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 Events (7)
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (2)
- Antibiotics (2)
- Antimicrobial Stewardship (1)
- Blood Clots (1)
- Cardiovascular Conditions (1)
- Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) (6)
- Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI) (4)
- Children/Adolescents (3)
- Clinical Decision Support (CDS) (1)
- Clostridium difficile Infections (3)
- Communication (1)
- Community-Acquired Infections (1)
- Comparative Effectiveness (1)
- Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) (1)
- Critical Care (3)
- Data (1)
- Disparities (1)
- Elderly (1)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (1)
- Evidence-Based Practice (2)
- Guidelines (2)
- (-) Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) (36)
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) (1)
- Healthcare Costs (2)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (1)
- Hospital Discharge (1)
- Hospitalization (2)
- Hospitals (1)
- Injuries and Wounds (5)
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (4)
- Medicare (2)
- Medication (1)
- Medication: Safety (1)
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (3)
- Mortality (1)
- Nursing Homes (1)
- Orthopedics (1)
- Patient-Centered Healthcare (1)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (4)
- Patient Safety (24)
- Patient Self-Management (1)
- Pneumonia (2)
- Practice Patterns (3)
- Prevention (8)
- Quality Improvement (5)
- Quality of Care (8)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (2)
- Risk (2)
- Sepsis (1)
- Surgery (10)
- Teams (1)
- Telehealth (1)
- Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) (5)
AHRQ Research Studies
Sign up: AHRQ Research Studies Email updates
Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 25 of 36 Research Studies DisplayedBundy DG, Gaur AH, Billett AL
Preventing CLABSIs among pediatric hematology/oncology inpatients: national collaborative results.
This study assessed the feasibility of a multicenter effort to standardize central line (CL) care and central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) tracking and to quantify the impact of standardizing these processes on CLABSI rates. It found a reduction of 28 percent in the mean CLABSI rate from 2.85 to 2.04 per 1,000 CL days over almost 3 years.
AHRQ-funded; HS019590
Citation: Bundy DG, Gaur AH, Billett AL .
Preventing CLABSIs among pediatric hematology/oncology inpatients: national collaborative results.
Pediatrics. 2014 Dec;134(6):e1678-85. doi: 10.1542/peds.2014-0582..
Keywords: Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Quality of Care, Children/Adolescents
Sanger P, Hartzler A, Lober WB
Design considerations for post-acute care mHealth: patient perspectives.
The authors are developing an mHealth platform to engage patients in wound tracking to identify and manage surgical site infections (SSI) after hospital discharge. Their key design qualities include: meeting basic accessibility, usability and security needs; encouraging patient-centeredness; facilitating better, more predictable communication; and supporting personalized management by providers. In this article, they illustrated their application of these guiding design considerations and proposed a new framework for mHealth design based on illness duration and intensity.
AHRQ-funded; HS019482.
Citation: Sanger P, Hartzler A, Lober WB .
Design considerations for post-acute care mHealth: patient perspectives.
AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2014 Nov 14;2014:1920-9.
.
.
Keywords: Telehealth, Patient Self-Management, Surgery, Injuries and Wounds, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospital Discharge, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Adverse Events
Segal CG, Waller DK, Tilley B
An evaluation of differences in risk factors for individual types of surgical site infections after colon surgery.
The authors developed four independent, multivariate, predictive models to assess the unique associations between risk factors and each surgical site infection (SSI) group: superficial, deep, organ space, and an aggregate of all 3 types of SSIs. They found that unique risks for superficial SSIs include diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and dyspnea; deep SSIs had the greatest magnitude of association with BMI and the greatest incidence of wound disruption; and organ space SSIs were often owing to anastomotic leaks and were uniquely associated with disseminated cancer, preoperative dialysis, preoperative radiation treatment, and a bleeding disorder. They concluded that more effective prevention strategies may be developed by reporting and examining each type of SSI separately.
AHRQ-funded; HS021857.
Citation: Segal CG, Waller DK, Tilley B .
An evaluation of differences in risk factors for individual types of surgical site infections after colon surgery.
Surgery 2014 Nov;156(5):1253-60. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2014.05.010.
.
.
Keywords: Risk, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Adverse Events, Surgery, Patient Safety
Fritz SA, Hogan PG, Singh LN
Contamination of environmental surfaces with Staphylococcus aureus in households with children infected with methicillin-resistant S aureus.
This study of the households of 50 children with active or recent culture-positive community-associated methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection found MRSA-contaminated surfaces in 23 of the 50 households, most frequently form the bed linens (18 percent), television remote control (16 percent), and bathroom hand towel (15 percent).
AHRQ-funded; HS021736
Citation: Fritz SA, Hogan PG, Singh LN .
Contamination of environmental surfaces with Staphylococcus aureus in households with children infected with methicillin-resistant S aureus.
JAMA Pediatr. 2014 Nov;168(11):1030-8. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.1218..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Children/Adolescents, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Bish EK, El-Amine H, Steighner LA
A socio-technical, probabilistic risk assessment model for surgical site infections in ambulatory surgery centers.
The researchers sought to identify the risk factors associated with surgical site infections (SSIs) resulting from procedures performed at ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and to design an intervention to mitigate the likelihood of SSIs for the most common risk factors that were identified by the socio-technical probabilistic risk assessment (ST-PRA) tool for a particular surgical procedure. They found that failure to protect the patient effectively accounted for 51.9% of SSIs in the ambulatory care setting. Critical components of this event included skin preparation, antibiotic administration, staff training, proper response to glove punctures during surgery, and adherence to surgical preparation rules related to the wearing of jewelry, watches, and artificial nails. They determined that, assuming a 75% reduction in noncompliance on any combination of 2 of these 5 components, the risk for an SSI decreased.
AHRQ-funded; 290200600019I.
Citation: Bish EK, El-Amine H, Steighner LA .
A socio-technical, probabilistic risk assessment model for surgical site infections in ambulatory surgery centers.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014 Oct;35 Suppl 3:S133-41. doi: 10.1086/677824.
.
.
Keywords: Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Risk, Surgery, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Patient Safety, Injuries and Wounds, Adverse Events
Warren DK, Nickel KB, Wallace AE
Can additional information be obtained from claims data to support surgical site infection diagnosis codes?
The authors sought to confirm a claims algorithm to identify surgical site infections (SSIs) by examining the presence of clinically expected SSI treatment. They found that over 94% of patients identified by their claims algorithm as having an SSI received clinically expected treatment for infection, including antibiotics, surgical treatment, and culture, suggesting that this algorithm has very good positive predictive value. They concluded that their method may facilitate retrospective SSI surveillance and comparison of SSI rates across facilities and providers.
AHRQ-funded; HS019713.
Citation: Warren DK, Nickel KB, Wallace AE .
Can additional information be obtained from claims data to support surgical site infection diagnosis codes?
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014 Oct;35 Suppl 3:S124-32. doi: 10.1086/677830.
.
.
Keywords: Data, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Patient Safety, Surgery, Injuries and Wounds, Adverse Events
Huang SS, Septimus E, TR TR
Cost savings of universal decolonization to prevent intensive care unit infection: implications of the REDUCE MRSA trial.
The researchers estimated the incremental effect on healthcare costs associated with targeted decolonization and universal decolonization compared with screening and isolation, which is considered the current standard of care. They found that a strategy of universal decolonization for patients admitted to the ICU would both reduce bloodstream infections and like reduce healthcare costs when compared to other strategies.
AHRQ-funded; 290201000008I; 29032007T.
Citation: Huang SS, Septimus E, TR TR .
Cost savings of universal decolonization to prevent intensive care unit infection: implications of the REDUCE MRSA trial.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2014 Oct;35 Suppl 3:S23-31. doi: 10.1086/677819..
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Quality of Care, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Patient Safety
Septimus EJ, Hayden MK, Kleinman K
Does chlorhexidine bathing in adult intensive care units reduce blood culture contamination? A pragmatic cluster-randomized trial.
The investigators determined rates of blood culture contamination comparing 3 strategies to prevent intensive care unit (ICU) infections: screening and isolation, targeted decolonization, and universal decolonization. They demonstrated that universal decolonization with mupirocin and chlorhexidine bathing resulted in a significant reduction in blood culture contamination.
AHRQ-funded; 290201000008I; 290032007T.
Citation: Septimus EJ, Hayden MK, Kleinman K .
Does chlorhexidine bathing in adult intensive care units reduce blood culture contamination? A pragmatic cluster-randomized trial.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014 Oct;35 Suppl 3:S17-22. doi: 10.1086/677822.
.
.
Keywords: Comparative Effectiveness, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Sepsis
Fakih MG, Krein SL, Edson B
AHRQ Author: Battles JB
Engaging health care workers to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infection and avert patient harm.
The "On the CUSP: Stop CAUTI" initiative represents the single largest national effort to mitigate urinary catheter risk. The program brings together key organizations to assist hospitals by providing education and coaching support. Continuity is secured by integrating the process into the health care worker's daily routine activities.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 290201000025I; 29032001T.
Citation: Fakih MG, Krein SL, Edson B .
Engaging health care workers to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infection and avert patient harm.
Am J Infect Control 2014 Oct;42(10 Suppl):S223-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2014.03.355.
.
.
Keywords: Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Patient Safety, Prevention, Practice Patterns
Fakih MG, Krein SL, Edson B
AHRQ Author: Battles JB
Engaging health care workers to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infection and avert patient harm.
This article discusses catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) prevention efforts, describes the national collaboration between different organizations, briefly reviews the technical and socio-adaptive components of the program, and specifically describes an approach to engaging health care workers as an essential part of CAUTI prevention and averting patient harm.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 290201000025I; 29032001T
Citation: Fakih MG, Krein SL, Edson B .
Engaging health care workers to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infection and avert patient harm.
Am J Infect Control. 2014 Oct;42(10 Suppl):S223-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2014.03.355..
Keywords: Adverse Events, Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Patient Safety, Prevention, Practice Patterns, Quality Improvement
Patrick SW, Kawai AT, Kleinman K
Health care-associated infections among critically ill children in the US, 2007-2012.
The researchers examined trends in central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSI), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) incidence rates between 2007 and 2012 based on standardized surveillance data from pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) and neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in the United States. They found that incidence rates of CLABSIs and VAPs decreased among critically ill neonates and children during this period.
AHRQ-funded; HS018414.
Citation: Patrick SW, Kawai AT, Kleinman K .
Health care-associated infections among critically ill children in the US, 2007-2012.
Pediatrics 2014 Oct;134(4):705-12. doi: 10.1542/peds.2014-0613..
Keywords: Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI), Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Critical Care, Children/Adolescents, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs)
Battles JB, Cleeman JI, Kahn KL
AHRQ Author: Battles JB
Introduction to "preventing healthcare-associated infections: results and lessons learned from AHRQ's HAI program".
This article introduces a special issue with 18 articles emanating from a synthesis of an AHRQ-funded healthcare-associated infections (HAI) project conducted by IMPAQ International and the RAND Corporation. The articles identify the major results and lessons learned from project documents including final reports, peer-reviewed literature, and HAI-prevention tool kits.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Battles JB, Cleeman JI, Kahn KL .
Introduction to "preventing healthcare-associated infections: results and lessons learned from AHRQ's HAI program".
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2014 Oct;35 Suppl 3:S1-2. doi: 10.1086/677817..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Patient Safety, Prevention
Chung P, Currie B, Guo Y
Investigation to identify a resource-efficient case-control methodology for determining antibiotics associated with Clostridium difficile infection.
This study consisted of a series of case-control studies involving two groups of patients admitted to the hospital, the first group with clostridium difficile infection (CDI), and a control group without CDI. The purpose was to determine the relationship between the use of antibiotics and the presence of CDI. A simple matching strategy was found to be an efficient and feasible compromise strategy to identify high-risk antibiotics associated with CDI.
AHRQ-funded; 290200600012I
Citation: Chung P, Currie B, Guo Y .
Investigation to identify a resource-efficient case-control methodology for determining antibiotics associated with Clostridium difficile infection.
Am J Infect Control. 2014 Oct;42(10 Suppl):S264-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2014.05.001..
Keywords: Clostridium difficile Infections, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Antimicrobial Stewardship
Ostrowsky B, Ruiz R, Brown S
Lessons learned from implementing Clostridium difficile-focused antibiotic stewardship interventions.
The researchers sought to determine whether controlling the prescription of targeted antibiotics would translate to a measurable reduction in hospital-onset Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) rates. They found that decreases in target antibiotic consumption did not translate into reductions of hospital-onset CDI in this study, but many valuable lessons were learned.
AHRQ-funded; 290200600012I.
Citation: Ostrowsky B, Ruiz R, Brown S .
Lessons learned from implementing Clostridium difficile-focused antibiotic stewardship interventions.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014 Oct;35 Suppl 3:S86-95. doi: 10.1086/677828.
.
.
Keywords: Antibiotics, Clostridium difficile Infections, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Patient Safety
Ali KJ, Farley DO, Speck K
Measurement of implementation components and contextual factors in a two-state healthcare quality initiative to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia.
The authors sought to develop and field test an implementation assessment tool for assessing progress of hospital units in implementing improvements for the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in a two-state collaborative. They found that a relatively small number of barriers were found to have important negative effects on implementation progress, including barriers related to workload and time issues. They modified coaching provided to the unit teams to reinforce training in weak spots that the interviews identified.
AHRQ-funded; 290201000027I.
Citation: Ali KJ, Farley DO, Speck K .
Measurement of implementation components and contextual factors in a two-state healthcare quality initiative to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014 Oct;35 Suppl 3:S116-23. doi: 10.1086/677832.
.
.
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Patient Safety, Pneumonia, Prevention, Quality Improvement
Calderwood MS, Kleinman K, Bratzler DW
Medicare claims can be used to identify US hospitals with higher rates of surgical site infection following vascular surgery.
This study found that among Medicare patients who underwent vascular surgery at 2,512 U.S. hospitals, a patient undergoing surgery in a hospital ranked in the worst-performing decile based on claims had a 2.5 times greater likelihood of developing a chart-confirmed surgical site infection relative to a patient characteristics in a hospital in the best-performing decile.
AHRQ-funded; HS018878
Citation: Calderwood MS, Kleinman K, Bratzler DW .
Medicare claims can be used to identify US hospitals with higher rates of surgical site infection following vascular surgery.
Med Care. 2014 Oct;52(10):918-25. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0000000000000212..
Keywords: Medicare, Surgery, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Patient Safety, Hospitals, Adverse Events
Kahvecioglu D, Ramiah K, McMaughan D
Multidrug-resistant organism infections in US nursing homes: a national study of prevalence, onset, and transmission across care settings, October 1, 2010-December 31, 2011.
The investigators sought to understand the prevalence of multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) infections among nursing home (NH) residents and the potential for their spread between NHs and acute care hospitals (ACHs). They found that, although NHs are the most likely setting where residents would acquire MDROs after admission to an NH, a significant fraction of NH residents acquire MDRO infection at ACHs, suggesting a need for effective MDRO infection control for NH residents with simultaneous, cooperative interventions among NHs and ACHs in the same community.
AHRQ-funded; HS019989.
Citation: Kahvecioglu D, Ramiah K, McMaughan D .
Multidrug-resistant organism infections in US nursing homes: a national study of prevalence, onset, and transmission across care settings, October 1, 2010-December 31, 2011.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014 Oct;35 Suppl 3:S48-55. doi: 10.1086/677835.
.
.
Keywords: Elderly, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Medication, Nursing Homes, Patient Safety
Rothberg MB, Haessler S, Lagu T
Outcomes of patients with healthcare-associated pneumonia: worse disease or sicker patients?
The researchers sought to determine the contribution of healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP) criteria to case-fatality rate. They found that, after adjustment for differences in patient characteristics, HCAP was associated with greater case-fatality rate than community-acquired pneumonia, possibly due to HCAP organisms or to HCAP criteria themselves.
AHRQ-funded; HS018723.
Citation: Rothberg MB, Haessler S, Lagu T .
Outcomes of patients with healthcare-associated pneumonia: worse disease or sicker patients?
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014 Oct;35 Suppl 3:S107-15. doi: 10.1086/677829.
.
.
Keywords: Community-Acquired Infections, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Mortality, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Pneumonia
Bakullari A, Metersky ML, Wang Y
Racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare-associated infections in the United States, 2009-2011.
This study examined racial and ethnic disparities in the occurrence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in 79,019 Medicare patients hospitalized with acute cardiovascular disease, pneumonia, and major surgery. It found that Asian and Hispanic patients, but not non-Hispanic blacks, had significantly higher rates of HAIs than white non-Hispanic patients.
AHRQ-funded; 290201200003C
Citation: Bakullari A, Metersky ML, Wang Y .
Racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare-associated infections in the United States, 2009-2011.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2014 Oct;35 Suppl 3:S10-6. doi: 10.1086/677827..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Disparities, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Critical Care, Patient Safety
Greene MT, Fakih MG, Fowler KE
Regional variation in urinary catheter use and catheter-associated urinary tract infection: results from a national collaborative.
The researchers explored nationwide variation in the use of urinary catheters and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) across a diverse set of units within acute care U.S. hospitals. Using data from 1,101 units in 726 hospitals across 34 States, they found regional differences in catheter use, appropriateness, and CAUTI rates, with possibly 30-40 percent of urinary catheters placed in non-ICU settings lacking an appropriate indication.
AHRQ-funded; HS018334; HS019767; 290201000025I; 29032001T
Citation: Greene MT, Fakih MG, Fowler KE .
Regional variation in urinary catheter use and catheter-associated urinary tract infection: results from a national collaborative.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2014 Oct;35 Suppl 3:S99-S106. doi: 10.1086/677825..
Keywords: Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Patient Safety, Quality of Care, Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI)
Eckenrode S, Bakullari A, Metersky ML
The association between age, sex, and hospital-acquired infection rates: results from the 2009-2011 National Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System.
The researchers, using six different measures of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), analyzed data from a large national sample of patients admitted to the hospital with acute cardiovascular disease, pneumonia, and major surgery to determine to determine age- and sex-related differences in HAI rates. They found that there are no simple ways to focus HAI-prevention efforts based solely on age or sex.
AHRQ-funded; 290201200003C
Citation: Eckenrode S, Bakullari A, Metersky ML .
The association between age, sex, and hospital-acquired infection rates: results from the 2009-2011 National Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2014 Oct;35 Suppl 3:S3-9. doi: 10.1086/677831..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Patient Safety, Medicare, Critical Care
Greene MT, Kiyoshi-Teo H, Reichert H
Urinary catheter indications in the United States: results from a national survey of acute care hospitals.
The researchers sought to determine how often various indications for catheter use were reported among a nationally representative sample of acute care hospitals. They found that many hospitals were using several indications deemed in appropriated by CAUTI prevention guidelines such as urinary incontinence without outlet obstruction and patient/family request.
AHRQ-funded; 290201000025I; 29032001T
Citation: Greene MT, Kiyoshi-Teo H, Reichert H .
Urinary catheter indications in the United States: results from a national survey of acute care hospitals.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2014 Oct;35 Suppl 3:S96-8. doi: 10.1086/677823..
Keywords: Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Patient Safety, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Quality of Care, Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI)
Agos F, Shoda C, Bransford D
Part II: managing perioperative hyperglycemia in total hip and knee replacement surgeries.
Perioperative hyperglycemia management is an important factor in reducing the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs) in all patients whether they have diabetes or not. This article describes the impact of an evidence-based practice standard for perioperative hyperglycemia management in the reduction of SSIs in patients having total hip and knee replacement surgery.
AHRQ-funded; HS017892
Citation: Agos F, Shoda C, Bransford D .
Part II: managing perioperative hyperglycemia in total hip and knee replacement surgeries.
Nurs Clin North Am. 2014 Sep;49(3):299-308. doi: 10.1016/j.cnur.2014.05.004..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Surgery, Patient Safety, Orthopedics, Injuries and Wounds
Barnes SL, Morgan DJ, Harris AD
Preventing the transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms: modeling the relative importance of hand hygiene and environmental cleaning interventions.
The authors investigated the relative impact of hand hygiene and environmental cleaning in order to assess resource allocation. They concluded that hand hygiene should remain a priority for infection control programs, but environmental cleaning can have significant benefit for hospitals or individual hospital units that have either high hand hygiene compliance levels or low terminal cleaning thoroughness.
AHRQ-funded; HS018111.
Citation: Barnes SL, Morgan DJ, Harris AD .
Preventing the transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms: modeling the relative importance of hand hygiene and environmental cleaning interventions.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014 Sep;35(9):1156-62. doi: 10.1086/677632.
.
.
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Prevention
Baillie CA, Epps M, Hanish A
Usability and impact of a computerized clinical decision support intervention designed to reduce urinary catheter utilization and catheter-associated urinary tract infections.
The researchers evaluated the usability and effectiveness of a computerized clinical decision support (CDS) intervention aimed at reducing the duration of urinary tract catheterizations. They found that usability improved to 15% with the revised reminder. The catheter utilization ratio declined over the 3 time periods, as did CAUTIs per 1,000 patient-days. They concluded that the usability of the reminder was highly dependent on its user interface, with a homegrown version of the reminder resulting in higher impact than a stock reminder.
AHRQ-funded; HS016946.
Citation: Baillie CA, Epps M, Hanish A .
Usability and impact of a computerized clinical decision support intervention designed to reduce urinary catheter utilization and catheter-associated urinary tract infections.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014 Sep;35(9):1147-55. doi: 10.1086/677630.
.
.
Keywords: Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI), Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)