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AHRQ Research Studies Date
Topics
- Adverse Events (4)
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- (-) Diagnostic Safety and Quality (14)
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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 14 of 14 Research Studies DisplayedCifra CL, Sittig DF, Singh H
Bridging the feedback gap: a sociotechnical approach to informing clinicians of patients' subsequent clinical course and outcomes.
This paper discusses challenges to the development of systems for effective patient outcome feedback to improve diagnosis and proposes the application of a sociotechnical approach using health information technology (HIT) to support the implementation of such systems. It discusses current barriers to effective clinician feedback, reasons for them, and features of potential IT solutions. Evaluation and implementation of the feedback process within a sociotechnical health system are then discussed. The authors use an eight-dimension sociotechnical model for studying health IT by authors Sittig and Singh. The eight dimensions are hardware and software; clinical content; human–computer interface; people; workflow and communication; organisational policies and procedures; external rules, regulations and pressures; and system measurement and monitoring. A table is included that shows the potential considerations for each dimension.
AHRQ-funded; 33201500022I; HS027363.
Citation: Cifra CL, Sittig DF, Singh H .
Bridging the feedback gap: a sociotechnical approach to informing clinicians of patients' subsequent clinical course and outcomes.
BMJ Qual Saf 2021 Jul;30(7):591-97. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2020-012464..
Keywords: Health Information Technology (HIT), Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Patient Safety, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Zhu Y, Simon GJ, Wick EC
Applying machine learning across sites: external validation of a surgical site infection detection algorithm.
Surgical complications have tremendous consequences and costs. Complication detection is important for quality improvement, but traditional manual chart review is burdensome. Automated mechanisms are needed to make this more efficient. The purpose of the study was to understand the generalizability of a machine learning algorithm between sites; automated surgical site infection (SSI) detection algorithms developed at one center were tested at another distinct center.
AHRQ-funded; HS024532.
Citation: Zhu Y, Simon GJ, Wick EC .
Applying machine learning across sites: external validation of a surgical site infection detection algorithm.
J Am Coll Surg 2021 Jun;232(6):963-71.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2021.03.026..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Surgery, Adverse Events, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Desai S, Kapoor N, Hammer MM
RADAR: a closed-loop quality improvement initiative leveraging a safety net model for incidental pulmonary nodule management.
This study was conducted to assess whether patients with incidental pulmonary nodules (IPNs) received timely follow-up care after implementation of a quality improvement (QI) initiative between radiologists and primary care providers. A QI initiative, RADAR (Radiology Result Alert and Development of Automated Resolution), was implemented. Findings showed that the RADAR QI initiative was associated with increased timely IPN follow-up.
AHRQ-funded; HS024722.
Citation: Desai S, Kapoor N, Hammer MM .
RADAR: a closed-loop quality improvement initiative leveraging a safety net model for incidental pulmonary nodule management.
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2021 May;47(5):275-81. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2020.12.006..
Keywords: Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Imaging
Marshall TL, Ipsaro AJ, Le M
Increasing physician reporting of diagnostic learning opportunities.
This study investigated methods to improve physician reporting of diagnostic errors at the pediatric division of a hospital. In that pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) division only 1 diagnostic-related safety event was reported in the preceding 4 years. The authors aimed to improve attending physician reporting of suspected diagnostic errors from 0 to 2 per 100 PHM patient admissions within 6 months. The improvement team used the Model for Improvement and used the term diagnostic learning opportunity (DLO) with clinicians as opposed to diagnostic error to lessen the stigma. They developed an electronic reporting form and encouraged its use through reminders, scheduled reflection time, and monthly progress reports. Over the course of 13 weeks, there was an increase from 0 to 1.6 per patient admission reports files. Most events (66%) were true diagnostic errors.
AHRQ-funded; HS023827.
Citation: Marshall TL, Ipsaro AJ, Le M .
Increasing physician reporting of diagnostic learning opportunities.
Pediatrics 2021 Jan;147(1). doi: 10.1542/peds.2019-2400..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Hospitals, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Singh H, Graber ML, Hofer TP
Measures to improve diagnostic safety in clinical practice.
In this paper, the investigators discuss how the need to develop measures to improve diagnostic performance could move forward at a time when the scientific foundation needed to inform measurement is still evolving. They highlight challenges and opportunities for developing potential measures of "diagnostic safety" related to clinical diagnostic errors and associated preventable diagnostic harm. In doing so, they propose a starter set of measurement concepts for initial consideration that seem reasonably related to diagnostic safety and call for these to be studied and further refined.
AHRQ-funded; HS022087.
Citation: Singh H, Graber ML, Hofer TP .
Measures to improve diagnostic safety in clinical practice.
J Patient Saf 2019 Dec;15(4):311-16. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000338.
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Keywords: Patient Safety, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Healthcare Delivery, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Medical Errors, Adverse Events
Keshvani N, Berger K, Gupta A
Improving respiratory rate accuracy in the hospital: a quality improvement initiative.
Researchers initiated a quality improvement (QI) initiative in hospitals to improve respiratory rate measurement accuracy. Time-keeping devices were added to vital sign carts and patient care assistants were retrained on a newly modified workflow that included concomitant respiratory rate (RR) measurement during automated blood pressure measurement. The median RR measurement rate increased postintervention. This intervention was associated with a 7.8% reduced incidence of tachypnea-specific systemic inflammatory response syndrome. This QI initiative was interdisciplinary, low-cost, and low-tech.
AHRQ-funded; HS022418.
Citation: Keshvani N, Berger K, Gupta A .
Improving respiratory rate accuracy in the hospital: a quality improvement initiative.
J Hosp Med 2019 Nov 1;14(10):673-77. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3232..
Keywords: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Quality Improvement, Inpatient Care, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Hospitals, Quality of Care, Outcomes
Kang SK, Garry K, Chung R
Natural language processing for identification of incidental pulmonary nodules in radiology reports.
The authors developed natural language processing (NLP) to identify incidental lung nodules (ILNs) in radiology reports for assessment of management recommendations using the electronic health records for patients who underwent chest CT before and after implementation of a department-wide dictation macro of the Fleischner Society recommendations. They concluded that NLP reliably automates identification of ILNs in unstructured reports, pertinent to quality improvement efforts for ILN management.
AHRQ-funded; HS024376.
Citation: Kang SK, Garry K, Chung R .
Natural language processing for identification of incidental pulmonary nodules in radiology reports.
J Am Coll Radiol 2019 Nov;16(11):1587-94. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2019.04.026..
Keywords: Imaging, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Health Information Technology (HIT), Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Cochon LR, Kapoor N, Carrodeguas E
Variation in follow-up imaging recommendations in radiology reports: patient, modality, and radiologist predictors.
The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence and to identify factors associated with follow-up recommendations in radiology reports from multiple modalities, patient care settings, and imaging divisions. A trained algorithm classified 318,366 report; the findings indicate that substantial interradiologist variation exists in the probability of recommending a follow-up examination in a radiology report.
AHRQ-funded; HS024722.
Citation: Cochon LR, Kapoor N, Carrodeguas E .
Variation in follow-up imaging recommendations in radiology reports: patient, modality, and radiologist predictors.
Radiology 2019 Jun;291(3):700-07. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2019182826..
Keywords: Shared Decision Making, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Imaging, Patient Safety, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement
Bundy DG, Singh H, Stein RE
The design and conduct of Project RedDE: a cluster-randomized trial to reduce diagnostic errors in pediatric primary care.
This paper discusses the results of Project RedDE, which was a virtual collaborative quality improvement study to reduce diagnostic errors in pediatric primary care practices. Forty-three practices were initially recruited, with a total of 31 practices left at the end due to practice dropout and two participating practices merging. This study was a randomized controlled trial targeting three common diagnostic errors (missed diagnoses of adolescent depression, abnormal blood pressure, and lack of followup for abnormal laboratory results). Contamination across study groups was a recurring problem, but risk mitigations were used. Electronic health records contributed to teams’ success.
AHRQ-funded; HS203608.
Citation: Bundy DG, Singh H, Stein RE .
The design and conduct of Project RedDE: a cluster-randomized trial to reduce diagnostic errors in pediatric primary care.
Clin Trials 2019 Apr;16(2):154-64. doi: 10.1177/1740774518820522..
Keywords: Adverse Events, Children/Adolescents, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Medical Errors, Prevention, Primary Care, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement
Kwan BM, Fernald D, Ferrarone P
Implementation and evaluation of a laboratory safety process improvement toolkit.
This study evaluated the quality and usefulness of the revised version of the AHRQ toolkit “Improving Your Office Testing Process”. The toolkit is designed to help primary care practices standardize their laboratory testing processes. Researchers evaluated 2 primary practices. Nineteen clinicians and staff provided survey data. The toolkit was given a positive rating by staff who thought it was easy to use and helped improve the quality improvement (QI) infrastructure.
AHRQ-funded; 233201500025I.
Citation: Kwan BM, Fernald D, Ferrarone P .
Implementation and evaluation of a laboratory safety process improvement toolkit.
J Am Board Fam Med 2019 Mar-Apr;32(2):136-45. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.2019.02.180109..
Keywords: Primary Care, Tools & Toolkits, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
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
Rogith D, Iyengar MS, Singh H
Using fault trees to advance understanding of diagnostic errors.
In this study, the investigators used fault trees to advance understanding of diagnostic errors. A team of three experts reviewed 10 published cases of diagnostic error and constructed fault trees. The fault trees were modeled according to currently available conceptual frameworks characterizing diagnostic error. The 10 trees were then synthesized into a single fault tree to identify common contributing factors and pathways leading to diagnostic error. The investigators indicate that fault trees might provide a useful framework for both quantitative and qualitative analysis of diagnostic errors.
AHRQ-funded; HS022087; HS023602.
Citation: Rogith D, Iyengar MS, Singh H .
Using fault trees to advance understanding of diagnostic errors.
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2017 Nov;43(11):598-605. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2017.06.007..
Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Patient Safety, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement
Henriksen K, Dymek C, Harrison MI
AHRQ Author: Henriksen K, Dymek C, Harrison MI, Brady PJ, Arnold SB
Challenges and opportunities from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) research summit on improving diagnosis: a proceedings review.
AHRQ held a research summit in the fall of 2016, inviting members from a diverse collection of organizations, both inside and outside of government, to share their suggestions regarding what is known about diagnosis and the challenges that need to be addressed. Among the goals of the summit were to learn from the insights of participants and examine issues associated with definitions of diagnostic error and gaps in the evidence base.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Henriksen K, Dymek C, Harrison MI .
Challenges and opportunities from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) research summit on improving diagnosis: a proceedings review.
Diagnosis 2017 Jun;4(2):57-66.
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Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Medical Errors, Evidence-Based Practice, Quality of Care
Goldberg EM, Wilson T, Saucier C
Achieving the BpTRUth: emergency department hypertension screening and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services quality measure.
The aims of this study were to (1) assess the reliability of ED triage blood pressure (BP) as a metric to establish when the CMS threshold (>/=120/80 mm Hg), and other clinically relevant BP thresholds (>/=140/90 and >/=160/100 mm Hg) have been met; and (2) determine whether correct identification varies by gender, race, or triage acuity. At the three suggested BP thresholds, 66.1 percent, 74.0 percent, and 88.8 percent of patients were confirmed to meet the CMS threshold, respectively. There were no differences by gender, race, or triage acuity.
AHRQ-funded; HS000011.
Citation: Goldberg EM, Wilson T, Saucier C .
Achieving the BpTRUth: emergency department hypertension screening and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services quality measure.
J Am Soc Hypertens 2017 May;11(5):290-94. doi: 10.1016/j.jash.2017.03.003.
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Keywords: Blood Pressure, Emergency Department, Quality Measures, Screening, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Quality of Care