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
26 to 40 of 40 Research Studies DisplayedMarkham JL, Richardson T, Hall M
Association of weekend admission and weekend discharge with length of stay and 30-day readmission in children's hospitals.
Worse outcomes among adults presenting for/receiving care on weekends (ie, "the weekend effect") have been observed for many diseases. However, little is known about the overall impact of the weekend effect in hospitalized children. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between 1.) weekend admission and length of stay (LOS) and 2.) weekend discharge and 30-day all-cause readmission.
AHRQ-funded; HS024735.
Citation: Markham JL, Richardson T, Hall M .
Association of weekend admission and weekend discharge with length of stay and 30-day readmission in children's hospitals.
J Hosp Med 2019 Feb;14(2):75-82. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3085..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Hospitals, Hospital Readmissions, Hospital Discharge, Hospitalization
Lion KC, Kieran K, Desai A
Audio-recorded discharge instructions for limited English proficient parents: a pilot study.
Parents with limited English proficiency (LEP) demonstrate lower comprehension of discharge instructions. This study was conducted to (1) determine the feasibility of providing a greeting card with language-specific, audio-recorded discharge instructions to LEP parents; (2) describe use of and satisfaction with the cards; and (3) evaluate card effect on instruction comfort with home care and comprehension. The authors concluded that providing language-concordant, audio-recorded discharge instructions was feasible, and parents reported high satisfaction with and frequent use of the cards with multiple caregivers.
AHRQ-funded; HS024299.
Citation: Lion KC, Kieran K, Desai A .
Audio-recorded discharge instructions for limited English proficient parents: a pilot study.
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2019 Feb;45(2):98-107. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2018.06.001..
Keywords: Hospital Discharge, Cultural Competence, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Education: Patient and Caregiver
Arbaje AI, Hughes A, Werner N
Information management goals and process failures during home visits for middle-aged and older adults receiving skilled home healthcare services after hospital discharge: a multisite, qualitative study.
The goal of this study was to identify information management (IM) process failures made during home health visits to middle-aged and older adults after hospital discharge. Communication risks included information overload, information underload, information scatter, information conflict, and erroneous information.
AHRQ-funded; HS022916.
Citation: Arbaje AI, Hughes A, Werner N .
Information management goals and process failures during home visits for middle-aged and older adults receiving skilled home healthcare services after hospital discharge: a multisite, qualitative study.
BMJ Qual Saf 2019 Feb;28(2):111-20. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2018-008163..
Keywords: Elderly, Home Healthcare, Hospital Discharge, Patient Safety, Transitions of Care
Zuckerman RB, Wu S, Chen LM
The five-star skilled nursing facility rating system and care of disadvantaged populations.
AHRQ-funded; HS000029.
Citation: Zuckerman RB, Wu S, Chen LM .
The five-star skilled nursing facility rating system and care of disadvantaged populations.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2019 Jan;67(1):108-14. doi: 10.1111/jgs.15629..
Keywords: Nursing Homes, Vulnerable Populations, Medicare, Elderly, Provider Performance, Quality of Care, Hospital Discharge, Disparities
Sanger PC, Hartzler A, Han SM
Patient perspectives on post-discharge surgical site infections: towards a patient-centered mobile health solution.
This study explored patient experience of surgical site infections (SSI) and openness to a mobile health (mHealth) wound monitoring ‘‘app’’ as a novel solution to address the problem of patient perceptions about barriers experienced while seeking care for post-discharge SSI. It found that patients are dissatisfied with the current standard post-hospitalization care practice and were accepting of the concept of a patient-centered wound monitoring application.
AHRQ-funded; HS019482.
Citation: Sanger PC, Hartzler A, Han SM .
Patient perspectives on post-discharge surgical site infections: towards a patient-centered mobile health solution.
PLoS One 2014 Dec;9(12):e114016. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0114016..
Keywords: Surgery, Health Information Technology (HIT), Adverse Events, Patient Experience, Hospital Discharge
Sanger P, Hartzler A, Lober WB
Design considerations for post-acute care mHealth: patient perspectives.
The authors are developing an mHealth platform to engage patients in wound tracking to identify and manage surgical site infections (SSI) after hospital discharge. Their key design qualities include: meeting basic accessibility, usability and security needs; encouraging patient-centeredness; facilitating better, more predictable communication; and supporting personalized management by providers. In this article, they illustrated their application of these guiding design considerations and proposed a new framework for mHealth design based on illness duration and intensity.
AHRQ-funded; HS019482.
Citation: Sanger P, Hartzler A, Lober WB .
Design considerations for post-acute care mHealth: patient perspectives.
AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2014 Nov 14;2014:1920-9.
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Keywords: Telehealth, Patient Self-Management, Surgery, Injuries and Wounds, Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospital Discharge, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Adverse Events
Albrecht JS, Gruber-Baldini AL, Hirshon JM
Hospital discharge instructions: comprehension and compliance among older adults.
The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to quantify the prevalence of non-comprehension and non-compliance with discharge instructions and to identify associated patient characteristics. The investigators concluded that non-comprehension of discharge instructions among older adults was prevalent, multi-factorial, and varies by domain.
AHRQ-funded; HS021068.
Citation: Albrecht JS, Gruber-Baldini AL, Hirshon JM .
Hospital discharge instructions: comprehension and compliance among older adults.
J Gen Intern Med 2014 Nov;29(11):1491-8. doi: 10.1007/s11606-014-2956-0..
Keywords: Elderly, Health Literacy, Hospital Discharge, Patient Adherence/Compliance
Goldman LE, Sarkar U, Kessell E
Support from hospital to home for elders: a randomized trial.
The researchers studied a peridischarge, nurse-led intervention combined with telephone follow-up designed to reduce readmissions among patients who were 55 or older. They found that the nurse-led, in-hospital discharge support intervention did not show a reduction in readmissions or ED visits among 700 diverse, low-income older adults at a safety-net hospital.
AHRQ-funded; HS018090.
Citation: Goldman LE, Sarkar U, Kessell E .
Support from hospital to home for elders: a randomized trial.
Ann Intern Med 2014 Oct 7;161(7):472-81. doi: 10.7326/m14-0094..
Keywords: Hospital Discharge, Hospital Readmissions, Emergency Department, Elderly, Social Determinants of Health, Nursing
Garfield CF, Lee Y, Kim HN
Paternal and maternal concerns for their very low-birth-weight infants transitioning from the NICU to home.
The authors examined the concerns and coping mechanisms of fathers and mothers of very low-birth-weight neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) infants as they transition to home from the NICU. They found that overriding concerns included pervasive uncertainty, lingering medical concerns, and partner-related adjustment concerns that differed by gender. They concluded that many parental concerns can be addressed with improved discharge information exchanges and anticipatory guidance.
AHRQ-funded; HS020316.
Citation: Garfield CF, Lee Y, Kim HN .
Paternal and maternal concerns for their very low-birth-weight infants transitioning from the NICU to home.
J Perinat Neonatal Nurs 2014 Oct-Dec;28(4):305-12. doi: 10.1097/jpn.0000000000000021.
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Keywords: Care Coordination, Hospital Discharge, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Newborns/Infants, Transitions of Care
Mixon AS, Neal E, Bell S
Care transitions: a leverage point for safe and effective medication use in older adults--a mini-review.
The authors discuss medication adherence in older adults across the continuum of care, describing reasons for nonadherence, methods to assess adherence, and tools to improve adherence, with particular focus on emerging techniques and technologies.
AHRQ-funded; HS019598.
Citation: Mixon AS, Neal E, Bell S .
Care transitions: a leverage point for safe and effective medication use in older adults--a mini-review.
Gerontology 2015;61(1):32-40. doi: 10.1159/000363765.
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Keywords: Elderly, Hospital Discharge, Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Adherence/Compliance
Gadzinski AJ, Dimick JB, Ye Z
Transfer rates and use of post-acute care after surgery at critical access vs non-critical access hospitals.
This study evaluated discharge practice patterns and use of post-acute care after surgical admissions at critical access hospitals (CAHs). It found that for each of six common surgical procedures, a greater proportion of patients was transferred to another hospital. However, the proportion of patients at CAHs using post-acute care is equal to or less than that of patients treated in non-CAHs.
AHRQ-funded; HS018346
Citation: Gadzinski AJ, Dimick JB, Ye Z .
Transfer rates and use of post-acute care after surgery at critical access vs non-critical access hospitals.
JAMA Surg. 2014 Jul;149(7):671-7. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2013.5694..
Keywords: Surgery, Critical Care, Hospital Discharge, Quality of Care
Wang CY, Graham JE, Karmarkar AM
FIM motor scores for classifying community discharge after inpatient rehabilitation for hip fracture.
A major goal of this study was to identify which discharge functional independence measure (FIM)--total, motor, or cognition--best discriminates community versus institutional discharges. It found that the FIM motor scale yields the best overall discrimination of patients discharged to the community versus those discharged to an institution after inpatient rehabilitation for hip fracture.
AHRQ-funded; HS022134.
Citation: Wang CY, Graham JE, Karmarkar AM .
FIM motor scores for classifying community discharge after inpatient rehabilitation for hip fracture.
PM & R 2014 Jun; 6(6):493-7. doi: 10.1016/j.pmrj.2013.12.008..
Keywords: Hospital Discharge, Injuries and Wounds, Elderly
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
Carey K, Lin MY
Hospital length of stay and readmission: an early investigation.
This study is a retrospective examination of the association between length of stay in an index hospitalization and readmission within 7 days and within 30 days of discharge. It found negative associations between length of stay and readmission probability, particularly for heart attack patients; however, the magnitude of the effect was modest for heart attack.
AHRQ-funded; HS020995.
Citation: Carey K, Lin MY .
Hospital length of stay and readmission: an early investigation.
Med Care Res Rev 2014 Feb;71(1):99-111. doi: 10.1177/1077558713504998..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Heart Disease and Health, Hospital Readmissions, Hospitalization, Hospital Discharge
Mitchell SE, Gardiner PM, Sadikova E
Patient activation and 30-day post-discharge hospital utilization.
This study examining the role of patient activation in the rate of hospital readmission within 30 days of discharge found that adult medical patients in an urban academic safety net hospital with lower levels of patient activation had a higher rate of post-discharge 30-day hospital utilization.
AHRQ-funded; HS019771.
Citation: Mitchell SE, Gardiner PM, Sadikova E .
Patient activation and 30-day post-discharge hospital utilization.
J Gen Intern Med. 2014 Feb;29(2):349-55. doi: 10.1007/s11606-013-2647-2..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Hospital Discharge, Hospital Readmissions, Hospitalization