidence was summarized for prevention and treatment of primary headache. The authors did not find a lot of evidence for harms or benefits but called for more studies to be done.
AHRQ-funded; 290201500002I.
Citation: Saldanha IJ, Cao W, Bhuma MR .
Systematic reviews can guide clinical practice and new research on primary headaches in pregnancy: an editorial on the 2022 American Headache Society Members' Choice Award paper.
Headache 2022 Jul;62(7):774-76. doi: 10.1111/head.14332..
Keywords: Neurological Disorders, Pregnancy, Evidence-Based Practice, Guidelines, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Nelson KE, Chakravarti V, Diskin C
Validation of neurologic impairment diagnosis codes as signifying documented functional impairment in hospitalized children.
This study’s objective was to assess the performance of previously published high-intensity neurologic impairment (NI) diagnosis codes in identification of hospitalized children with clinical NI. This retrospective study of 500 randomly selected discharges in 2019 was conducted at a freestanding children’s hospital. Charts were reviewed for: 1) NI discharge diagnosis codes and 2) documentation of clinical NI (a neurologic diagnosis and indication of functional impairment like medical technology). Diagnosis codes identified clinically documented NI with 88.1% specificity, and 79.4% sensitivity; negative predictive value (NPV) was 96.7%, and positive predictive value (PPV) was 49%. Including children with milder functional impaired results in NPV of 95.7% and PPV of 77.5%. Restriction to children with more severe functional impairment increased NPV and decreased PPV. Misclassification was mostly due to inclusion of children without functional impairments.
AHRQ-funded; HS025138.
Citation: Nelson KE, Chakravarti V, Diskin C .
Validation of neurologic impairment diagnosis codes as signifying documented functional impairment in hospitalized children.
Acad Pediatr 2022 Jul;22(5):782-88. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2021.07.014..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Neurological Disorders, Diagnostic Safety and Quality
Givan A, Downer B, Chou LN
Cognitive impairment and low physical function among older Mexican Americans: findings from a 20-year follow-up(☆).
This longitudinal study’s aim was to examine the association between cognitive impairment and low physical function over a 20-year follow-up period among Mexican Americans aged 65 and older. The final sample included 1545 community-dwelling Mexican Americans from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly, who scored moderate-high on Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and were non-disabled at baseline (1993/94). The Mini Mental State Examination scale defines cognitive impairment as less than 21 points. General Estimating Equation was used to estimate the odds of having low physical function (defined with the SPPB at <7 points) over time as a function of cognitive impairment, adjusting for socio-demographics, self-reported medical conditions, body mass index, and depressive symptoms. Participants with cognitive impairment had increased odds of lower physical function over time compared to those without cognitive impairment.
AHRQ-funded; HS026133.
Citation: Givan A, Downer B, Chou LN .
Cognitive impairment and low physical function among older Mexican Americans: findings from a 20-year follow-up(☆).
Ann Epidemiol 2022 Jun;70:9-15. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2022.03.006..
Keywords: Elderly, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Neurological Disorders
Green RK, Shah MN, Clark LR
Comparing emergency department use among individuals with varying levels of cognitive impairment.
This study compared the frequency of emergency department (ED) use among a cohort of individuals with mild to well-defined cognitive impairment. This retrospective cohort study of English-speaking, community-dwelling individuals was conducted at four health system-based multidisciplinary clinics from 2014 to 2016. The authors obtained demographic and clinical data, including neuropsychological testing results, through chart review and linkage to electronic health record data. They characterized the frequency and quantity of ED use within one year (6 months before and after) of cognitive evaluation and compared ED use between the three groups using bivariate and multivariate approaches. Of the 779 eligible patients, 89 were diagnosed as cognitively intact, 372 as having mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 318 as having Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD). The proportion of subjects with any annual ED use did not significantly increase with greater cognitive impairment. The average number of ED visits also did not increase significantly with patients with MCI or ADRD having an elevated but non-significant risk of an ED visit compared to cognitively intact individuals.
AHRQ-funded; HS024558.
Citation: Green RK, Shah MN, Clark LR .
Comparing emergency department use among individuals with varying levels of cognitive impairment.
BMC Geriatr 2022 May 2;22(1):382. doi: 10.1186/s12877-022-03093-5..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Neurological Disorders, Healthcare Utilization
Washington KT, Kukulka K, Govindarjan R
Engaging specialist palliative care in the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a patient-, family-, and provider-based approach.
Investigators sought to describe key stakeholders' perspectives on specialist palliative care and its integration into the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Individual interviews were conducted with 42 stakeholders; the interview transcriptions were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis techniques. The investigators found that stakeholders expressed limited or inaccurate understandings of palliative care's definition and purpose. Stakeholders generally supported the integration of specialist palliative care into ALS management and recognized the value of early integration of palliative services in both the community and the clinical setting.
AHRQ-funded; HS022140.
Citation: Washington KT, Kukulka K, Govindarjan R .
Engaging specialist palliative care in the management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a patient-, family-, and provider-based approach.
J Palliat Care 2022 Apr;37(2):170-76. doi: 10.1177/0825859719895827..
Keywords: Palliative Care, Neurological Disorders
Rafferty MR, Held Bradford EC, Fritz S
Health promotion and wellness in neurologic physical therapy: strategies to advance practice.
The purpose of this special interest article was to provide consensus-driven strategies to address barriers to implementing health promotion and wellness (HPW)-related neurologic physical therapy (PT) practice. Four key strategies emerged, and recommendations included having clinicians practice to their full scope of HPW-related PT practice, including optimizing movement, including physical activity and fitness, and reinforcing the importance of healthy sleep, nutrition, stress, and smoking cessation.
AHRQ-funded; HS025077.
Citation: Rafferty MR, Held Bradford EC, Fritz S .
Health promotion and wellness in neurologic physical therapy: strategies to advance practice.
J Neurol Phys Ther 2022 Apr 1;46(2):103-17. doi: 10.1097/npt.0000000000000376..
Keywords: Health Promotion, Neurological Disorders
Hua CL, Thomas KS, Bunker JN
Dementia diagnosis in the hospital and outcomes among patients with advanced dementia documented in the Minimum Data Set.
This retrospective cohort study examined the association between a dementia diagnosis listed on a hospital claim and patient outcomes among individuals with a Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment. The cohort was comprised of hospitalized patients aged 66 years and older with advanced dementia noted on an MDS assessment completed within 120 days prior to their first hospitalization in 2017. Among 120,989 patients with advanced dementia and a nursing home stay, 90.6% had a dementia diagnosis on their hospital claims. Documentation of a dementia diagnosis was associated with lower use of intensive care unit or coronary care unit, use of invasive mechanical ventilation, and 30-day mortality. These patients also had a shorter hospital length of stay.
AHRQ-funded; HS000011.
Citation: Hua CL, Thomas KS, Bunker JN .
Dementia diagnosis in the hospital and outcomes among patients with advanced dementia documented in the Minimum Data Set.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2022 Mar;70(3):846-53. doi: 10.1111/jgs.17564..
Keywords: Dementia, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Medicare, Hospitals, Neurological Disorders