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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
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1 to 6 of 6 Research Studies DisplayedAnhang Price R, Quigley DD DD, Hargraves JL
A systematic review of strategies to enhance response rates and representativeness of patient experience surveys.
The purpose of this systematic review study was to explore evidence on survey administration strategies to increase response rates and representativeness of patient surveys. The researchers examined 40 peer-reviewed randomized experiments of administration protocols for patient experience surveys. The study found that when compared to mail-only or telephone-only administration of surveys, mail administration with telephone follow-up provides a median response rate benefit of 13%. Researchers also discovered that while surveys administered only by web usually result in lower response rates than those administered by mail or telephone, the limited evidence for a web-mail-telephone process suggests a potential response rate benefit over a mail-telephone process. Monetary incentives are related with substantial improvements in response rates. The study concluded that mixed-mode survey administration results in increased patient survey response rates than a single mode.
AHRQ-funded; HS025920.
Citation: Anhang Price R, Quigley DD DD, Hargraves JL .
A systematic review of strategies to enhance response rates and representativeness of patient experience surveys.
Med Care 2022 Dec;60(12):910-18. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001784..
Keywords: Patient Experience, Research Methodologies, Health Services Research (HSR)
Saldanha IJ, Adam GP, Bañez LL
AHRQ Author: Bañez LL
Inclusion of nonrandomized studies of interventions in systematic reviews of interventions: updated guidance from the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality Effective Health Care program.
A guidance workgroup comprised systematic review experts utilized an informal consensus generation method to develop guidelines to inform decisions regarding the inclusion of nonrandomized studies of interventions (NRSIs) in systematic reviews (SRs) of the effects of interventions. The study found that varying topics may require varying decisions regarding NRSI inclusion. The researchers identified key considerations to inform the decisions; from refinement of topics through to development of protocols. During the scoping and refinement of topics, considerations were associated with the clinical decisional dilemma, adequacy of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to address the crucial questions, risk of bias in NRSIs, and the degree to which NRSIs are likely to complement RCTs. When NRSIs are included, during SR team formation, familiarity with topic-specific data sources and advanced analytic methods for NRSIs should be considered. During protocol development, the decision regarding NRSI inclusion or exclusion should be justified, and potential implications explained. When NRSIs are included, the protocol should describe the processes for synthesizing evidence from RCTs and NRSIs and determining the overall strength of evidence. CONCLUSION: We identified specific considerations for decisions regarding NRSI inclusion in SRs and highlight the importance of flexibility and transparency.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 290-2017-00003 -C; 75Q80120D00001- 75Q8120D00003; 75Q80120D00005 - 75Q8120D00009.
Citation: Saldanha IJ, Adam GP, Bañez LL .
Inclusion of nonrandomized studies of interventions in systematic reviews of interventions: updated guidance from the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality Effective Health Care program.
J Clin Epidemiol 2022 Dec; 152:300-06. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2022.08.015..
Keywords: Evidence-Based Practice, Research Methodologies, Health Services Research (HSR)
Holtrop JS, Davis MM
Primary care research is hard to do during COVID-19: challenges and solutions.
This study examined challenges in conducting primary care research during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors used their experience on over 15 individual projects during the pandemic. They identified 3 key challenges to conducting primary care research: (1) practice delivery trickle-down effects, (2) limited/changing resources and procedures for research, and (3) a generally tense milieu in US society during the pandemic. They presented strategies, informed by a set of questions, to help researchers decide how to address these challenges observed during our studies. They encouraged normalization and self-compassion; and encouraged researchers and funders to embrace pragmatic and adaptive research designs as the circumstances with COVID-19 evolve over time.
AHRQ-funded; HS027080.
Citation: Holtrop JS, Davis MM .
Primary care research is hard to do during COVID-19: challenges and solutions.
Ann Fam Med 2022 Nov-Dec; 20(6):568-72. doi: 10.1370/afm.2889..
Keywords: COVID-19, Primary Care, Health Services Research (HSR), Research Methodologies
Coley RY, Duan KI, Hoopes AJ
A call to integrate health equity into learning health system research training.
This paper is a call to integrate health equity into the competency domain for learning health systems (LHS) research training. In 2016, AHRQ recommended seven domains for training and mentoring researchers, but health equity was not included. Scholars in the Consortium for Applied Training to Advance the Learning health system with Scholars/Trainees (CATALyST) K12 program recommend that competency domains be extended to reflect growing demands for evidence on health inequities and interventions to alleviate them. The authors present real-life case studies in an LHS research training program that illustrate facilitators, challenges, and potential solutions at the program, funder, and research community-level to receiving training and mentorship in health equity-focused LHS science. They recommend actions in four areas for LHS research training programs: (a) integrate health equity throughout the current LHS domains; (b) develop training and mentoring in health equity; (c) establish program evaluation standards for consideration of health equity; and (d) bring forth relevant, extant expertise from the areas of health disparities research, community-based participatory research, and community-engaged health services research.
AHRQ-funded; HS026369.
Citation: Coley RY, Duan KI, Hoopes AJ .
A call to integrate health equity into learning health system research training.
Learn Health Syst 2022 Oct;6(4):e10330. doi: 10.1002/lrh2.10330..
Keywords: Learning Health Systems, Health Systems, Health Services Research (HSR), Training, Disparities
Franklin PD, Drane D, Wakschlag L
Development of a learning health system science competency assessment to guide training and proficiency assessment.
This paper describes the development of the learning health systems (LHS) Competency Assessment by the AHRQ-funded ACCELERAT K12 training program. Domain experts and trainees were recruited to define and operationalize items to include in an LHS Competency Assessment to support emerging and existing LHS scientists in prioritizing and monitoring proficiency development. The method used was to conduct sequential interviews with 18 experts who iteratively defined skills and tasks to illustrate stage in proficiency and its progression for each of 42 competencies in the seven LHS expertise domains: systems science; research questions and standards of scientific evidence; research methods; informatics; ethics of research and implementation in health systems; improvement and implementation science; and engagement, leadership, and research management. The LHS Competency Assessment was reviewed, and pilot tested by current trainees and further refinement was completed using their feedback. The LHS Competency Assessment was found to offer consistent, graded criteria across the seven LHS domains.
AHRQ-funded; HS026369.
Citation: Franklin PD, Drane D, Wakschlag L .
Development of a learning health system science competency assessment to guide training and proficiency assessment.
Learn Health Syst 2022 Oct;6(4):e10343. doi: 10.1002/lrh2.10343..
Keywords: Learning Health Systems, Health Systems, Health Services Research (HSR), Training, Education: Curriculum
O'Malley AJ, Landon BE, Zaborski LA
Weak correlations in health services research: weak relationships or common error?
This study examined whether the correlation between a provider's effect on one population of patients and the same provider's effect on another population is underestimated if the effects for each population are estimated separately as opposed to being jointly modeled as random effects, and characterized how the impact of the estimation procedure varies with sample size. The authors used Medicare claims and enrollment data on emergency department (ED) visits, including patient characteristics, the patient’s hospitalization status, and identification of the doctor responsible for the decision to hospitalize the patient. The simulation analysis demonstrated that the joint modeling approach is generally close to unbiased, whereas the stratified approach can be severely biased in small samples. Correlations included 0.98 for female and male patients and only 0.38 using stratified estimation. Correlations for White and non-White patients are 0.99 and 0.28, and for Medicaid dual-eligible and non-dual-eligible patients 0.99 and 0.31, respectively.
AHRQ-funded; HS025408.
Citation: O'Malley AJ, Landon BE, Zaborski LA .
Weak correlations in health services research: weak relationships or common error?
Health Serv Res 2022 Feb;57(1):182-91. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13882..
Keywords: Health Services Research (HSR), Research Methodologies