National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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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 25 of 421 Research Studies DisplayedMilliren CE, Ozonoff A, Fournier KA
Enhancing pressure injury surveillance using natural language processing.
This study’s goal was to assess the feasibility of using nursing handoff notes to identify underreported hospital-acquired pressure injury (HAPI) events. The authors established a natural language processing-assisted manual review process and workflow for data extraction from a corpus of nursing notes across all medical inpatient and intensive care units in a tertiary care pediatric center. Their workflow started with keywords around HAPI and treatments, then regular expressions, distributive semantics, and finally a document classifier. They generated 3 models: a tri-gram classifier, binary logistic regression model using the regular expressions as predictors, and a random forest model using both models together. Their final output was generated using a random forest model validated using derivation and validation sets. Their initial data set involved 70,981 notes during a 1-year period from 5484 unique admissions for 4220 patients. Their interrater human reviewer agreement on identifying HAPI was high. Their random forest model had 95% sensitivity, 71.2% specificity, and 78.7% accuracy. A total of 264 notes from 148 unique admissions were identified describing likely HAPI, with 61 describing new injuries, and 64 describing known yet possibly evolving injuries. HAPI incidence was 11.9 per 1000 discharges, and incidence rate was 1.2 per 1000 bed-days.
AHRQ-funded; HS026246.
Citation: Milliren CE, Ozonoff A, Fournier KA .
Enhancing pressure injury surveillance using natural language processing.
J Patient Saf 2024 Mar 1; 20(2):119-24. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000001193.
Keywords: Pressure Ulcers, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Sick-Samuels AC, Koontz DW, Xie A
A survey of PICU clinician practices and perceptions regarding respiratory cultures in the evaluation of ventilator-associated infections in the BrighT STAR Collaborative.
A survey of medical professionals from 16 different academic pediatric hospitals was conducted from May 2021-January 2022. The goal of the survey was to examine respiratory culture practices, drivers, and barriers in mechanically ventilated patients. The study concluded that respiratory culture practices were inconsistent.
AHRQ-funded; HS028634.
Citation: Sick-Samuels AC, Koontz DW, Xie A .
A survey of PICU clinician practices and perceptions regarding respiratory cultures in the evaluation of ventilator-associated infections in the BrighT STAR Collaborative.
Pediatr Crit Care Med 2024 Jan; 25(1):e20-e30. doi: 10.1097/pcc.0000000000003379..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Critical Care, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs)
Jones KM, Krein SL, Mantey J
Characterizing infection prevention programs and urinary tract infection prevention practices in nursing homes: a mixed-methods study.
This study assessed nursing home (NH) infection prevention and control (IPC) resources and practices related to catheter and non-catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI and UTI). This mixed-methods study was conducted from April 2018 through November 2019 using quantitative surveys and semistructured qualitative interviews. Surveys were completed by 51 NH infection preventionists (IPs), and interviews were conducted with 13 participants from 7 NHs. The participating IPs had limited experience and/or additional roles, and in 36.7% of NHs, IPs had no specific IPC training, with a high turnover rate often mentioned during interviews. Most NHs were aware of their CAUTI and UTI rates and reported using prevention practices, such as hydration (85.7%) or nurse-initiated catheter discontinuation (65.3%). Interviewees expressed concerns about overuse of urine testing and antibiotics. Transfer sheets were used by 84% to communicate about infection, but the information received was described as suboptimal.
AHRQ-funded; HS25451.
Citation: Jones KM, Krein SL, Mantey J .
Characterizing infection prevention programs and urinary tract infection prevention practices in nursing homes: a mixed-methods study.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2024 Jan; 45(1):40-47. doi: 10.1017/ice.2023.127..
Keywords: Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Nursing Homes, Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Prevention
Liu S, Matvekas A, Naimi T
Morphomics-informed population pharmacokinetic and physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling to optimize cefazolin surgical prophylaxis.
This study’s objective was to use algorithms that repurpose radiologic data into body composition (morphomics) to aid in informing dosing decisions for the antibiotic cefazolin for patients undergoing colorectal surgery who have obesity. This prospective study measured cefazolin plasma, fat, and colon tissue concentrations in these patients to develop a morphomics-informed population pharmacokinetic (PopPK) model to guide dose adjustments. A physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model was also constructed to inform tissue partitioning in 21 morbidly obese patients (body mass index ≥35 kg/m2 with one or more co-morbid conditions). Morphomics and pharmacokinetic data were available in 58 patients with a median weight of 95.9 kg and and 55 years, respectively. The plasma-to-subcutaneous fat partition coefficient was predicted to be 0.072 for the PopPK model and 0.060 for the PBPK model. Covariates of cefazolin exposure were identified as the estimated creatinine clearance (eCL(cr) ) and body depth at the third lumbar vertebra (body depth_L3). The authors concluded that kidney function and morphomics were more informative than body weight as covariates of cefazolin target site exposure. They advised that data from more diverse populations, consensus on target cefazolin exposure, and comparative studies are needed before a change in practice can be implemented.
AHRQ-funded; HS027183.
Citation: Liu S, Matvekas A, Naimi T .
Morphomics-informed population pharmacokinetic and physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling to optimize cefazolin surgical prophylaxis.
Pharmacotherapy 2024 Jan; 44(1):77-86. doi: 10.1002/phar.2878..
Keywords: Surgery, Antibiotics, Medication, Prevention, Obesity, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs)
Miller LG, McKinnell JA, Singh RD
Decolonization in nursing homes to prevent infection and hospitalization.
Researchers conducted a cluster-randomized trial of universal decolonization as compared with routine-care bathing in nursing homes. Data were obtained from 28 nursing homes. The results indicated that universal decolonization with chlorhexidine and nasal iodophor led to a significantly lower risk of transfer to a hospital due to infection than routine care.
AHRQ-funded; HS024286.
Citation: Miller LG, McKinnell JA, Singh RD .
Decolonization in nursing homes to prevent infection and hospitalization.
N Engl J Med 2023 Nov 9; 389(19):1766-77. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2215254..
Keywords: Nursing Homes, Long-Term Care, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs)
Keller SC, Hannum SM, Weems K
Implementing and validating a home-infusion central-line-associated bloodstream infection surveillance definition.
Researchers tested the validity of a home-infusion central-line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) surveillance definition and the feasibility and acceptability of its implementation. Their study was conducted in large home-infusion agencies in a CLABSI prevention collaborative in 14 states and the District of Columbia and included semistructured interviews with staff performing home-infusion CLABSI surveillance. The results showed that the home-infusion CLABSI surveillance definition was valid and would be feasible to implement.
AHRQ-funded; HS027819.
Citation: Keller SC, Hannum SM, Weems K .
Implementing and validating a home-infusion central-line-associated bloodstream infection surveillance definition.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2023 Nov; 44(11):1748-59. doi: 10.1017/ice.2023.70..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs)
Thom KA, Rock C, Robinson GL
Direct gloving vs hand hygiene before donning gloves in adherence to hospital infection control practices: a cluster randomized clinical trial.
The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a direct-gloving policy on adherence to infection prevention control practices in a hospital setting. In this study, hospital units were randomly assigned to either the intervention (hand hygiene not required before putting on gloves) or to usual care (hand hygiene required prior to before putting on nonsterile gloves). The primary study outcome was adherence to the expected practice upon room entry and room exit. Thirteen hospital units participated in the trial, and 3,790 health care personnel (HCP) were observed. The study found that adherence to expected practice was higher in the 6 units with the direct-gloving intervention than in the 7 usual care units even when controlling for baseline hand hygiene rates, unit type, and universal gloving policies. The intervention had no effect on hand hygiene adherence measured at entry to non-contact precautions rooms or at room exit. The intervention was related with increased total bacteria colony counts and increased detection of pathogenic bacteria on gloves in the ED and reduced colony counts in pediatrics units, with no change in either total colony count for adult intensive care unit or presence of pathogenic bacteria for adult intensive care unit.
AHRQ-funded; HS024108.
Citation: Thom KA, Rock C, Robinson GL .
Direct gloving vs hand hygiene before donning gloves in adherence to hospital infection control practices: a cluster randomized clinical trial.
JAMA Netw Open 2023 Oct 2; 6(10):e2336758. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.36758..
Keywords: Hospitals, Patient Safety, Guidelines, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs)
Ojala F, Sater MRA, Miller LG
Bayesian modeling of the impact of antibiotic resistance on the efficiency of MRSA decolonization.
The authors analyzed how the persistence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization correlates with the genomic presence of antibiotic resistance genes. Using a Bayesian mixed effects survival model, they found that genetic determinants of high-level resistance to mupirocin was strongly associated with failure of the decolonization protocol, but they did not find a similar effect with genetic resistance to chlorhexidine or other antibiotics. They concluded that these results highlight the need to consider the properties of the colonizing MRSA strain when deciding which treatments to include in the decolonization protocol.
AHRQ-funded; HS019388.
Citation: Ojala F, Sater MRA, Miller LG .
Bayesian modeling of the impact of antibiotic resistance on the efficiency of MRSA decolonization.
PLoS Comput Biol 2023 Oct; 19(10):e1010898. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010898..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Medication
Metersky ML, Wang Y, Klompas M
Temporal trends in postoperative and ventilator-associated pneumonia in the United States.
The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to assess change in rates of postoperative pneumonia and ventilator-associated pneumonia among patients hospitalized in the United States during 2009-2019. The study found that among 58,618 patients undergoing major surgical procedures between 2009 and 2019, the observed rate of postoperative pneumonia from 2009-2011 was 1.9% and decreased to 1.3% during 2017-2019. The adjusted annual risk each year, compared to the prior year, was 0.94. Among 4,007 patients hospitalized for any of the 4 conditions at risk for ventilator-associated pneumonia during 2009-2019, the researchers did not detect a significant change in observed or adjusted rates. Observed rates clustered around 10%, and adjusted annual risk compared to the prior year was 0.99.
AHRQ-funded; 290201800005C.
Citation: Metersky ML, Wang Y, Klompas M .
Temporal trends in postoperative and ventilator-associated pneumonia in the United States.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2023 Aug; 44(8):1247-54. doi: 10.1017/ice.2022.264..
Keywords: Pneumonia, Respiratory Conditions, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)
Kamineni M, Ötleş Meng E, Oh J
Prospective evaluation of data-driven models to predict daily risk of Clostridioides difficile infection at 2 large academic health centers.
The purpose of this prospective study was to assess a data-driven approach for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) risk prediction that had previously demonstrated a high performance in retrospective evaluations at 2 large academic health centers. The final retrospective cohort included 18,030 admissions (138 CDI cases) at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and 25,341admissions (158 CDI cases) at Michigan Medicine. The prospective cohort included 13,712 admissions (119 CDI cases) at MGH and 26,864 admissions (190 CDI cases) at MM. At MGH, the model achieved area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUROC). AUROCs of 0.744 in the retrospective cohort and 0.748 in the prospective cohort. At MM, the model achieved AUROCs of 0.778 in the retrospective cohort and 0.767 in the prospective cohort. The AUROCs for predicting CDI risk on both retrospective and prospective cohorts were similar each month and did not exhibit significant monthly variation throughout either assessment period.
AHRQ-funded; HS027431.
Citation: Kamineni M, Ötleş Meng E, Oh J .
Prospective evaluation of data-driven models to predict daily risk of Clostridioides difficile infection at 2 large academic health centers.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2023 Jul; 44(7):1163-66. doi: 10.1017/ice.2022.218..
Keywords: Clostridium difficile Infections, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Risk
MacEwan SR, Gaughan AA, Beal EW
Concerns and frustrations about the public reporting of device-related healthcare-associated infections: perspectives of hospital leaders and staff.
The purpose of this study was to explore the specific concerns of hospital leaders and staff regarding the identification and public reporting of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Between 2017 and 2019 the researchers conducted interviews with 471 participants including hospitals leaders and hospital staff across 18 United States hospitals. The study found that interviewees discussed concerns about public reporting of HAI data, including a lack of trust in the data and unintended consequences of its public reporting, as well as particular frustrations with the identification and accountability for publicly-reported HAIs.
AHRQ-funded; HS024958.
Citation: MacEwan SR, Gaughan AA, Beal EW .
Concerns and frustrations about the public reporting of device-related healthcare-associated infections: perspectives of hospital leaders and staff.
Am J Infect Control 2023 Jun; 51(6):633-37. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2022.08.003..
Keywords: Medical Devices, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospitals, Provider: Health Personnel
Ye S, Li D, Yu T
The impact of surgical volume on hospital ranking using the standardized infection ratio.
Researchers investigated the effect of surgical volume on the accuracy of identifying poorly performing hospitals. Their research was based on the standardized infection ratio, and they applied their proposed method to data from HCA Healthcare from 2014-2016 on surgical site infections in colon surgery patients. They concluded that minimum surgical volumes and predicted events criteria are required to make hospital evaluation reliable, and that these criteria may vary by overall prevalence and between-hospital variability.
AHRQ-funded; HS027791.
Citation: Ye S, Li D, Yu T .
The impact of surgical volume on hospital ranking using the standardized infection ratio.
Sci Rep 2023 May 10; 13(1):7624. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-33937-y..
Keywords: Hospitals, Surgery, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Provider Performance, Quality of Care
Oladapo-Shittu O, Hannum SM, Salinas AB
The need to expand the infection prevention workforce in home infusion therapy.
This study looked at the prevalence of formal surveillance and infection prevention training for home infusion staff. The authors interviewed home infusion staff who perform surveillance activities about barriers to and facilitators for central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) surveillance and identified barriers to training in CLABSI surveillance. Their findings showed a lack of formal surveillance training which can be addressed by by adapting existing training resources to the home infusion setting.
AHRQ-funded; HS027819.
Citation: Oladapo-Shittu O, Hannum SM, Salinas AB .
The need to expand the infection prevention workforce in home infusion therapy.
Am J Infect Control 2023 May; 51(5):594-96. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2022.11.008.AHRQ-funded; HS027819..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Prevention, Home Healthcare, Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI)
Sanghavi P, Chen Z
Underreporting of quality measures and associated facility characteristics and racial disparities in US nursing home ratings.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between nursing home characteristics and reporting of 2 of 3 specific clinical outcomes reported by the Nursing Home Care Compare (NHCC) website: major injury falls and pressure ulcers. The researchers of this quality improvement study utilized hospitalization data for all Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2017. Hospital admission claims for major injury falls and pressure ulcers were linked with facility-reported evaluations at the nursing home resident level. For each linked hospital claim, it was determined whether the nursing home had reported the event and rates of reporting were computed. To evaluate whether nursing homes reported similarly on both measures, the researchers estimated the relationship between reporting of major injury falls and pressure ulcers within a nursing home, and explored racial and ethnic disparities that could otherwise explain the associations. The study sample included 13,179 nursing homes where 131,000 residents experienced major injury fall or pressure ulcer hospitalizations. Of the 98,669 major injury fall hospitalizations, 60.0% were reported, and of the 39,894 stage 3 or 4 pressure ulcer hospitalizations, 67.7% were reported. Underreporting for both conditions was pervasive, with 69.9% and 71.7% of nursing homes having reporting rates less than 80% for major injury fall and pressure ulcer hospitalizations, respectively. Lower reporting rates had few correlations with facility characteristics other than racial and ethnic composition. Facilities with high vs low fall reporting rates had significantly more White residents (86.9% vs 73.3%), and facilities with high vs low pressure ulcer reporting rates had significantly fewer White residents (69.7% vs 74.9%).
AHRQ-funded; HS026957.
Citation: Sanghavi P, Chen Z .
Underreporting of quality measures and associated facility characteristics and racial disparities in US nursing home ratings.
JAMA Netw Open 2023 May; 6(5):e2314822. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.14822..
Keywords: Quality Measures, Quality of Care, Elderly, Disparities, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Nursing Homes, Pressure Ulcers, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Quality Indicators (QIs), Long-Term Care
Morgan DJ, Dubberke ER, Hink T
The impact of universal glove and gown use on Clostridioides difficile acquisition: a cluster-randomized trial.
This article described a secondary analysis of a cluster-randomized trial in medical and surgical intensive care units (ICUs) in 20 US hospitals to assess whether universal gown and glove use decreases Clostridioides difficile infection. ICUs were randomized to standard practice for glove and gown use versus all healthcare workers required to wear gloves and gowns for all patient contact or when entering a patient room. The results showed no significant difference in the rate of toxigenic C. difficile with universal gown and glove use.
AHRQ-funded; HS025456.
Citation: Morgan DJ, Dubberke ER, Hink T .
The impact of universal glove and gown use on Clostridioides difficile acquisition: a cluster-randomized trial.
Clin Infect Dis 2023 Feb 8; 76(3):e1202-e07. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac519..
Keywords: Clostridium difficile Infections, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Prevention
Gregory ME, MacEwan SR, Sova LN
A qualitative examination of interprofessional teamwork for infection prevention: development of a model and solutions.
The objective of this study was to investigate the role of interprofessional teamwork in the prevention of health care-associated infections (HAIs), focusing on central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) and catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) prevention. The authors interviewed participating physicians, nurses, and other staff from 18 hospitals about interprofessional collaboration, and proposed an Input-Mediator-Output-Input (IMOI) model as well as strategies to support teamwork for the prevention of HAIs.
AHRQ-funded; HS024958.
Citation: Gregory ME, MacEwan SR, Sova LN .
A qualitative examination of interprofessional teamwork for infection prevention: development of a model and solutions.
Med Care Res Rev 2023 Feb;80(1):30-42. doi: 10.1177/10775587221103973..
Keywords: Teams, Prevention, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs)
McNeil JC, Sommer LM, Vallejo JG
Going back in time: Increasing penicillin susceptibility among methicillin-susceptible staphylococcus aureus osteoarticular infections in children.
Researchers investigated the prevalence of penicillin susceptibility (PSSA) among pediatric methicillin susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) acute hematogenous osteoarticular infection (OAI) isolates; the isolates were obtained through surveillance studies at Texas Children's and St. Louis Children's Hospitals. Overall, PSSA isolates were found to be associated with a similar clinical presentation as penicillin-resistant isolates. The researchers concluded that potential for use of penicillin treatment in PSSA OAI merits further study.
AHRQ-funded; HS026896'HS021736' HS024269.
Citation: McNeil JC, Sommer LM, Vallejo JG .
Going back in time: Increasing penicillin susceptibility among methicillin-susceptible staphylococcus aureus osteoarticular infections in children.
Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2023 Jan 24; 67(1):e0119622. doi: 10.1128/aac.01196-22..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Medication, Prevention
Goto M, Hasegawa S, Balkenende EC
Effectiveness of ultraviolet-c disinfection on hospital-onset gram-negative rod bloodstream infection: a nationwide stepped-wedge time-series analysis.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of enhanced terminal room cleaning with ultraviolet C (UV-C) disinfection in reducing gram-negative rod (GNR) infections. The authors used information regarding UV-C use and the timing of implementation through a survey of all Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals providing inpatient acute care from January 2010 and December 2018. Among 128 Veterans Health Administration hospitals, 120 provided complete survey responses with 40 reporting implementations of UV-C systems. UV-C use was associated with a 19% lower incident of hospital-onset (HO) GNR bloodstream infection (BSI).
AHRQ-funded; HS027472.
Citation: Goto M, Hasegawa S, Balkenende EC .
Effectiveness of ultraviolet-c disinfection on hospital-onset gram-negative rod bloodstream infection: a nationwide stepped-wedge time-series analysis.
Clin Infect Dis 2023 Jan 13; 76(2):291-98. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac776..
Keywords: Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospitals, Prevention, Sepsis
Patel P, Deshpande A, Yu PC
Association of fluoroquinolones or cephalosporin plus macrolide with Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) after treatment for community-acquired pneumonia.
The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between the antibiotic regimens of empiric therapy with a respiratory fluoroquinolone or cephalosporin plus macrolide combination and the development of hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). The researchers used data from 638 United States hospitals and included adults admitted with pneumonia and discharged from July 2010 through June 2015 with a pneumonia diagnosis code who received 3 or more days of either antibiotic regimen. The study sample included 58,060 patients treated with either cephalosporin plus macrolide (36,796 patients) or a fluoroquinolone alone (21,264 patients). 0.35% of patients who received cephalosporin plus macrolide and 0.31% who received a fluoroquinolone developed CDI, making CDI risks similar for fluoroquinolones versus cephalosporin plus macrolide.
AHRQ-funded; HS024277.
Citation: Patel P, Deshpande A, Yu PC .
Association of fluoroquinolones or cephalosporin plus macrolide with Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) after treatment for community-acquired pneumonia.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2023 Jan; 44(1):47-54. doi: 10.1017/ice.2022.60..
Keywords: Pneumonia, Clostridium difficile Infections, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Medication, Infectious Diseases, Community-Acquired Infections
Baker AW, Ilieş I, Benneyan JC
Early recognition and response to increases in surgical site infections using optimised statistical process control charts - the early 2RIS trial: a multicentre stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial.
This study compared outcomes of traditional surgical site infection (SSI) surveillance versus optimized statistical control process (SPC) surveillance post-surgery. The authors conducted a stepped wedge cluster randomized trial of patients who underwent any of 13 types of common surgical procedures across 29 community hospitals in the Southeastern United States. They divided the 13 procedures into six clusters. The study period was from March 2016 through February 2020 with 204,233 unique patients undergoing 237,704 surgical procedures. SSIs occurred more frequently in patients assigned control surveillance (1171 procedures) compared to 781 procedures that received the intervention. More formal investigations were also generated from control surveillance – 74 formal investigations versus 24. Multiple best practice deficiencies were identified from optimized SPC surveillance as well.
AHRQ-funded; HS023821.
Citation: Baker AW, Ilieş I, Benneyan JC .
Early recognition and response to increases in surgical site infections using optimised statistical process control charts - the early 2RIS trial: a multicentre stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial.
EClinicalMedicine 2022 Dec;54:101698. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101698..
Keywords: Surgery, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs)
Crnich CJ
Reimagining infection control in U.S. nursing homes in the era of COVID-19.
This paper provides an overview of nursing home (NH) infection and control, reviews the 2016 CMS changes to federal regulations, and proposes recommendations to sustain improvements. COVID-19 put further pressure on nursing homes who were already strained by rising numbers of infections from C. difficile and multidrug-resistant organisms. The author puts out a call for reimagining infection prevention and control using the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety framework. Additional recommendations are made to enhance NH infection prevention and control programs in the areas of people, tasks, tools, organization, built environment, and external environment.
AHRQ-funded; HS022465.
Citation: Crnich CJ .
Reimagining infection control in U.S. nursing homes in the era of COVID-19.
J Am Med Dir Assoc 2022 Dec;23(12):1909-15. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2022.10.022..
Keywords: Elderly, COVID-19, Public Health, Infectious Diseases, Nursing Homes, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Prevention
Govindan S, O'Malley ME, Flanders SA
The MI-PICC Score: a risk-Prediction Model for PICC-associated Complications in the ICU.
The authors examined predictive factors for adverse events in critically ill patients with peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs). They found that PICC-related complications in the ICU were significantly associated with history of deep vein thrombosis, active diagnosis of cancer, presence of a second central venous catheter, blood transfusion through the PICC, and PICC dwell time.
AHRQ-funded; HS025891.
Citation: Govindan S, O'Malley ME, Flanders SA .
The MI-PICC Score: a risk-Prediction Model for PICC-associated Complications in the ICU.
Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2022 Nov 15;206(10):1286-89. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202204-0760LE..
Keywords: Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Critical Care, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Risk, Adverse Events
Krauss DM, Molefe A, Hung L
AHRQ Author: Henderson S, Miller M
Emergent themes from a quality improvement programme for CLABSI/CAUTI prevention in ICUs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this study, researchers summarized themes for maintaining infection prevention activities learned from the implementation of a quality improvement (QI) program during the COVID-19 pandemic. They concluded that future shocks such as the pandemic must be anticipated, and the healthcare system must be resilient to the resulting disruptions to healthcare-associated infection prevention activities. Their study encountered four themes for successful maintenance of infection prevention activities during the current pandemic: the value of a pre-existing infection prevention infrastructure; a flexibility in approach; broad buy-in for maintaining QI programs; and the facilitation of idea-sharing.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 233201500016I.
Citation: Krauss DM, Molefe A, Hung L .
Emergent themes from a quality improvement programme for CLABSI/CAUTI prevention in ICUs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
BMJ Open Qual 2022 Nov;11(4):e001926. doi: 10.1136/bmjoq-2022-001926..
Keywords: COVID-19, Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI), Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Critical Care, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Prevention, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Infectious Diseases
Likosky DS, Yang G, Zhang M
Interhospital variability in health care-associated infections and payments after durable ventricular assist device implant among Medicare beneficiaries.
The purpose of this study was to examine differences in durable ventricular assist device implantation infection rates and associated costs across hospitals. The researchers utilized clinical data for 8,688 patients who received primary durable ventricular assist devices from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (Intermacs) hospitals (n = 120) and merged that data with post-implantation 90-day Medicare claims. The primary outcome included infections within 90 days of implantation and Medicare payments. The study found that 27.8% of patients developed 3982 identified infections. The median adjusted incidence of infections (per 100 patient-months) across hospitals was 14.3 and differed according to hospital. Total Medicare payments from implantation to 90 days were 9.0% more in high versus low infection tercile hospitals. The researchers concluded that health-care-associated infection rates post durable ventricular assist device implantation varied according to hospital and were associated with increased 90-day Medicare expenditures.
AHRQ-funded; HS026003.
Citation: Likosky DS, Yang G, Zhang M .
Interhospital variability in health care-associated infections and payments after durable ventricular assist device implant among Medicare beneficiaries.
J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2022 Nov;164(5):1561-68. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2021.04.074..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Medical Devices, Medicare, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Hospitals, Payment, Healthcare Costs
Warren DK, Peacock KM, Nickel KB
Postdischarge prophylactic antibiotics following mastectomy with and without breast reconstruction.
The authors investigated factors associated with post-discharge prophylactic antibiotic use after mastectomy with and without immediate reconstruction and the impact on surgical-site infection (SSI). They found that anti-methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus antibiotics were associated with decreased risk of SSI for patients who had mastectomy only and those who had mastectomy with immediate reconstruction. They concluded that the high numbers needed to treat suggest that potential benefits of post-discharge antibiotics should be weighed against potential harms associated with antibiotic overuse.
AHRQ-funded; HS019455.
Citation: Warren DK, Peacock KM, Nickel KB .
Postdischarge prophylactic antibiotics following mastectomy with and without breast reconstruction.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2022 Oct;43(10):1382-88. doi: 10.1017/ice.2021.400..
Keywords: Antibiotics, Cancer: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Medication, Surgery, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Prevention, Women, Practice Patterns