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AHRQ Research Studies Date
Topics
- Asthma (1)
- Chronic Conditions (1)
- Communication (1)
- Community-Based Practice (1)
- Education: Patient and Caregiver (5)
- Elderly (1)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (2)
- Genetics (1)
- Healthcare Delivery (3)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (3)
- (-) Health Literacy (11)
- Health Services Research (HSR) (1)
- Medication (2)
- Obesity (1)
- Obesity: Weight Management (1)
- Outcomes (1)
- Patient-Centered Healthcare (1)
- Patient and Family Engagement (1)
- Practice Patterns (1)
- Primary Care: Models of Care (1)
- Provider: Pharmacist (1)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (1)
- Respiratory Conditions (1)
- Shared Decision Making (1)
- Surgery (1)
- Telehealth (2)
- Tools & Toolkits (2)
- Urban Health (1)
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 11 of 11 Research Studies DisplayedSilverstein GD, Styke SC, Kaur S
The relationship between depressive symptoms, eHealth literacy, and asthma outcomes in the context of a mobile health intervention.
This study’s objective was to evaluate the associations between health/eHealth literacy and depressive symptoms with app usage and clinical outcomes. The authors recruited adults with persistent asthma to utilize the ASTHMAXcel PRO mobile app. Participants completed the following questionnaires: Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to assess for depressive symptoms, Asthma Control Test (ACT), Mini Asthma Quality of Life (QOL) Questionnaire, and the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) tool to measure health literacy. Subsets of participant data were available on eHealth literacy (eHeals) (n = 24) and average number of app logins across 2 months (n = 40). The average participant age was 44.0 years, with 74% identifying as female. Increased depressive symptoms were associated with worse asthma control and asthma QOL, but not eHealth literacy. Higher eHealth literacy was associated with worse asthma QOL and more app logins. NVS scores weren’t associated with any measures.
AHRQ-funded; HS025645.
Citation: Silverstein GD, Styke SC, Kaur S .
The relationship between depressive symptoms, eHealth literacy, and asthma outcomes in the context of a mobile health intervention.
Psychosom Med 2023 Sep 1; 85(7):605-11. doi: 10.1097/psy.0000000000001170..
Keywords: Health Literacy, Asthma, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Education: Patient and Caregiver, Outcomes, Respiratory Conditions, Chronic Conditions
Lucy AT, Rakestraw SL, Stringer C
Readability of patient education materials for bariatric surgery.
This paper examined readability and reading level of online bariatric surgery and standardized perioperative electronic medical record (EMR) patient education materials (PEM). National organizations recommend that PEM not exceed a sixth grade reading level. One institution was used to assess readability of PEM. Text readability was assessed by seven validated instruments and mean readability scores calculated with standard deviations and compared using unpaired t-tests. A total of 32 webpages and seven EMR education documents were assessed. Web pages were overall assessed as "difficult to read" compared to "standard/average" readability EMR materials. All web pages were at or above high school reading levels, with the highest reading levels being pages with nutrition information and the lowest reading level patient testimonials. EMR materials were found to be at sixth to ninth grade reading level.
AHRQ-funded; HS023009.
Citation: Lucy AT, Rakestraw SL, Stringer C .
Readability of patient education materials for bariatric surgery.
Surg Endosc 2023 Aug; 37(8):6519-25. doi: 10.1007/s00464-023-10153-3..
Keywords: Surgery, Education: Patient and Caregiver, Obesity: Weight Management, Obesity, Health Literacy
Ahmed N, Brown J, Parau C
Bridging the digital health divide: characterizing patient portal users and nonusers in the U.S.
The purpose of this study was to 1) review variations in demographics between patient portal users and nonusers; and 2) review variations in health literacy, patient self-efficacy, and technology utilization and attitudes between patient portal users and nonusers. The researchers collected data from Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) workers between December 2021 and January 2022. 489 Participants completed an online survey with questions on their attitudes about media and technology, attitudes about their health, their access to technology, health literacy, patient self-efficacy, and patient portal use. The study results indicated qualitative differences between users and nonusers of patient portals as related to type of neighborhood, income, education, disability status, comorbidity, type of insurance, and the presence or absence of primary care providers. Quantitative results supported the qualitative results, revealing that participants with insurance, a primary care provider, or a disability or comorbid condition had a greater likelihood of having a patient portal account.
AHRQ-funded; HS026298.
Citation: Ahmed N, Brown J, Parau C .
Bridging the digital health divide: characterizing patient portal users and nonusers in the U.S.
Med Care 2023 Jul; 61(7):448-55. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001869..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Health Literacy
Stallings SC, Richmond SC, Canedo JR
Assessing patient-level knowledge of precision medicine in a community health center setting.
Researchers used a mixed-methods approach to identify patient-level factors that influenced understanding of cancer risk among federally qualified community health center (FQCHC) patients. Participants were English-speaking adults aged 40-79 years enrolled in focus groups; they completed surveys to assess patient-level understanding of precision medicine, numeracy, and health literacy. The findings suggested that patients may lack familiarity with precision medicine concepts relevant for understanding cancer treatment decisions. The researchers concluded that future educational efforts might help to bridge the gap in patient understanding and facilitate equitable opportunities for precision medicine for patients, including those seeking care from community health centers.
AHRQ-funded; HS026122.
Citation: Stallings SC, Richmond SC, Canedo JR .
Assessing patient-level knowledge of precision medicine in a community health center setting.
J Community Genet 2023 Apr; 14(2):197-210. doi: 10.1007/s12687-023-00632-4..
Keywords: Community-Based Practice, Health Literacy, Genetics
Arcia A, Pho AT, Lor M
Comparison of newest vital sign and brief health literacy screen scores in a large, urban Hispanic cohort.
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Newest Vital Sign (NVS) and Brief Health Literacy Screen (BHLS) scores in a large cohort of English- and Spanish-speaking urban Hispanic adults. Scores on both measures showed good internal consistency but NVS items had high difficulty; greater than 50% of respondents scored 0. The correlation between measures was weak. The study concluded that health literacy scores were poor predictors of objective scores.
AHRQ-funded; HS019853; HS022961.
Citation: Arcia A, Pho AT, Lor M .
Comparison of newest vital sign and brief health literacy screen scores in a large, urban Hispanic cohort.
Patient Educ Couns 2023 Apr; 109:107628. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2023.107628
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Keywords: Health Literacy, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Urban Health
Lane S, Fitzsimmons E, Zelefsky A
Assessing electronic health literacy at an urban academic hospital.
The purpose of this study was to explore electronic health literacy (EHL) in patients at an urban, academic hospital in the Bronx, and evaluate for relationships between EHL levels and different demographic variables. The researchers designed a cross-sectional, observational study in adults 18 years or more who presented for services at the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care (MECCC) Department of Radiation Oncology or the Montefiore Department of Medicine in the Bronx. The study evaluated EHL using the existing, validated eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) survey and the researchers’ newly developed eHealth Literacy Objective Scale-Scenario Based (eHeLiOS-SB) tool. The study found that there was a statistically significant relationship between age and EHL as evaluated by both eHEALS and eHeLiOS-SB, with lower EHL scores for older adults. A specific question designed to evaluate attitudes toward digital health technologies revealed that the majority of participants held a positive attitude toward those types of applications.
AHRQ-funded; HS025645.
Citation: Lane S, Fitzsimmons E, Zelefsky A .
Assessing electronic health literacy at an urban academic hospital.
Appl Clin Inform 2023 Mar; 14(2):365-73. doi: 10.1055/a-2041-4500..
Keywords: Health Literacy, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Shoemaker SJ, Staub-DeLong L, Wasserman M
Factors affecting adoption and implementation of AHRQ health literacy tools in pharmacies.
The purpose of this study is to understand the facilitators and barriers to the adoption and implementation of AHRQ’s health literacy tools, particularly a tool to assess a pharmacy’s health literacy practices. The study found facilitators including awareness of health literacy, a culture of innovation, and a change champion. It also identified barriers such as lack of leadership support and limited staff time.
AHRQ-funded; 290200600011I
Citation: Shoemaker SJ, Staub-DeLong L, Wasserman M .
Factors affecting adoption and implementation of AHRQ health literacy tools in pharmacies.
Res Social Adm Pharm. 2013 Sep-Oct;9(5):553-63. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2013.05.003..
Keywords: Health Literacy, Education: Patient and Caregiver, Practice Patterns, Tools & Toolkits, Medication
Baur C, Brach C
AHRQ Author: Brach C
Pharmacy research on health literacy can contribute to national goals and health care system improvements.
Three key points about health literacy underscore the articles in this special issue: 1. Effective health communication utilizes both the spoken and written word; 2. A number of health literacy tools can help pharmacists implement health literacy practices; 3. Readability assessments can be a step on a path toward more productive provider–patient communication.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Baur C, Brach C .
Pharmacy research on health literacy can contribute to national goals and health care system improvements.
Res Social Adm Pharm 2013 Sep-Oct;9(5):498-502. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2013.06.012.
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Keywords: Healthcare Delivery, Communication, Health Literacy, Provider: Pharmacist
Robertson J, Farris KB, Schultz SK
Older adults' views about "Managing Your Medications" booklet.
The objective of the study was to evaluate the Managing Your Medications (MYM) booklet to improve medication management. Older adults reported it was comprehensible and 17 percent reported behavioral intentions to change their current actions regarding medications. Overall, 12.7 percent of respondents agreed that MYM changed their opinion of the topic. The most popular means to dis¬seminate were doctors’ offices and senior citizens’ centers.
AHRQ-funded; HS016094.
Citation: Robertson J, Farris KB, Schultz SK .
Older adults' views about "Managing Your Medications" booklet.
J Appl Gerontol 2013 Apr;32(3):370-82. doi: 10.1177/0733464811421910..
Keywords: Elderly, Education: Patient and Caregiver, Health Literacy, Medication
Koh HK, Brach C, Harris LM
AHRQ Author: Brach C
A proposed 'health literate care model' would constitute a systems approach to improving patients' engagement in care.
The researchers proposed a Health Literate Care Model that would weave health literacy strategies into the widely adopted Care Model (formerly known as the Chronic Care Model). Their new model calls for approaching all patients with the assumption that they are at risk of not understanding their health conditions or how to deal with them, and then confirming and ensuring patients' understanding. They suggested that health literacy would then become an organizational value infused into all aspects of planning and operations. They also proposed a measurement framework to track the impact of the new Health Literate Care Model on patient outcomes and quality of care.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Koh HK, Brach C, Harris LM .
A proposed 'health literate care model' would constitute a systems approach to improving patients' engagement in care.
Health Aff 2013 Feb;32(2):357-67. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2012.1205.
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Keywords: Healthcare Delivery, Shared Decision Making, Education: Patient and Caregiver, Health Literacy, Primary Care: Models of Care, Patient and Family Engagement
Koh HK, Baur C, Brach C
AHRQ Author: Brach C
Toward a systems approach to health literacy research.
The authors discuss a call for research exploring how health care organizations can effectively address health literacy and patient-centered care. Topics include AHRQ's Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit, Accountable Care Organizations, and Patient Centered Medical Homes.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Koh HK, Baur C, Brach C .
Toward a systems approach to health literacy research.
J Health Commun 2013;18(1):1-5. doi: 10.1080/10810730.2013.759029.
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Keywords: Healthcare Delivery, Health Literacy, Health Services Research (HSR), Patient-Centered Healthcare, Tools & Toolkits