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
Topics
- Adverse Drug Events (ADE) (3)
- Antimicrobial Stewardship (1)
- Blood Thinners (1)
- Cardiovascular Conditions (1)
- Care Management (1)
- Children/Adolescents (4)
- Comparative Effectiveness (2)
- Critical Care (2)
- Decision Making (1)
- Elderly (1)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (1)
- Emergency Department (2)
- (-) Emergency Medical Services (EMS) (15)
- Evidence-Based Practice (1)
- Healthcare Delivery (2)
- Healthcare Utilization (1)
- Heart Disease and Health (1)
- Injuries and Wounds (1)
- Medical Errors (1)
- (-) Medication (15)
- Medication: Safety (1)
- Opioids (2)
- Pain (1)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (3)
- Patient Safety (2)
- Policy (1)
- Practice Patterns (2)
- Provider: Physician (1)
- Stroke (1)
- Substance Abuse (2)
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 15 of 15 Research Studies DisplayedSobieraj DM, Martinez BK, Miao B
Comparative effectiveness of analgesics to reduce acute pain in the prehospital setting.
The objectives of this study were to assess comparative effectiveness and harms of opioid and nonopioid analgesics for the treatment of moderate to severe acute pain in the prehospital setting. Among the investigators’ conclusions were that as initial analgesia, opioids were no different than ketamine, APAP, and NSAIDs in reducing acute pain in the prehospital setting. Opioids may cause fewer total side effects than ketamine, but more than APAP or NSAIDs.
AHRQ-funded; 290201500012I.
Citation: Sobieraj DM, Martinez BK, Miao B .
Comparative effectiveness of analgesics to reduce acute pain in the prehospital setting.
Prehosp Emerg Care 2020 Mar-Apr;24(2):163-74. doi: 10.1080/10903127.2019.1657213..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Pain, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Comparative Effectiveness, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Chou R, Korthuis PT, McCarty D
Management of suspected opioid overdose with naloxone in out-of-hospital settings: a systematic review.
This review synthesized evidence on 1) the effects of naloxone route of administration and dosing for suspected opioid overdose in out-of-hospital settings on mortality, reversal of overdose, and harms, and 2) the need for transport to a health care facility. It concluded that higher-concentration intranasal naloxone (2 mg/mL) seems to have efficacy similar to that of intramuscular naloxone for reversal of opioid overdose, with no difference in adverse events.
AHRQ-funded; 290201500009I.
Citation: Chou R, Korthuis PT, McCarty D .
Management of suspected opioid overdose with naloxone in out-of-hospital settings: a systematic review.
Ann Intern Med 2017 Dec 19;167(12):867-75. doi: 10.7326/m17-2224.
.
.
Keywords: Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Evidence-Based Practice, Medication, Opioids, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Newgard CD, Platts-Mills TF
Can an out-of-hospital medication history save lives for injured older adults?
In this issue of Annals, Nishijima et al present a much-needed study evaluating the use of anticoagulation and antiplatelet medications as an additional triage criterion to aid in the identification of older adults with intracranial hemorrhage. The authors believe that the new study helps fill a critical void in suggesting that a targeted medication history, formally integrated as a field triage criterion, may be useful in identifying high-risk older adults.
AHRQ-funded; HS023796.
Citation: Newgard CD, Platts-Mills TF .
Can an out-of-hospital medication history save lives for injured older adults?
Ann Emerg Med 2017 Aug;70(2):139-41. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2017.02.005.
.
.
Keywords: Blood Thinners, Elderly, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Injuries and Wounds, Medication
Robinson M, Greenhawt M, Stukus DR
Factors associated with epinephrine administration for anaphylaxis in children before arrival to the emergency department.
Researchers evaluated factors associated with anaphylaxis management before arrival at the emergency department (ED) or urgent care center (UCC). Reactions occurring at home were less likely to be treated with epinephrine compared with reactions occurring at school. The odds of receiving epinephrine before arrival at the ED or UCC were significantly lower with a 2-organ system or 3-organ system presentation compared with 1-organ system involvement.
AHRQ-funded; HS024599.
Citation: Robinson M, Greenhawt M, Stukus DR .
Factors associated with epinephrine administration for anaphylaxis in children before arrival to the emergency department.
Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2017 Aug;119(2):164-69. doi: 10.1016/j.anai.2017.06.001.
.
.
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Healthcare Utilization, Medication, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Michelson KA, Bachur RG, Levy JA
The impact of critically ill children on paediatric ED medication timeliness.
The presence of critically ill patients may impact care for other ED patients. The researchers evaluated whether the presence of a critically ill child was associated with the time to (1) receipt of the first medication among other patients, and (2) administration of diagnosis-specific medications. They concluded that the presence of critically ill patients was associated with a delay in medication administration to others.
AHRQ-funded; HS000063.
Citation: Michelson KA, Bachur RG, Levy JA .
The impact of critically ill children on paediatric ED medication timeliness.
Emerg Med J 2017 Jan;34(1):8-12. doi: 10.1136/emermed-2016-205989.
.
.
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Critical Care, Medication, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Healthcare Delivery
Fleischman W, Ross JS, Melnick ER
Financial ties between emergency physicians and industry: insights from open payments data.
The authors sought to describe nonresearch, nonroyalty Open Payments made to emergency physicians in the United States. They found that nearly a third of emergency physicians received such payments from industry in 2014, and that most payments were of small monetary value and for activities related to the marketing of antithrombotic drugs.
AHRQ-funded; HS021271.
Citation: Fleischman W, Ross JS, Melnick ER .
Financial ties between emergency physicians and industry: insights from open payments data.
Ann Emerg Med 2016 Aug;68(2):153-58.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2016.01.014.
.
.
Keywords: Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Medication, Policy, Practice Patterns, Provider: Physician
Chen LY, Crum RM, Strain EC
Prescriptions, nonmedical use, and emergency department visits involving prescription stimulants.
Little is known regarding the temporal trends in prescriptions, nonmedical use, and emergency department (ED) visits involving prescription stimulants in the United States. The study examined these 3 national trends involving dextroamphetamine-amphetamine and methylphenidate in adults and adolescents. It found that trends in prescriptions for stimulants do not correspond to trends in reports of nonmedical use and ED visits.
AHRQ-funded; HS0189960.
Citation: Chen LY, Crum RM, Strain EC .
Prescriptions, nonmedical use, and emergency department visits involving prescription stimulants.
J Clin Psychiatry 2016 Mar;77(3):e297-304. doi: 10.4088/JCP.14m09291.
.
.
Keywords: Emergency Department, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Medication, Substance Abuse
Stevens AD, Hernandez C, Jones S
Color-coded prefilled medication syringes decrease time to delivery and dosing errors in simulated prehospital pediatric resuscitations: a randomized crossover trial.
The study’s goal was to evaluate novel, prefilled medication syringes labeled with color-coded volumes corresponding to the weight-based dosing of the Broselow Tape, compared to conventional medication administration, in simulated prehospital pediatric resuscitation scenarios. It found that the novel syringes decreased time to medication administration and significantly reduced critical dosing errors by paramedics during simulated prehospital pediatric resuscitations.
AHRQ-funded; HS017526.
Citation: Stevens AD, Hernandez C, Jones S .
Color-coded prefilled medication syringes decrease time to delivery and dosing errors in simulated prehospital pediatric resuscitations: a randomized crossover trial.
Resuscitation 2015 Nov;96:85-91. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2015.07.035..
Keywords: Medication, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Children/Adolescents, Medical Errors, Comparative Effectiveness
Tataris KL, Mercer MP, Govindarajan P
Prehospital aspirin administration for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the USA: an EMS quality assessment using the NEMSIS 2011 database.
The researchers sought to determine (1) the proportion of patients with suspected cardiac ischaemia who received aspirin and (2) patient and prehospital characteristics that independently predicted administration of aspirin. Patients living in the Southern region of the USA and patients with governmental (federally administered such as Veteran's Health Care, but not Medicare or Medicaid) insurance had the lowest odds of receiving aspirin.
AHRQ-funded; HS017965.
Citation: Tataris KL, Mercer MP, Govindarajan P .
Prehospital aspirin administration for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the USA: an EMS quality assessment using the NEMSIS 2011 database.
Emerg Med J 2015 Nov;32(11):876-81. doi: 10.1136/emermed-2014-204299.
.
.
Keywords: Cardiovascular Conditions, Care Management, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Heart Disease and Health, Healthcare Delivery, Medication
Moreira ME, Hernandez C, Stevens AD
Color-coded prefilled medication syringes decrease time to delivery and dosing error in simulated emergency department pediatric resuscitations.
The study objective was to evaluate novel, prefilled medication syringes labeled with color-coded volumes corresponding to the weight-based dosing of the Broselow Tape, compared with conventional medication administration, in simulated pediatric emergency department (ED) resuscitation scenarios. It found that a novel color-coded, prefilled syringe decreased time to medication administration and significantly reduced critical dosing errors by emergency physician and nurse teams during simulated pediatric ED resuscitations.
AHRQ-funded; HS017526.
Citation: Moreira ME, Hernandez C, Stevens AD .
Color-coded prefilled medication syringes decrease time to delivery and dosing error in simulated emergency department pediatric resuscitations.
Ann Emerg Med 2015 Aug;66(2):97-106.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2014.12.035..
Keywords: Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Medication, Children/Adolescents, Patient Safety
Smith RJ, Kilaru AS, Perrone J
How, why, and for whom do emergency medicine providers use prescription drug monitoring programs?
The authors examined how emergency physicians use Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs), for which patients, and for what reasons. They found that providers use the information in PDMPs to alter clinical decisions and guide opioid prescribing patterns. Physicians used the databases additionally for improving their ability to facilitate discussions on addiction and for providing patient education. The authors recommended minimizing administrative barriers to PDMP access and suggested that alternative PDMP uses be further studied to determine their appropriateness and potentially expand their role in clinical practice.
AHRQ-funded; HS021956.
Citation: Smith RJ, Kilaru AS, Perrone J .
How, why, and for whom do emergency medicine providers use prescription drug monitoring programs?
Pain Med 2015 Jun;16(6):1122-31. doi: 10.1111/pme.12700.
.
.
Keywords: Decision Making, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Medication, Practice Patterns, Substance Abuse
Radecki RP, Azam A, Doshi PB
Iodinated contrast prior to thrombolysis was not associated with worse intracranial hemorrhage.
The investigators' objective was to assess relative incidence of clinical adverse effects between patients receiving, and not receiving, iodinated contrast prior to thrombolysis. They found that no consistent harms were observed in association with intravenous iodinated contrast prior to recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator administration, concluding that it is reasonable to continue computed tomographic angiography prior to thrombolysis as clinically indicated.
AHRQ-funded; HS017586.
Citation: Radecki RP, Azam A, Doshi PB .
Iodinated contrast prior to thrombolysis was not associated with worse intracranial hemorrhage.
Acad Emerg Med 2015 Mar;22(3):259-63. doi: 10.1111/acem.12603.
.
.
Keywords: Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Medication, Medication: Safety, Stroke
Peterson SM, Gurses AP, Regan L
Resident to resident handoffs in the emergency department: an observational study.
This study aimed to identify hazards to patient safety and barriers to efficiency related to resident handoffs in the ED. It found that residents were interrupted, on average, every 8.5 min. The most common deficit in relaying the plan of care strategy was failing to relay medications administered (32 percent). In addition, there were ambiguities related to medication administration.
AHRQ-funded; HS018762.
Citation: Peterson SM, Gurses AP, Regan L .
Resident to resident handoffs in the emergency department: an observational study.
J Emerg Med 2014 Nov;47(5):573-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2014.06.027..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Patient Safety, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Medication
Macht M, Mull AC, McVaney KE
Comparison of droperidol and haloperidol for use by paramedics: assessment of safety and effectiveness.
The goal of this study was to compare QTc prolongation (a measure of cardiac function), adverse events, and effectiveness of droperidol and haloperidol among a cohort of agitated patients in the prehospital setting. There was no significant difference found in QTc prolongation, adverse events, or need for repeat sedation between haloperidol and droperidol.
AHRQ-funded; HS01726.
Citation: Macht M, Mull AC, McVaney KE .
Comparison of droperidol and haloperidol for use by paramedics: assessment of safety and effectiveness.
Prehosp Emerg Care 2014 Jul-Sep;18(3):375-80. doi: 10.3109/10903127.2013.864353..
Keywords: Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
Donnelly JP, Baddley JW, Wang HE
Antibiotic utilization for acute respiratory tract infections in U.S. emergency departments.
Using national surveillance data for acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs), this study characterized patterns of antibiotic usage in U.S. emergency departments between 2001 and 2010. It found significant progress toward reductions on inappropriate antibiotic use among children; however, adults with ARTI continued to receive inappropriately high amounts of antibiotics.
AHRQ-funded; HS013852
Citation: Donnelly JP, Baddley JW, Wang HE .
Antibiotic utilization for acute respiratory tract infections in U.S. emergency departments.
Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2014 Mar;58(3):1451-7. doi: 10.1128/AAC.02039-13..
Keywords: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Medication, Critical Care