National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
Latest available findings on quality of and access to health care
Data
- Data Infographics
- Data Visualizations
- Data Tools
- Data Innovations
- All-Payer Claims Database
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)
- Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
- AHRQ Quality Indicator Tools for Data Analytics
- State Snapshots
- United States Health Information Knowledgebase (USHIK)
- Data Sources Available from AHRQ
Search All Research Studies
AHRQ Research Studies Date
Topics
- Adverse Drug Events (ADE) (15)
- Adverse Events (14)
- Antibiotics (1)
- Behavioral Health (1)
- Cancer (1)
- Cardiovascular Conditions (2)
- Caregiving (1)
- Children/Adolescents (6)
- Chronic Conditions (2)
- Clinical Decision Support (CDS) (1)
- Clinician-Patient Communication (2)
- Communication (2)
- COVID-19 (1)
- Critical Care (2)
- Decision Making (2)
- Depression (1)
- Diagnostic Safety and Quality (1)
- Education: Patient and Caregiver (1)
- Elderly (3)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (4)
- Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing) (1)
- Evidence-Based Practice (2)
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) (1)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (9)
- Health Literacy (2)
- Heart Disease and Health (1)
- Hospital Discharge (2)
- Hospitals (2)
- Implementation (1)
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (3)
- Kidney Disease and Health (2)
- Labor and Delivery (1)
- Maternal Care (1)
- Medical Errors (4)
- Medication (30)
- (-) Medication: Safety (30)
- Newborns/Infants (2)
- Opioids (3)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (1)
- Patient and Family Engagement (1)
- Patient Safety (28)
- Practice Patterns (1)
- Pregnancy (1)
- Prevention (1)
- Provider (4)
- Provider: Clinician (1)
- Provider: Pharmacist (3)
- Quality Improvement (4)
- Quality of Care (4)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (1)
- Risk (1)
- Substance Abuse (1)
- Surgery (2)
- Telehealth (1)
- Transitions of Care (1)
- Women (1)
AHRQ Research Studies
Sign up: AHRQ Research Studies Email updates
Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 25 of 30 Research Studies DisplayedCarroll AR, Johnson JA, Stassun JC
Health literacy-informed communication to reduce discharge medication errors in hospitalized children: a randomized clinical trial.
This study’s objective was to test a health literacy-informed communication intervention to decrease liquid medication dosing errors compared with standard counseling in hospitalized children. This parallel, randomized clinical trial was conducted from June 22, 2021, to August 20, 2022, at a tertiary care, US children's hospital. English- and Spanish-speaking caregivers of hospitalized children 6 years or younger prescribed a new, scheduled liquid medication at discharge were included in the analysis. Observed dosing errors were the main outcome measured, and secondary outcomes included caregiver-reported medication knowledge. Among 198 randomized caregivers (mean age 31.4 years; 186 women [93.9%]; 36 [18.2%] Hispanic or Latino and 158 [79.8%] White), the primary outcome was available for 151 (76.3%). The observed mean (SD) percentage dosing error was 1.0% (2.2 percentage points) among the intervention group and 3.3% (5.1 percentage points) among the standard counseling group (absolute difference, 2.3 percentage points). Twenty-four of 79 caregivers in the intervention group (30.4%) measured an incorrect dose compared with 39 of 72 (54.2%) in the standard counseling group. The intervention enhanced caregiver-reported medication knowledge compared with the standard counseling group for medication dose (71 of 76 [93.4%] vs 55 of 69 [79.7%]), duration of administration (65 of 76 [85.5%] vs 49 of 69 [71.0%], and correct reporting of 2 or more medication adverse effects (60 of 76 [78.9%] vs 13 of 69 [18.8%]).
AHRQ-funded; HS026122.
Citation: Carroll AR, Johnson JA, Stassun JC .
Health literacy-informed communication to reduce discharge medication errors in hospitalized children: a randomized clinical trial.
JAMA Netw Open 2024 Jan 2; 7(1):e2350969. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.50969..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Health Literacy, Communication, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Clinician-Patient Communication, Hospital Discharge, Medication: Safety
Jolliff A, Coller RJ, Kearney H
An mHealth design to promote medication safety in children with medical complexity.
This study describes an effort to design a health information technology tool to improve medication safety for children with medical complexity (CMC). The study engaged family caregivers, secondary caregivers, and clinicians who work with CMC in a co-design process to identify: 1) medication safety challenges experienced by CMC caregivers and, 2) design requirements for a mobile health application to improve medication safety for CMC in the home. Family caregivers, secondary caregivers, and clinicians from a children's hospital-based pediatric complex care program participated in virtual co-design sessions. During these sessions, the facilitator guided 16 co-designers in generating and converging upon medication safety challenges and design requirements. These sessions were recorded and reviewed after conclusion to confirm that all designer comments had been captured. An analysis yielded 11 challenges to medication safety and 11 corresponding design requirements that fit into three broader challenges: giving the right medication at the right time; communicating with others about medications; and accommodating complex medical routines.
AHRQ-funded; HS028409.
Citation: Jolliff A, Coller RJ, Kearney H .
An mHealth design to promote medication safety in children with medical complexity.
Appl Clin Inform 2024 Jan; 15(1):45-54. doi: 10.1055/a-2214-8000..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Medication: Safety, Medication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Chronic Conditions, Telehealth, Caregiving
MohammadiGorji S, Joseph A, Mihandoust S
Anesthesia workspaces for safe medication practices: design guidelines.
The purpose of this study was to create a set of evidence-based design guidelines for the design of anesthesia workspaces to support safer anesthesia medication tasks in operating rooms (ORs). The researchers collected data through literature review, observation, and coding of prerecorded videos of outpatient surgical procedures to identify challenges encountered by anesthesia providers while performing medication tasks. The study findings were summarized into 7 design guidelines, including: 1) locate critical tasks within a primary field of vision, 2) eliminate other staff travel into and through the anesthesia zone, 3) identify and delineate a clear anesthesia zone with adequate space for the anesthesia provider, 4) maximize the ability to reconfigure the anesthesia workspace, 5) minimize workspace clutter from equipment, 6) provide adequate and appropriately positioned surfaces for medication preparation and administration, and 7) optimize lighting of tasks and surfaces.
AHRQ-funded.
Citation: MohammadiGorji S, Joseph A, Mihandoust S .
Anesthesia workspaces for safe medication practices: design guidelines.
HERD 2024 Jan; 17(1):64-83. doi: 10.1177/19375867231190646..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety
Cohen TN, Berdahl CT, Coleman BL
Medication safety event reporting: Factors that contribute to safety events during times of organizational stress.
This study’s objective was to understand the insights conveyed in hospital incident reports about how work system factors affected medication safety during a coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) surge. The authors randomly selected 100 medication safety incident reports from an academic medical center (December 2020 to January 2021), identified near misses and errors, and classified contributing work system factors using the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System-Healthcare. Results showed that among 35 near misses/errors, incident reports described contributing factors (mean 1.3/report) involving skill-based errors (n = 20), communication (n = 8), and tools/technology (n = 4). Seven of these events were linked to COVID-19.
AHRQ-funded; HS027455.
Citation: Cohen TN, Berdahl CT, Coleman BL .
Medication safety event reporting: Factors that contribute to safety events during times of organizational stress.
J Nurs Care Qual 2024 Jan-Mar; 39(1):51-57. doi: 10.1097/ncq.0000000000000720..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, COVID-19, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors
McCarthy DM, Curtis LM, Courtney DM
A multifaceted intervention to improve patient knowledge and safe use of opioids: results of the ED EMC(2) randomized controlled trial.
Despite increased focus on opioid prescribing, little is known about the influence of prescription opioid medication information given to patients in the emergency department (ED). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of an Electronic Medication Complete Communication (EMC(2)) Opioid Strategy on patients' safe use of opioids and knowledge about opioids. The study found that the EMC(2) tools improved demonstrated safe dosing, but these benefits did not translate into actual use based on medication dairies. The text-messaging intervention did result in improved patient knowledge.
AHRQ-funded; HS023459.
Citation: McCarthy DM, Curtis LM, Courtney DM .
A multifaceted intervention to improve patient knowledge and safe use of opioids: results of the ED EMC(2) randomized controlled trial.
Acad Emerg Med 2019 Dec;26(12):1311-25. doi: 10.1111/acem.13860..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Health Literacy, Education: Patient and Caregiver, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Stoops C, Stone S, Evans E
Baby NINJA (Nephrotoxic Injury Negated by Just-in-Time Action): reduction of nephrotoxic medication-associated acute kidney injury in the neonatal intensive care unit.
The purpose of this study was to test if acute kidney injury (AKI) is preventable in patients in the neonatal intensive care unit and if infants at high-risk of nephrotoxic medication-induced AKI can be identified using a systematic surveillance program previously used in the pediatric non-intensive care unit setting. The authors concluded that a systematic surveillance program to identify high-risk infants can prevent nephrotoxic-induced AKI and has the potential to prevent short and long-term consequences of AKI in critically ill infants.
AHRQ-funded; HS023763.
Citation: Stoops C, Stone S, Evans E .
Baby NINJA (Nephrotoxic Injury Negated by Just-in-Time Action): reduction of nephrotoxic medication-associated acute kidney injury in the neonatal intensive care unit.
J Pediatr 2019 Dec;215:223-28.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2019.08.046..
Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Kidney Disease and Health, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Critical Care, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Prevention, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events
Ailabouni NJ, Marcum ZA, Schmader KE
Medication use quality and safety in older adults: 2018 update.
This study identified four key articles from 2018 that address medication use quality and safety for older adults. The first study highlighted a cluster-randomized trial that utilized a pharmacist-led education-based intervention delivered to both patients and doctors to deprescribe four types of inappropriate medications. The second study from the UK examined the association between anticholinergic exposure, overall and by medication class, and dementia risk in 40,770 older adults. The third study was a Swedish longitudinal cohort study examining the association between antihypertensive medications and incident dementia. The fourth and last study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial and examined the effect of daily low-dose aspirin for primary prevention of cardiac events and hemorrhage in 19,144 community-dwelling older adults.
AHRQ-funded; HS022982.
Citation: Ailabouni NJ, Marcum ZA, Schmader KE .
Medication use quality and safety in older adults: 2018 update.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2019 Dec;67(12):2458-62. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16243..
Keywords: Elderly, Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Quality of Care, Provider: Pharmacist, Provider
Bushnell GA, Crystal S, Olfson M
Prescription benzodiazepine use in privately insured U.S. children and adolescents.
The goal of this cohort study was to describe youth initiating prescription benzodiazepine treatment, identify potential indications and prescribing concerns, estimate the duration of treatment by potential indication, and identify factors that predict long-term use. Investigators found that U.S. children and adolescents are prescribed benzodiazepines for various mental health and other medical conditions, many lacking evidence of pediatric efficacy. They concluded that long-term benzodiazepine treatment, concurrent opioid prescriptions, psychotropic use, and prior substance use disorder diagnoses suggest safety risks among some youth prescribed benzodiazepines.
AHRQ-funded; HS026001; HS021112; HS023258.
Citation: Bushnell GA, Crystal S, Olfson M .
Prescription benzodiazepine use in privately insured U.S. children and adolescents.
Am J Prev Med 2019 Dec;57(6):775-85. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2019.07.006..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety
Carayon P, Wetterneck TB, Cartmill R
Medication safety in two intensive care units of a community teaching hospital after electronic health record implementation: sociotechnical and human factors engineering considerations.
This study examined the impact of electronic health record (EHR) implementation in two intensive care units (ICUs). The authors assessed 1254 consecutive admissions before and after an EHR implementation. They identified 4063 medication-related events either pre-implementation (2074 events) or post-implementation (1989 events). The overall potential for harm due to medication errors decreased post-implementation, but only 2 of the 3 error rates were significantly lower post-implementation. They observed reductions in rates of medication errors per admission at the stages of transcription, dispensing, and administration. In the ordering stage, 4 error types decreased post-implementation (orders with omitted information, error-prone abbreviations, illegible orders, failure to renew orders) and 4 error types increased post-implementation (orders of wrong drug, orders containing a wrong start or stop time, duplicate orders, orders with inappropriate or wrong information).
AHRQ-funded; HS015274; HS000083.
Citation: Carayon P, Wetterneck TB, Cartmill R .
Medication safety in two intensive care units of a community teaching hospital after electronic health record implementation: sociotechnical and human factors engineering considerations.
J Patient Saf 2021 Aug 1;17(5):e429-e39. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000358.
AHRQ-funded; HS015274; HS000083..
AHRQ-funded; HS015274; HS000083..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Critical Care, Patient Safety, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Stolldorf DP, Schnipper JL, Mixon AS
Organisational context of hospitals that participated in a multi-site mentored medication reconciliation quality improvement project (MARQUIS2): a cross-sectional observational study.
Medication reconciliation (MedRec) is an important patient safety strategy and is widespread in US hospitals and globally. Nevertheless, high quality MedRec has been difficult to implement. As part of a larger study investigating MedRec interventions, the investigators evaluated and compared organisational contextual factors and team cohesion by hospital characteristics and implementation team members' profession to better understand the environmental context and its correlates during a multi-site quality improvement (QI) initiative.
AHRQ-funded; HS025486.
Citation: Stolldorf DP, Schnipper JL, Mixon AS .
Organisational context of hospitals that participated in a multi-site mentored medication reconciliation quality improvement project (MARQUIS2): a cross-sectional observational study.
BMJ Open 2019 Nov 2;9(11):e030834. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030834.
.
.
Keywords: Medication, Quality Improvement, Hospitals, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Implementation
Kurian S, Baloy B, Baird J
Attitudes and perceptions of naloxone dispensing among a sample of Massachusetts community pharmacy technicians.
AHRQ-funded; HS024021.
Citation: Kurian S, Baloy B, Baird J .
Attitudes and perceptions of naloxone dispensing among a sample of Massachusetts community pharmacy technicians.
J Am Pharm Assoc 2019 Nov-Dec;59(6):824-31. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2019.08.009..
Keywords: Medication, Medication: Safety, Opioids, Substance Abuse, Provider: Pharmacist, Provider, Patient Safety
Blecker S, Austrian JS, Horwitz LI
Interrupting providers with clinical decision support to improve care for heart failure.
The goal of this study was to develop a clinical decision support (CDS) system to recommend an angiotenson converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor during hospitalization so it could be promoted for continuation at discharge. Patients who were hospitalized with reduced ejection fraction were pseudo-randomized to deliver interruptive or non-interruptive CDS alerts to providers based on the patients’ even or odd medical record number. The utilization rate was higher for interruptive alert versus non-interruptive alert hospitalizations for a sample of 958. This resulted in improved quality of care for heart failure patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS023683.
Citation: Blecker S, Austrian JS, Horwitz LI .
Interrupting providers with clinical decision support to improve care for heart failure.
Int J Med Inform 2019 Nov;131:103956. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2019.103956..
Keywords: Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Decision Making, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Goswami E, Ogden RK, Bennett WE
Evidence-based development of a nephrotoxic medication list to screen for acute kidney injury risk in hospitalized children.
This paper describes an initiative to develop an evidence-based list of nephrotoxic medications to screen for acute kidney injury (AKI) risk in hospitalized children. This initiative, called the Nephrotoxic Injury Negated by Just-in-time Action quality improvement collaborative, convened a Nephrotoxic Medication (NTMx) Subcommittee composed of pediatric nephrologists, a pharmacist, and a pediatric intensivist. The committee reviewed NTMx lists, conducted a literature review of the disputed medications, and assigned an evidence grade based on the association between nephrotoxicity and the quality of the data. The subcommittee then came to a majority consensus to which medications should be included on the list. The list was presented to the larger collaborative and voted on. This list will be continually updated and voted on annually.
AHRQ-funded; HS023763.
Citation: Goswami E, Ogden RK, Bennett WE .
Evidence-based development of a nephrotoxic medication list to screen for acute kidney injury risk in hospitalized children.
Am J Health Syst Pharm 2019 Oct 30;76(22):1869-74. doi: 10.1093/ajhp/zxz203..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Risk, Evidence-Based Practice, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events
Adelman JS, Applebaum JR, Southern WN
Risk of wrong-patient orders among multiple vs singleton births in the neonatal intensive care units of 2 integrated health care systems.
Researchers assessed the risk of wrong-patient orders among multiple-birth infants and singletons receiving care in the NICU and examined the proportion of wrong-patient orders between multiple-birth infants and siblings (intrafamilial errors) and between multiple-birth infants and nonsiblings (extrafamilial errors). They found that multiple-birth status in the NICU is associated with significantly increased risk of wrong-patient orders compared with singleton-birth status. Strategies to reduce this risk include using given names at birth, changing from temporary to given names when available, and encouraging parents to select names for multiple births before they are born when acceptable to families.
AHRQ-funded; HS024538.
Citation: Adelman JS, Applebaum JR, Southern WN .
Risk of wrong-patient orders among multiple vs singleton births in the neonatal intensive care units of 2 integrated health care systems.
JAMA Pediatr 2019 Oct 10;173(10):979-85. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.2733..
Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Sobieraj DM, Martinez BK, Hernandez AV
Adverse effects of pharmacologic treatments of major depression in older adults.
The objective of this study was to assess adverse effects of pharmacologic antidepressants for treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults 65 years of age or older. The investigators found, among other conclusions, that in patients 65 years of age or older with MDD, treatment of the acute phase of MDD with serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), but not selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), was associated with a statistically greater number of overall adverse events vs placebo.
AHRQ-funded; 290201500012I.
Citation: Sobieraj DM, Martinez BK, Hernandez AV .
Adverse effects of pharmacologic treatments of major depression in older adults.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2019 Aug;67(8):1571-81. doi: 10.1111/jgs.15966..
Keywords: Depression, Behavioral Health, Medication: Safety, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Elderly
Auger KA, Shah SS, Davis MM
Counting the ways to count medications: the challenges of defining pediatric polypharmacy.
Polypharmacy, the practice of taking multiple medications to manage health conditions, is common for children. Polypharmacy has been linked to a variety of pediatric and adult outcomes, including medication errors and readmission. In this paper, the authors sought consensus on how to count discharge medications through a series of informal interviews with hospitalists, nurses, and parents.
AHRQ-funded; HS024735.
Citation: Auger KA, Shah SS, Davis MM .
Counting the ways to count medications: the challenges of defining pediatric polypharmacy.
J Hosp Med 2019 Aug;14(8):506-07. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3213..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Hospital Discharge, Hospitals
Guglielminotti J, Landau R, Li. G
Adverse events and factors associated with potentially avoidable use of general anesthesia in cesarean deliveries.
Compared with neuraxial anesthesia, general anesthesia for cesarean delivery is associated with increased risk of maternal adverse events. Reducing avoidable general anesthetics for cesarean delivery may improve safety of obstetric anesthesia care. This study examined adverse events, trends, and factors associated with potentially avoidable general anesthetics for cesarean delivery. The investigators concluded that compared with neuraxial anesthesia, avoidable general anesthetics are associated with increased risk of adverse maternal outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS025787.
Citation: Guglielminotti J, Landau R, Li. G .
Adverse events and factors associated with potentially avoidable use of general anesthesia in cesarean deliveries.
Anesthesiology 2019 Jun;130(6):912-22. doi: 10.1097/aln.0000000000002629..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Labor and Delivery, Surgery, Pregnancy, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Women, Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Maternal Care
Ban KA, Gibbons MM, Ko CY
Evidence review conducted for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Safety Program for Improving
This evidence review was conducted for AHRQ in partnership with the American College of Surgeons and the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality who have developed the Safety Program for Improving Surgical Care and Recovery (ISCR). This national effort will disseminate best practices in perioperative care to more than 750 hospitals across multiple procedures in the next 5 years. This evidence-based review is focused on improving patient safety of anesthesiology for colorectal (CR) surgery. Components reviewed included carbohydrate loading, reduced fasting, multimodal preanesthesia medicine, antibiotic prophylaxis, normothermia, blood transfusion, intraoperative fluid management/goal-directed fluid therapy, a standardized intraoperative anesthesia pathway, and standard postoperative multimodal analgesic regiments. The results of this review will be used to develop an evidence-based CR protocol for implementation.
AHRQ-funded; 233201500020I.
Citation: Ban KA, Gibbons MM, Ko CY .
Evidence review conducted for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Safety Program for Improving
Anesth Analg 2019 May;128(5):879-89. doi: 10.1213/ane.0000000000003366..
Keywords: Evidence-Based Practice, Surgery, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Patient Safety, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Antibiotics, Medication, Medication: Safety
Rogal SS, Beste LA, Youk A
Characteristics of opioid prescriptions to veterans with cirrhosis.
The goal of this study was to assess time trends in the prescribing of opioids and factors associated with patients with cirrhosis receiving opioids. National Veterans Health Administration data was used to assess characteristics of cirrhosis patients and their prescriptions for opioids.
AHRQ-funded; HS019461.
Citation: Rogal SS, Beste LA, Youk A .
Characteristics of opioid prescriptions to veterans with cirrhosis.
Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol 2019 May;17(6):1165-74.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2018.10.021..
Keywords: Medication, Medication: Safety, Opioids, Patient Safety, Practice Patterns
Assimon MM, Brookhart MA, Flythe JE
Comparative cardiac safety of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors among individuals receiving maintenance hemodialysis.
This retrospective cohort study compared cardiac safety of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) among individuals receiving maintenance hemodialysis. These individuals may be particularly susceptible to lethal cardiac consequences of drug-induced QT prolongation due to a substantial cardiovascular disease burden and their use of many medications. Data from a cohort of Medicare beneficiaries receiving hemodialysis included in the US Renal Data system registry from 2007-2014 was used. Researchers compared the 1-year risk of death among hemodialysis patients taking different SSRIs. Use of higher QT-prolonging potential SSRIs (citalopram, escitalopram) was associated with a higher risk of sudden cardiac death than patients taking lower risk SSRIs (fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, paroxetine, sertraline). The association was higher among elderly individuals, females, patients with conduction disorders, and those treated with other non-SSRI QT-prolonging medications.
AHRQ-funded; HS026801.
Citation: Assimon MM, Brookhart MA, Flythe JE .
Comparative cardiac safety of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors among individuals receiving maintenance hemodialysis.
J Am Soc Nephrol 2019 Apr;30(4):611-23. doi: 10.1681/asn.2018101032..
Keywords: Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Kidney Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Chronic Conditions
P Dellsperger, KC Fallaw, D
AHRQ Author: Rangachari
A mixed-method study of practitioners' perspectives on issues related to EHR medication reconciliation at a health system.
This study sought to identify issues related to electronic health record (EHR) medication reconciliation (MedRec) from the perspective of practitioners directly involved in the EHR MedRec process, with the goal of reducing medication discrepancies during transitions of care and improving the accuracy of patient medication lists. The study was conducted in two rounds: individual interviews, then a survey of physicians, nurses, and pharmacists based in the outpatient and inpatient medicine service at AU Health. The survey elicited practitioner ratings of the importance of issues identified during the interviews. Issues that were rated as important by more than 70 percent of respondents include care coordination, patient education, ownership and accountability, processes-of-care, IT-related issues, and workforce training. From these issues, the authors conclude that there is an absence of shared understanding among practitioners regarding the value of EHR MedRec in promoting patient safety, which contributes to work-arounds and the suboptimal use of the EHR MedRec system, and there is also a sociotechnical dimension to many of these issues which creates an additional layer of complexity.
AHRQ-funded; HS024335.
Citation: P Dellsperger, KC Fallaw, D .
A mixed-method study of practitioners' perspectives on issues related to EHR medication reconciliation at a health system.
Qual Manag Health Care 2019 Apr/Jun;28(2):84-95. doi: 10.1097/qmh.0000000000000208..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Provider, Provider: Clinician
Wong A, Seger DL, Lai KH
Drug hypersensitivity reactions documented in electronic health records within a large health system.
The goal of this study was to examine the epidemiology of hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) using EHR data from the Partners Enterprise-wide Allergy Repository for two large tertiary care hospitals. HSRs were categorized as immediate or delayed and the causative drugs and drug groups assessed. Prevalence of HSRs was determined, and the sex and race of patients analyzed. Penicillins were associated with the most immediate and delayed reactions. Nearly half of the reported immediate HSRs manifested as hives. HSRs were more prevalent in females and white patients, but differences were identified for specific, rare HSRs.
AHRQ-funded; HS022728; HS025375.
Citation: Wong A, Seger DL, Lai KH .
Drug hypersensitivity reactions documented in electronic health records within a large health system.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2019 Apr;7(4):1253-60.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2018.11.023..
Keywords: Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety
Wolfson AR, Zhou L, Li Y
Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome identified in the electronic health record allergy module.
Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome is a rare but severe hypersensitivity reaction that remains poorly characterized in the United States. The objective of this study was to identify and describe DRESS syndrome cases in an integrated health care system using electronic health record (EHR) allergy module free-text searches.
AHRQ-funded; HS022728; HS025375.
Citation: Wolfson AR, Zhou L, Li Y .
Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome identified in the electronic health record allergy module.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2019 Feb;7(2):633-40. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2018.08.013..
Keywords: Medication, Medication: Safety, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Schiff GD, Klinger E, Salazar A
Screening for adverse drug events: a randomized trial of automated calls coupled with phone-based pharmacist counseling.
In this study, the investigators evaluated an automated telephone surveillance system coupled with transfer to a live pharmacist- to screen potentially drug-related symptoms after newly starting medications for four common primary care conditions: hypertension, diabetes, depression, and insomnia. Systematic automated telephone outreach monitoring coupled with real-time phone referral to a pharmacist identified a substantial number of previously unidentified potentially drug-related symptoms, many of which were validated as probably or possibly related to the drug by the pharmacist or their physicians.
AHRQ-funded; HS021094.
Citation: Schiff GD, Klinger E, Salazar A .
Screening for adverse drug events: a randomized trial of automated calls coupled with phone-based pharmacist counseling.
J Gen Intern Med 2019 Feb;34(2):285-92. doi: 10.1007/s11606-018-4672-7..
Keywords: Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medication, Medication: Safety, Health Information Technology (HIT), Provider: Pharmacist, Provider, Patient Safety
Cook BL, Wang Y, Sonik R
Assessing provider and racial/ethnic variation in response to the FDA antidepressant box warning.
This study analyzed the rate that providers discontinued antidepressants for youth after a 2004 FDA box warning. It was found that prescriptions decreased for White youth but even increased slightly for Black and Latino youth.
AHRQ-funded; HS021486.
Citation: Cook BL, Wang Y, Sonik R .
Assessing provider and racial/ethnic variation in response to the FDA antidepressant box warning.
Health Serv Res 2019 Feb; 54(Suppl 1):255-62. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13104..
Keywords: Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Medication, Children/Adolescents, Patient Safety, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Medication: Safety