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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
51 to 75 of 120 Research Studies DisplayedMarin JR, Mills AM
Developing a research agenda to optimize diagnostic imaging in the emergency department: an executive summary of the 2015 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference.
The 2015 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference, "Diagnostic Imaging in the Emergency Department: A Research Agenda to Optimize Utilization" was held on May 12, 2015, with the goal of developing a high-priority research agenda on which to base future research. The authors describe the specific aims of the conference and the methods used to achieve consensus.
AHRQ-funded; HS023498.
Citation: Marin JR, Mills AM .
Developing a research agenda to optimize diagnostic imaging in the emergency department: an executive summary of the 2015 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference.
Pediatr Emerg Care 2015 Dec;31(12):876-82. doi: 10.1097/pec.0000000000000636.
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Keywords: Imaging, Emergency Department, Health Services Research (HSR), Research Methodologies
Marin JR, Mills AM
Developing a research agenda to optimize diagnostic imaging in the emergency department: an executive summary of the 2015 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference.
The 2015 Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference, "Diagnostic Imaging in the Emergency Department: A Research Agenda to Optimize Utilization" was held on May 12, 2015, with the goal of developing a high-priority research agenda on which to base future research. The authors describe the specific aims of the conference and the methods used to achieve consensus.
AHRQ-funded; HS023498.
Citation: Marin JR, Mills AM .
Developing a research agenda to optimize diagnostic imaging in the emergency department: an executive summary of the 2015 Academic Emergency Medicine Consensus Conference.
Acad Emerg Med 2015 Dec;22(12):1363-71. doi: 10.1111/acem.12818.
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Keywords: Imaging, Emergency Department, Health Services Research (HSR), Research Methodologies
Whicher D, Wu AW
Ethics review of survey research: a mandatory requirement for publication?
The authors provided guidance for journals to consider when making determinations about the necessity of ethical review for survey research projects. They stated that in situations where there is greater than minimal risk of informational or psychological harms, the survey research should have received institutional ethics oversight. They also specified that survey research projects that enroll vulnerable individuals with diminished autonomy should receive institutional ethics oversight.
AHRQ-funded; HS000029.
Citation: Whicher D, Wu AW .
Ethics review of survey research: a mandatory requirement for publication?
Patient 2015 Dec;8(6):477-82. doi: 10.1007/s40271-015-0141-0.
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Keywords: Evidence-Based Practice, Policy, Patient Safety, Research Methodologies
Sun DL, Harris N, Walther G
Peer assessment enhances student learning: the results of a matched randomized crossover experiment in a college statistics class.
It has been conjectured that students learn from the practice of peer assessment. Using an online educational platform, the researchers conducted an in-class matched-set, randomized crossover experiment with high power to detect small effects. They established that peer assessment causes a small but significant gain in student achievement.
AHRQ-funded; HS022192.
Citation: Sun DL, Harris N, Walther G .
Peer assessment enhances student learning: the results of a matched randomized crossover experiment in a college statistics class.
PLoS One 2015;10(12):e0143177. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143177.
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Keywords: Education, Web-Based, Research Methodologies
Dolor RJ, Campbell-Voytal K, Daly J
Practice-based Research Network Research Good Practices (PRGPs): summary of recommendations.
The authors summarized recommendations for improving research processes within practice-based research networks (PBRNs) to ensure research integrity. The result, the PBRN Research Good Practices (PRGPs) document, is organized into four chapters: (1) Building PBRN Infrastructure; (2) Study Development and Implementation; (3) Data Management, and (4) Dissemination Policies.
AHRQ-funded; HS021641; HS021644; HS016713; HS019601.
Citation: Dolor RJ, Campbell-Voytal K, Daly J .
Practice-based Research Network Research Good Practices (PRGPs): summary of recommendations.
Clin Transl Sci 2015 Dec;8(6):638-46. doi: 10.1111/cts.12317.
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Keywords: Guidelines, Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN), Research Methodologies, Implementation
McCarthy IM
Putting the patient in patient reported outcomes: a robust methodology for health outcomes assessment.
Through a series of Monte Carlo simulations, this paper illustrates that reliance solely on the summary score may lead to biased estimates of incremental effects, and proposes a novel two-stage approach that allows for unbiased estimation of incremental effects. The proposed methodology essentially reverses the order of the analysis, from one of 'aggregate, then estimate' to one of 'estimate, then aggregate'.
AHRQ-funded; HS022431.
Citation: McCarthy IM .
Putting the patient in patient reported outcomes: a robust methodology for health outcomes assessment.
Health Econ 2015 Dec;24(12):1588-603. doi: 10.1002/hec.3113.
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Keywords: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Outcomes, Quality of Life, Research Methodologies
Rhodes W, Olsho LE, Ward AS
AHRQ Author: Spector WD
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10742-015-0138-0
Use of Monte Carlo simulation to inform design decisions for pairwise cluster randomization.
This paper demonstrates the utility of the Monte Carlo approach in the context of a planned evaluation of an intervention to reduce falls among nursing home residents and provides recommendations for researchers on key design questions, including the choice between cluster randomization and pairwise cluster randomization, and selection of parametric or nonparametric estimators.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 290201000031I.
Citation: Rhodes W, Olsho LE, Ward AS .
Use of Monte Carlo simulation to inform design decisions for pairwise cluster randomization.
Health Serv Outcomes Res Method (2015) 15: 182-203. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10742-015-0138-0..
Keywords: Nursing Homes, Research Methodologies, Falls
Meeker D, Jiang X, Matheny ME
A system to build distributed multivariate models and manage disparate data sharing policies: implementation in the scalable national network for effectiveness research.
The authors’ objective was to implement infrastructure that supports the functionality of some existing research networks (e.g., cohort discovery, workflow management, and estimation of multivariate analytic models on centralized data) while adding additional important new features. They were able to implement massively parallel (map-reduce) computation methods and a new policy management system to enable each study initiated by network participants to define the ways in which data may be processed, managed, queried, and shared.
AHRQ-funded; HS019913.
Citation: Meeker D, Jiang X, Matheny ME .
A system to build distributed multivariate models and manage disparate data sharing policies: implementation in the scalable national network for effectiveness research.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2015 Nov;22(6):1187-95. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocv017..
Keywords: Communication, Comparative Effectiveness, Data, Health Information Technology (HIT), Policy, Research Methodologies
Berkman ND, Lohr KN, Ansari MT, et al.
AHRQ Author: Chang S
Grading the strength of a body of evidence when assessing health care interventions: an EPC update.
The purpose of this article is to revise the 2010 guidance on grading the strength of evidence (SOE) of the effectiveness of drugs, devices, and other preventive and therapeutic interventions produced by AHRQ’s Evidence-based Practice Center program. It concluded that no single approach for grading SOE suits all reviews, but a more consistent and transparent approach to reporting summary information will make reviews more useful.
AHRQ authored; AHRQ-funded 290200710056I
Citation: Berkman ND, Lohr KN, Ansari MT, et al..
Grading the strength of a body of evidence when assessing health care interventions: an EPC update.
J Clin Epidemiol. 2015 Nov;68(11):1312-24. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2014.11.023..
Keywords: Comparative Effectiveness, Evidence-Based Practice, Research Methodologies, Quality Measures
Berkman ND, Lohr KN, Ansari MT
Grading the strength of a body of evidence when assessing health care interventions: an EPC update.
The authors discussed the state of revision of 2010 guidance on grading the strength of evidence (SOE) of the effectiveness of drugs, devices, and other preventive and therapeutic interventions in systematic reviews produced by AHRQ's Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) program. They concluded that EPC working groups will consider ongoing challenges and modify guidance as needed, on issues such as combining trials and observational studies in bodies of evidence, weighting domains, and combining qualitative and quantitative syntheses.
AHRQ-funded; 290200710056I.
Citation: Berkman ND, Lohr KN, Ansari MT .
Grading the strength of a body of evidence when assessing health care interventions: an EPC update.
J Clin Epidemiol 2015 Nov;68(11):1312-24. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2014.11.023.
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Keywords: Comparative Effectiveness, Evidence-Based Practice, Quality of Care, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Research Methodologies
Haukoos JS, Lewis RJ
The propensity score.
The authors discuss studies by Rozé et al and Huybrechts et al that used propensity score matching and propensity score stratification, respectively. They argue that although both methods are more valid in terms of balancing study groups than simple matching or stratification based on baseline characteristics, they vary in their ability to minimize bias. In general, propensity score matching minimizes bias to a greater extent than propensity score stratification.
AHRQ-funded; HS021749.
Citation: Haukoos JS, Lewis RJ .
The propensity score.
JAMA 2015 Oct 20;314(15):1637-8. doi: 10.1001/jama.2015.13480..
Keywords: Research Methodologies, Data, Risk
Christensen R, Maxwell LJ, Juni P
Consensus on the need for a hierarchical list of patient-reported pain Outcomes for Metaanalyses of Knee Osteoarthritis Trials: An OMERACT Objective.
A group of international experts convened to address issues regarding the need to develop hierarchical lists of outcome measurement instruments for a particular outcome for metaanalyses. After discussions, most participants agreed that there is a need to develop a methodology for generation of hierarchical lists of outcome measurement instruments to guide metaanalyses.
AHRQ-funded; HS021110.
Citation: Christensen R, Maxwell LJ, Juni P .
Consensus on the need for a hierarchical list of patient-reported pain Outcomes for Metaanalyses of Knee Osteoarthritis Trials: An OMERACT Objective.
J Rheumatol 2015 Oct;42(10):1971-75. doi: 10.3899/jrheum.141384..
Keywords: Research Methodologies, Arthritis, Pain, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Dusetzina SB, Brookhart MA, Maciejewski ML
Control outcomes and exposures for improving internal validity of nonrandomized studies.
The authors review examples of control outcomes and exposures from prior studies and provide recommendations for conducting and reporting these analyses. They found that there is inconsistent terminology for these concepts, making study identification challenging. They recommend that the rigor of nonrandomized studies can be improved with inclusion of control outcomes and exposures for bias detection.
AHRQ-funded; HS023099; HS023085.
Citation: Dusetzina SB, Brookhart MA, Maciejewski ML .
Control outcomes and exposures for improving internal validity of nonrandomized studies.
Health Serv Res 2015 Oct;50(5):1432-51. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12279..
Keywords: Research Methodologies, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Outcomes
Gephart SM
Fostering best practice: strategies for writing evidence-based practice briefs.
In this editorial, the author provides instructions to make the task of writing a brief manageable for even the newest of authors. From asking a compelling clinical question to telling the story of a critical appraisal of evidence to making recommendations, the overall goal of writing such a brief is to support best practice care in the neonatal intensive care unit.
AHRQ-funded; HS022908.
Citation: Gephart SM .
Fostering best practice: strategies for writing evidence-based practice briefs.
Adv Neonatal Care 2015 Oct;15(5):299-306. doi: 10.1097/anc.0000000000000222.
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Keywords: Evidence-Based Practice, Nursing, Research Methodologies, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Whicher DM, Miller JE, Dunham KM
Gatekeepers for pragmatic clinical trials.
The authors provided a framework to help guide gatekeepers' decision-making related to the use of resources for pragmatic clinical trials. They stated that recognition of the complex set of considerations that should inform decision-making will guide gatekeepers in making justifiable choices regarding the use of limited and valuable resources.
AHRQ-funded; HS000029.
Citation: Whicher DM, Miller JE, Dunham KM .
Gatekeepers for pragmatic clinical trials.
Clin Trials 2015 Oct;12(5):442-8. doi: 10.1177/1740774515597699.
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Keywords: Decision Making, Evidence-Based Practice, Comparative Effectiveness, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Research Methodologies
Busse JW, Bartlett SJ, Dougados M
Optimal strategies for reporting pain in clinical trials and systematic reviews: recommendations from an OMERACT 12 Workshop.
A group of international experts convened to address issues regarding the need to develop hierarchical lists of outcome measurement instruments for a particular outcome for metaanalyses. After discussions, most participants agreed that there is a need to develop a methodology for generation of hierarchical lists of outcome measurement instruments to guide metaanalyses.
AHRQ-funded; HS021110.
Citation: Busse JW, Bartlett SJ, Dougados M .
Optimal strategies for reporting pain in clinical trials and systematic reviews: recommendations from an OMERACT 12 Workshop.
J Rheumatol 2015 Oct;42(10):1962-70. doi: 10.3899/jrheum.141440..
Keywords: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Arthritis, Research Methodologies, Pain
Coca Perraillon M, Shih YC, Thisted RA
Predicting the EQ-5D-3L Preference Index from the SF-12 Health Survey in a national US sample: a finite mixture approach.
The researchers developed a finite mixture model for cross-sectional data that maps the SF-12 to the EQ-5D-3L preference index. They concluded that finite mixtures offer a flexible modeling approach that can take into account idiosyncratic characteristics of the distribution of preferences. The use of mixture models allows researchers to obtain estimates of health utilities when only summary scores from the SF-12 and a limited number of demographic characteristics are available.
AHRQ-funded; HS000084; HS020263.
Citation: Coca Perraillon M, Shih YC, Thisted RA .
Predicting the EQ-5D-3L Preference Index from the SF-12 Health Survey in a national US sample: a finite mixture approach.
Med Decis Making 2015 Oct;35(7):888-901. doi: 10.1177/0272989x15577362..
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Research Methodologies
Vo NM, Trocki R
AHRQ Author: Vo NM, Trocki R
Virtual and peer reviews of grant applications at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
This study documents the first six unplanned virtual review (VR) sessions conducted during the 2012 hurricane season at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and their effects on review outcomes. Despite their technical novelty, all of the VR sessions have been successfully conducted to the satisfaction of reviewers and agency organizers. Special emphasis panel reviewers are more receptive to the new technology than study section reviewers.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Vo NM, Trocki R .
Virtual and peer reviews of grant applications at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
South Med J 2015 Oct;108(10):622-6. doi: 10.14423/smj.0000000000000353..
Keywords: Web-Based, Research Methodologies, Provider: Health Personnel
Polisena J, Garritty C, Umscheid CA
Rapid Review Summit: an overview and initiation of a research agenda.
This discussion paper highlights the important discussions that occurred during the Rapid Review Summit: Then, Now and in the Future, focusing on the initial development of a research agenda that resulted from the presentations and discussions. The research topics centered on three key areas of interest: (1) how to conduct a rapid review; (2) investigating the validity and utility of rapid reviews; and (3) how to improve access to rapid reviews.
AHRQ-funded; HS018987.
Citation: Polisena J, Garritty C, Umscheid CA .
Rapid Review Summit: an overview and initiation of a research agenda.
Syst Rev 2015 Sep 26;4:111. doi: 10.1186/s13643-015-0111-6.
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Keywords: Evidence-Based Practice, Healthcare Delivery, Policy, Research Methodologies
Wang C, Dominici F, Parmigiani G
Accounting for uncertainty in confounder and effect modifier selection when estimating average causal effects in generalized linear models.
The authors propose and evaluate a Bayesian method to estimate average causal effects in studies with a large number of potential confounders, relatively few observations, likely interactions between confounders and the exposure of interest, and uncertainty on which confounders and interaction terms should be included. Their method is applicable across all exposures and outcomes that can be handled through generalized linear models.
AHRQ-funded; HS021991.
Citation: Wang C, Dominici F, Parmigiani G .
Accounting for uncertainty in confounder and effect modifier selection when estimating average causal effects in generalized linear models.
Biometrics 2015 Sep;71(3):654-65. doi: 10.1111/biom.12315.
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Keywords: Data, Research Methodologies
Rodriguez M, Hogan PG, Satola SW
Discriminatory indices of typing methods for epidemiologic analysis of contemporary Staphylococcus aureus strains.
The researchers compared the discriminatory index of 5 typing methods for contemporary S. aureus strain characterization. They found that the typing methods yielded comparable discriminatory power for Aureus characterization overall; when discriminating among USA300 isolates, repetitive sequence-based PCR (repPCR) retained the highest discriminatory power.
AHRQ-funded; HS021736.
Citation: Rodriguez M, Hogan PG, Satola SW .
Discriminatory indices of typing methods for epidemiologic analysis of contemporary Staphylococcus aureus strains.
Medicine 2015 Sep;94(37):e1534. doi: 10.1097/md.0000000000001534..
Keywords: Research Methodologies, Genetics, Public Health
Wyss R, Ellis AR, Brookhart MA
Matching on the disease risk score in comparative effectiveness research of new treatments.
The researchers used simulations and an empirical example to evaluate the performance of disease risk score (DRS) matching compared with propensity score (PS) matching when controlling large numbers of covariates in settings involving newly introduced treatments. When PS distributions are separated, DRS matching can improve the precision of effect estimates and allow researchers to evaluate the treatment effect in a larger proportion of the treated population.
AHRQ-funded; HS017950.
Citation: Wyss R, Ellis AR, Brookhart MA .
Matching on the disease risk score in comparative effectiveness research of new treatments.
Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2015 Sep;24(9):951-61. doi: 10.1002/pds.3810.
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Keywords: Comparative Effectiveness, Research Methodologies, Blood Thinners, Medication
Dickinson LM, Beaty B, Fox C
Pragmatic cluster randomized trials using covariate constrained randomization: a method for Practice-based Research Networks (PBRNs).
This study used covariate constrained randomization with data on relevant variables before randomization was used to achieve balanced study arms in 2 pragmatic cluster randomized trials (CRTs). It found that covariate constrained randomization, which restricts the full randomization set to a subset in which differences between study arms are minimized, is a useful tool for achieving balanced study arms in CRTs.
AHRQ-funded; HS021138.
Citation: Dickinson LM, Beaty B, Fox C .
Pragmatic cluster randomized trials using covariate constrained randomization: a method for Practice-based Research Networks (PBRNs).
J Am Board Fam Med 2015 Sep-Oct;28(5):663-72. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.2015.05.150001.
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Keywords: Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN), Research Methodologies, Primary Care
Fischer MA, Allen-Coleman C, Farrell SF
Stakeholder assessment of comparative effectiveness research needs for Medicaid populations.
Because children, pregnant women and people with mental illness have generally been underrepresented in research discussions, comparative effectiveness rsearch (CER) questions for these groups may be understudied. To address this problem, AHRQ commissioned a team to work with Medicaid Medical Directors and other stakeholders to identify relevant CER questions. Through an iterative process of topic identification and refinement, they developed relevant, feasible and actionable questions based on issues affecting Medicaid programs nationwide.
AHRQ-funded; 290200500161.
Citation: Fischer MA, Allen-Coleman C, Farrell SF .
Stakeholder assessment of comparative effectiveness research needs for Medicaid populations.
J Comp Eff Res 2015 Sep;4(5):465-71. doi: 10.2217/cer.15.26.
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Keywords: Comparative Effectiveness, Medicaid, Research Methodologies, Decision Making, Vulnerable Populations
Thiel DB, Platt J, Platt T
Testing an online, dynamic consent portal for large population biobank research.
Michigan's BioTrust for Health contains over 4 million samples collected without written consent. Participant-centric initiatives are IT tools that hold great promise to address the consent challenges in biobank research. The authors created and pilot tested a dynamic informed consent simulation focusing on consent for research. Pilot testers raised concerns about the process of identity verification and appeared to have little experience with sharing health information online. The authors recommended applying online, dynamic approaches to address the consent challenges raised by biobanks with legacy sample collections.
AHRQ-funded; HS000053.
Citation: Thiel DB, Platt J, Platt T .
Testing an online, dynamic consent portal for large population biobank research.
Public Health Genomics 2015;18(1):26-39. doi: 10.1159/000366128.
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Keywords: Data, Newborns/Infants, Research Methodologies, Screening