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
- Back Health and Pain (1)
- Brain Injury (1)
- Cancer (3)
- Cancer: Lung Cancer (1)
- Clinician-Patient Communication (1)
- Communication (1)
- Comparative Effectiveness (1)
- (-) Diagnostic Safety and Quality (10)
- Elderly (1)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (1)
- Falls (1)
- Guidelines (1)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (1)
- (-) Imaging (10)
- Neurological Disorders (1)
- Outcomes (1)
- Primary Care (1)
- Respiratory Conditions (1)
- Screening (1)
- Shared Decision Making (1)
- Stroke (1)
- Trauma (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 DisplayedEaster JS, Haukoos JS, Meehan WP
Will neuroimaging reveal a severe intracranial injury in this adult with minor head trauma?: The rational clinical examination systematic review.
The study objective was to assess systematically the accuracy of symptoms and signs in adults with minor head trauma in order to identify those with severe intracranial injuries. It found that combinations of history and physical examination features in clinical decision rules can identify patients with minor head trauma at low risk of severe intracranial injuries.
AHRQ-funded; HS017526.
Citation: Easter JS, Haukoos JS, Meehan WP .
Will neuroimaging reveal a severe intracranial injury in this adult with minor head trauma?: The rational clinical examination systematic review.
JAMA 2015 Dec 22-29;314(24):2672-81. doi: 10.1001/jama.2015.16316..
Keywords: Falls, Brain Injury, Imaging, Trauma, Diagnostic Safety and Quality
Yaghi S, Herber C, Willey JZ
Itemized NIHSS subsets predict positive MRI strokes in patients with mild deficits.
The researchers' aim was to identify predictors of MRI-positive stroke from the itemized NIHSS. They concluded that NIHSS score subsets predict diffusion-weighted imaging positivity in mild strokes, and the presence of neglect or visual field deficits on the NIHSS subsets is most likely to have an MRI correlate even in patients with low NIHSS.
AHRQ-funded; HS013852.
Citation: Yaghi S, Herber C, Willey JZ .
Itemized NIHSS subsets predict positive MRI strokes in patients with mild deficits.
J Neurol Sci 2015 Nov 15;358(1-2):221-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2015.08.1548.
.
.
Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Imaging, Stroke
Callaghan BC, Kerber KA, Pace RJ
Headache neuroimaging: routine testing when guidelines recommend against them.
The aim of this article was to determine the patient-level factors associated with headache neuroimaging in outpatient practice. It concluded that neuroimaging is routinely ordered in outpatient headache patients including populations where guidelines specifically recommend against their use (migraines, chronic headaches, no red flags).
AHRQ-funded; HS017690.
Citation: Callaghan BC, Kerber KA, Pace RJ .
Headache neuroimaging: routine testing when guidelines recommend against them.
Cephalalgia 2015 Nov;35(13):1144-52. doi: 10.1177/0333102415572918.
.
.
Keywords: Neurological Disorders, Imaging, Shared Decision Making, Guidelines, Diagnostic Safety and Quality
Murphy DR, Thomas EJ, Meyer AN
Development and validation of electronic health record-based triggers to detect delays in follow-up of abnormal lung imaging findings.
In this study, the researchers developed an electronic health record (EHR)-based trigger algorithm to identify delays in follow-up evaluation of patients with imaging findings suggestive of lung cancer. After validating the trigger with retrospective data, they concluded that EHR-based triggers can be used to identify patients with suspicious imaging findings in whom follow-up diagnostic evaluation was delayed.
AHRQ-funded; HS017820.
Citation: Murphy DR, Thomas EJ, Meyer AN .
Development and validation of electronic health record-based triggers to detect delays in follow-up of abnormal lung imaging findings.
Radiology 2015 Oct;277(1):81-7. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2015142530..
Keywords: Cancer: Lung Cancer, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Imaging
Chou R, Cuevas C, Fu R
Imaging techniques for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
This review evaluated the test performance of ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It concluded that CT and MRI are associated with higher sensitivity than ultrasonography without contrast for detection of HCC. For detection of focal liver lesions, the sensitivities of all three techniques are similar.
AHRQ-funded; 290200710057I
Citation: Chou R, Cuevas C, Fu R .
Imaging techniques for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Ann Intern Med. 2015 May 19;162(10):697-711. doi: 10.7326/m14-2509..
Keywords: Cancer, Comparative Effectiveness, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Imaging
Patel N, Yopp AC, Singal AG
Diagnostic delays are common among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
The primary goals of this study were to quantify diagnostic delays among patients diagnosed with HCC and identify factors associated with delays in follow-up testing. It found that 1 in 5 patients experienced significant diagnostic delays, allowing for interval tumor growth. Delays in diagnosis are particularly common among patients who present as an outpatient, being present in more than one-third of cases.
AHRQ-funded; HS022418.
Citation: Patel N, Yopp AC, Singal AG .
Diagnostic delays are common among patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
J Natl Compr Canc Netw 2015 May;13(5):543-9..
Keywords: Cancer, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Imaging
Al-Mutairi A, Meyer AN, Chang P
Lack of timely follow-up of abnormal imaging results and radiologists' recommendations.
This study tested the association between information contained in radiologists’ reports and follow-up outcomes. It found that abnormal imaging results with recommendations for further imaging are more vulnerable to lack of timely follow-up. Expression of “doubt” in the radiology reports did not affect follow-up actions.
AHRQ-funded; HS022087.
Citation: Al-Mutairi A, Meyer AN, Chang P .
Lack of timely follow-up of abnormal imaging results and radiologists' recommendations.
J Am Coll Radiol 2015 Apr;12(4):385-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2014.09.031..
Keywords: Communication, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Imaging, Clinician-Patient Communication
Jarvik JG, Gold LS, Comstock BA
Association of early imaging for back pain with clinical outcomes in older adults.
This study compared function and pain at the 12-month follow-up visit among older adults who received early imaging with those who did not receive early imaging after a new primary care visit for back pain without radiculopathy. It found that early imaging was not associated with better 1-year outcomes. The researchers concluded that the value of early diagnostic imaging in older adults for back pain with radiculopathy is uncertain.
AHRQ-funded; HS019222, HS022972
Citation: Jarvik JG, Gold LS, Comstock BA .
Association of early imaging for back pain with clinical outcomes in older adults.
JAMA. 2015 Mar 17;313(11):1143-53. doi: 10.1001/jama.2015.1871..
Keywords: Back Health and Pain, Elderly, Primary Care, Outcomes, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Imaging
Carter JL, Coletti RJ, Harris RP
Quantifying and monitoring overdiagnosis in cancer screening: a systematic review of methods.
The authors conducted a systematic review to identify and evaluate the methods that have been used for measuring overdiagnosis of cancer. Their systematic review highlights the high potential for bias and the reliance on unproven assumptions in modeling studies and studies that quantify overdiagnosis using pathological or imaging characteristics.
AHRQ-funded; HS021133.
Citation: Carter JL, Coletti RJ, Harris RP .
Quantifying and monitoring overdiagnosis in cancer screening: a systematic review of methods.
BMJ 2015 Jan 7;350:g7773. doi: 10.1136/bmj.g7773..
Keywords: Cancer, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Imaging, Screening
Smith SS, Ference EH, Evans CT
The prevalence of bacterial infection in acute rhinosinusitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
The primary objective of this systematic review of 29 studies was to assess the prevalence of bacterial infection in adults with clinically diagnosed acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) who undergo culture from antral puncture or endoscopically directed middle meatus culture. The review provides evidence that the prevalence of bacterial infection in patients with clinically diagnosed ARS remains poorly defined, but is likely greater than the 0.5% to 2% figure previously widely quoted.
AHRQ-funded; HS000078.
Citation: Smith SS, Ference EH, Evans CT .
The prevalence of bacterial infection in acute rhinosinusitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Laryngoscope 2015 Jan;125(1):57-69. doi: 10.1002/lary.24709..
Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Imaging, Respiratory Conditions