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) (52)
- Adverse Events (142)
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (4)
- Back Health and Pain (1)
- Behavioral Health (2)
- Blood Pressure (1)
- Blood Thinners (3)
- Burnout (2)
- Cancer (3)
- Cardiovascular Conditions (3)
- Care Coordination (2)
- Caregiving (2)
- Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI) (1)
- Children/Adolescents (26)
- Chronic Conditions (3)
- Clinical Decision Support (CDS) (8)
- Clinician-Patient Communication (10)
- Communication (19)
- Comparative Effectiveness (2)
- COVID-19 (2)
- Critical Care (6)
- Data (4)
- Dental and Oral Health (3)
- Depression (1)
- Diagnostic Safety and Quality (53)
- Disparities (1)
- Education: Continuing Medical Education (2)
- Elderly (2)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (23)
- Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing) (6)
- Emergency Department (15)
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) (1)
- Evidence-Based Practice (4)
- Falls (1)
- Family Health and History (2)
- Guidelines (2)
- Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) (1)
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) (3)
- Healthcare Costs (2)
- Healthcare Delivery (8)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (55)
- Health Insurance (1)
- Health Literacy (1)
- Health Services Research (HSR) (1)
- Heart Disease and Health (1)
- Hospital Discharge (4)
- Hospitalization (5)
- Hospitals (13)
- Imaging (5)
- Implementation (3)
- Inpatient Care (9)
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (6)
- Kidney Disease and Health (1)
- Labor and Delivery (2)
- Long-Term Care (3)
- Maternal Care (1)
- Medical Devices (1)
- (-) Medical Errors (205)
- Medical Liability (15)
- Medicare (2)
- Medication (54)
- Medication: Safety (33)
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) (1)
- Newborns/Infants (4)
- Nursing Homes (3)
- Opioids (1)
- Orthopedics (1)
- Pain (1)
- Patient-Centered Healthcare (2)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (1)
- Patient and Family Engagement (4)
- Patient Experience (2)
- Patient Safety (169)
- Payment (1)
- Policy (2)
- Practice Patterns (4)
- Pregnancy (2)
- Prevention (7)
- Primary Care (9)
- Primary Care: Models of Care (1)
- Provider (6)
- Provider: Health Personnel (2)
- Provider: Pharmacist (6)
- Provider: Physician (5)
- Provider Performance (1)
- Public Reporting (3)
- Quality Improvement (17)
- Quality Indicators (QIs) (1)
- Quality Measures (3)
- Quality of Care (34)
- Research Methodologies (1)
- Risk (10)
- Rural Health (1)
- Sepsis (2)
- Shared Decision Making (6)
- Sleep Problems (1)
- Stress (1)
- Stroke (1)
- Surgery (9)
- Surveys on Patient Safety Culture (1)
- System Design (1)
- Teams (2)
- Telehealth (3)
- Tools & Toolkits (3)
- Training (1)
- Transitions of Care (3)
- Transplantation (3)
- Treatments (1)
- Web-Based (1)
- Women (2)
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
26 to 50 of 205 Research Studies DisplayedKhan A, Baird J, Kelly MM
Family safety reporting in medically complex children: parent, staff, and leader perspectives.
This qualitative study examined parent, staff, and hospital leader perspectives about family safety reporting in children with medical complexity (CMC) to inform future interventions. The study was conducted at 2 tertiary care children’s hospitals with dedicated inpatient complex care services. Hour-long semi-structured, individual interviews were conducted with English and Spanish-speaking parents of CMC, physicians, nurses, and hospital leaders. A total of 80 participants (34 parents, 19 nurses and allied health professionals, 11 physicians, and 16 hospital leaders) were interviewed. Four themes related to family safety reporting emerged: (1) unclear, nontransparent, and variable existing processes, (2) a continuum of staff and leadership buy-in, (3) a family decision-making calculus about whether to report, and (4) misaligned staff and parent priorities and expectations. The authors also identified potential strategies for engaging families and staff in family reporting.
AHRQ-funded; HS025781.
Citation: Khan A, Baird J, Kelly MM .
Family safety reporting in medically complex children: parent, staff, and leader perspectives.
Pediatrics 2022 Jun; 149(6). doi: 10.1542/peds.2021-053913..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Family Health and History, Chronic Conditions, Provider: Physician, Patient Safety, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Inpatient Care
Marshall TL, Rinke ML, Olson APJ
Diagnostic error in pediatrics: a narrative review.
This narrative review focuses on the relative paucity of large, high-quality studies of diagnostic errors and what is known at present about the incident and epidemiology as well as the established research for identifying, evaluating, and reducing diagnostic errors. The authors propose several key research questions aimed at addressing persistent gaps in the pediatric diagnostic error literature. The authors state that additional research is needed to better establish the epidemiology of diagnostic errors in pediatrics, including identifying high-risk clinical scenarios, patient populations, and groups of diagnoses.
AHRQ-funded; HS023827; HS026644.
Citation: Marshall TL, Rinke ML, Olson APJ .
Diagnostic error in pediatrics: a narrative review.
Pediatrics 2022 Mar;149(Suppl 3). doi: 10.1542/peds.2020-045948D..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Patient Safety, Medical Errors
Fong A, Behzad S, Pruitt Z
A machine learning approach to reclassifying miscellaneous patient safety event reports.
This research paper describes an effort to develop a machine learning natural language processing model to reclassify medical adverse events that were classified as “miscellaneous” as opposed to a specific event-type category. The authors integrated the model into a clinical workflow dashboard, evaluated user feedback, and compared differences in user thresholds for model performance to reclassify those reports.
AHRQ-funded; HS026481.
Citation: Fong A, Behzad S, Pruitt Z .
A machine learning approach to reclassifying miscellaneous patient safety event reports.
J Patient Saf 2021 Dec 1;17(8):e829-e33. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000731..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Health Information Technology (HIT), Medical Errors
Mahajan P, Mollen C, Alpern ER
An operational framework to study diagnostic errors in emergency departments: findings from a consensus panel.
The purpose of this study was to create an operational definition and framework to study diagnostic error in the emergency department setting. A multidisciplinary panel defined diagnostic errors, modified the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's diagnostic process framework, and underscored the importance of outcome feedback to emergency department providers to promote learning and improvement related to diagnosis.
AHRQ-funded; HS024953.
Citation: Mahajan P, Mollen C, Alpern ER .
An operational framework to study diagnostic errors in emergency departments: findings from a consensus panel.
J Patient Saf 2021 Dec 1;17(8):570-75. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000624..
Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Emergency Department, Medical Errors, Adverse Events
Iqbal AR, Parau CA, Kazi S
Identifying electronic medication administration record (eMAR) usability issues from patient safety event reports.
This study investigated the contribution of usability challenges associated with the electronic medication administration record (eMAR) to medication errors using patient safety event reports (PSEs). The authors analyzed free-text descriptions of 849 medication-related PSEs selected from 2.3 million reports. Specific health IT components, usability challenge categories, and nuanced usability themes that contributed to each PSE were identified by coders. Usability challenges included workflow support, alerting, and display/visual clutter.
AHRQ-funded; HS025136.
Citation: Iqbal AR, Parau CA, Kazi S .
Identifying electronic medication administration record (eMAR) usability issues from patient safety event reports.
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2021 Dec;47(12):793-801. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2021.09.004..
Keywords: Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing), Health Information Technology (HIT), Medication, Medical Errors, Patient Safety
Adams KT, Pruitt Z, Kazi S
Identifying health information technology usability issues contributing to medication errors across medication process stages.
Researchers sought to identify the types of medication errors associated with health IT use, whether they reached the patient, where in the medication process those errors occurred, and the specific usability issues contributing to those errors. They found that health IT usability issues were a prevalent contributing factor to medication errors, many of which reach the patient. They recommended that data entry, workflow support, and alerting be prioritized during usability and safety optimization efforts.
AHRQ-funded; HS025136.
Citation: Adams KT, Pruitt Z, Kazi S .
Identifying health information technology usability issues contributing to medication errors across medication process stages.
J Patient Saf 2021 Dec 1;17(8):e988-e94. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000868..
Keywords: Medication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Patient Safety
Ackerman SL, Gourley G, Le G
Improving patient safety in public hospitals: developing standard measures to track medical errors and process breakdowns
This study’s aim was to develop standards for tracking patient safety gaps in ambulatory care in safety net health systems. Participants were invited leaders from five California safety net health systems. They participated in a modified Delphi process sponsored by the Safety Promotion Action Research and Knowledge Network (SPARKNet) and the California Safety Net Institute. The feasibility and validity of 13 proposed patient safety measures were discussed by the eight panelists and prioritized in three Delphi rounds. Consensus was unanimously reached to adopt 9 of the 13 proposed measures. However, concern was expressed about the feasibility of implementing several of the measures.
AHRQ-funded; HS024426; HS022047.
Citation: Ackerman SL, Gourley G, Le G .
Improving patient safety in public hospitals: developing standard measures to track medical errors and process breakdowns
J Patient Saf 2021 Dec 1;17(8):e773-e90. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000480..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Hospitals
Duffy B, Miller J, Vitous CA
Intersystem medical error discovery: a document analysis of ethical guidelines.
The authors conducted a document analysis of ethical guidelines concerning how providers should respond to other providers' errors, especially when they occur outside the provider's facility or system (intersystem medical error discovery [IMED]). They found that ethics codes provided little guidance on communication regarding IMED scenarios, and in some cases, the guidance was internally conflicting.
AHRQ-funded; HS026030.
Citation: Duffy B, Miller J, Vitous CA .
Intersystem medical error discovery: a document analysis of ethical guidelines.
J Patient Saf 2021 Dec 1;17(8):e1765-e73. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000625..
Keywords: Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Provider: Health Personnel, Communication
Tokede O, Walji M, Ramoni R
Quantifying dental office-originating adverse events: the dental practice study methods.
Investigators initiated the Dental Practice Study (DPS) with the goal of determining the frequency and types of adverse events (AEs) that occur in dentistry on the basis of retrospective chart audit. In this article, they discussed the 6-month pilot phase of the DPS during which they explored the feasibility and efficiency of their multi-staged review process to detect AEs.
Citation: Tokede O, Walji M, Ramoni R .
Quantifying dental office-originating adverse events: the dental practice study methods.
J Patient Saf 2021 Dec 1;17(8):e1080-e87. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000444..
Keywords: Dental and Oral Health, Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Medical Errors
Giardina TD, Korukonda S, Shahid U
Use of patient complaints to identify diagnosis-related safety concerns: a mixed-method evaluation.
This retrospective cohort study evaluated the use of patient complaint data to identify patient safety concerns related to diagnosis as an initial step to using this information to facilitate learning and improvement. Patient complaints submitted to the Geisinger healthcare system were reviewed with 2 cohorts from August to December 2017 (cohort 1) and January to June 2018 (cohort 2). The authors selected complaints more likely to be associated with diagnostic concerns in Geisinger’s existing complaint taxonomy. In cohort 1, 1865 complaint summaries were reviewed and 177 (9.5%) were identified as concerning. The review identified 39 diagnostic errors. In cohort 2, 2423 patient complaints were reviewed and 310 (12.8%) concerning reports were identified. A 10% sample contained give diagnostic errors. Most errors were categorized as “Clinical Care” issues.
AHRQ-funded; HS025474; HS027363.
Citation: Giardina TD, Korukonda S, Shahid U .
Use of patient complaints to identify diagnosis-related safety concerns: a mixed-method evaluation.
BMJ Qual Saf 2021 Dec;30(12):996-1001. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2020-011593..
Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Patient Safety, Medical Errors, Adverse Events
Vaghani V, Wei L, U
Validation of an electronic trigger to measure missed diagnosis of stroke in emergency departments.
Diagnostic errors are major contributors to preventable patient harm. In this study, the investigators validated the use of an electronic health record (EHR)-based trigger (e-trigger) to measure missed opportunities in stroke diagnosis in emergency departments (EDs). The investigators concluded that a symptom-disease pair-based e-trigger identified missed diagnoses of stroke with a modest positive predictive value, underscoring the need for chart review validation procedures to identify diagnostic errors in large data sets.
AHRQ-funded; HS017820; HS024459.
Citation: Vaghani V, Wei L, U .
Validation of an electronic trigger to measure missed diagnosis of stroke in emergency departments.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2021 Sep 18;28(10):2202-11. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocab121..
Keywords: Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Emergency Department, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Medical Errors, Adverse Events
Mahajan P, Pai CW, Cosby KS
Identifying trigger concepts to screen emergency department visits for diagnostic errors.
The diagnostic process is a vital component of safe and effective emergency department (ED) care. There are no standardized methods for identifying or reliably monitoring diagnostic errors in the ED, impeding efforts to enhance diagnostic safety. In this study, the investigators sought to identify trigger concepts to screen ED records for diagnostic errors and describe how they can be used as a measurement strategy to identify and reduce preventable diagnostic harm.
AHRQ-funded; HS024953; HS027363.
Citation: Mahajan P, Pai CW, Cosby KS .
Identifying trigger concepts to screen emergency department visits for diagnostic errors.
Diagnosis 2021 Aug 26;8(3):340-46. doi: 10.1515/dx-2020-0122..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Patient Safety
Griffin JA, Carr K, Bersani K
Analyzing diagnostic errors in the acute setting: a process-driven approach.
In this study the authors describe an approach for analyzing failures in diagnostic processes in a small, enriched cohort of general medicine patients who expired during hospitalization and experienced medical error. Their objective was to delineate a systematic strategy for identifying frequent and significant failures in the diagnostic process to inform strategies for preventing adverse events due to diagnostic error.
AHRQ-funded; HS026613.
Citation: Griffin JA, Carr K, Bersani K .
Analyzing diagnostic errors in the acute setting: a process-driven approach.
Diagnosis 2021 Aug 23;23(9):77-88. doi: 10.1515/dx-2021-0033..
Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Medical Errors, Adverse Events
Cifra CL, Custer JW, Singh H
Diagnostic errors in pediatric critical care: a systematic review.
This study is a systematic review on the prevalence, impact, and contributing factors related to diagnostic errors in the PICU. A database search was done for literature up through December 2019. Using specific criteria, 396 abstracts were screened, and 17 studies were included. Fifteen of 17 studies had an observational research design. Autopsy studies showed a 10-23% rate of missed major diagnosis with 5-16% of the errors having a potential adverse impact on survival and would have changed care management. Retrospective record review studies reported varying rates of diagnostic error from 8% in a general PICU population to 12% among unexpected critical admissions. About a quarter of those patients were discussed at PICU morbidity and mortality conferences. Most misdiagnosed conditions were cardiovascular, infectious, congenital, or neurologic. System, cognitive, and both system and cognitive factors were associated with diagnostic error but there is limited information on the impact of misdiagnosis.
AHRQ-funded; HS026965.
Citation: Cifra CL, Custer JW, Singh H .
Diagnostic errors in pediatric critical care: a systematic review.
Pediatr Crit Care Med 2021 Aug;22(8):701-12. doi: 10.1097/pcc.0000000000002735..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Critical Care
De Oliveira GS, Castro-Alves LJ, Kendall MC
Effectiveness of pharmacist intervention to reduce medication errors and health-care resources utilization after transitions of care: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
The main objective of the current investigation was to examine the effectiveness of pharmacist-based transition-of-care interventions on the reduction of medication errors after hospital discharge. Findings showed that pharmacist transition-of-care intervention is an effective strategy to reduce medication errors after hospital discharge and also reduces subsequent emergency room visits.
AHRQ-funded; HS024158.
Citation: De Oliveira GS, Castro-Alves LJ, Kendall MC .
Effectiveness of pharmacist intervention to reduce medication errors and health-care resources utilization after transitions of care: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
J Patient Saf 2021 Aug 1;17(5):375-80. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000283..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Provider: Pharmacist, Transitions of Care
Kern-Goldberger AR, Kneifati-Hayek J, Fernandes Y
Wrong-patient orders in obstetrics.
The objective of this observational study was to compare rates of wrong-patient orders among patients on obstetric units compared with reproductive-aged women admitted to medical-surgical units. The investigators concluded that order errors occurred more frequently on obstetric units compared with medical-surgical units.
AHRQ-funded; HS024538; HS026121.
Citation: Kern-Goldberger AR, Kneifati-Hayek J, Fernandes Y .
Wrong-patient orders in obstetrics.
Obstet Gynecol 2021 Aug 1;138(2):229-35. doi: 10.1097/aog.0000000000004474..
Keywords: Medical Errors, Maternal Care, Pregnancy, Women, Adverse Events, Patient Safety
Watterson TL, Stone JA, Brown R
CancelRx: a health IT tool to reduce medication discrepancies in the outpatient setting.
Medication list discrepancies between outpatient clinics and pharmacies can lead to medication errors. Within the last decade, a new health information technology (IT), CancelRx, emerged to send a medication cancellation message from the clinic's electronic health record (EHR) to the outpatient pharmacy's software. The objective of this study was to measure the impact of CancelRx on reducing medication discrepancies between the EHR and pharmacy dispensing software.
AHRQ-funded; HS025793.
Citation: Watterson TL, Stone JA, Brown R .
CancelRx: a health IT tool to reduce medication discrepancies in the outpatient setting.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2021 Jul 14;28(7):1526-33. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocab038..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Ambulatory Care and Surgery
King CR, Abraham J, Fritz BA
Predicting self-intercepted medication ordering errors using machine learning.
Current approaches to understanding medication ordering errors rely on relatively small manually captured error samples. These approaches are resource-intensive, do not scale for computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems, and are likely to miss important risk factors associated with medication ordering errors. Previously, the investigators described a dataset of CPOE-based medication voiding accompanied by univariable and multivariable regression analyses. In this paper, they updated the analysis using machine learning (ML) models to predict erroneous medication orders and identify its contributing factors.
AHRQ-funded; HS025443.
Citation: King CR, Abraham J, Fritz BA .
Predicting self-intercepted medication ordering errors using machine learning.
PLoS One 2021 Jul 14;16(7):e0254358. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254358..
Keywords: Medication, Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Stolldorf DP, Ridner SH, Vogus TJ
Implementation strategies in the context of medication reconciliation: a qualitative study.
Medication reconciliation (MedRec) is an important patient safety initiative that aims to prevent patient harm from medication errors. Yet, the implementation and sustainability of MedRec interventions have been challenging due to contextual barriers like the lack of interprofessional communication (among pharmacists, nurses, and providers) and limited organizational capacity. Guided by the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) taxonomy, the authors report the differing strategies hospital implementation teams used to implement an evidence-based MedRec Toolkit (the MARQUIS Toolkit).
AHRQ-funded; HS025486.
Citation: Stolldorf DP, Ridner SH, Vogus TJ .
Implementation strategies in the context of medication reconciliation: a qualitative study.
Implement Sci Commun 2021 Jun 10;2(1):63. doi: 10.1186/s43058-021-00162-5..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Implementation, Communication
Long S, Thomas GW, Karam MD
Surgical skill can be objectively measured from fluoroscopic images using a novel image-based Decision Error Analysis (IDEA) score.
This study introduces and evaluates a novel Image-based Decision Error Analysis (IDEA) score that captures performance during fluoroscopically assisted wire navigation. Findings showed that the fluoroscopic images obtained in the course of placing a guide wire contained a rich amount of information related to surgical skill. The IDEA scoring provided a basis for evaluating the competence of a resident. The score can be used to assess skill at key timepoints throughout residency, such as when rotating onto/off of a new surgical service and before performing certain procedures in the operating room, or as a tool for debriefing/providing feedback after a procedure is completed.
AHRQ-funded; HS022077; HS025353.
Citation: Long S, Thomas GW, Karam MD .
Surgical skill can be objectively measured from fluoroscopic images using a novel image-based Decision Error Analysis (IDEA) score.
Clin Orthop Relat Res 2021 Jun;479(6):1386-94. doi: 10.1097/corr.0000000000001623..
Keywords: Orthopedics, Surgery, Shared Decision Making, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Imaging
Barwise A, Leppin A, Dong Y
What contributes to diagnostic error or delay? A qualitative exploration across diverse acute care settings in the United States.
This study was part of a mixed-methods approach to understand the organizational, clinician, and patient factors contributing to diagnostic error and delay among acutely ill patients within a health system. Findings showed that clinicians perceived that diverse organizational, communication and coordination, individual clinician, and patient factors interact to impede the process of making timely and accurate diagnoses. This study highlights the complex sociotechnical system within which individual clinicians operate and the contributions of systems, processes, and institutional factors to diagnostic error and delay.
AHRQ-funded; HS026609.
Citation: Barwise A, Leppin A, Dong Y .
What contributes to diagnostic error or delay? A qualitative exploration across diverse acute care settings in the United States.
J Patient Saf 2021 Jun 1;17(4):239-48. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000817..
Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE)
Cifra CL, Westlund E, Ten Eyck P
An estimate of missed pediatric sepsis in the emergency department.
AHRQ-funded; HS025753.
Citation: Cifra CL, Westlund E, Ten Eyck P .
An estimate of missed pediatric sepsis in the emergency department.
Diagnosis 2021;8(2):193-98. doi: 10.1515/dx-2020-0023..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Sepsis, Emergency Department, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Medical Errors, Risk
Michelson KA, Williams DN, Dart AH
Development of a rubric for assessing delayed diagnosis of appendicitis, diabetic ketoacidosis and sepsis.
This study’s objective was to create a guide for objectively grading the likelihood of delayed diagnosis of appendicitis, new-onset diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and sepsis. Case vignettes were constructed for each condition and then presented to expert Delphi panels for review. In each vignette, the patient had a previous emergency department visit within 7 days of the delayed diagnosis. The panels graded the likelihood of a delayed diagnosis on a five-point scale. Consensus was achieved within three Delphi rounds for all appendicitis and sepsis vignettes, and 77% of DKA vignettes. The authors created a case review guide from the consensus scores that will aid researchers and quality improvement specialists in objective case review to determine if delayed diagnosis had occurred for those three conditions.
AHRQ-funded; HS026503.
Citation: Michelson KA, Williams DN, Dart AH .
Development of a rubric for assessing delayed diagnosis of appendicitis, diabetic ketoacidosis and sepsis.
Diagnosis 2021;8(2):219-25. doi: 10.1515/dx-2020-0035..
Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Sepsis, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Patient Safety
Gonzales HM, Fleming JN, Gebregziabher M
Pharmacist-led mobile health intervention and transplant medication safety: a randomized controlled clinical trial.
The goal of this study was to examine the efficacy of improving medication safety through a pharmacist-led, mobile health-based intervention. In this single-center study of adult kidney recipients 6-36 months post-transplant, findings showed that participants receiving the intervention experienced a significant reduction in medication errors and a significantly lower incidence risk of Grade 3 or higher adverse events. The intervention arm also demonstrated significantly lower rates of hospitalizations.
AHRQ-funded; HS023754.
Citation: Gonzales HM, Fleming JN, Gebregziabher M .
Pharmacist-led mobile health intervention and transplant medication safety: a randomized controlled clinical trial.
Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2021 May 8;16(5):776-84. doi: 10.2215/cjn.15911020..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Transplantation, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Provider: Pharmacist, Provider, Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events
Feng Y, Pai CW, Seiler K
Adverse outcomes associated with inappropriate direct oral anticoagulant starter pack prescription among patients with atrial fibrillation: a retrospective claims-based study.
This retrospective analysis investigated the risk for bleeding events with higher dosing of direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) in the first 1-3 weeks of treatment for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Findings showed that patients who received an inappropriate DOAC prescription were more likely to identify as Black. Rates of ED visits, hospitalizations, and deaths overall were numerically lower in patients with starter pack DOAC prescriptions. In contrast, rates of ED visits and hospitalizations related to significant bleeding were numerically higher in patients with starter pack DOAC prescriptions. Among patients with AF but without acute venous thromboembolism, those who received an inappropriate DOAC starter pack had numerically higher rates of severe bleeding leading to ED visits and hospitalizations compared to those prescribed an appropriate non-starter pack DOAC anticoagulant.
AHRQ-funded; HS026874.
Citation: Feng Y, Pai CW, Seiler K .
Adverse outcomes associated with inappropriate direct oral anticoagulant starter pack prescription among patients with atrial fibrillation: a retrospective claims-based study.
J Thromb Thrombolysis 2021 May;51(4):1144-49. doi: 10.1007/s11239-020-02358-3..
Keywords: Blood Thinners, Medication, Medication: Safety, Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions