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 10 of 10 Research Studies DisplayedMenez S, Coca Moledina, Moledina DG
Evaluation of plasma biomarkers to predict major adverse kidney events in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
There is an increased risk for major adverse kidney events (MAKE) in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to identify plasma biomarkers predictive of MAKE in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The study found that in total, 95 patients (16%) experienced MAKE. Each 1 SD increase in soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (sTNFR1) and sTNFR2 was significantly associated with an increased risk of MAKE. A limitation of the study was a lack of control group of hospitalized patients without COVID-19.
AHRQ-funded; HS027626.
Citation: Menez S, Coca Moledina, Moledina DG .
Evaluation of plasma biomarkers to predict major adverse kidney events in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
Am J Kidney Dis 2023 Sep; 82(3):322-32.e1. doi: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2023.03.010..
Keywords: COVID-19, Kidney Disease and Health, Inpatient Care
Chen JT, Mehrizi R, Aasman B
Long short-term memory model identifies ARDS and in-hospital mortality in both non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 cohort.
The objective of this study was to identify risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and in-hospital mortality using a long short-term memory (LSTM) framework in mechanically ventilated (MV) COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 cohorts. The results indicated that the LSTM algorithm accurately identified the risk of ARDS or death in both non-COVID-19 and COVID MV patients. The researchers concluded that a tool that alerts to the risk of ARDS or death can improve the implementation of evidence-based ARDS management and facilitate goals-of-care discussions involving high-risk patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS026188.
Citation: Chen JT, Mehrizi R, Aasman B .
Long short-term memory model identifies ARDS and in-hospital mortality in both non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 cohort.
BMJ Health Care Inform 2023 Sep; 30(1). doi: 10.1136/bmjhci-2023-100782..
Keywords: COVID-19, Mortality, Hospitals, Inpatient Care
Auerbach AD, Astik GJ, O'Leary KJ
Prevalence and causes of diagnostic errors in hospitalized patients under investigation for COVID-19.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians were required to address a disease with continuously changing traits while simultaneously complying with changes in care (e.g., physical distancing) that could contribute to diagnostic errors (DEs). The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency of DEs and their causes in patients hospitalized under investigation (PUI) for COVID-19. The researchers randomly selected up to 8 cases per site per month for evaluation, with each case evaluated by two clinicians to determine whether a DE occurred, and whether any diagnostic process faults took place. The study found that wo hundred and fifty-seven patient charts were evaluated, of which 14% contained a DE. Patients with and without DE were statistically similar in socioeconomic factors, comorbidities, risk factors for COVID-19, and COVID-19 test turnaround time and eventual positivity. The most common diagnostic process issues contributing to DE were problems with clinical assessment, testing choices, history taking, and physical examination. Diagnostic process issues related with COVID-19 policies and procedures were not related with DE risk. 35.9% of patients with errors and 5.4% of patients overall suffered harm or death due to diagnostic error.
AHRQ-funded; HS027369.
Citation: Auerbach AD, Astik GJ, O'Leary KJ .
Prevalence and causes of diagnostic errors in hospitalized patients under investigation for COVID-19.
J Gen Intern Med 2023 Jun; 38(8):1902-10. doi: 10.1007/s11606-023-08176-6..
Keywords: COVID-19, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Hospitals, Inpatient Care, Quality of Care
Cutler GJ, Bergmann KR, Doupnik SK
Pediatric mental health emergency department visits and access to Inpatient care: a crisis worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The purpose of this study was to explore the author’s previous research findings on trends in pediatric emergency department (ED) visits for mental health (MH) vs non-mental health in light of more recent related data corresponding with the COVID-19 pandemic. The study found that recent research supports the dramatic increase in pediatric MH ED visits found in the author’s previous research and provides additional evidence that the increase has been driven by specific MH diagnoses. The researchers conclude that depressive disorders, self-harm behavior, and non-alcohol substance use disorders should be prioritized for the development of ED- and hospital-based strategies, and that EDs, hospitals, health systems, and the government urgently need to increase capacity for MH services and identify innovative solutions to improve access to high quality MH care for children.
AHRQ-funded; HS026385.
Citation: Cutler GJ, Bergmann KR, Doupnik SK .
Pediatric mental health emergency department visits and access to Inpatient care: a crisis worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Acad Pediatr 2022 Aug;22(6):889-91. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2022.03.015..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, COVID-19, Behavioral Health, Emergency Department, Access to Care, Public Health, Inpatient Care
Berger AC, Simchoni N, Auerbach A
Implementation of clinical practice guidelines for hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in academic medical centers.
This study was a survey of members of the Hospital Medicine Reengineering Network to determine the rate at which US academic medical centers have adopted evidence-based practice guidelines for COVID-19. Of 83 hospitals contacted, 53 responded. Fifty-one sites issued internal COVID-19 management guidance. Guidance types included for infectious disease (98%), infection control (90%), hospital medicine (88%) and critical care (83%). Of the 51 sites with internal COVID-19 management guidance, recommendations were most commonly disseminated through email, institutional websites, and integration into electronic health records as COVID-19-specific order sets and note templates. Three themes emerged from the researcher’s analysis. First, translation from evidence to practice guidelines was remarkably complete for interventions supported by aligned national guidelines and high-quality studies. Second, institutions favored treatment over not treatment, particularly when guidelines diverged from each other. Lastly, academic medical centers demonstrated a willingness to innovate across a range of interventions.
AHRQ-funded; HS027369.
Citation: Berger AC, Simchoni N, Auerbach A .
Implementation of clinical practice guidelines for hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in academic medical centers.
JAMA Netw Open 2022 Apr;5(4):e225657. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.5657..
Keywords: COVID-19, Guidelines, Inpatient Care
Bhalala US, Gist KM, Tripathi S
Characterization and outcomes of hospitalized children with coronavirus disease 2019: a report from a multicenter, viral infection and respiratory illness universal study (Coronavirus Disease 2019) registry.
The purpose of this retrospective study was to examine data from the Society of Critical Care Medicine Viral Infection and Respiratory Illness Universal Study (Coronavirus Disease 2019) registry and describe the characteristics, ICU admissions, and outcomes in children hospitalized with COVID-19. The study included 874 children under the age of 18 hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 at 51 participating hospital centers from February 2020 to January 2021. The primary outcome was ICU admission. Secondary outcomes included hospital and ICU duration of stay and ICU, hospital, and 28-day mortality. The researchers found that the median age was 8 years, with 62.9% non-Hispanic and a boy to girl ratio of 1:2. A total of 28.2% of the children met the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, and 46.2% were admitted to the ICU. A child’s age, the presence of a fever, multisystem inflammatory syndrome, and pre-existing seizure disorder were independently associated with a greater odds of ICU admission. The rate of hospital mortality for this group was 1.8%. The median duration of ICU stay was 3.9 days and the median duration of hospital stay was 4 days. For those patients with 28-day data, the survival rate was 86.3%. The researchers concluded that in this study, older age, fever, multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, and seizure disorder were independently related with ICU admission.
AHRQ-funded; HS026393; HS026485.
Citation: Bhalala US, Gist KM, Tripathi S .
Characterization and outcomes of hospitalized children with coronavirus disease 2019: a report from a multicenter, viral infection and respiratory illness universal study (Coronavirus Disease 2019) registry.
Crit Care Med 2022 Jan;50(1):e40-e51. doi: 10.1097/ccm.0000000000005232..
Keywords: COVID-19, Children/Adolescents, Registries, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Evidence-Based Practice, Inpatient Care
Masonbrink AR, Harris M, Hall M
Safety events in children's hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted hospitals, potentially affecting quality and safety. The objective of this study was to compare pediatric hospitalization safety events during the pandemic versus previous years. The investigators concluded that postoperative sepsis rates increased among children hospitalized during COVID-19. They suggest that efforts are needed to improve safety of postoperative care for hospitalized children.
AHRQ-funded; HS024554; HS024592.
Citation: Masonbrink AR, Harris M, Hall M .
Safety events in children's hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hosp Pediatr 2021 Jun;11(6):e95-e100. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2020-004937..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, COVID-19, Patient Safety, Sepsis, Adverse Events, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Inpatient Care, Infectious Diseases, Public Health
Vaughn VM, Yost M, Abshire C
Trends in venous thromboembolism anticoagulation in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
This study’s objective was to characterize frequency, variation across hospitals, and change over time in VTE prophylaxis and treatment-dose anticoagulation in patients hospitalized for COVID-19, as well as the association of anticoagulation strategies with in-hospital and 60-day mortality. This cohort study used adults hospitalized with COVID-19 from 30 pseudorandom hospitals in Michigan from March 7, 2020, to June 17, 2020. Main outcomes measured were the effect of nonadherence and anticoagulation strategies on in-hospital and 60-day mortality. Of a total 1351 patients with COVID-19 with a median age of 64 years, 47.7% women and 48.9% Black, only 18 (1.3%) had a confirmed VTE, and 219 (16.2%) received treatment-dose anticoagulation. Use of treatment-dose anticoagulation without imaging ranged from 0% to 29% across hospitals and increased over time. Of 1127 patients who ever received anticoagulation, 392 missed 2 or more days of prophylaxis. Missed prophylaxis varied from 11% to 61% across hospitals and decreased markedly over time. VTE nonadherence was associated with higher 60-day (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.31) but not in-hospital mortality (aHR, 0.97). Receiving any dose of anticoagulation (vs no anticoagulation) was associated with lower in-hospital mortality (only prophylactic dose: aHR, 0.36; any treatment dose: aHR, 0.38). However, only the prophylactic dose of anticoagulation remained associated with lower mortality at 60 days (prophylactic dose: aHR, 0.71; treatment dose: aHR, 0.92).
AHRQ-funded; HS026530.
Citation: Vaughn VM, Yost M, Abshire C .
Trends in venous thromboembolism anticoagulation in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
JAMA Netw Open 2021 Jun 1; 4(6):e2111788. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.11788..
Keywords: COVID-19, Blood Clots, Blood Thinners, Medication, Inpatient Care, Cardiovascular Conditions
Soares WE, Schoenfeld EM, Visintainer P
Safety assessment of a noninvasive respiratory protocol for adults with COVID-19.
As evidence emerged supporting noninvasive strategies for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related respiratory distress, the investigators implemented a noninvasive COVID-19 respiratory protocol (NCRP) that encouraged high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) and self-proning across our healthcare system. To assess safety, the investigators conducted a retrospective chart review evaluating mortality and other patient safety outcomes after implementation of the NCRP protocol (April 3, 2020, to April 15, 2020) for adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19, compared with preimplementation outcomes (March 15, 2020, to April 2, 2020).
AHRQ-funded; HS025701.
Citation: Soares WE, Schoenfeld EM, Visintainer P .
Safety assessment of a noninvasive respiratory protocol for adults with COVID-19.
J Hosp Med 2020 Dec;15(12):734-38. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3548..
Keywords: Patient Safety, COVID-19, Respiratory Conditions, Inpatient Care, Infectious Diseases
Auerbach A, O'Leary KJ, Greysen SR
Hospital ward adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic: a national survey of academic medical centers.
The authors sought to characterize inpatient adaptations to care for non-ICU COVID-19 patients. They found that the COVID-19 pandemic has required medical wards to rapidly adapt with expanding use of respiratory isolation units and use of technology emerging as critical approaches. Reports of unrecognized or delayed diagnoses highlight how such adaptations may produce potential adverse effects on care.
AHRQ-funded; HS026383; HS026215; HS027369.
Citation: Auerbach A, O'Leary KJ, Greysen SR .
Hospital ward adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic: a national survey of academic medical centers.
J Hosp Med 2020 Aug;15(8):483-88. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3476..
Keywords: COVID-19, Emergency Preparedness, Hospitals, Public Health, Healthcare Delivery, Inpatient Care