National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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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 25 of 61 Research Studies DisplayedChang X, Mazur T, Li HH, Yang D. X, Mazur T, Li HH
A method to recognize anatomical site and image acquisition view in x-ray images.
A method was developed to recognize anatomical site and image acquisition view automatically in 2D X-ray images that are used in image-guided radiation therapy. The purpose was to enable site and view dependent automation and optimization in the image processing tasks including 2D-2D image registration, 2D image contrast enhancement, and independent treatment site confirmation.
AHRQ-funded; HS022888.
Citation: Chang X, Mazur T, Li HH, Yang D. X, Mazur T, Li HH .
A method to recognize anatomical site and image acquisition view in x-ray images.
J Digit Imaging 2017 Dec;30(6):751-60. doi: 10.1007/s10278-017-9981-6..
Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Imaging, Patient Safety
Cai B, Li H, Yang D
Performance of a multi leaf collimator system for MR-guided radiation therapy.
The purpose of this study was to investigate and characterize the performance of a Multi Leaf Collimator (MLC) designed for Cobalt-60 based MR-guided radiation therapy system in a 0.35 T magnetic field. The authors concluded that the MRIdian MLC has a good RF noise shielding design, low radiation leakage, good positioning accuracy, comparable TG effect, and can be modeled by an independent Monte Carlo calculation platform.
AHRQ-funded; HS022888.
Citation: Cai B, Li H, Yang D .
Performance of a multi leaf collimator system for MR-guided radiation therapy.
Med Phys 2017 Dec;44(12):6504-14. doi: 10.1002/mp.12571..
Keywords: Imaging, Patient Safety, Treatments
Morabito J, Bell MT, Montenij LJ
Perioperative considerations for chylothorax.
This paper presents the case report of a 73 year old man with recurrent right pleural effusions, and a mediastinal mass of indeterminate etiology after a computer tomography-guided biopsy and thoracentesis. It discusses the perioperative considerations for chylothorax.
AHRQ-funded; HS024124.
Citation: Morabito J, Bell MT, Montenij LJ .
Perioperative considerations for chylothorax.
J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth 2017 Dec;31(6):2277-81. doi: 10.1053/j.jvca.2017.06.001..
Keywords: Case Study, Imaging, Respiratory Conditions, Surgery
Daniels B, Schoenfeld E, Taylor A
Predictors of hospital admission and urological intervention in adult emergency department patients with computerized tomography confirmed ureteral stones.
In this paper, the authors describe predictors of hospital admission or urological intervention. The investigators concluded that intervention was common among admitted patients but occurred in a minority of those discharged. Predictors of intervention varied by disposition. Models incorporating computerized tomography findings were similar to those that did not incorporate such findings. The authors suggest that their data support ultrasound first or delayed computerized tomography diagnostic pathways for patients deemed clinically suitable for discharge home.
AHRQ-funded; HS018322; HS022236.
Citation: Daniels B, Schoenfeld E, Taylor A .
Predictors of hospital admission and urological intervention in adult emergency department patients with computerized tomography confirmed ureteral stones.
J Urol 2017 Dec;198(6):1359-66. doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2017.06.077..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Imaging
Yang D, Zhang M, Chang X
A method to detect landmark pairs accurately between intra-patient volumetric medical images.
An image processing procedure was developed in this study to detect large quantity of landmark pairs accurately in pairs of volumetric medical images. The procedure allows a semi-automatic way to generate the ground truth landmark datasets that allow quantitatively evaluation of deformable image registration algorithms for radiation therapy applications.
AHRQ-funded; HS022888.
Citation: Yang D, Zhang M, Chang X .
A method to detect landmark pairs accurately between intra-patient volumetric medical images.
Med Phys 2017 Nov;44(11):5859-72. doi: 10.1002/mp.12526..
Keywords: Imaging, Patient Safety, Diagnostic Safety and Quality
Qiu J, Harold Li H, Zhang T
Automatic x-ray image contrast enhancement based on parameter auto-optimization.
Insufficient image contrast associated with radiation therapy daily setup x-ray images could negatively affect accurate patient treatment setup. The study authors developed a method to perform automatic and user-independent contrast enhancement on 2D kilo voltage (kV) and megavoltage (MV) x-ray images. The study concluded that the proposed method is able to outperform the standard image contrast adjustment procedures that are currently used in the commercial clinical systems.
AHRQ-funded; HS022888.
Citation: Qiu J, Harold Li H, Zhang T .
Automatic x-ray image contrast enhancement based on parameter auto-optimization.
J Appl Clin Med Phys 2017 Nov;18(6):218-23. doi: 10.1002/acm2.12172..
Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Quality of Care, Imaging, Patient Safety
Rauscher GH, Dabbous F, Dolecek TA
Absence of an anticipated racial disparity in interval breast cancer within a large health care organization.
The researchers sought to estimate the extent of an anticipated racial disparity in interval breast cancer (IBC) within a single, large health care organization. Contrary to expectation, in patient-adjusted models, there was no IBC racial disparity. The sorting of patients by race across facilities appears to have mitigated an otherwise anticipated disparity in IBC.
AHRQ-funded; HS018366.
Citation: Rauscher GH, Dabbous F, Dolecek TA .
Absence of an anticipated racial disparity in interval breast cancer within a large health care organization.
Ann Epidemiol 2017 Oct;27(10):654-58. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2017.09.002.
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Keywords: Cancer: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Disparities, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Women, Screening, Screening, Imaging
Guo JW, Bennett H, Crouch BI
Reference website use patterns of poison control center specialists.
The purpose of this pilot study was to describe web reference use patterns of poison control center specialists using time tracking software. Investigators analyzed two weeks of web site use data from Utah poison control center (PCC) computers to describe patterns of reference web site use. The study demonstrated the utility of time tracking software for better understanding reference utilization in the PCC setting.
AHRQ-funded; HS021472.
Citation: Guo JW, Bennett H, Crouch BI .
Reference website use patterns of poison control center specialists.
2017 IEEE International Conference on Healthcare Informatics (ICHI) 2017 Aug:453. doi: 10.1109/ICHI.2017.40..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Imaging, Quality of Care
Maitree R, Perez-Carrillo GJG, Shimony JS
Adaptive anatomical preservation optimal denoising for radiation therapy daily MRI.
An innovative method, adaptive anatomical preservation optimal denoising (AAPOD), was developed for optimal image denoising, i.e., to maximally reduce noise while preserving the tissue boundaries. The experimental results demonstrated that AAPOD was capable of reducing noise adaptively and optimally while avoiding tissue boundary losses.
AHRQ-funded; HS022888.
Citation: Maitree R, Perez-Carrillo GJG, Shimony JS .
Adaptive anatomical preservation optimal denoising for radiation therapy daily MRI.
J Med Imaging 2017 Jul;4(3):034004. doi: 10.1117/1.jmi.4.3.034004.
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Keywords: Imaging, Treatments, Cancer, Patient Safety
Chandakkar PS, Venkatesan R, Li B
MIRank-KNN: multiple-instance retrieval of clinically relevant diabetic retinopathy images.
Computer-aided diagnosis has the potential of improving diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening or diagnosis. The researchers developed a feature space of a modified color correlogram appended with statistics of steerable Gaussian filter responses selected by fast radial symmetric transform points. Experiments with real DR images collected from five different datasets demonstrate that the proposed approach is able to outperform existing methods.
AHRQ-funded; HS019792.
Citation: Chandakkar PS, Venkatesan R, Li B .
MIRank-KNN: multiple-instance retrieval of clinically relevant diabetic retinopathy images.
J Med Imaging 2017 Jul;4(3):034003. doi: 10.1117/1.jmi.4.3.034003.
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Keywords: Diabetes, Imaging, Eye Disease and Health, Health Information Technology (HIT), Diagnostic Safety and Quality
Gillespie EF, Panjwani N, Golden DW
Multi-institutional randomized trial testing the utility of an interactive three-dimensional contouring atlas among radiation oncology residents.
The present study reports on the efficacy and usability of a web-based contouring atlas compared with those of existing contouring resources in a randomized trial. Compared with the residents using currently available resources, the residents using eContour had improved contour agreement with both the consensus and the expert contours for the high-risk clinical target volume and greater agreement with the expert contour for the contralateral parotid gland.
AHRQ-funded; HS024321.
Citation: Gillespie EF, Panjwani N, Golden DW .
Multi-institutional randomized trial testing the utility of an interactive three-dimensional contouring atlas among radiation oncology residents.
Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2017 Jul 1;98(3):547-54. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2016.11.050.
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Keywords: Cancer, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Education: Continuing Medical Education, Imaging, Web-Based
Wang Y, Mazur TR, Park JC
Development of a fast Monte Carlo dose calculation system for online adaptive radiation therapy quality assurance.
This article describes the development of a fast Monte Carlo dose calculating system for validating online magnetic resonance imaging radiation therapy adaptive plans with both speed and accuracy. The Monte Carlo system is based on a simplified dose planning method code that incorporates a vendor-provided head model. A validated Monte Carlo code (gPENELOPE) was used to benchmark the new system.
AHRQ-funded; HS022888.
Citation: Wang Y, Mazur TR, Park JC .
Development of a fast Monte Carlo dose calculation system for online adaptive radiation therapy quality assurance.
Phys Med Biol 2017 Jun 21;62(12):4970-90. doi: 10.1088/1361-6560/aa6e38..
Keywords: Cancer, Quality of Care, Imaging
Hong MK, Feustel C, Agnihotri M
Supporting families in reviewing and communicating about radiology imaging studies.
Diagnostic radiology reports are increasingly being made available to patients and their family members. However, these reports are not typically comprehensible to lay recipients, impeding effective communication about report findings. In this paper, the investigators present three studies informing the design of a prototype to foster patient-clinician communication about radiology report content.
AHRQ-funded; HS021393.
Citation: Hong MK, Feustel C, Agnihotri M .
Supporting families in reviewing and communicating about radiology imaging studies.
Proc SIGCHI Conf Hum Factor Comput Syst 2017 May 2;2017:5245-56. doi: 10.1145/3025453.3025754..
Keywords: Communication, Family Health and History, Imaging, Clinician-Patient Communication
Fu Y, Liu S, Li H
Automatic and hierarchical segmentation of the human skeleton in CT images.
In this study, a novel and automatic method is proposed to segment all the major individual bones of the human skeleton above the upper legs in CT images based on an articulated skeleton atlas. The reported method is capable of automatically segmenting 62 major bones, including 24 vertebrae and 24 ribs, by traversing a hierarchical anatomical tree and by using both rigid and deformable image registration.
AHRQ-funded; HS022888.
Citation: Fu Y, Liu S, Li H .
Automatic and hierarchical segmentation of the human skeleton in CT images.
Phys Med Biol 2017 Apr 7;62(7):2812-33. doi: 10.1088/1361-6560/aa6055.
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Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Imaging
Melnick ER
Big versus small data and the generalizability of the rate of computed tomography overuse in minor head injury.
This correspondence to the editor discusses overuse of computed tomography (CT) in emergency department patients with minor head injury. The authors ask what value a “big data” approach adds to the knowledge in the research examining overuse of CT in minor head injury.
AHRQ-funded; HS021271.
Citation: Melnick ER .
Big versus small data and the generalizability of the rate of computed tomography overuse in minor head injury.
Acad Emerg Med 2017 Mar;24(3):391-92. doi: 10.1111/acem.13084..
Keywords: Brain Injury, Data, Imaging
Metzler IS, Smith-Bindman R, Moghadassi M
Emergency department imaging modality effect on surgical management of nephrolithiasis: a multicenter, randomized clinical trial.
In this multicenter randomized clinical trial the inivestigators examined rates of urological referral and intervention to elucidate whether the initial diagnostic imaging modality affected the management of nephrolithiasis. They concluded that patients undergoing a urological intervention who had ultrasonography as initial imaging did not experience a significant delay to intervention or different procedure types, but the majority ultimately underwent computerized tomography before surgery.
AHRQ-funded; HS021281.
Citation: Metzler IS, Smith-Bindman R, Moghadassi M .
Emergency department imaging modality effect on surgical management of nephrolithiasis: a multicenter, randomized clinical trial.
J Urol 2017 Mar;197(3 Pt 1):710-14. doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2016.09.122..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Imaging, Surgery
Dabbous FM, Dolecek TA, Berbaum ML
Impact of a false-positive screening mammogram on subsequent screening behavior and stage at breast cancer diagnosis.
Researchers sought to examine the impact of a false positive (FP) screening mammogram on the subsequent screening mammography behavior. They found that experiencing a FP mammogram increases the risk of late stage at diagnosis compared with prior true negative (TN) mammogram Also, women with a FP mammogram were more likely to delay their subsequent screening compared with women with a TN mammogram.
AHRQ-funded; HS018366.
Citation: Dabbous FM, Dolecek TA, Berbaum ML .
Impact of a false-positive screening mammogram on subsequent screening behavior and stage at breast cancer diagnosis.
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017 Mar;26(3):397-403. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.epi-16-0524.
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Keywords: Cancer: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Imaging, Screening, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Women, Prevention
McDonald V, Hauner KK, Chau A
Networks underlying trait impulsivity: evidence from voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping.
In order to determine the extent to which impulsivity and its components share a common network, a voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping analysis was performed in a large sample of patients with focal, penetrating traumatic brain injuries. The researchers found that heightened global impulsivity was associated with damage to multiple areas in bilateral prefrontal cortex , left superior, middle and inferior temporal gyrus, and left hippocampus.
AHRQ-funded; HS023011.
Citation: McDonald V, Hauner KK, Chau A .
Networks underlying trait impulsivity: evidence from voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping.
Hum Brain Mapp 2017 Feb;38(2):656-65. doi: 10.1002/hbm.23406.
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Keywords: Brain Injury, Imaging, Trauma
Liu S, Mazur TR, Li H
A method to reconstruct and apply 3D primary fluence for treatment delivery verification.
In this study, a method is reported to perform IMRT and VMAT treatment delivery verification using 3D volumetric primary beam fluences reconstructed directly from planned beam parameters and treatment delivery records. The goals of this paper are to demonstrate that 1) 3D beam fluences can be reconstructed efficiently, and 2) quality assurance (QA) based on the reconstructed 3D fluences is capable of detecting additional treatment delivery errors, particularly for VMAT plans.
AHRQ-funded; HS022888.
Citation: Liu S, Mazur TR, Li H .
A method to reconstruct and apply 3D primary fluence for treatment delivery verification.
J Appl Clin Med Phys 2017 Jan;18(1):128-38. doi: 10.1002/acm2.12017.
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Keywords: Patient Safety, Imaging, Cancer: Lung Cancer, Treatments, Quality of Care
Ma X, Chen Y, Cole SR
A hybrid Bayesian hierarchical model combining cohort and case-control studies for meta-analysis of diagnostic tests: accounting for partial verification bias.
In this paper, the authors proposed a novel hybrid Bayesian hierarchical model combining cohort and case-control studies while simultaneously correcting partial verification bias. They presented two case studies on assessing the diagnostic accuracy of gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in detecting lymph node metastases and of adrenal fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in characterizing adrenal masses.
AHRQ-funded; HS022900.
Citation: Ma X, Chen Y, Cole SR .
A hybrid Bayesian hierarchical model combining cohort and case-control studies for meta-analysis of diagnostic tests: accounting for partial verification bias.
Stat Methods Med Res 2016 Dec;25(6):3015-37. doi: 10.1177/0962280214536703.
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Keywords: Cancer, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Imaging, Research Methodologies
Kessler R, Stowell JR, Vogel JA
Effect of interventional program on the utilization of PACS in point-of-care ultrasound.
The study’s objective was to determine if a simple interventional program would influence the utilization of Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) in point-of-care ultrasound. It concluded that a simple interventional program for emergency physicians can significantly increase and sustain the utilization of PACS for point-of-care ultrasound.
AHRQ-funded; HS023901.
Citation: Kessler R, Stowell JR, Vogel JA .
Effect of interventional program on the utilization of PACS in point-of-care ultrasound.
J Digit Imaging 2016 Dec;29(6):701-05. doi: 10.1007/s10278-016-9893-x.
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Keywords: Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Imaging, Healthcare Utilization, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Henke L, Kashani R, Yang D
Simulated online adaptive magnetic resonance-guided stereotactic body radiation therapy for the treatment of oligometastatic disease of the abdomen and central thorax: characterization of potential advantages.
This study characterized potential advantages of online-adaptive magnetic resonance (MR)-guided stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to treat oligometastatic disease of the non-liver abdomen and central thorax. It concluded that online-adaptive MRI-guided SBRT may allow planning target volume dose escalation and/or simultaneous tumor/organ at risk sparing compared with nonadaptive SBRT.
AHRQ-funded; HS022888.
Citation: Henke L, Kashani R, Yang D .
Simulated online adaptive magnetic resonance-guided stereotactic body radiation therapy for the treatment of oligometastatic disease of the abdomen and central thorax: characterization of potential advantages.
Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2016 Dec 1;96(5):1078-86. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2016.08.036.
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Keywords: Cancer, Imaging
Thomas GW, Rojas-Murillo S, Hanley JM
Skill assessment in the interpretation of 3D fracture patterns from radiographs.
The researchers determined if 3D radiographic image interpretation can be reliably assessed, and whether this assessment varies by level of training. They concluded that the interpretation of radiographs to discern 3D information is a promising and a relatively unexplored area for surgical skill education and assessment.
AHRQ-funded; HS022077.
Citation: Thomas GW, Rojas-Murillo S, Hanley JM .
Skill assessment in the interpretation of 3D fracture patterns from radiographs.
Iowa Orthop J 2016;36:1-6.
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Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Education: Continuing Medical Education, Injuries and Wounds, Imaging, Training
Elmore JG, Cook AJ, Bogart A
Radiologists' interpretive skills in screening vs. diagnostic mammography: are they related?
This study aimed to determine whether radiologists who perform well in screening also perform well in interpreting diagnostic mammography. It evaluated the accuracy of 468 radiologists interpreting 2,234,947 screening and 196,164 diagnostic mammograms and found a moderate correlation for radiologists' accuracy when interpreting screening versus their accuracy on diagnostic examinations.
AHRQ-funded; HS010591.
Citation: Elmore JG, Cook AJ, Bogart A .
Radiologists' interpretive skills in screening vs. diagnostic mammography: are they related?
Clin Imaging 2016 Nov - Dec;40(6):1096-103. doi: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2016.06.014.
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Keywords: Cancer: Breast Cancer, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Screening, Imaging, Women, Provider Performance
Murphy DR, Meyer AN, Bhise V
Computerized triggers of big data to detect delays in follow-up of chest imaging results.
A "trigger" algorithm was used to identify delays in follow-up of abnormal chest imaging results in a large national clinical data warehouse of electronic health record (EHR) data. In this study, the authors applied a trigger in a repository hosting EHR data from all Department of Veterans Affairs health-care facilities and analyzed data from seven facilities. The investigators concluded that application of triggers on "big" EHR data may aid in identifying patients experiencing delays in diagnostic evaluation of chest imaging results suspicious for malignancy.
Citation: Murphy DR, Meyer AN, Bhise V .
Computerized triggers of big data to detect delays in follow-up of chest imaging results.
Chest 2016 Sep;150(3):613-20. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2016.05.001..
Keywords: Imaging, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Data, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Cancer