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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 24 of 24 Research Studies DisplayedPaglino E, Lundberg DJ, Wrigley-Field E
Excess natural-cause mortality in US counties and its association with reported COVID-19 deaths.
The authors indicate that in the United States, excess deaths reported to non-COVID-19 natural causes may represent unrecognized COVID-19 deaths, deaths caused by interruptions in health care during the pandemic, and/or deaths from the socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic. The researchers created a Bayesian hierarchical model to produce monthly estimates of excess natural-cause mortality for US counties over the first 30 months of the pandemic. The study found that from March 2020 through August 2022, 1,194,610 excess natural-cause deaths occurred nationally. A total of 162,886 of these excess natural-cause deaths were not reported to COVID-19. Overall, 15.8 excess deaths were reported to non-COVID-19 natural causes for every 100 reported COVID-19 deaths. This number was higher in nonmetropolitan counties, the West, and the South. In comparison, reported COVID-19 death counts were greater than estimates of excess natural-cause deaths in metropolitan counties in the New England and Middle Atlantic states. Increases in reported COVID-19 deaths were temporally associated with increases in excess deaths reported to non-COVID-19 natural causes in the same and/or previous month.
AHRQ-funded; HS013853.
Citation: Paglino E, Lundberg DJ, Wrigley-Field E .
Excess natural-cause mortality in US counties and its association with reported COVID-19 deaths.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024 Feb 6; 121(6):e2313661121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2313661121..
Keywords: COVID-19, Mortality
Azimi H, Johnson L, Loudermilk C
Medication regimen complexity (MRC-ICU) for in-hospital mortality prediction in COVID-19 patients.
This study’s purpose was to assess if a patient’s medication regimen complexity-intensive care unit (MRC-ICU) score could predict in-hospital mortality in patients with COVID-19. This single-center, observational study was conducted from August 2020 to January 2021. The primary outcome was the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) for in-hospital mortality for the 48-hour MRC-ICU. The authors assessed age, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), and World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Severity Classification. They included 149 patients who had a median SOFA score of 8 (IQR 5-11), and median MRC-ICU score at 48 hours of 15. The in-hospital mortality rate of 36%. The AUROC for MRC-ICU was 0.71 compared to 0.66 for age, 0.81 SOFA, and 0.72 for the WHO Severity Classification. Univariate analysis was used to compare the 4 characteristics. SOFA, MRC-ICU, and WHO Severity Classification all demonstrated significant association with in-hospital mortality, while SOFA, MRC-ICU, and WHO Severity Classification demonstrated significant association with WHO Severity Classification at 7 days. All 4 characteristics showed significant association with mortality; however, only age and SOFA remained significant following multivariate analysis.
AHRQ-funded; HS028485; HS029009.
Citation: Azimi H, Johnson L, Loudermilk C .
Medication regimen complexity (MRC-ICU) for in-hospital mortality prediction in COVID-19 patients.
Hosp Pharm 2023 Dec; 58(6):564-68. doi: 10.1177/00185787231169460..
Keywords: COVID-19, Medication, Mortality, Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Chen JT, Mehrizi R, Aasman B
Long short-term memory model identifies ARDS and in-hospital mortality in both non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 cohort.
The objective of this study was to identify risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and in-hospital mortality using a long short-term memory (LSTM) framework in mechanically ventilated (MV) COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 cohorts. The results indicated that the LSTM algorithm accurately identified the risk of ARDS or death in both non-COVID-19 and COVID MV patients. The researchers concluded that a tool that alerts to the risk of ARDS or death can improve the implementation of evidence-based ARDS management and facilitate goals-of-care discussions involving high-risk patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS026188.
Citation: Chen JT, Mehrizi R, Aasman B .
Long short-term memory model identifies ARDS and in-hospital mortality in both non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 cohort.
BMJ Health Care Inform 2023 Sep; 30(1). doi: 10.1136/bmjhci-2023-100782..
Keywords: COVID-19, Mortality, Hospitals, Inpatient Care
Kim D, Swaminathan S, Lee Y
Racial and ethnic disparities in excess deaths after COVID-19 vaccine deployment among persons with kidney failure.
COVID-19 resulted in clear racial/ethnic disparities in excess deaths among persons with kidney failure. It is not clear whether or how these disparities changed throughout the pandemic, especially after the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines. The purpose of this study was to examine disparities in excess mortality for the Medicare population with kidney failure from March 2020, through December 2021. The study found that there were 686,719 patients with kidney failure in January 2020. Researchers reported an increase in excess deaths beginning March 1, 2020, with a peak in January 2021. From March 1, 2020, through January 30, 2021, and there were substantial disparities in excess deaths across racial/ethnic groups. The number of excess deaths was 5582, 4303, and 2679 for non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic patients, respectively. The percent excess deaths was 31.9% for Hispanic patients, 27.5% for non-Hispanic Black patients, and 16.4% for non-Hispanic White patients. After the wide distribution of COVID-19 vaccines since the end of January 2021, the lowest percent excess deaths was observed among Hispanic patients, followed by Black patients, and White patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS028285.
Citation: Kim D, Swaminathan S, Lee Y .
Racial and ethnic disparities in excess deaths after COVID-19 vaccine deployment among persons with kidney failure.
Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2023 Sep; 18(9):1207-09. doi: 10.2215/cjn.0000000000000226..
Keywords: COVID-19, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Disparities, Vaccination, Kidney Disease and Health, Mortality
Paglino E, Lundberg, DJ, Zhou Z
Monthly excess mortality across counties in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, March 2020 to February 2022.
Researchers estimated all-cause excess mortality for the US by county and month by using a Bayesian hierarchical model focused on data from 2015-2019. Overall, excess mortality decreased in large metropolitan counties but increased in nonmetropolitan counties. Nonmetropolitan Southern counties had the highest cumulative relative excess mortality by July 2021. The researchers concluded that their results highlight the need for investments in rural health as the pandemic's rural impact increases.
AHRQ-funded; HS013853.
Citation: Paglino E, Lundberg, DJ, Zhou Z .
Monthly excess mortality across counties in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, March 2020 to February 2022.
Sci Adv 2023 Jun 23; 9(25):eadf9742. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adf9742..
Keywords: COVID-19, Mortality
Feyman Y, Avila CJ, Auty S
Racial and ethnic disparities in excess mortality among U.S. veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This study examined whether minority veterans experienced higher rates of all-cause mortality than White veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors used administrative data from the Veterans Health Administration’s Corporate Data Warehouse. Veterans were excluded in the analysis if they were missing county of residence or race-ethnicity data. Overall, veteran mortality rates were 16% above normal during March-December 2020 which equates to 42,348 excess deaths. Non-Hispanic White veterans experienced the smallest relative increase in mortality (17%), while Native American veterans had the highest increase (40%). Black Veterans (32%) and Hispanic Veterans (26%) had somewhat lower excess mortality, although these changes were significantly higher compared to White veterans. Disparities were smaller compared to the general population.
AHRQ-funded; HS026395.
Citation: Feyman Y, Avila CJ, Auty S .
Racial and ethnic disparities in excess mortality among U.S. veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health Serv Res 2023 Jun; 58(3):642-53. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.14112..
Keywords: COVID-19, Mortality, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Disparities
Lundberg DJ, Wrigley-Field E, Cho A
COVID-19 mortality by race and ethnicity in US metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, March 2020 to February 2022.
Previous research has determined that Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black residents in the United States experienced significantly higher COVID-19 mortality rates in 2020 than non-Hispanic White residents due to structural racism. In 2021, these disparities were observed to decrease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extent to which national decreases in racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 mortality between the initial pandemic wave and the subsequent Omicron wave reflect decreases in mortality vs other factors, such as the changing geography of the pandemic. The researchers conducted this cross-sectional study using data from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for COVID-19 deaths from March 1, 2020, through February 28, 2022, in U.S. resident adults aged 25 years and older. Deaths were examined by race and ethnicity across metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and the national decrease in racial and ethnic disparities between the initial wave and Omicron waves was decomposed. The study included death certificates for 977, 018 U.S. that included a mention of COVID-19. The rate of COVID-19 deaths among adults residing in nonmetropolitan areas increased 5.4% during the initial wave to a peak of 23.4% during the Delta wave; the proportion was 21.5% during the Omicron wave. The national disparity in age-standardized COVID-19 death rates per 100,000 person-years for non-Hispanic Black compared with non-Hispanic White adults decreased by 293 deaths. After standardizing for age and racial and ethnic differences by metropolitan vs nonmetropolitan residence, increases in death rates among non-Hispanic White adults explained 40.7% of the decrease (40.7%); 19.6% of the decrease was explained by shifts in mortality to nonmetropolitan areas, where a disproportionate share of non-Hispanic White adults resided. The remaining 39.6% of the decrease was explained by decreases in death rates in non-Hispanic Black adults. The researchers concluded that the majority of the national decrease in racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 mortality between the initial wave and Omicron waves was explained by increased mortality among non-Hispanic White adults and changes in the geographic distribution of the pandemic.
AHRQ-funded; HS013853.
Citation: Lundberg DJ, Wrigley-Field E, Cho A .
COVID-19 mortality by race and ethnicity in US metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, March 2020 to February 2022.
JAMA Netw Open 2023 May; 6(5):e2311098. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.11098..
Keywords: COVID-19, Mortality, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Bergman ZR, Tignanelli CJ, Gould R
Factors associated with mortality in patients with COVID-19 receiving prolonged ventilatory support.
This study examined outcomes for COVID-19 patients who required mechanical ventilation from March 2020 through December 2021 across a system of 11 hospitals. A cohort of 600 patients were included, with in-hospital mortality of 40.3%. Increased age, prolonged ventilation, receiving corticosteroids, and being non-English speaking were associated with mortality. Intubations lasting longer than 21 days had a lower in-hospital mortality of 25.7%.
AHRQ-funded; HS026379.
Citation: Bergman ZR, Tignanelli CJ, Gould R .
Factors associated with mortality in patients with COVID-19 receiving prolonged ventilatory support.
Surg Infect 2022 Dec;23(10):893-901. doi: 10.1089/sur.2022.195..
Keywords: COVID-19, Mortality, Respiratory Conditions
Adams C, Wortley P, Chamberlain A
Declining COVID-19 case-fatality in Georgia, USA, March 2020 to March 2021: a sign of real improvement or a broadening epidemic?
This article examined whether declines in the crude US COVID-19 case fatality ratio is due to improved clinical care and/or other factors. The authors used multivariable logistic regression to examine associations between report month and mortality among confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases and hospitalized cases in Georgia from March 2020 through March 2021. Mortality risk was lowest in November 2020 compared to August 2020 and remained lower until March 2021. Among hospitalized cases, mortality risk increased in December 2020 and January 2021 before declining in March 2021. The authors concluded that improved clinical management may have contributed to lower mortality risk.
AHRQ-funded; HS025987.
Citation: Adams C, Wortley P, Chamberlain A .
Declining COVID-19 case-fatality in Georgia, USA, March 2020 to March 2021: a sign of real improvement or a broadening epidemic?
Ann Epidemiol 2022 Aug;72:57-64. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2022.05.008..
Keywords: COVID-19, Public Health, Mortality
Riviello ED, Dechen T, O'Donoghue AL
Assessment of a crisis standards of care scoring system for resource prioritization and estimated excess mortality by race, ethnicity, and socially vulnerable area during a regional surge in COVID-19.
Researchers analyzed the association of a crisis standards of care (CSOC) scoring system with resource prioritization and estimated excess mortality by race, ethnicity, and residence in a socially vulnerable area during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from 6 hospitals in greater Boston, Massachusetts, they found that a CSOC priority score resulted in lower prioritization of Black patients to receive scarce resources. Also, a model using a random lottery resulted in more estimated excess deaths overall without improving equity by race.
AHRQ-funded; HS024288.
Citation: Riviello ED, Dechen T, O'Donoghue AL .
Assessment of a crisis standards of care scoring system for resource prioritization and estimated excess mortality by race, ethnicity, and socially vulnerable area during a regional surge in COVID-19.
JAMA Netw Open 2022 Mar;5(3):e221744. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.1744..
Keywords: COVID-19, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Mortality, Public Health, Vulnerable Populations
Auty SG, Griffith KN
Medicaid expansion and drug overdose mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
This study examined trends in overdose mortality nationally and by state Medicaid expansion status from 2013 to 2020. Using data from the CDC’s WONDER database, findings showed that the increase in drug or opioid overdose deaths experienced during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic was similar in states with and without Medicaid expansion.
AHRQ-funded; HS026395.
Citation: Auty SG, Griffith KN .
Medicaid expansion and drug overdose mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
Drug Alcohol Depend 2022 Mar 1;232:109340. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109340..
Keywords: COVID-19, Medicaid, Opioids, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Health, Mortality, Public Health
Feyman Y, Auty SG, Tenso K
County-level impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on excess mortality among U.S. veterans: a population-based study.
This study investigated the county-level impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on excess mortality among U.S. veterans. The authors queried Veterans Health Administration (VHA) administrative data on demographics and comorbidities for 11.4 million enrollees during 2016-2020. Eight mortality prediction models at the county-level were used including Poisson, Poisson quasi-likelihood, negative binomial, and generalized estimating equations. All models demonstrated excellent agreement between observed and predicted mortality. An excess mortality rate of 13% in 2020 was found, which corresponds to 50,299 excess deaths. Despite mortality risk factors of veterans, their excess mortality rate was slightly lower than the general population.
AHRQ-funded; HS026395.
Citation: Feyman Y, Auty SG, Tenso K .
County-level impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on excess mortality among U.S. veterans: a population-based study.
Lancet Reg Health Am 2022 Jan;5:100093. doi: 10.1016/j.lana.2021.100093.
AHRQ-funded; HS026395..
AHRQ-funded; HS026395..
Keywords: COVID-19, Mortality
Song Zhang, Zhang X, Patterson LJ
Racial and ethnic disparities in hospitalization outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This study assessed assess racial and ethnic differences in hospitalization outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic among Medicare beneficiaries. Medicare claims from the Social Security Administration was used to determine in-hospital mortality and mortality inclusive of discharges to hospice and discharges to postacute care. Over 31 million Medicare recipients in the database were analyzed with over 14 million hospitalizations from January 2019 to February 2021. There was a decline in non-COVID-19 and an emergence of COVID-19 hospitalizations among beneficiaries of different racial and ethnic minority groups through February 2021. In-hospital mortality was not significantly different among Black patients relative to White patients but was 3.5 percentage points higher among Hispanic patients and other racial and ethnic minority groups. There were disparities in discharges to hospice and postacute care as well.
AHRQ-funded; HS024072.
Citation: Song Zhang, Zhang X, Patterson LJ .
Racial and ethnic disparities in hospitalization outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
JAMA Health Forum 2021 Dec 23;2(12):e214223. doi: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2021.4223..
Keywords: COVID-19, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Disparities, Medicare, Hospitalization, Outcomes, Mortality
Alagoz O, Lowry KP, Kurian AW
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer mortality in the US: estimates from collaborative simulation modeling.
This study’s objective was to project the impact of COVID-19 on future breast cancer mortality between 2020 and 2030. Three established Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network breast cancer models were used to model reductions in mammography screening use, delays in symptomatic cancer diagnosis, and reduced use of chemotherapy for women with early-stage disease for the first 6 months of the pandemic with return to prepandemic patterns after that time. The models project by 2030 950 cumulative excess breast cancers deaths related to reduced screening, 1314 deaths associated with delayed diagnosis of symptomatic cases, and 151 deaths associated with reduced chemotherapy use in women with hormone positive, early-stage cancer.
AHRQ-funded; HS018366.
Citation: Alagoz O, Lowry KP, Kurian AW .
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on breast cancer mortality in the US: estimates from collaborative simulation modeling.
J Natl Cancer Inst 2021 Nov 2;113(11):1484-94. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djab097..
Keywords: COVID-19, Cancer: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Mortality, Women
Klein IA, Rosenberg SM, Reynolds KL
Impact of cancer history on outcomes among hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
Researchers investigated whether a current cancer diagnosis or cancer history is an independent risk factor for death in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. They found that patients with a history of cancer hospitalized for COVID-19 had similar mortality to matched hospitalized patients with COVID-19 without cancer, and a lower risk of complications, while patients with active cancer or recent cancer treatment had a similar risk for adverse outcomes compared with survivors of cancer. They concluded that active cancer, systemic cancer therapy, and a cancer history are not independent risk factors for death from COVID-19 among hospitalized patients, and hospitalized patients without cancer are more likely to have severe COVID-19.
AHRQ-funded; HS023680.
Citation: Klein IA, Rosenberg SM, Reynolds KL .
Impact of cancer history on outcomes among hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
Oncologist 2021 Aug;26(8):685-93. doi: 10.1002/onco.13794..
Keywords: COVID-19, Cancer, Risk, Mortality, Hospitalization, Outcomes
Dixon BE, Grannis SJ, Lembcke LR
The synchronicity of COVID-19 disparities: statewide epidemiologic trends in SARS-CoV-2 morbidity, hospitalization, and mortality among racial minorities and in rural America.
Researchers sought to examine trends in COVID-19 morbidity, hospitalization, and mortality over time for minority and rural populations, especially during the U.S. fall surge. Data were taken from a statewide cohort of adult residents in Indiana tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The researchers found that, by the fall of 2020, hospitalization and mortality rates in rural areas surpassed those of urban areas, and gaps between black/brown and white populations narrowed. Cumulative morbidity and mortality were highest among minority groups and in rural communities. They concluded that the synchronicity of disparities in COVID-19 by race and geography suggested that health officials explicitly measure disparities and adjust mitigation as well as vaccination strategies to protect those sub-populations with greater disease burden.
AHRQ-funded; HS025502.
Citation: Dixon BE, Grannis SJ, Lembcke LR .
The synchronicity of COVID-19 disparities: statewide epidemiologic trends in SARS-CoV-2 morbidity, hospitalization, and mortality among racial minorities and in rural America.
PLoS One 2021 Jul 23;16(7):e0255063. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255063..
Keywords: COVID-19, Disparities, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Hospitalization, Mortality, Rural Health
Anesi GL, Jablonski J, Harhay MO
Characteristics, outcomes, and trends of patients with COVID-19-related critical illness at a learning health system in the United States.
This study’s objective is to describe the epidemiology of COVID-19-related critical illness, including trends in outcomes and care delivery, using five hospitals within the University of Pennsylvania Health System as a setting. Findings showed that, among patients with COVID-19-related critical illness admitted to ICUs of a learning health system in the United States, mortality seemed to decrease over time despite stable patient characteristics. Recommendations included further studies to confirm this result and to investigate causal mechanisms.
AHRQ-funded; HS026372.
Citation: Anesi GL, Jablonski J, Harhay MO .
Characteristics, outcomes, and trends of patients with COVID-19-related critical illness at a learning health system in the United States.
Ann Intern Med 2021 May;174(5):613-21. doi: 10.7326/m20-5327..
Keywords: COVID-19, Critical Care, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Mortality, Hospitals, Outcomes, Infectious Diseases
Kim D, Lee Y, Thorsness R
Racial and ethnic disparities in excess deaths among persons with kidney failure during the COVID-19 pandemic, March-July 2020.
This national study estimated excess deaths for the kidney failure population by race and ethnicity from March 1 through August 1, 2020. Findings showed that, among the US kidney failure population, the number of excess deaths was 16% higher than expected, similar to reports for the general population. However, results showed that the relative increase in deaths among Black and Hispanic patients was more than 4-fold higher than that observed among White patients. The magnitude of these disparities was larger than corresponding relative ratios reported among COVID-19–associated deaths in the general population.
AHRQ-funded; HS028285.
Citation: Kim D, Lee Y, Thorsness R .
Racial and ethnic disparities in excess deaths among persons with kidney failure during the COVID-19 pandemic, March-July 2020.
Am J Kidney Dis 2021 May;77(5):827-29. doi: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2021.02.003..
Keywords: COVID-19, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Disparities, Mortality, Kidney Disease and Health, Chronic Conditions, Social Determinants of Health
Baillargeon J, Polychronopoulou E, Kuo YF
The impact of substance use disorder on COVID-19 outcomes.
The goal of this study was to examine the impact of substance use disorder on the risk of hospitalization, complications, and mortality among adult patients diagnosed as having COVID-19. Using data from the TriNetX Research Network database, primary analysis showed that substance use disorder was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization, ventilator use, and mortality. These findings suggest that COVID-19 patients with substance use disorders are at increased risk for adverse outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS026133.
Citation: Baillargeon J, Polychronopoulou E, Kuo YF .
The impact of substance use disorder on COVID-19 outcomes.
Psychiatr Serv 2021 May;72(5):578-81. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.202000534..
Keywords: COVID-19, Substance Abuse, Hospitalization, Mortality, Risk
Gershengorn HB, Hu Y, Chen JT
The impact of high-flow nasal cannula use on patient mortality and the availability of mechanical ventilators in COVID-19.
This study looked at the effects of the use of high-flow nasal cannula for COVID-19 patients on mortality and the availability of mechanical ventilators. The authors constructed dynamical simulation models of high-flow nasal cannula and mechanical ventilation use in the United States. There were two outcomes looked for: 1) cumulative number of deaths; and 2) days without available ventilators. The strategy resulted in an estimated number of 10,000-40,000 fewer deaths than if high-flow nasal cannula were not available. This strategy also led up to 25 fewer days without available ventilators.
AHRQ-funded; HS026188.
Citation: Gershengorn HB, Hu Y, Chen JT .
The impact of high-flow nasal cannula use on patient mortality and the availability of mechanical ventilators in COVID-19.
Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021 Apr;18(4):623-31. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.202007-803OC..
Keywords: COVID-19, Respiratory Conditions, Mortality, Critical Care
Donnelly JP, Wang XQ, Iwashyna TJ
Readmission and death after initial hospital discharge among patients with COVID-19 in a large multihospital system.
This study describes reasons for readmission, use of intensive care unit (ICU) interventions during readmission, and proportions of death after initial hospital discharge of COVID-19 patients from US Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals March-June 2020.
AHRQ-funded; HS026725.
Citation: Donnelly JP, Wang XQ, Iwashyna TJ .
Readmission and death after initial hospital discharge among patients with COVID-19 in a large multihospital system.
JAMA 2021 Jan 19;325(3):304-06. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.21465.
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Keywords: Respiratory Conditions, COVID-19, Hospital Readmissions, Hospital Discharge, Mortality, Outcomes
Bramante CT, Ingraham NE, Murray TA
Metformin and risk of mortality in patients hospitalised with COVID-19: a retrospective cohort analysis.
This study examined whether metformin use by patients with diagnosed with type 2 diabetes had reduced mortality when hospitalized for COVID-19. Pharmacy claims data from UnitedHealth Group’s Clinical Discovery Claims Database was used. Patient data were included if they were aged 18 years or older; had type 2 diabetes or obesity (defined based on claims); at least 6 months of continuous enrolment in 2019; and admission to hospital for COVID-19 confirmed by PCR; manual chart review by UHG; or reported from the hospital to UHG. Metformin was not associated with significant reduction in mortality among men, but there was an association with decreased mortality in women.
AHRQ-funded; HS026379.
Citation: Bramante CT, Ingraham NE, Murray TA .
Metformin and risk of mortality in patients hospitalised with COVID-19: a retrospective cohort analysis.
Lancet Healthy Longev 2021 Jan;2(1):e34-e41. doi: 10.1016/s2666-7568(20)30033-7..
Keywords: COVID-19, Hospitalization, Medication, Mortality, Risk, Diabetes, Chronic Conditions, Public Health, Infectious Diseases
Auger KA, Shah SS, Richardson T
Association between statewide school closure and COVID-19 incidence and mortality in the US.
This study examined whether school closures between March and May due to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with decreased COVID-19 incidence and mortality. States were examined in quartiles using the number of cases per 100,000 population. States with the lowest cumulative incidence had the most significant decline (-72%) in cases compared to states with the highest incidence (-49%). States that closed schools earlier had the largest reduction in incidence and mortality.
AHRQ-funded; HS024735, HS026763, HS025138.
Citation: Auger KA, Shah SS, Richardson T .
Association between statewide school closure and COVID-19 incidence and mortality in the US.
JAMA 2020 Sep;324(9):859-70. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.14348..
Keywords: COVID-19, Public Health, Children/Adolescents, Policy, Mortality
Li Y, Temkin-Greener H, Shan G
COVID-19 infections and deaths among Connecticut nursing home residents: facility correlates.
This study looked at the relationship between higher registered nurse (RN) staffing, quality ratings, the concentration of Medicaid residents or racial/ethnic minorities; and the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths at nursing homes. All Connecticut nursing homes (n = 215) were included in the study. As of April 16, 2020, the average number of confirmed cases was 8 per nursing home (zero in 107 facilities) and the number of confirmed deaths was 1.7 per nursing (zero in 131 facilities). In nursing homes with at least one death, every 20-minute increase in RN staffing significantly predicted 26% fewer COVID-19 deaths and was associated with 22% fewer confirmed cases. Facilities with a high concentration of Medicaid residents or racial/ethnic minority residents had 16% and 15% more confirmed cases.
AHRQ-funded; HS024923; HS026893.
Citation: Li Y, Temkin-Greener H, Shan G .
COVID-19 infections and deaths among Connecticut nursing home residents: facility correlates.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2020 Sep;68(9):1899-906. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16689..
Keywords: Elderly, COVID-19, Nursing Homes, Long-Term Care, Mortality, Racial and Ethnic Minorities