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Search All Research Studies
Topics
- Caregiving (1)
- Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI) (2)
- Chronic Conditions (1)
- Community-Acquired Infections (1)
- Decision Making (1)
- Elderly (2)
- Falls (1)
- Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) (3)
- (-) Home Healthcare (9)
- Hospital Discharge (1)
- Infectious Diseases (3)
- Medical Devices (1)
- Medication (1)
- Medication: Safety (1)
- Nursing (1)
- (-) Patient Safety (9)
- Prevention (4)
- Sepsis (1)
- Transitions of Care (2)
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 9 of 9 Research Studies DisplayedChampion C, Sockolow PS, Bowles KH
Getting to complete and accurate medication lists during the transition to home health care.
This observational field study looked at the work that home health care (HHC) admissions nurses complete related to medication reconciliation tasks, explored the impact of shared electronic medication data (interoperability), and highlight opportunities to enhance medication reconciliation with respect to transition in care to HHC agencies. Three diverse Pennsylvania HHC agencies participated, with each using different electronic health record systems. Six nurses per site admitted 2 patients each (36 patients total) and their tasks were examined in depth. Medication reconciliation tasks included changes in number of medications and change types and calls to the health provider (doctor or pharmacy) to resolve medication-related issues. A high percentage of patients used multiple medications (more than 12 medications on average), and were high-risk (on average more than 8 medications per patient). Medication reconciliation decreased the number of prescriptions between pre- and post-reconciliation for 91% of patients with 41% of the medications requiring changes. Two-thirds of the nurses called a provider to facilitate medication changes. Interoperability reduced the number of changes required but did not eliminate changes or calls to providers.
AHRQ-funded; R01 HS024537.
Citation: Champion C, Sockolow PS, Bowles KH .
Getting to complete and accurate medication lists during the transition to home health care.
J Am Med Dir Assoc 2021 May;22(5):1003-08. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2020.06.024..
Keywords: Medication, Medication: Safety, Transitions of Care, Home Healthcare, Patient Safety
Dowding D, Russell D, Trifilio M
Home care nurses' identification of patients at risk of infection and their risk mitigation strategies: a qualitative interview study.
Investigators sought to understand if and how home care nurses identify patients at high risk of infection and which strategies they use to mitigate that risk. Interviews with fifty nurses were audio recorded and transcribed. Factors identified by the nurses as putting a patient at higher risk of infection included being older, having diabetes, and inadequate nutrition as well as inadequate clinical information available at start of care. The main strategy for infection prevention was patient and caregiver education. Nurses also discussed the importance of their own infection prevention behaviors and the ability to adjust a patient's plan of care according to their infection risk.
AHRQ-funded; HS024723.
Citation: Dowding D, Russell D, Trifilio M .
Home care nurses' identification of patients at risk of infection and their risk mitigation strategies: a qualitative interview study.
Int J Nurs Stud 2020 Jul;107:103617. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103617..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Community-Acquired Infections, Infectious Diseases, Patient Safety, Prevention, Nursing, Decision Making
Keller SC, Alexander M, Williams D
Perspectives on central-line-associated bloodstream infection surveillance in home infusion therapy.
This study examined in the differences between 3 professional society members who provide home infusion services in diagnosing and defining central-line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs). The three societies surveyed were members of the Infusion Nurses Society (INS), the National Home Infusion Association (NHIA), and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Research Network (SRN). The INS is a 6000-member global organization of main nurses who work in all practice settings including home infusion. The NHIA is a 400-member trade organization focused on providing infusion products and services in the home, and SRN is a network of 111 healthcare institutions that collaborate on research to prevent healthcare-associated infections and antibiotic resistance. There was a difference in the criteria used for defining a CLABSI with home testing, and their use of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control/Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (APIC-HICPAC) criteria. Although some perspective was gained from a wide variety of professionals, there was a low response rate, which suggests the possibility of response bias.
AHRQ-funded; HS025782.
Citation: Keller SC, Alexander M, Williams D .
Perspectives on central-line-associated bloodstream infection surveillance in home infusion therapy.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2019 Jun;40(6):729-31. doi: 10.1017/ice.2019.90..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Patient Safety
Keller SC, Cosgrove SE, Kohut M
Hazards from physical attributes of the home environment among patients on outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy.
This study looked at hazards that patients undergoing outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) have to avoid while undergoing the treatment at home with a venous catheter. A qualitative study was conducted with patients discharged from 2 academic medical centers in Baltimore, Maryland. Hazards identified included bathing, pets, temperature extremes, household clutter, food and soil exposures and travel. Patients that were interviewed developed strategies to avoid these hazards.
AHRQ-funded; HS025782.
Citation: Keller SC, Cosgrove SE, Kohut M .
Hazards from physical attributes of the home environment among patients on outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy.
Am J Infect Control 2019 Apr;47(4):425-30. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2018.09.020..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Infectious Diseases, Patient Safety, Prevention
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
Keller SC, Williams D, Rock C
A new frontier: central line-associated bloodstream infection surveillance in home infusion therapy.
As more home infusion agencies consider ways to perform surveillance for central line–associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), an understanding of the assorted challenges is necessary. The authors discussed these challenges, which include a lack of a widely accepted standard definition of CLABSIs in home infusion therapy, the lack of a reporting platform, the absence of a reporting requirement, and barriers in obtaining the needed information to identify the presence of a potential CLABSI and adjudicate whether it meets a CLABSI definition. The 21st Century Cures Act will expand Medicare coverage for home infusion therapy services by 2021, likely leading to increased pressure for home infusion therapy CLABSI surveillance. Benchmarking of CLABSI data can usher in informed work to reduce CLABSIs and enhance patient safety in home infusion therapy.
AHRQ-funded; HS025782.
Citation: Keller SC, Williams D, Rock C .
A new frontier: central line-associated bloodstream infection surveillance in home infusion therapy.
Am J Infect Control 2018 Dec;46(12):1419-21. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2018.05.016..
Keywords: Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Home Healthcare, Patient Safety, Sepsis, Infectious Diseases, Prevention
Russell D, Dowding DW, McDonald MV
Factors for compliance with infection control practices in home healthcare: findings from a survey of nurses' knowledge and attitudes toward infection control.
This study analyzed survey responses from nurses at 2 large, certified home healthcare agencies to explore levels of compliance with infection control practices and identify associated demographic, knowledge, and attitudinal correlates. The findings suggested that efforts to improve compliance with infection control practices in home healthcare should focus on strategies to alter perceptions about infection risk and other attitudinal factors.
AHRQ-funded; HS024723.
Citation: Russell D, Dowding DW, McDonald MV .
Factors for compliance with infection control practices in home healthcare: findings from a survey of nurses' knowledge and attitudes toward infection control.
Am J Infect Control 2018 Nov;46(11):1211-17. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2018.05.005..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Home Healthcare, Prevention, Patient Safety
Keller SC, Gurses AP, Werner N
Older adults and management of medical devices in the home: five requirements for appropriate use.
This study concerns a qualitative evaluation of barriers and facilitators of appropriate use, and outcomes of inappropriate use, among older adults at the transition from hospital to home with skilled home health care (SHHC). Five requirements for the appropriate use of home medical devices were identified. A systems approach integrating the hospital with the SHHC agency is needed to make the use of home medical devices safer.
AHRQ-funded; HS022916.
Citation: Keller SC, Gurses AP, Werner N .
Older adults and management of medical devices in the home: five requirements for appropriate use.
Popul Health Manag 2017 Aug;20(4):278-86. doi: 10.1089/pop.2016.0070.
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Keywords: Elderly, Caregiving, Home Healthcare, Medical Devices, Patient Safety
Smucker DR, Regan S, Elder NC
Patient safety incidents in home hospice care: the experiences of hospice interdisciplinary team members.
The study objective was to explore the types and characteristics of patient safety incidents in home hospice care from the experiences of hospice interdisciplinary team members. Based on interviews of 19 experienced hospice leaders, the most commonly described categories of patient harm were injuries from falls and inadequate symptom control.
AHRQ-funded; HS018245
Citation: Smucker DR, Regan S, Elder NC .
Patient safety incidents in home hospice care: the experiences of hospice interdisciplinary team members.
J Palliat Med. 2014 May;17(5):540-4. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2013.0111..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Home Healthcare, Falls, Chronic Conditions