National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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Topics
- Blood Pressure (1)
- Blood Thinners (1)
- (-) Cardiovascular Conditions (20)
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- Clinical Decision Support (CDS) (2)
- Clinician-Patient Communication (1)
- Comparative Effectiveness (1)
- COVID-19 (3)
- Diagnostic Safety and Quality (4)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (5)
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- Practice Patterns (2)
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- Quality Improvement (2)
- Quality Indicators (QIs) (1)
- Quality Measures (1)
- Quality of Care (1)
- Quality of Life (1)
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- Stroke (6)
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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 20 of 20 Research Studies DisplayedKalwani NM, Wang KM, Johnson AN
Application of the quadruple aim to evaluate the operational impact of a telemedicine program.
This study compared the operational impact of a telemedicine program called CardioClick at a preventive cardiology clinic compared to traditional clinic visits. The authors examined data for 134 patients enrolled in CardioClick with 181 video follow-up visits and 276 patients enrolled in the clinic’s traditional program with 694 in-person follow-up visits. The Quadruple Aim was used to evaluate CardioClick. Both cohorts were similar in characteristics in terms of age, gender balance, and baseline clinical characteristics. Video follow-up visits were shorter in time for clinicians (median 22 vs 30 minutes) than in-person visits and total clinic time (median 22 vs 68 minutes). Video visits were more likely to end on time than in-person visits as well. Physicians more often completed video visit documentation on the day of the visit.
AHRQ-funded; HS026128.
Citation: Kalwani NM, Wang KM, Johnson AN .
Application of the quadruple aim to evaluate the operational impact of a telemedicine program.
Healthc 2021 Dec;9(4):100593. doi: 10.1016/j.hjdsi.2021.100593..
Keywords: Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Cardiovascular Conditions, COVID-19
Rogers H, Madathil KC, Joseph A
An exploratory study investigating the barriers, facilitators, and demands affecting caregivers in a telemedicine integrated ambulance-based setting for stroke care.
This study investigates the impact of telemedicine on workload, teamwork, workflow, and communication of geographically distributed caregivers delivering stroke care in ambulance-based telemedicine. Simulated stroke sessions were conducted with selected caregivers, then followed with a survey and interviews. Findings showed that barriers included frustration with equipment, the loss of personal connection of the neurologists with the patients, and physical constraints in the ambulance. Facilitators included live visual communication increasing teamwork and efficiency, the ease of access to neurologist, increased flexibility, and high overall satisfaction and usability.
AHRQ-funded; HS026809.
Citation: Rogers H, Madathil KC, Joseph A .
An exploratory study investigating the barriers, facilitators, and demands affecting caregivers in a telemedicine integrated ambulance-based setting for stroke care.
Appl Ergon 2021 Nov;97:103537. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103537..
Keywords: Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Caregiving, Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
Zachrison KS, Sharma R, Wang Y
National trends in telestroke utilization in a US commercial platform prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this study, the objective was to describe characteristics of telestroke consultations among a national sample of telestroke sites on one of the most commonly used common vendor platforms, prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The investigators concluded that among spoke sites using a commercial telestroke platform over a seven-year time horizon, times to consult start and alteplase bolus decreased over time. Similar to academic networks, duration of telestroke participation in this commercial network was associated with faster alteplase delivery, suggesting practice improves performance.
AHRQ-funded; HS024561.
Citation: Zachrison KS, Sharma R, Wang Y .
National trends in telestroke utilization in a US commercial platform prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 2021 Oct;30(10):106035. doi: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2021.106035..
Keywords: COVID-19, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Practice Patterns
Wells R, Dionne-Odom JN, Azuero A
Examining adherence and dose effect of an early palliative care intervention for advanced heart failure patients.
The objective of this study was to examine the "dose" effect of PC intervention completion vs. noncompletion on quality of life (QoL) and healthcare use in patients with advanced heart failure (HF) over 32 weeks. The investigators concluded that higher intervention completion rates of an early PC intervention was associated with QoL improvements in patients with advanced HF.
AHRQ-funded; HS013852.
Citation: Wells R, Dionne-Odom JN, Azuero A .
Examining adherence and dose effect of an early palliative care intervention for advanced heart failure patients.
J Pain Symptom Manage 2021 Sep;62(3):471-81. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2021.01.136..
Keywords: Palliative Care, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Quality of Life, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Wegier P, Belden JL, Canfield SM
Home blood pressure data visualization for the management of hypertension: using human factors and design principles.
Home blood pressure measurements have equal or even greater predictive value than clinic blood pressure measurements regarding cardiovascular outcomes. With advances in home blood pressure monitors, there is an imminent flood of home measurements, but current electronic health record systems lack the functionality to allow us to use this data to its fullest. In this study, the investigators designed a data visualization display for blood pressure measurements to be used for shared decision making around hypertension.
AHRQ-funded; HS023328.
Citation: Wegier P, Belden JL, Canfield SM .
Home blood pressure data visualization for the management of hypertension: using human factors and design principles.
BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 2021 Aug 5;21(1):235. doi: 10.1186/s12911-021-01598-4..
Keywords: Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Conditions, Health Information Technology (HIT), Care Management
Mayampurath A, Parnianpour Z, Richards CT
Improving prehospital stroke diagnosis using natural language processing of paramedic reports.
Accurate prehospital diagnosis of stroke by emergency medical services (EMS) can increase treatments rates, mitigate disability, and reduce stroke deaths. IN this study, the investigators aimed to develop a model that utilized natural language processing of EMS reports and machine learning to improve prehospital stroke identification. The investigators conducted a retrospective study of patients transported by the Chicago EMS to 17 regional primary and comprehensive stroke centers.
AHRQ-funded; HS025359; HS027264.
Citation: Mayampurath A, Parnianpour Z, Richards CT .
Improving prehospital stroke diagnosis using natural language processing of paramedic reports.
Stroke 2021 Aug;52(8):2676-79. doi: 10.1161/strokeaha.120.033580..
Keywords: Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Health Information Technology (HIT), Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
Soares WE, Knee A, Gemme SR
SC, et al. A prospective evaluation of Clinical HEART score agreement, accuracy, and adherence in emergency department chest pain patients.
The HEART score is a risk stratification aid that may safely reduce chest pain admissions for emergency department patients. However, differences in interpretation of subjective components potentially alters the performance of the score. In this study, the investigators compared agreement between HEART scores determined during clinical practice with research-generated scores and estimated their accuracy in predicting 30-day major adverse cardiac events.
AHRQ-funded; HS024815.
Citation: Soares WE, Knee A, Gemme SR .
SC, et al. A prospective evaluation of Clinical HEART score agreement, accuracy, and adherence in emergency department chest pain patients.
Ann Emerg Med 2021 Aug;78(2):231-41. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2021.03.024..
Keywords: Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Emergency Department, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Swanson MB, Miller AC, Ward MM MM
Emergency department telemedicine consults decrease time to interpret computed tomography of the head in a multi-network cohort.
Telemedicine can improve access to emergency stroke care in rural areas, but the benefit of telemedicine across different types and models of telemedicine networks is unknown. The objectives of this study were to (1) identify the impact of telemedicine on ED stroke care, (2) identify if telemedicine impact varied by network, and (3) describe the variation in process outcomes by telemedicine across EDs.
AHRQ-funded; HS025753.
Citation: Swanson MB, Miller AC, Ward MM MM .
Emergency department telemedicine consults decrease time to interpret computed tomography of the head in a multi-network cohort.
J Telemed Telecare 2021 Jul;27(6):343-52. doi: 10.1177/1357633x19877746..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Imaging, Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions
Etherton MR, Zachrison KS, Yan Z
Regional changes in patterns of stroke presentation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The authors sought to determine the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on patterns of stroke patient presentation and quality of care. They analyzed data from 25 New England hospitals: one urban, academic, comprehensive stroke center and telestroke hub, and 24 spoke hospitals in the same telestroke network. They included all telestroke consultations from the 24 spokes, and stroke admissions to the comprehensive stroke center hub from November 2019 through April 2020. They compared rates of presentation, timeliness presentation, and quality of care pre- versus post-March 2020. They also examined trends in patient demographics, stroke severity, timeliness, diagnosis including large vessel occlusion, alteplase use, and endovascular thrombectomy among eligible subjects. Among 1248 patient presentations, telestroke consultations and ischemic stroke patient admissions decreased through the hub and spoke network. Age and stroke severity were unchanged during the study period. However, rates of adherence for the quality measures dysphagia screening, early antithrombotic initiation, and early venous thromboembolism prophylaxis were reduced during the pandemic.
AHRQ-funded; HS024561.
Citation: Etherton MR, Zachrison KS, Yan Z .
Regional changes in patterns of stroke presentation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stroke 2021 Apr;52(4):1398-406. doi: 10.1161/strokeaha.120.031300..
Keywords: Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, COVID-19, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Healthcare Delivery
Shah NR, Eisman AS, Winchester DE
E-consult protocoling to improve the quality of cardiac stress tests.
Rarely appropriate cardiac stress tests remain prevalent in the range of 10% to 20% and unnecessarily prolong wait times. To address this ongoing problem, the investigators designed the EPIQ-Stress workflow, which included a structured electronic consult (“econsult”) with all outpatient stress test orders. In this study, the investigators assessed whether EPIQ-Stress implementation was associated with a reduction in rarely appropriate testing and in order-to-report wait times.
AHRQ-funded; HS022998.
Citation: Shah NR, Eisman AS, Winchester DE .
E-consult protocoling to improve the quality of cardiac stress tests.
JACC Cardiovasc Imaging 2021 Feb;14(2):512-14. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmg.2020.08.009..
Keywords: Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Diagnostic Safety and Quality
Levy AE, Shah NR, Matheny ME
Determining post-test risk in a national sample of stress nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging reports: implications for natural language processing tools.
The authors investigated whether Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools could potentially help estimate myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) risk. Subjects were VA patients who underwent stress MPI and coronary angiography 2009-11; stress test reports were randomly selected for analysis. The authors found that post-test ischemic risk was determinable but rarely reported in this sample of stress MPI reports. They conclude that this supports the potential use of NLP to help clarify risk and recommend further study of NLP in this context.
AHRQ-funded; HS022998.
Citation: Levy AE, Shah NR, Matheny ME .
Determining post-test risk in a national sample of stress nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging reports: implications for natural language processing tools.
J Nucl Cardiol 2019 Dec;26(6):1878-85. doi: 10.1007/s12350-018-1275-y..
Keywords: Imaging, Risk, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Health Information Technology (HIT), Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Cardiovascular Conditions, Heart Disease and Health
Wang SV, Rogers JR, Jin Y
Stepped-wedge randomised trial to evaluate population health intervention designed to increase appropriate anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation.
Clinical guidelines recommend anticoagulation for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) at high risk of stroke; however, studies report 40% of this population is not anticoagulated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a population health intervention to increase anticoagulation use in high-risk patients with AF. The investigators concluded that algorithms to identify underuse of anticoagulation among patients with AF in healthcare databases may not capture clinical subtleties or patient preferences and may overestimate the extent of undertreatment.
AHRQ-funded; HS022193.
Citation: Wang SV, Rogers JR, Jin Y .
Stepped-wedge randomised trial to evaluate population health intervention designed to increase appropriate anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation.
BMJ Qual Saf 2019 Oct;28(10):835-42. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2019-009367..
Keywords: Blood Thinners, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Medication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Shared Decision Making, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Practice Patterns, Healthcare Utilization
Knierim KE, Hall TL, Dickinson LM
Primary care practices' ability to report electronic clinical quality measures in the EvidenceNOW Southwest Initiative to Improve Heart Health.
The objective of this study was to determine how quickly primary care practices can report electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs) and to identify the practice characteristics associated with faster reporting. Examining the EvidenceNOW Southwest initiative, the researchers’ results showed that the time to report eCQMs varied by measure and practice type, with very few practices reporting quickly. Additional support for practices to succeed in new programs that require eCQM reporting was recommended.
AHRQ-funded; HS023904.
Citation: Knierim KE, Hall TL, Dickinson LM .
Primary care practices' ability to report electronic clinical quality measures in the EvidenceNOW Southwest Initiative to Improve Heart Health.
JAMA Netw Open 2019 Aug 2;2(8):e198569. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.8569..
Keywords: Primary Care, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality Measures, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Evidence-Based Practice, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Gadhia R, Schwamm LH, Viswanathan A
Evaluation of the experience of spoke hospitals in an academic telestroke network.
Implementation of telestroke has been associated with improved thrombolysis rates and clinical outcomes in remote or neurologically underserved spoke hospitals. Yet, the experience of spoke hospitals using telestroke has not been well described. In this study, the investigators sought to characterize spoke hospitals' perceptions of telestroke to understand perceived advantages, challenges, and barriers to use.
AHRQ-funded; HS024561.
Citation: Gadhia R, Schwamm LH, Viswanathan A .
Evaluation of the experience of spoke hospitals in an academic telestroke network.
Telemed J E Health 2019 Jul;25(7):584-90. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2018.0133..
Keywords: Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Hospitals, Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions
Hannan EL, Barrett SC, Samadashvili Z
Retooling of paper-based outcome measures to electronic format: comparison of the NY State public risk model and EHR-derived risk models for CABG mortality.
This study assessed the feasibility of retooling the paper-based New York State coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery statistical model for mortality and readmission into a model for electronic health records (EHRs). Researchers found that only 6 data elements could be extracted from the EHR, and outlier hospitals differed for readmission but was usable for mortality. They concluded that the EHR model was inferior to the NYS model, and that simplifying the EHR risk model couldn’t capture most of the risk factors in the NYS model.
AHRQ-funded; HS022647.
Citation: Hannan EL, Barrett SC, Samadashvili Z .
Retooling of paper-based outcome measures to electronic format: comparison of the NY State public risk model and EHR-derived risk models for CABG mortality.
Med Care 2019 May;57(5):377-84. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001104..
Keywords: Surgery, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Mortality, Outcomes, Risk, Cardiovascular Conditions
Baik D, Reading M, Jia H
Measuring health status and symptom burden using a web-based mHealth application in patients with heart failure.
This cross-sectional study was conducted at an urban academic medical center to measure health status and symptom burdens of heart failure patients using a mHealth application called mi.Symptoms. Patients were diverse, with a mean age of 58.7, and were 37% women, 36% Black, and 36% Hispanic/Latino. Almost half were classified as New York Heart Association class III, and 44% reported not having enough income to make ends meet. Health status was measured with the Kansas City cardiomyopathy questionnaire clinical summary score. Predictors of better health status included higher physical function and ability to participate in social functions and activities. Predictors of poorer health status was New York Heart Association class IV status and dyspnea.
AHRQ-funded; HS021816.
Citation: Baik D, Reading M, Jia H .
Measuring health status and symptom burden using a web-based mHealth application in patients with heart failure.
Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs 2019 Apr;18(4):325-31. doi: 10.1177/1474515119825704..
Keywords: Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Health Status, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Gore MO, Krantz MJ, Albright K
A controlled trial of mobile short message service among participants in a rural cardiovascular disease prevention program.
Researchers with the Colorado Healthy Heart Solutions (CHHS) program conducted a pilot trial to see determine if the use of mobile phone SMS (text messages) improves cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk profiles for the medically underserved population it serves. Results showed that for most outcomes there was no statistical significance between the intervention and control groups for all but self-reported fat intake.
AHRQ-funded.
Citation: Gore MO, Krantz MJ, Albright K .
A controlled trial of mobile short message service among participants in a rural cardiovascular disease prevention program.
Prev Med Rep 2019 Mar;13:126-31. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.11.021..
Keywords: Cardiovascular Conditions, Health Information Technology (HIT), Prevention, Rural Health
Cykert S, DeWalt DA, Weiner BJ
A population approach using cholesterol imputation to identify adults with high cardiovascular risk: a report from AHRQ's EvidenceNow initiative.
Investigators estimated cholesterol scores for patients between the ages of 40 and 79 in large practice electronic health networks who did not have that in their electronic health record (EHR). This data was used to calculate 10-year Assessment of Cardiovascular Disease Risk (ASCVD) risk scores for patients in 219 practices. They estimated the scores using both “good value’ estimation methodology and formal imputation. The “good value” estimation methodology resulted in less patients with risk scores than imputation but it had higher specificity and a lower false positive rate.
AHRQ-funded; HS023912.
Citation: Cykert S, DeWalt DA, Weiner BJ .
A population approach using cholesterol imputation to identify adults with high cardiovascular risk: a report from AHRQ's EvidenceNow initiative.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2019 Feb;26(2):155-58. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocy151..
Keywords: Cardiovascular Conditions, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Heart Disease and Health, Evidence-Based Practice, Health Information Technology (HIT), Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Quality Improvement
Hess R, Fischer GS, Sullivan SM
Patterns of response to patient-centered decision support through a personal health record.
The investigators evaluated patients' patterns of responses to notifications regarding guideline-recommended services delivered through a personalized health record (PHR). They found that approximately 61% of participants accessed the PHR or received the care that triggered the message after the first message and 73% after the first two messages. They concluded that, in this low-intensity intervention, participants accessed the PHR and received recommended care.
AHRQ-funded; HS018167.
Citation: Hess R, Fischer GS, Sullivan SM .
Patterns of response to patient-centered decision support through a personal health record.
Telemed J E Health 2014 Nov;20(11):984-9. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2013.0332.
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Keywords: Cardiovascular Conditions, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Patient-Centered Healthcare, Clinician-Patient Communication
Black JT, Romano PS, Sadeghi B
A remote monitoring and telephone nurse coaching intervention to reduce readmissions among patients with heart failure: study protocol for the Better
The objective of this randomized controlled comparative effectiveness study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a care transition intervention that included pre-discharge education about heart failure and post-discharge telephone nurse coaching combined with home telemonitoring of weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and symptoms in reducing all-cause 180-day hospital readmissions for older adults hospitalized with heart failure.
AHRQ-funded; HS019311.
Citation: Black JT, Romano PS, Sadeghi B .
A remote monitoring and telephone nurse coaching intervention to reduce readmissions among patients with heart failure: study protocol for the Better
Trials 2014 Apr 13;15:124. doi: 10.1186/1745-6215-15-124..
Keywords: Cardiovascular Conditions, Comparative Effectiveness, Health Information Technology (HIT), Heart Disease and Health, Hospital Readmissions, Telehealth, Transitions of Care