National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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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 25 of 50 Research Studies DisplayedOsmanlliu E, Kalwani NM, Parameswaran V
Sociodemographic disparities in the use of cardiovascular ambulatory care and telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Researchers examined adult cardiology visits at an academic and affiliated community practice in Northern California to assess the persistence sociodemographic disparities in telemedicine use before and during the COVID pandemic. Results indicated that sociodemographic characteristics of patients receiving cardiovascular care remained stable during both periods, but the modality of care diverged across groups. Observed disparities in the use of video-based telemedicine were greatest for patients 80 years or older, Black, with limited English proficiency, or on Medicaid. The researchers recommended that future studies examine barriers and outcomes in digital healthcare access across diverse patient groups.
AHRQ-funded; HS026128.
Citation: Osmanlliu E, Kalwani NM, Parameswaran V .
Sociodemographic disparities in the use of cardiovascular ambulatory care and telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Am Heart J 2023 Sep; 263:169-76. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2023.06.011..
Keywords: COVID-19, Cardiovascular Conditions, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Disparities, Ambulatory Care and Surgery
Roberts MM, Marino M, Wells R
Differences in use of clinical decision support tools and implementation of aspirin, blood pressure control, cholesterol management, and smoking cessation quality metrics in small practices by race and sex.
The objective of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the association between population-based clinical decision support (CDS) tools and racial and sex disparities in the aspirin use, blood pressure control, cholesterol management, and smoking cessation (ABCS) care quality metrics among smaller primary care practices. Researchers used practice-level data from the EvidenceNOW initiative, from practices that submitted both survey data and electronic health record (EHR)-derived ABCS data stratified by race and sex. Their findings suggested that practices using CDS tools had small disparities but were not statistically significant; however, CDS tools were not associated with reductions in disparities. They concluded that more research was needed on effective practice-level interventions to mitigate disparities.
AHRQ-funded; HS023940.
Citation: Roberts MM, Marino M, Wells R .
Differences in use of clinical decision support tools and implementation of aspirin, blood pressure control, cholesterol management, and smoking cessation quality metrics in small practices by race and sex.
JAMA Netw Open 2023 Aug; 6(8):e2326905. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.26905..
Keywords: Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Health Information Technology (HIT), Cardiovascular Conditions, Tobacco Use, Tobacco Use: Smoking Cessation, Primary Care, Evidence-Based Practice, Prevention
Fuery MA, Kadhim B, Samsky MD
Electronic health record embedded strategies for improving care of patients with heart failure.
This article reviews recent findings from randomized clinical trials examining the impact of electronic health record (HER) alerts (called nudges) on quality of care for heart failure patients. These clinical trials demonstrated that some EHR alerts can improve care for heart failure patients. The trials described utilized default options, involved clinicians in the alert design process, provided actionable recommendations, and aimed to minimize disruptions to typical workflow.
AHRQ-funded; HS027626.
Citation: Fuery MA, Kadhim B, Samsky MD .
Electronic health record embedded strategies for improving care of patients with heart failure.
Curr Heart Fail Rep 2023 Aug; 20(4):280-86. doi: 10.1007/s11897-023-00614-0..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Chronic Conditions
Anderson NW, Halfon N, Eisenberg D
Mixed signals in child and adolescent mental health and well-being indicators in the United States: a call for improvements to population health monitoring.
The authors of this paper suggest that policies targeting social indicators of youth status may not have improved overall mental health and well-being. They contend this absence of impact is evidenced by the divergence between social indicators which are improving, such as high school graduation, food insecurity, and smoking, and those which are worsening, such as mental health and well-being. The researchers report that available data indicates that one or more common exposures may be to blame, including those inadequately captured by existing social indicators.
AHRQ-funded; HS000046.
Citation: Anderson NW, Halfon N, Eisenberg D .
Mixed signals in child and adolescent mental health and well-being indicators in the United States: a call for improvements to population health monitoring.
Milbank Q 2023 Jun; 101(2):259-86. doi: 10.1111/1468-0009.12634..
Keywords: COVID-19, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Cardiovascular Conditions
Blecker S, Gannon M, De Leon S
Practice facilitation for scale up of clinical decision support for hypertension management: study protocol for a cluster randomized control trial.
This paper describes a protocol for a study that will be conducted to compare the effect of hypertension-focused clinical decision support (CDS) plus practice facilitation on blood pressure (BP) control, as compared to CDS alone. The investigators will conduct a cluster randomized control trial that will include initial training on the CDS and a review of current guidelines along with follow-up for coaching and integration support. They will randomize 46 small primary care practices in New York City who use the same electronic health record vendor to intervention or control. They will also assess implementation of CDS in all practices and practice facilitation in the intervention group.
AHRQ-funded; HS027120.
Citation: Blecker S, Gannon M, De Leon S .
Practice facilitation for scale up of clinical decision support for hypertension management: study protocol for a cluster randomized control trial.
Contemp Clin Trials 2023 Jun; 129:107177. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2023.107177..
Keywords: Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Health Information Technology (HIT), Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Conditions
Chu CD, Lenoir KM, Rai NK
Concordance between clinical outcomes in the systolic blood pressure intervention trial and in the electronic health record.
This study examined the role that electronic health records (EHRs) can play in follow-up for concordance with trial-ascertained outcomes. The authors linked EHR and trial data for participants in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), a randomized trial comparing intensive and standard blood pressure targets. Among participants with available EHR data concurrent to trial-ascertained outcomes, they calculated sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for EHR-recorded cardiovascular disease (CVD) events, using the gold standard of SPRINT-adjudicated outcomes (myocardial infarction (MI)/acute coronary syndrome (ACS), heart failure, stroke, and composite CVD events). They additionally compared the incidence of non-CVD adverse events (hyponatremia, hypernatremia, hypokalemia, hyperkalemia, bradycardia, and hypotension) in trial versus EHR data. Of the 2468 SPRINT participants included, EHR data demonstrated ≥80% sensitivity and specificity, and ≥99% negative predictive value for MI/ACS, heart failure, stroke, and composite CVD events. Positive predictive value ranged from 26% for heart failure to 52% for MI/ACS. Conclusions were that EHR data uniformly identified more non-CVD adverse events and higher incidence rates compared with trial ascertainment.
AHRQ-funded; HS026383.
Citation: Chu CD, Lenoir KM, Rai NK .
Concordance between clinical outcomes in the systolic blood pressure intervention trial and in the electronic health record.
Contemp Clin Trials 2023 May; 128:107172. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2023.107172..
Keywords: Blood Pressure, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Cardiovascular Conditions
Kimchi A, Aronow HU, Ni YM
Postdischarge noninvasive telemonitoring and nurse telephone coaching improve outcomes in heart failure patients with high burden of comorbidity.
The purpose of this study was to explore how comorbidity burden modulates the effectiveness of Noninvasive telemonitoring and nurse telephone coaching (NTM-NTC) and identify patients with HF who may benefit from postdischarge NTM-NTC based on their burden of comorbidity. METHODS AND RESULTS: In the Better Effectiveness After Transition - Heart Failure trial, patients hospitalized for acute decompensated HF were randomized to postdischarge NTM-NTC or usual care. In this secondary analysis of 1313 patients with complete data, comorbidity burden was assessed by scoring complication and coexisting diagnoses from index admissions. Clinical outcomes included 30-day and 180-day readmissions, mortality, days alive, and combined days alive and out of the hospital. Patients had a mean of 5.7 comorbidities and were stratified into low (0-2), moderate (3-8), and high comorbidity (≥9) subgroups. Increased comorbidity burden was associated with worse outcomes. NTM-NTC was not associated with readmission rates in any comorbidity subgroup. Among high comorbidity patients, NTM-NTC was associated with significantly lower mortality at 30 days (hazard ratio 0.25, 95% confidence interval 0.07-0.90) and 180 days (hazard ratio 0.51, 95% confidence interval 0.27-0.98), as well as more days alive (160.1 vs 140.3, P = .029) and days alive out of the hospital (152.0 vs 133.2, P = .044) compared with usual care. CONCLUSIONS: Postdischarge NTM-NTC improved survival among patients with HF with a high comorbidity burden. Comorbidity burden may be useful for identifying patients likely to benefit from this management strategy.
AHRQ-funded; HS019311.
Citation: Kimchi A, Aronow HU, Ni YM .
Postdischarge noninvasive telemonitoring and nurse telephone coaching improve outcomes in heart failure patients with high burden of comorbidity.
J Card Fail 2023 May; 29(5):774-83. doi: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2022.11.012..
Keywords: Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Hospital Discharge
Ofoma UR, Drewry AM, Maddox TM
Outcomes of in-hospital cardiac arrest among hospitals with and without telemedicine critical care.
This study compared survival rates for inpatients who suffered in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) who had access to Telemedicine Critical Care (TCC) during nights and weekends (off-hours) compared to those who did not. The authors identified 44,585 adults at 280 U.S. hospitals in the Get With The Guidelines® - Resuscitation registry who suffered IHCA in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) or hospital ward between July 2017 and December 2019. The majority (60.6%) of IHCAs occurred in an ICU, and 32.2% participants suffered IHCA at hospitals with TCC. No difference was found in acute resuscitation survival rates or survival to discharge rates for either IHCA between TCC and non-TCC hospitals. Timing of cardiac arrest did not modify the association between TCC availability and acute resuscitation survival or survival to discharge.
AHRQ-funded; HS019455.
Citation: Ofoma UR, Drewry AM, Maddox TM .
Outcomes of in-hospital cardiac arrest among hospitals with and without telemedicine critical care.
Resuscitation 2022 Aug;177:7-15. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2022.06.008..
Keywords: Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Outcomes, Critical Care, Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Gallo T, Heise CW, Woosley RL
Clinician responses to a clinical decision support advisory for high risk of Torsades de pointes.
The purpose of this study was to assess provider actions taken in response to a Clinical decision support (CDS) advisory for Torsade de pointes (TdP) that uses a modified Tisdale QT risk score and presents single click management options. The researchers implemented an inpatient TdP risk advisory across a large, 30 hospital health care system. The CDS advisory was programmed to appear when prescribers attempted to order medications with a known risk of TdP in a patient. The CDS advisory displayed patient-specific information and offered related management options including canceling the requested medication and ordering relevant protocols. The study found that 7794 TdP risk advisories were issued during an 8-month period. The most frequent advisory trigger was antibiotics (33.1%.) The most frequent action taken as a result of the advisory was ordering an ECG (20.3%). Incoming medication orders were canceled in 10.2% of the advisories. The researchers concluded that a single-click, modified Tisdale QT risk score-based CDS resulted in a high action/response rate.
AHRQ-funded; HS026662.
Citation: Gallo T, Heise CW, Woosley RL .
Clinician responses to a clinical decision support advisory for high risk of Torsades de pointes.
J Am Heart Assoc 2022 Jun 7;11(11):e024338. doi: 10.1161/jaha.122.024338..
Keywords: Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Decision Making, Health Information Technology (HIT), Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions
Villa Zapata L, Boyce RD, Chou E
QTc prolongation with the use of hydroxychloroquine and concomitant arrhythmogenic medications: a retrospective study using electronic health records data.
The purpose of this AHRQ-funded retrospective study of electronic health records was to assess changes in the QTc interval in patients taking hydroxychloroquine (with or without concomitant QT-prolonging medications.) Patients were placed into one of 6 cohorts, depending upon their monotherapy with one of 3 different medications: hydroxychloroquine, methotrexate, or sulfasalazine, or, based on their exposure to any combination of those drugs with any other drug known to increase the QT interval. The study concluded that compared to sulfasalazine or methotrexate, hydroxychloroquine was related with an increase in the QTc interval.
AHRQ-funded; HS025984.
Citation: Villa Zapata L, Boyce RD, Chou E .
QTc prolongation with the use of hydroxychloroquine and concomitant arrhythmogenic medications: a retrospective study using electronic health records data.
Drugs Real World Outcomes 2022 Jun 5:1-9. doi: 10.1007/s40801-022-00307-5..
Keywords: Medication, Cardiovascular Conditions, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Ahmad FS, Luo Y, Wehbe RM
Advances in machine learning approaches to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.
Machine learning (ML) involves algorithms that learn from data and has the capacity to guide precision medicine techniques for complex clinical syndromes such as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF.) The purpose of this paper was to present some of the unmet needs in HFpEF and ways in which ML may be used to address these issues as well as the common pitfalls of machine learning. The authors conclude that HFpEF is a costly clinical syndrome with high morbidity, and ML is an exciting tool that may help address some of the major challenges in HFpEF and in cardiovascular medicine.
AHRQ-funded; HS026385.
Citation: Ahmad FS, Luo Y, Wehbe RM .
Advances in machine learning approaches to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.
Heart Fail Clin 2022 Apr;18(2):287-300. doi: 10.1016/j.hfc.2021.12.002..
Keywords: Cardiovascular Conditions, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Mihandoust S, Joseph A, Madathil KC
Comparing sources of disruptions to telemedicine-enabled stroke care in an ambulance.
This study investigated the nature and source of disruptions in an ambulance during the telemedicine-based caregiving process for stroke patients to enhance the ambulance design for supporting telemedicine-based care. Thirteen simulated telemedicine-based stroke consults were video recorded and then coded and analyzed using an existing systems-based flow disruption (FD) taxonomy. Factors that impacted disruptions included seat size, arrangement of assessment equipment, location of telemedicine equipment, and design of the telemedicine camera. The left ambulance seat zone and head of the patient bed had more environmental hazard-related disruptions, while the right zone was more prone to interruptions and communication-related disruptions.
AHRQ-funded; HS026809.
Citation: Mihandoust S, Joseph A, Madathil KC .
Comparing sources of disruptions to telemedicine-enabled stroke care in an ambulance.
HERD 2022 Apr;15(2):96-115. doi: 10.1177/19375867211054759..
Keywords: Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
KS Cash, RE Adeoye, O
AHRQ Author: Zachrison
Estimated population access to acute stroke and telestroke centers in the US, 2019.
In order to provide an update on population-level access to stroke care, the investigators estimated the proportion of the US population with access to an ED with acute stroke capabilities and assessed the specific contribution of telestroke services to US population access. They observed a substantial increase in population access to acute stroke care in this cross-sectional study relative to previous reports using alternative methods, likely due to the extensive and ongoing work to improve stroke systems of care, including greater stroke center accreditation and expansion of telestroke capacity.
AHRQ-funded; HS024561.
Citation: KS Cash, RE Adeoye, O .
Estimated population access to acute stroke and telestroke centers in the US, 2019.
JAMA Netw Open 2022 Feb;5(2):e2145824. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.45824..
Keywords: Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Critical Care, Access to Care
Kalwani NM, Wang KM, Johnson AN
Application of the quadruple aim to evaluate the operational impact of a telemedicine program.
This study compared the operational impact of a telemedicine program called CardioClick at a preventive cardiology clinic compared to traditional clinic visits. The authors examined data for 134 patients enrolled in CardioClick with 181 video follow-up visits and 276 patients enrolled in the clinic’s traditional program with 694 in-person follow-up visits. The Quadruple Aim was used to evaluate CardioClick. Both cohorts were similar in characteristics in terms of age, gender balance, and baseline clinical characteristics. Video follow-up visits were shorter in time for clinicians (median 22 vs 30 minutes) than in-person visits and total clinic time (median 22 vs 68 minutes). Video visits were more likely to end on time than in-person visits as well. Physicians more often completed video visit documentation on the day of the visit.
AHRQ-funded; HS026128.
Citation: Kalwani NM, Wang KM, Johnson AN .
Application of the quadruple aim to evaluate the operational impact of a telemedicine program.
Healthc 2021 Dec;9(4):100593. doi: 10.1016/j.hjdsi.2021.100593..
Keywords: Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Cardiovascular Conditions, COVID-19
Rogers H, Madathil KC, Joseph A
An exploratory study investigating the barriers, facilitators, and demands affecting caregivers in a telemedicine integrated ambulance-based setting for stroke care.
This study investigates the impact of telemedicine on workload, teamwork, workflow, and communication of geographically distributed caregivers delivering stroke care in ambulance-based telemedicine. Simulated stroke sessions were conducted with selected caregivers, then followed with a survey and interviews. Findings showed that barriers included frustration with equipment, the loss of personal connection of the neurologists with the patients, and physical constraints in the ambulance. Facilitators included live visual communication increasing teamwork and efficiency, the ease of access to neurologist, increased flexibility, and high overall satisfaction and usability.
AHRQ-funded; HS026809.
Citation: Rogers H, Madathil KC, Joseph A .
An exploratory study investigating the barriers, facilitators, and demands affecting caregivers in a telemedicine integrated ambulance-based setting for stroke care.
Appl Ergon 2021 Nov;97:103537. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103537..
Keywords: Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Caregiving, Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
Zachrison KS, Sharma R, Wang Y
National trends in telestroke utilization in a US commercial platform prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this study, the objective was to describe characteristics of telestroke consultations among a national sample of telestroke sites on one of the most commonly used common vendor platforms, prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The investigators concluded that among spoke sites using a commercial telestroke platform over a seven-year time horizon, times to consult start and alteplase bolus decreased over time. Similar to academic networks, duration of telestroke participation in this commercial network was associated with faster alteplase delivery, suggesting practice improves performance.
AHRQ-funded; HS024561.
Citation: Zachrison KS, Sharma R, Wang Y .
National trends in telestroke utilization in a US commercial platform prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis 2021 Oct;30(10):106035. doi: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2021.106035..
Keywords: COVID-19, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Practice Patterns
Wells R, Dionne-Odom JN, Azuero A
Examining adherence and dose effect of an early palliative care intervention for advanced heart failure patients.
The objective of this study was to examine the "dose" effect of PC intervention completion vs. noncompletion on quality of life (QoL) and healthcare use in patients with advanced heart failure (HF) over 32 weeks. The investigators concluded that higher intervention completion rates of an early PC intervention was associated with QoL improvements in patients with advanced HF.
AHRQ-funded; HS013852.
Citation: Wells R, Dionne-Odom JN, Azuero A .
Examining adherence and dose effect of an early palliative care intervention for advanced heart failure patients.
J Pain Symptom Manage 2021 Sep;62(3):471-81. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2021.01.136..
Keywords: Palliative Care, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Quality of Life, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Wegier P, Belden JL, Canfield SM
Home blood pressure data visualization for the management of hypertension: using human factors and design principles.
Home blood pressure measurements have equal or even greater predictive value than clinic blood pressure measurements regarding cardiovascular outcomes. With advances in home blood pressure monitors, there is an imminent flood of home measurements, but current electronic health record systems lack the functionality to allow us to use this data to its fullest. In this study, the investigators designed a data visualization display for blood pressure measurements to be used for shared decision making around hypertension.
AHRQ-funded; HS023328.
Citation: Wegier P, Belden JL, Canfield SM .
Home blood pressure data visualization for the management of hypertension: using human factors and design principles.
BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 2021 Aug 5;21(1):235. doi: 10.1186/s12911-021-01598-4..
Keywords: Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Conditions, Health Information Technology (HIT), Care Management
Mayampurath A, Parnianpour Z, Richards CT
Improving prehospital stroke diagnosis using natural language processing of paramedic reports.
Accurate prehospital diagnosis of stroke by emergency medical services (EMS) can increase treatments rates, mitigate disability, and reduce stroke deaths. IN this study, the investigators aimed to develop a model that utilized natural language processing of EMS reports and machine learning to improve prehospital stroke identification. The investigators conducted a retrospective study of patients transported by the Chicago EMS to 17 regional primary and comprehensive stroke centers.
AHRQ-funded; HS025359; HS027264.
Citation: Mayampurath A, Parnianpour Z, Richards CT .
Improving prehospital stroke diagnosis using natural language processing of paramedic reports.
Stroke 2021 Aug;52(8):2676-79. doi: 10.1161/strokeaha.120.033580..
Keywords: Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Health Information Technology (HIT), Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
Soares WE, Knee A, Gemme SR
SC, et al. A prospective evaluation of Clinical HEART score agreement, accuracy, and adherence in emergency department chest pain patients.
The HEART score is a risk stratification aid that may safely reduce chest pain admissions for emergency department patients. However, differences in interpretation of subjective components potentially alters the performance of the score. In this study, the investigators compared agreement between HEART scores determined during clinical practice with research-generated scores and estimated their accuracy in predicting 30-day major adverse cardiac events.
AHRQ-funded; HS024815.
Citation: Soares WE, Knee A, Gemme SR .
SC, et al. A prospective evaluation of Clinical HEART score agreement, accuracy, and adherence in emergency department chest pain patients.
Ann Emerg Med 2021 Aug;78(2):231-41. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2021.03.024..
Keywords: Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Emergency Department, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Swanson MB, Miller AC, Ward MM MM
Emergency department telemedicine consults decrease time to interpret computed tomography of the head in a multi-network cohort.
Telemedicine can improve access to emergency stroke care in rural areas, but the benefit of telemedicine across different types and models of telemedicine networks is unknown. The objectives of this study were to (1) identify the impact of telemedicine on ED stroke care, (2) identify if telemedicine impact varied by network, and (3) describe the variation in process outcomes by telemedicine across EDs.
AHRQ-funded; HS025753.
Citation: Swanson MB, Miller AC, Ward MM MM .
Emergency department telemedicine consults decrease time to interpret computed tomography of the head in a multi-network cohort.
J Telemed Telecare 2021 Jul;27(6):343-52. doi: 10.1177/1357633x19877746..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Imaging, Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions
Etherton MR, Zachrison KS, Yan Z
Regional changes in patterns of stroke presentation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The authors sought to determine the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on patterns of stroke patient presentation and quality of care. They analyzed data from 25 New England hospitals: one urban, academic, comprehensive stroke center and telestroke hub, and 24 spoke hospitals in the same telestroke network. They included all telestroke consultations from the 24 spokes, and stroke admissions to the comprehensive stroke center hub from November 2019 through April 2020. They compared rates of presentation, timeliness presentation, and quality of care pre- versus post-March 2020. They also examined trends in patient demographics, stroke severity, timeliness, diagnosis including large vessel occlusion, alteplase use, and endovascular thrombectomy among eligible subjects. Among 1248 patient presentations, telestroke consultations and ischemic stroke patient admissions decreased through the hub and spoke network. Age and stroke severity were unchanged during the study period. However, rates of adherence for the quality measures dysphagia screening, early antithrombotic initiation, and early venous thromboembolism prophylaxis were reduced during the pandemic.
AHRQ-funded; HS024561.
Citation: Etherton MR, Zachrison KS, Yan Z .
Regional changes in patterns of stroke presentation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stroke 2021 Apr;52(4):1398-406. doi: 10.1161/strokeaha.120.031300..
Keywords: Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, COVID-19, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Healthcare Delivery
Shah NR, Eisman AS, Winchester DE
E-consult protocoling to improve the quality of cardiac stress tests.
Rarely appropriate cardiac stress tests remain prevalent in the range of 10% to 20% and unnecessarily prolong wait times. To address this ongoing problem, the investigators designed the EPIQ-Stress workflow, which included a structured electronic consult (“econsult”) with all outpatient stress test orders. In this study, the investigators assessed whether EPIQ-Stress implementation was associated with a reduction in rarely appropriate testing and in order-to-report wait times.
AHRQ-funded; HS022998.
Citation: Shah NR, Eisman AS, Winchester DE .
E-consult protocoling to improve the quality of cardiac stress tests.
JACC Cardiovasc Imaging 2021 Feb;14(2):512-14. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmg.2020.08.009..
Keywords: Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Diagnostic Safety and Quality
Bobo WV, Ryu E, Petterson TM
Bi-directional association between depression and HF: an electronic health records-based cohort study.
This study examined whether heart failure (HF) patients were more likely to be diagnosed with depression, or patients with depression were more likely to be diagnosed with HF. This retrospective cohort study utilized electronic health records (EHRs) from a large healthcare system in 2006 for adults who received primary care services. The EHR identified 10,649 people with depression, and 5,911 people with HF between 2006 to 2018. In the depression cohort there were 2,024 newly diagnosed occurrences of HF, and 944 occurrences of newly diagnosed depression in the HF cohort over 4-6 years of follow-up. There was a significantly higher risk of developing HF in the depression cohort than vice versa.
AHRQ-funded; HS023077.
Citation: Bobo WV, Ryu E, Petterson TM .
Bi-directional association between depression and HF: an electronic health records-based cohort study.
J Comorb 2020 Jan-Dec;10:2235042x20984059. doi: 10.1177/2235042x20984059..
Keywords: Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Depression, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Chronic Conditions
Miller AC, Ward MM, Ullrich F
Emergency department telemedicine consults are associated with faster time-to-electrocardiogram and time-to-fibrinolysis for myocardial infarction patients.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of telemedicine on the timeliness of emergency acute myocardial infarction (AMI) care for patients presenting to rural emergency departments (EDs) with chest pain. Findings showed that, in telemedicine networks, telemedicine consultation during the ED visit was associated with improved timeliness of electrocardiogram evaluation and increased use of fibrinolytic reperfusion therapy for rural AMI patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS025753.
Citation: Miller AC, Ward MM, Ullrich F .
Emergency department telemedicine consults are associated with faster time-to-electrocardiogram and time-to-fibrinolysis for myocardial infarction patients.
Telemed J E Health 2020 Dec;26(12):1440-48. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2019.0273..
Keywords: Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Emergency Department, Rural Health, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions