National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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Topics
- Cancer: Breast Cancer (1)
- Care Coordination (3)
- Caregiving (1)
- Children/Adolescents (1)
- Clinical Decision Support (CDS) (1)
- Clinician-Patient Communication (8)
- (-) Communication (24)
- Diabetes (1)
- Diagnostic Safety and Quality (1)
- Education: Continuing Medical Education (1)
- Education: Patient and Caregiver (4)
- Elderly (2)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (7)
- Emergency Department (2)
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- Health Information Exchange (HIE) (2)
- (-) Health Information Technology (HIT) (24)
- Health Literacy (2)
- Hospital Discharge (1)
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (1)
- Imaging (1)
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (1)
- Lifestyle Changes (1)
- Medication (1)
- Nursing Homes (1)
- Patient-Centered Healthcare (1)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (1)
- Patient Adherence/Compliance (1)
- Patient and Family Engagement (2)
- Patient Experience (1)
- Patient Safety (1)
- Practice Patterns (1)
- Quality Improvement (1)
- Quality of Care (1)
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- Social Media (1)
- Teams (2)
- Telehealth (1)
- Transplantation (1)
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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 DisplayedLieu TA, Warton EM, Levan C
Association of medical assistant-supported virtual rooming with successful video visit connections.
The purpose of this study was to systematically evaluate medical assistant-supported virtual rooming for physician video visits to address the digital divide which exists in physician video visit availability and accessibility for patients who have lower socioeconomic status (SES), low English proficiency, or are African American or Black or Latino. The study found that of the 114,214 video visits with successful connections, 14.2% had low neighborhood SES, 3.6% needed interpreters, 20.1% were Latino, and 7.9% were African American or Black. African American or Black race, Latino ethnicity, needing an interpreter, and living in a low SES neighborhood were associated with a lower likelihood of connecting. The researchers concluded that medical assistant–supported virtual rooming was associated with successful video visit connections in this diverse population. High medical assistant supported rooming rates were associated with larger connection improvements for patients at higher risk of not connecting, including those with lower SES, of Latino ethnicity or African American or Black race, or needing interpreters.
AHRQ-funded; HS025189.
Citation: Lieu TA, Warton EM, Levan C .
Association of medical assistant-supported virtual rooming with successful video visit connections.
JAMA Intern Med 2022 Jun;182(6):680-82. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.1032..
Keywords: Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Healthcare Delivery
McCarthy DM, Formella KT, Ou EZ
There's an app for that: teaching residents to communicate diagnostic uncertainty through a mobile gaming application.
The purpose of this study was to improve doctor-patient communication by assessing the utilization of a mobile application (app) for teaching physician communication skills about diagnostic uncertainty, obtaining feedback on app utilization, and evaluating the association between app use and mastery of skills. Emergency medicine resident physicians were randomized to receive immediate or delayed access to an educational curriculum focused on diagnostic uncertainty which included a web-based interactive model and an app. Only 31.2% of the 109 participants used the app, with senior residents more likely to use the app than junior residents. Researchers report that of those who used the app, reviews were positive, with 76% indicating the app facilitated their learning. The study found that in the trial there was no significant correlation between the utilization of the app and mastery of the communication skill. The researchers concluded that without mandated use and evidence of effectiveness, apps should not be offered to physicians as an educational option and training opportunity for improving communication skills.
AHRQ-funded; HS025651.
Citation: McCarthy DM, Formella KT, Ou EZ .
There's an app for that: teaching residents to communicate diagnostic uncertainty through a mobile gaming application.
Patient Educ Couns 2022 Jun;105(6):1463-69. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2021.09.038..
Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Education: Continuing Medical Education, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Jacobson CE, Heximer A, Olmeda-Barrientos R
Language accessibility of liver transplantation center websites.
This research letter describes an analysis of language accessibility of liver transplantation center websites. The authors surveyed patient-facing educational websites of all 140 active, accredited US liver transplantation centers. Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia had websites. Inclusion criteria was that they were using the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network website. They analyzed each website for non-English content. Excluded were websites from Puerto Rico, as Spanish is the predominant governmental language. A total of 23 states had no transplant websites with online materials in a second language, and 34 sites (24.3%) had resources other than English on their website. California had the highest number of centers with resources in a language other than English, followed by Texas and New York. Spanish was the most common language available at 100% of sites that had resources other than English, followed by Arabic at 38.9% and Mandarin Chinese at 38.9%. A total of 108 different languages were represented among 10 state websites.
AHRQ-funded; HS000053.
Citation: Jacobson CE, Heximer A, Olmeda-Barrientos R .
Language accessibility of liver transplantation center websites.
Liver Transpl 2022 Apr; 28(4):722-24. doi: 10.1002/lt.26343..
Keywords: Transplantation, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Health Literacy
Walker J, Crotty BH, O'Brien J
Addressing the challenges of aging: how elders and their care partners seek information.
Elders in retirement communities face many challenges concerning information and communication. The purpose of this study was to gain insights into how these elders and their families manage health information and communication. The study suggests that elders in senior living communities, and their families, piece together information primarily from word of mouth communication. It asserts that electronic social and collaborative technologies may make information gathering easier.
AHRQ-funded; HS021495.
Citation: Walker J, Crotty BH, O'Brien J .
Addressing the challenges of aging: how elders and their care partners seek information.
Gerontologist 2017 Oct 1;57(5):955-62. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnw060..
Keywords: Elderly, Caregiving, Communication, Care Coordination, Patient and Family Engagement, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Mogul DB, Nagy PG, Bridges JFP
Building stronger online communities through the creation of Facebook-integrated health applications.
Social media, such as Facebook, provides a powerful mechanism to connect individuals with similar diseases, but current platforms do not achieve their full potential to help patients communicate with one another or with the medical community. The authors of this viewpoint article believe that an opportunity exists for health care professionals to strengthen online communities by creating apps that use the Facebook platform or a programming interface. Development of such apps are discussed, with an eye toward the needs of the patient, parent, or caregiver as end-users and involving their input.
AHRQ-funded; HS023876.
Citation: Mogul DB, Nagy PG, Bridges JFP .
Building stronger online communities through the creation of Facebook-integrated health applications.
JAMA Pediatr 2017 Oct;171(10):933-34. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.2300..
Keywords: Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Education: Patient and Caregiver, Health Information Technology (HIT), Social Media, Web-Based
Ancker JS, Send A, Hafeez B
Health IT usability focus section: adapting EHR-based medication instructions to comply with plain language guidance-a randomized experiment.
Using examples of clinician-written medication instructions from an electronic health record, the investigators conducted an experiment to determine whether parental misinterpretations would be reduced by instructions that followed best practices for plain language. The researchers found that a relatively simple intervention of revising text was associated with a modest reduction in frequency of misinterpretations of medication instructions.
AHRQ-funded; HS021531.
Citation: Ancker JS, Send A, Hafeez B .
Health IT usability focus section: adapting EHR-based medication instructions to comply with plain language guidance-a randomized experiment.
Appl Clin Inform 2017 Oct;8(4):1127-43. doi: 10.4338/aci-2017-06-ra-0111..
Keywords: Communication, Education: Patient and Caregiver, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Medication
Brown SD, Grijalva CS, Ferrara A
Leveraging EHRs for patient engagement: perspectives on tailored program outreach.
Electronic health records (EHRs) present healthcare delivery systems with scalable, cost-effective opportunities to promote lifestyle programs among patients at high risk for type 2 diabetes, yet little consensus exists on strategies to enhance patient engagement. In this study, the investigators explored patient perspectives on program outreach messages containing content tailored to EHR-derived diabetes risk factors--a theory-driven strategy to increase the persuasiveness of health communications.
AHRQ-funded; HS019367.
Citation: Brown SD, Grijalva CS, Ferrara A .
Leveraging EHRs for patient engagement: perspectives on tailored program outreach.
Am J of Manag Care 2017 Jul;23(7):e223-e30..
Keywords: Diabetes, Communication, Education: Patient and Caregiver, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Healthcare Delivery, Lifestyle Changes, Patient and Family Engagement
Zikmund-Fisher BJ, Scherer AM, Witteman HO
Graphics help patients distinguish between urgent and non-urgent deviations in laboratory test results.
Most electronic health record systems provide laboratory test results to patients in table format. Researchers tested whether presenting such results in visual displays (number lines) could improve understanding. They found that visual displays reduced respondents' perceived urgency and desire to contact health care providers immediately for near-normal test results compared to tables but did not affect their perceptions of extreme values.
AHRQ-funded; HS021681.
Citation: Zikmund-Fisher BJ, Scherer AM, Witteman HO .
Graphics help patients distinguish between urgent and non-urgent deviations in laboratory test results.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2017 May 1;24(3):520-28. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocw169.
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Keywords: Communication, Education: Patient and Caregiver, Shared Decision Making, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Kim KK, Sankar P, Wilson MD
Factors affecting willingness to share electronic health data among California consumers.
The objective of the study is to explore factors that affect consumers' willingness to share electronic health information for healthcare and research. It concluded that consumers' choices about electronically sharing health information are affected by their attitudes toward EHRs as well as beliefs about research benefit and individual control.
AHRQ-funded; HS019913.
Citation: Kim KK, Sankar P, Wilson MD .
Factors affecting willingness to share electronic health data among California consumers.
BMC Med Ethics 2017 Apr 4;18(1):25. doi: 10.1186/s12910-017-0185-x.
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Keywords: Communication, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Exchange (HIE), Health Information Technology (HIT), Research Methodologies
Miller AD, Pollack AH, Pratt W
Bursting the information bubble: identifying opportunities for pediatric patient-centered technology.
Few information systems exist for patients and their families to use while they are in the hospital. Information often appears trapped within the hospital room. In this paper, researchers present findings from three participatory design sessions conducted with former patients, their parents, and clinicians from a large children's hospital. Participants discussed challenges they faced getting information while in the hospital, and then designed possible technological solutions.
AHRQ-funded; HS022894.
Citation: Miller AD, Pollack AH, Pratt W .
Bursting the information bubble: identifying opportunities for pediatric patient-centered technology.
AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2017 Feb 10;2016:894-903.
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Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Communication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Patient-Centered Healthcare
Artis KA, Dyer E, Mohan V
Accuracy of laboratory data communication on ICU daily rounds using an electronic health record.
The researchers created a robust but simple methodology to measure the prevalence of inaccurately communicated (misrepresented) data and to characterize data communication failures by type. They found that clinician laboratory data retrieval and communication during ICU rounds at their institution was poor, prone to omissions and inaccuracies, yet largely unrecognized by the rounding team.
AHRQ-funded; HS023793.
Citation: Artis KA, Dyer E, Mohan V .
Accuracy of laboratory data communication on ICU daily rounds using an electronic health record.
Crit Care Med 2017 Feb;45(2):179-86. doi: 10.1097/ccm.0000000000002060.
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Keywords: Communication, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Teams
Quintana Y, Crotty B, Fahy D
InfoSAGE: use of online technologies for communication and elder care.
To identify how information and communication needs evolved with the aging process, the study authors created a living laboratory of families, supported by an online private social network with tools for care coordination.
AHRQ-funded; HS021495.
Citation: Quintana Y, Crotty B, Fahy D .
InfoSAGE: use of online technologies for communication and elder care.
Stud Health Technol Inform 2017;234:280-85..
Keywords: Care Coordination, Healthcare Delivery, Communication, Elderly, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Ratanawongsa N, Barton JL, Lyles CR
Computer use, language, and literacy in safety net clinic communication.
The researchers investigated the associations between safety net clinician computer use and patient-provider communication for patients with limited health literacy (LHL) and limited English proficiency (LEP). They found that higher clinician computer use was associated with more biomedical focus with LEP/LHL patients, and clinician verbal dominance and lower ratings with patients with adequate English proficiency and health literacy.
AHRQ-funded; HS022561.
Citation: Ratanawongsa N, Barton JL, Lyles CR .
Computer use, language, and literacy in safety net clinic communication.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2017 Jan;24(1):106-12. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocw062.
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Keywords: Communication, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Literacy, Clinician-Patient Communication, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Lee JL, Dy SM, Kravet SJ
Patient satisfaction and provider use of electronic communication: a cross-sectional analysis.
This cross sectional analysis examined provider patterns of communication with patients outside of the clinic setting via cellphone, email and text messaging and the relationship between communication behaviors and patient satisfaction. Among other conclusions, the investigators found that providers who made their email addresses available to patients had significantly higher overall satisfaction scores than those who did not, although there were no statistically significant differences in individual satisfaction domains.
AHRQ-funded; HS000029.
Citation: Lee JL, Dy SM, Kravet SJ .
Patient satisfaction and provider use of electronic communication: a cross-sectional analysis.
European Journal for Person Centered Healthcare 2014;5(4)..
Keywords: Communication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Patient Experience, Practice Patterns, Clinician-Patient Communication
Cummins MR, Crouch BI, Del Fiol G
Information requirements for health information exchange supported communication between emergency departments and poison control centers.
The researchers analyzed audio recordings of current telephone-based communications between emergency departments (EDs) and poison control centers (PCCs) in order to describe the information requirements for health information exchange between PCCs and EDs. Their goal was to identify a focused subset of available health information, most relevant to emergency treatment of poison exposure, in order to support generalizable process re-design.
AHRQ-funded; HS018773.
Citation: Cummins MR, Crouch BI, Del Fiol G .
Information requirements for health information exchange supported communication between emergency departments and poison control centers.
AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2014 Nov 14;2014:449-56..
Keywords: Communication, Emergency Department, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Health Information Exchange (HIE), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Lacson R, Prevedello LM, Andriole KP
Four-year impact of an alert notification system on closed-loop communication of critical test results.
The authors evaluated the impact of an alert notification system on policy adherence for communicating critical imaging test results to referring providers and assessed system adoption over the first 4 years after implementation. They concluded that an automated alert notification system for communicating critical imaging results was successfully adopted and was associated with increased adherence to institutional policy for communicating critical test results and with reduced workflow interruptions.
AHRQ-funded; HS019635.
Citation: Lacson R, Prevedello LM, Andriole KP .
Four-year impact of an alert notification system on closed-loop communication of critical test results.
AJR Am J Roentgenol 2014 Nov;203(5):933-8. doi: 10.2214/ajr.14.13064.
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Keywords: Communication, Shared Decision Making, Guidelines, Health Information Technology (HIT), Imaging
Nguyen V, Okafor N, Zhang J
Using TURF to understand the functions of interruptions.
TURF stands for Task, User, Representation, and Function (TURF) analyses. This paper explores interruptions as an emergent feature of communication in teams. The authors focus on emergency medicine as this complex environment requires team based concurrent management of multiple patients coping with limited resources in a life-critical and interruption-laden environment. They classify interruptions into those activities that support required work and those interruptions that create unnecessary breaks in workflow.
AHRQ-funded; HS021236; HS017586.
Citation: Nguyen V, Okafor N, Zhang J .
Using TURF to understand the functions of interruptions.
AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2014 Nov;2014:917-23..
Keywords: Communication, Emergency Department, Health Information Technology (HIT), Teams
Crotty BH, Tamrat Y, Mostaghimi A
Patient-to-physician messaging: volume nearly tripled as more patients joined system, but per capita rate plateaued.
The authors investigated trends in secure e-mail messaging between physicians and patients. Analyzing messages in a large academic health system's patient portal from 2001-2010, they found that physicians in the aggregate saw a near tripling of e-mail messages during the study period. However, the number stabilized between 2005 and 2010, at an average of 18.9 messages.
AHRQ-funded; HS021495.
Citation: Crotty BH, Tamrat Y, Mostaghimi A .
Patient-to-physician messaging: volume nearly tripled as more patients joined system, but per capita rate plateaued.
Health Aff 2014 Oct;33(10):1817-22. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2013.1145.
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Keywords: Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Vilhauer RP
Computer-mediated and face-to-face communication in metastatic cancer support groups.
This study compared the experiences of women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in computer-mediated and face-to-face support groups. Themes examined included convenience, level of support, intimacy, ease of expression, range of information, and dealing with debilitation and dying. Computer-mediated support groups (CMSGs) may provide a sense of control and a greater level of support. Intimacy may take longer to develop in a CMSG, but women may have more opportunities to get to know each other.
AHRQ-funded; HS010565.
Citation: Vilhauer RP .
Computer-mediated and face-to-face communication in metastatic cancer support groups.
Palliat Support Care 2014 Aug;12(4):287-97. doi: 10.1017/s1478951513000126..
Keywords: Cancer: Breast Cancer, Communication, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Alexander GL, Pasupathy KS, Steege LM
Multi-disciplinary communication networks for skin risk assessment in nursing homes with high IT sophistication.
The researchers describe a mixed methods approach to communications strategies for skin risk used by health care providers in nursing homes with high IT sophistication. Using rigorous observation and social networking tools as well as focus groups, they sought to understand where and when skin risk communications took place between nurses and nurse assistants in nursing homes with greater IT adoption.
AHRQ-funded; HS016862
Citation: Alexander GL, Pasupathy KS, Steege LM .
Multi-disciplinary communication networks for skin risk assessment in nursing homes with high IT sophistication.
Int J Med Inform. 2014 Aug;83(8):581-91. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2014.05.001..
Keywords: Communication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Nursing Homes
Liao JM, Roy CL, Eibensteiner K
Lost in transition: discrepancies in how physicians perceive the actionability of the results of tests pending at discharge.
Effective communication of pending hospital test results between inpatient and primary care physicians is sometimes challenging or nonexistent. This communication is essential for safe, quality transactions at discharge. Health information technology (such as email and fax) is an effective strategy for improving and reporting test-result management.
AHRQ-funded; HS018229
Citation: Liao JM, Roy CL, Eibensteiner K .
Lost in transition: discrepancies in how physicians perceive the actionability of the results of tests pending at discharge.
J Hospital Med. 2014 Jun;9(6):407-9. doi: 10.1002/jhm.2177..
Keywords: Communication, Care Coordination, Health Information Technology (HIT), Hospital Discharge, Patient Safety
Norton BL, Person AK, Castillo C
Barriers to using text message appointment reminders in an HIV clinic.
The researchers conducted a randomized, controlled trial of text message reminders in a large HIV clinic. They found that there were no differences in clinic attendance rates between the group that received text reminders versus the group that did not (72 versus 81 percent). They concluded that barriers must be addressed before they are used as a universal approach to improve clinic attendance.
AHRQ-funded; HS000079.
Citation: Norton BL, Person AK, Castillo C .
Barriers to using text message appointment reminders in an HIV clinic.
Telemed J E Health 2014 Jan;20(1):86-9. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2012.0275..
Keywords: Communication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Patient Adherence/Compliance
Del Fiol G, Curtis C, Cimino JJ
Disseminating context-specific access to online knowledge resources within electronic health record systems.
This paper describes OpenInfobutton (www.openinfobutton.org): a standards-based, open source Web service that was designed to disseminate infobutton capabilities in multiple electronic health record systems and healthcare organizations. Included in this overview are the OpenInfobutton architecture, knowledge resource integration, and experiences at five large healthcare organizations.
AHRQ-funded; HS018352.
Citation: Del Fiol G, Curtis C, Cimino JJ .
Disseminating context-specific access to online knowledge resources within electronic health record systems.
Stud Health Technol Inform 2013;192:672-6..
Keywords: Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Communication, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Web-Based
Wilcox L, Patel R, Back A
Patient-clinician communication: the roadmap for HCI.
The authors discussed their view of a workshop, envisioning opening up a dialogue among researchers and clinicians who wish to discuss directions for future research and focusing on exploring how technologies available today, as well as projected for the future, can support the communication needs of clinicians and patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS021393.
Citation: Wilcox L, Patel R, Back A .
Patient-clinician communication: the roadmap for HCI.
Ext Abstr Hum Factors Computing Syst 2013 Apr 27;2013:3291-94. doi: 10.1145/2468356.2479669.
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Keywords: Communication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Clinician-Patient Communication