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Research Studies is a monthly compilation of research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers and recently published in journals or newsletters.
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1 to 25 of 680 Research Studies DisplayedLikosky DS, Yang G, Zhang M
Interhospital variability in health care-associated infections and payments after durable ventricular assist device implant among Medicare beneficiaries.
The purpose of this study was to examine differences in durable ventricular assist device implantation infection rates and associated costs across hospitals. The researchers utilized clinical data for 8,688 patients who received primary durable ventricular assist devices from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (Intermacs) hospitals (n = 120) and merged that data with post-implantation 90-day Medicare claims. The primary outcome included infections within 90 days of implantation and Medicare payments. The study found that 27.8% of patients developed 3982 identified infections. The median adjusted incidence of infections (per 100 patient-months) across hospitals was 14.3 and differed according to hospital. Total Medicare payments from implantation to 90 days were 9.0% more in high versus low infection tercile hospitals. The researchers concluded that health-care-associated infection rates post durable ventricular assist device implantation varied according to hospital and were associated with increased 90-day Medicare expenditures.
AHRQ-funded; HS026003.
Citation: Likosky DS, Yang G, Zhang M .
Interhospital variability in health care-associated infections and payments after durable ventricular assist device implant among Medicare beneficiaries.
J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2022 Nov;164(5):1561-68. doi: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2021.04.074..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Medical Devices, Medicare, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Hospitals, Payment, Healthcare Costs
Adhia AH, Feinglass JM, Schlick CJR
Hospital volume predicts guideline-concordant care in stage III esophageal cancer.
This study developed quality measures for management of stage III esophageal cancer including: utilization of neoadjuvant therapy, surgical sampling of at least 15 lymph nodes, resection within 60 days of chemotherapy or radiation, and completeness of resection to determine whether hospital volume varies measure adherence of published guidelines. A total of 1345 hospitals participating in the National Cancer Database from 2004 to 2016 were included. The authors examined association of volume, program accreditation, safety net status, geographic region, and patient travel distance on adequate adherence (≥85% of patients are adherent) using logistic regression modeling. The rate of adequate adherence was worst in nodal staging at 12.6% and highest for utilization of neoadjuvant therapy at 84.8%. Academic programs had the highest rate of adequate adherence for induction therapy (77.2%), timing of surgery (56.6%), and completeness of resection (78.5%) but lowest for nodal staging at only 4.4%. Every additional esophagectomy performed per year increased the odds of adequate adherence for induction therapy and completeness of resection but decreased for nodal staging.
AHRQ-funded; HS026385.
Citation: Adhia AH, Feinglass JM, Schlick CJR .
Hospital volume predicts guideline-concordant care in stage III esophageal cancer.
Ann Thorac Surg 2022 Oct;114(4):1176-82. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2021.07.092..
Keywords: Hospitals, Cancer, Guidelines, Evidence-Based Practice
Bourgoin A, Balaban R, Hochman M
Improving quality and safety for patients after hospital discharge: primary care as the lead integrator in postdischarge care transitions.
The purpose of this study was to explain primary care-based transition workflow processes for hospitalized patients. The researchers conducted interviews with primary care thought leaders, staff at 9 primary care sites, community agency staff, and recently discharged patients. The researchers found that primary care postdischarge workflows vary across the different settings, rarely include communications with the patient or the inpatient team during the hospitalization and vary widely across settings. The researchers recommended the use of principles for primary care practices to encourage active participation in the full spectrum of postdischarge care, from admission through the first postdischarge visit to primary care.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 233201500019I/HHSP23337002T.
Citation: Bourgoin A, Balaban R, Hochman M .
Improving quality and safety for patients after hospital discharge: primary care as the lead integrator in postdischarge care transitions.
J Ambul Care Manage 2022 Oct-Dec;45(4):310-20. doi: 10.1097/jac.0000000000000433..
Keywords: Quality of Care, Patient Safety, Hospital Discharge, Transitions of Care, Hospitals, Workflow
Hegland TA, Owens PL, Selden TM
New evidence on geographic disparities in United States hospital capacity.
The purpose of this study was to describe hospital capacity across the United States. The researchers combined American Hospital Association Survey, Hospital Compare, and American Community Survey data with the 2017 near-census of U.S. hospital inpatient discharges from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). The study found that 0.11 more beds per 1000 population were supplied to zip codes where Non-Hispanic individuals live than zip codes where non-Hispanic White individuals live. However, the hospitals supplying this capacity have 0.36 fewer staff per bed and perform worse on many care quality measures. Zip codes in the most urban parts of America have the least hospital capacity (2.11 beds per 1000 persons) from across the rural-urban continuum. While more rural areas have higher capacity levels, urban areas have advantages in staff and capital per bed. The researchers did not find systematic differences in care quality between rural and urban areas. The study concluded that lower hospital care quality and resource intensity plays a key role in racial, ethnic, and income disparities in hospital care related outcomes.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Hegland TA, Owens PL, Selden TM .
New evidence on geographic disparities in United States hospital capacity.
Health Serv Res 2022 Oct;57(5):1006-19. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.14010..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Disparities, Hospitals, Quality of Care, Racial / Ethnic Minorities
Friedman HR, Holmes GM
Rural Medicare beneficiaries are increasingly likely to be admitted to urban hospitals.
This study looked at trends in admission to urban hospitals by rural Medicare FFS beneficiaries from 2010 to 2018. The authors combined data from the 2010 to 2018 Hospital Service Area File (HSAF) and the 2010-2017 American Hospital Association (AHA) survey. They found that controlling for distance to the nearest hospitals, an increase of 1 year was associated with a 2.0% increase in the number of admissions to urban hospitals from each rural ZIP code. New system affiliation of the nearest rural hospital was associated with an increase of 1.7%.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Friedman HR, Holmes GM .
Rural Medicare beneficiaries are increasingly likely to be admitted to urban hospitals.
Health Serv Res 2022 Oct;57(5):1029-34. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.14017..
Keywords: Medicare, Rural Health, Hospitals, Access to Care
Lee PT, Krecko LK, Savage S
Which hospital-acquired conditions matter the most in trauma? An evidence-based approach for prioritizing trauma program improvement.
The purpose of this study was to quantify and compare the impacts of six different hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) on early clinical outcomes and resource utilization in hospitalized trauma patients. The researchers included 529,856 adult patients from the 2013 to 2016 American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program Participant Use Data Files with 5 days or longer of hospitalization and had an Injury Severity Score of 9 or higher. The study found the incidences of HACs were: pneumonia, 5.2%; urinary tract infection, 3.4%; venous thromboembolism, 3.3%; surgical site infection, 1.3%; pressure ulcer, 1.3%; and central line-associated blood stream infection, 0.2%. The HAC of pneumonia demonstrated the largest association with in-hospital outcomes and resource utilization. The researchers reported that prevention of pneumonia within the study group would have resulted in estimated reductions of: 22.1% for end organ dysfunction, 8.7% for prolonged hospitalization, 7.8% for mortality, 7.1% for prolonged intensive care unit stay, and 6.8% for need for mechanical ventilation. The researchers concluded that pneumonia prevention should be a priority activity in program improvement efforts.
AHRQ-funded; HS025224.
Citation: Lee PT, Krecko LK, Savage S .
Which hospital-acquired conditions matter the most in trauma? An evidence-based approach for prioritizing trauma program improvement.
J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2022 Oct 1;93(4):446-52. doi: 10.1097/ta.0000000000003645..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospitals, Pneumonia, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Blood Clots
Dragan KL, Desai SM, Billings J
Association of insurance mix and diagnostic coding practices in New York state hospitals.
This study’s goal was to estimate whether, for the same Medicaid enrollee with multiple hospitalizations, a hospital's share of privately insured patients is associated with the number of diagnoses on claims since privately insured hospitals may invest more in intensive coding than hospitals serving publicly insured patients. This cross-sectional study used patient-level fixed effects regression models on inpatient Medicaid claims from Medicaid enrollees with at least 2 admissions in at least 2 different hospitals in the state of New York between 2010 and 2017. This analysis included 1,614,630 hospitalizations for Medicaid-insured patients (mean age, 48.2 years; 51.4% women and 48.6% men). Overall, 74,998 were Asian, 462,259 Black, 375,591 Hispanic, 486,313 White, 128,896 unknown, and 86,573 other. When the same patient was seen in a hospital with a higher share of privately insured patients, more diagnoses were recorded. Patients discharged from hospitals in the bottom quartile of privately insured patient share received 1.37 more diagnoses when they were subsequently discharged from hospitals in the top quartile, relative to patients whose admissions were both in the bottom quartile. This suggests that payment policy may drive differential investments in infrastructure to document diagnosis, causing a feedback loop that exacerbates resource inequity.
AHRQ-funded; T32HS000055; K01HS026980.
Citation: Dragan KL, Desai SM, Billings J .
Association of insurance mix and diagnostic coding practices in New York state hospitals.
JAMA Health Forum 2022 Sep 2;3(9):e222919. doi: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2022.2919..
Keywords: Health Insurance, Hospitals
Halvorson EE, Thurtle DP, Easter A
Disparities in adverse event reporting for hospitalized children.
The authors compared the adverse event (AE) rate identified by voluntary event reporting (VER) with that identified using the Global Assessment of Pediatric Patient Safety (GAPPS) between hospitalized children by weight category, race, and English proficiency. In the population studied, they identified 288 total AEs, 270 by the GAPPS and 18 by VER. They found a disparity in AE reporting for children with limited English proficiency, with fewer AEs by VER compared with no difference in AEs by GAPPS. They identified no disparities by weight category or race. They concluded that voluntary event reporting may systematically underreport AEs in hospitalized children with limited English proficiency.
AHRQ-funded; HS026038.
Citation: Halvorson EE, Thurtle DP, Easter A .
Disparities in adverse event reporting for hospitalized children.
J Patient Saf 2022 Sep 1;18(6):e928-e33. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000001049..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Disparities, Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Hospitals, Hospitalization, Inpatient Care
Williams JP, Nathanson R, LoPresti CM
Current use, training, and barriers in point-of-care ultrasound in hospital medicine: a national survey of VA hospitals.
This study aimed to characterize current point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) use, training needs, and barriers to use among hospital medicine groups (HMGs). This prospective observation study looked at all Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers from August 2019 to March 2020 using a web-based survey sent to all chiefs of HMGs. There was a 90% response rate from 117 HMGs. Procedural POCUS use decreased by 19% from 2015 to 2020 but increased for diagnostic use for cardiac (8%), pulmonary (7%), and abdominal (8%) applications. The most common barrier to POCUS use was lack of training (89%), with only 34% of HMGs having access to POCUS training. Access to ultrasound equipment was the least common barrier at 57%, however with the proportion of HMGs with ≥1 ultrasound machine increasing from 29% to 71% from 2015 to 2020. In 2020 an average of 3.6 ultrasound devices per HMG was available, and 45% were handheld devices.
AHRQ-funded; HS025979.
Citation: Williams JP, Nathanson R, LoPresti CM .
Current use, training, and barriers in point-of-care ultrasound in hospital medicine: a national survey of VA hospitals.
J Hosp Med 2022 Aug;17(8):601-08. doi: 10.1002/jhm.12911..
Keywords: Imaging, Training, Hospitals, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Provider: Clinician
Prescott HC, Seelye S, Wang XQ
Temporal trends in antimicrobial prescribing during hospitalization for potential infection and sepsis.
This study examined whether the push to administer antimicrobials to prevent sepsis has increased antimicrobial use in general. This observational cohort study of hospitalized patients at 152 hospitals in 2 health care systems during 2013 to 2018 looked at almost 1.6 million patients (81% male), admitted via the emergency department with 2 or more systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria. From 2013 to 2018 first antimicrobial administration to patients with sepsis decreased by 37 minutes. At the same time, antimicrobial use within 48 hours, days of antimicrobial therapy, and receipt of broad-spectrum coverage decreased among the broader cohort of patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). This may have caused a decrease in in-hospital mortality, 30-day mortality, length of hospitalization, new MDR culture positivity, and new MDR blood culture positivity over the study period among both patients with sepsis and those with SIRS. For the overall hospital population there was no evidence that increasing antimicrobial timing for sepsis was associated with increasing antimicrobial use or impaired antimicrobial stewardship.
AHRQ-funded; HS026725.
Citation: Prescott HC, Seelye S, Wang XQ .
Temporal trends in antimicrobial prescribing during hospitalization for potential infection and sepsis.
JAMA Intern Med 2022 Aug;182(8):805-13. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.2291..
Keywords: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Medication, Sepsis, Inpatient Care, Hospitals
Waters TM, Burns N, Kaplan CM
Combined impact of medicare's hospital pay for performance programs on quality and safety outcomes is mixed.
The authors examined the combined impact of Medicare's pay for performance (P4P) programs on clinical areas and populations targeted by the programs, as well as those outside their focus. Using HCUP data, and consistent with previous studies for individual programs, they detected minimal, if any, effect of Medicare's hospital P4P programs on quality and safety. They recommended a redesigning of the P4P programs before continuing to expand them.
AHRQ-funded; HS025148.
Citation: Waters TM, Burns N, Kaplan CM .
Combined impact of medicare's hospital pay for performance programs on quality and safety outcomes is mixed.
BMC Health Serv Res 2022 Jul 28;22(1):958. doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-08348-w..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Medicare, Payment, Provider Performance, Hospitals, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality Measures, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Patient Safety
Eldridge N, Wang Y, Metersky M
Trends in adverse event rates in hospitalized patients, 2010-2019.
This AHRQ-authored serial cross-sectional study’s objective was to determine the change in the rate of adverse events in hospitalized patients from 2010 to 2019. The study used data from the Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System and included 244,542 adult patients hospitalized in 3156 acute care hospitals across 4 condition groups: acute myocardial infarction (17%), heart failure (17%) pneumonia (21%), major surgical procedures (22%), and all other conditions (22%). Information on adverse events collected included 21 measures across 4 adverse event domains: adverse drug events, hospital-acquired infections, adverse events after a procedure, and general adverse events such as pressure ulcers and falls. The study sample included 190,286 hospital discharges in the combined 4 condition-based groups and 54,256 hospital discharges for all other conditions. From 2010 to 2019, the total change for adverse events per 1000 discharges for acute myocardial infarction decreased from 218 to 139, from 168 to 116 for heart failure, from 195 to 119 for pneumonia, and from 204 to 130 for major surgical procedures. The rate for all other conditions remained unchanged at 70 adverse events per 1000 discharges.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 290201800005C.
Citation: Eldridge N, Wang Y, Metersky M .
Trends in adverse event rates in hospitalized patients, 2010-2019.
JAMA 2022 Jul 12;328(2):173-83. doi: 10.1001/jama.2022.9600..
Keywords: Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Hospitals, Inpatient Care
King C, Cook R, Korthuis PT
Causes of death in the 12 months after hospital discharge among patients with opioid use disorder.
This study described causes of death in the year post-discharge among hospitalized patients with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). Data was analyzed from participants at least 18 years old with Medicaid insurance, who had a diagnosis of OUD during a general hospital admission in Oregon. Findings showed that hospitalized patients with OUD were at high risk of death, from drug and non-drug related causes, in the year after discharge. Recommendations included future research considering not only overdose, but a more comprehensive definition of drug-related death in understanding post-discharge mortality among hospitalized patients with OUD.
AHRQ-funded; HS026370.
Citation: King C, Cook R, Korthuis PT .
Causes of death in the 12 months after hospital discharge among patients with opioid use disorder.
J Addict Med 2022 Jul-Aug;16(4):466-69. doi: 10.1097/adm.0000000000000915..
Keywords: Mortality, Hospital Discharge, Hospitals, Opioids, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Health
Jiang HJ, Fingar KR, Liang L
Risk of closure among independent and multihospital-affiliated rural hospitals.
The purpose of this study was to examine the association between affiliation and rural hospital closure. Using HCUP data, findings showed that, among financially distressed hospitals, affiliation was associated with lower risk of closure compared with being independent; conversely, among hospitals that were financially stable, affiliation was associated with higher risk of closure compared with being independent. Further, for-profit ownership was strongly associated with closure for hospitals that were financially stable.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 290201800001C.
Citation: Jiang HJ, Fingar KR, Liang L .
Risk of closure among independent and multihospital-affiliated rural hospitals.
JAMA Health Forum 2022 Jul;3(7):e221835. doi: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2022.1835..
Keywords: Rural Health, Hospitals
Admon LK, Ford ND, Ko JY
Trends and distribution of in-hospital mortality among pregnant and postpartum individuals by pregnancy period.
The purpose of this study was to examine long-term trends in inpatient death rates among pregnant and postpartum individuals and proportion of deaths by pregnancy period (antenatal, delivery, and postpartum). The researchers examined patterns of inpatient mortality during pregnancy-associated hospitalizations utilizing data from the National Inpatient Sample for 1994 to 2015 and 2017 to 2019. The study found that between 1994 and 2015, among 84,181,338 hospitalizations an estimated 12,654 inpatient deaths occurred among pregnant and postpartum individuals with a mean age of 29.37. Inpatient deaths during delivery hospitalizations decreased from 10.6 deaths per 100 000 delivery hospitalizations to 4.7 deaths per 100 000 delivery hospitalizations between 1994 to 1995 and 2014 to 2015. The rate of inpatient deaths in antenatal and postpartum periods remained unchanged between 1994 to 1995 and 2014 to 2015. The researchers concluded that resources directed toward improving quality of care at obstetric delivery have been associated with decreased rates of severe morbidity and may be associated with decreased mortality, but additional efforts need to be directed toward antenatal and postpartum hospitalizations.
AHRQ-funded; HS027640.
Citation: Admon LK, Ford ND, Ko JY .
Trends and distribution of in-hospital mortality among pregnant and postpartum individuals by pregnancy period.
JAMA Netw Open 2022 Jul;5(7):e2224614. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.24614..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Maternal Care, Mortality, Pregnancy, Women, Hospitals
Haque W, Ahmadzada M, Janumpally S
Adherence to a federal hospital price transparency rule and associated financial and marketplace factors.
This research letter describes a study that evaluated adherence to the federal Hospital Price Transparency Rule 6 to 9 months after the final rule effective date (January 1, 2021). The rule’s aim is to increase health price transparency and facilitation patient price shopping online. Hospitals were required to post 5 price types: gross charges, discounted prices, payer-specific negotiated prices, minimum and maximum prices in a machine-readable file, and a separate accessible display or price estimator for at least 300 shoppable items. The authors used the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) to measure inpatient hospital market concentration. The data was collected for 185 of 929 core-based statistical areas from 2019. HHI is divided into the following categories: unconcentrated, moderately concentrated, or highly or very concentrated. Results showed that out of 5239 total hospitals, 729 (13.9%) had an adherent machine-readable file but no shoppable display, 1542 (29.4%) had an adherent shoppable display but no machine-readable file, and 300 (5.7%) had both. The most adherent hospitals tended to be acute care hospitals with lesser revenue per patient-day, within unconcentrated health care markets, and in urban areas.
AHRQ-funded; HS026980.
Citation: Haque W, Ahmadzada M, Janumpally S .
Adherence to a federal hospital price transparency rule and associated financial and marketplace factors.
JAMA 2022 Jun 7;327(21):2143-45. doi: 10.1001/jama.2022.5363..
Keywords: Policy, Hospitals, Healthcare Costs
Zebrak K, Yount N, Sorra J
Development, pilot study, and psychometric analysis of the AHRQ Surveys on Patient Safety Culture™ (SOPS(®)) workplace safety supplemental items for hospitals.
The purpose of this AHRQ-funded study was to develop and test survey items that can be utilized together with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Surveys on Patient Safety Culture™ (SOPS(®)) Hospital Survey to evaluate how hospitals’ organizational cultures support workplace safety for both providers and staff. Based on a literature review and qualitative interviews with experts in workplace safety, the researchers identified prime areas of workplace safety culture (workplace hazards, moving patients, workplace aggression, management support for workplace safety, workplace safety reporting, and work stress or burnout) and drafted survey items to evaluate these areas. The survey items were then pilot tested on providers and staff in 28 U.S. hospitals using the SOPS Hospital Survey 2.0. Data from 6,684 respondents was analyzed and demonstrated conceptual convergence among the survey measures. The researchers concluded that both researchers and hospitals can utilize the Workplace Safety Supplemental items to evaluate the dimensions of organizational culture that support provider and staff safety and to pinpoint organizational strengths and areas for improvement.
AHRQ-funded; 233201500026I.
Citation: Zebrak K, Yount N, Sorra J .
Development, pilot study, and psychometric analysis of the AHRQ Surveys on Patient Safety Culture™ (SOPS(®)) workplace safety supplemental items for hospitals.
Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022 Jun 2;19(11). doi: 10.3390/ijerph19116815..
Keywords: Surveys on Patient Safety Culture, Patient Safety, Hospitals, Organizational Change
McAlearney AS, MacEwan SR, Gregory ME
Identifying management practices for promoting infection prevention: perspectives on strategic communication.
The purpose of this study was to better understand the topics and communication strategies used by hospital administrative and clinical leaders to facilitate healthcare-associated infection prevention. Between 2017 and 2019 the researchers interviewed 188 administrative and clinical leaders in 18 U.S. Hospitals and interviewed them about management practices used to promote the prevention of HAI, with a focus on strategic communications. The study found that information sharing regarding infection prevention focused on two main topics: facilitators of success and barriers to success. The researchers also reported that storytelling using examples of real events was useful. The study concluded that the findings provide useful information about how the strategic communication of HAI information can contribute to improvement and advance hospitals’ infection prevention plans and efforts.
AHRQ-funded; HS024958.
Citation: McAlearney AS, MacEwan SR, Gregory ME .
Identifying management practices for promoting infection prevention: perspectives on strategic communication.
Am J Infect Control 2022 Jun;50(6):593-97. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2021.11.025..
Keywords: Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI), Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospitals, Prevention, Communication
Milliren CE, Bailey G, Graham DA
Relationships between pediatric safety indicators across a national sample of pediatric hospitals: dispelling the myth of the "safest" hospital.
This observational study aimed to explore the covariance of pediatric hospital quality indicators and evaluate the use of a single composite score. Pediatric hospital performance across 13 safety indicators were extracted from the Pediatric Health Information System, a comparative database of children’s hospitals in the U.S. Patients discharged from 36 hospitals from 2016 to 2019 were included. The authors investigated relationships among patient safety measures from AHRQ pediatric quality indicators and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services hospital-acquired conditions. They identified 5 orthogonal variance components accounting for 68% of variation in pediatric hospital quality indicators. The ranking comparison and summary found greater within-hospital variation compared with between-hospital variation. They observed discordant rankings among commonly used summary measures and concluded that these measures demonstrate at least 2 underlying variance components.
AHRQ-funded; HS026246.
Citation: Milliren CE, Bailey G, Graham DA .
Relationships between pediatric safety indicators across a national sample of pediatric hospitals: dispelling the myth of the "safest" hospital.
J Patient Saf 2022 Jun 1;18(4):e741-e46. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000938..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality Measures, Patient Safety, Hospitals, Quality of Care
Usher MC, Tignanelli CJ, Hilliard B
Responding to COVID-19 through interhospital resource coordination: a mixed-methods evaluation
Researchers sought to describe a novel hospital system approach to managing the COVID-19 pandemic, including multihospital coordination capability and transfer of COVID-19 patients to a single, dedicated hospital. They found that, with standardized communication, interhospital transfers were a safe and effective method of cohorting COVID-19 patients, were well-received by health care providers, and had the potential to improve care quality.
AHRQ-funded; HS026379; HS026732.
Citation: Usher MC, Tignanelli CJ, Hilliard B .
Responding to COVID-19 through interhospital resource coordination: a mixed-methods evaluation
J Patient Saf 2022 Jun 1;18(4):287-94. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000916..
Keywords: COVID-19, Hospitals, Healthcare Delivery, Public Health, Care Coordination, Transitions of Care
Wayne MT, Seelye S, Molling D
Variation in U.S. hospital practices for bronchoscopy in the intensive care unit.
The authors sought to measure bronchoscopy rates among mechanically ventilated ICU patients and to assess for variation across hospitals. In this cohort of over 150 diverse hospitals across the United States, they found that nearly 4% of mechanically ventilated ICU patients underwent bronchoscopy, representing a more than 20-fold variation in its use, which was only minimally attenuated after adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics. They recommended future studies to understand the drivers and impact of this variation on patient outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS028038.
Citation: Wayne MT, Seelye S, Molling D .
Variation in U.S. hospital practices for bronchoscopy in the intensive care unit.
Ann Am Thorac Soc 2022 Jun;19(6):1061-65. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.202110-1141RL..
Keywords: Hospitals, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Critical Care, Respiratory Conditions
Vaughn VM, Hersh AL, Spivak ES
Antibiotic overuse and stewardship at hospital discharge: the reducing overuse of antibiotics at discharge home framework.
In this review, the authors discussed what is currently known about antibiotic overuse at hospital discharge, key barriers, and targets for improving antibiotic prescribing at discharge. They introduced an evidence-based framework, the Reducing Overuse of Antibiotics at Discharge Home Framework, for conducting discharge antibiotic stewardship.
AHRQ-funded; HS026530.
Citation: Vaughn VM, Hersh AL, Spivak ES .
Antibiotic overuse and stewardship at hospital discharge: the reducing overuse of antibiotics at discharge home framework.
Clin Infect Dis 2022 May 3;74(9):1696-702. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab842..
Keywords: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Medication, Hospital Discharge, Hospitals
Wang Y, Eldridge N, Metersky ML
Analysis of hospital-level readmission rates and variation in adverse events among patients with pneumonia in the United States.
The purpose of this AHRQ-authored cross-sectional study was to assess whether patients with pneumonia who were admitted to hospitals with higher risk-standardized readmission rates had a higher risk of in-hospital adverse events. The researchers linked patient-level adverse events data from the Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System (MPSMS) to the hospital-level pneumonia-specific all-cause readmissions data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The MPSMS data included 46,047 patients with pneumonia across 2,590 hospitals discharged from July 1, 2010, through December 31, 2019. For data from 2010 to 2017, analysis was completed from October 2019 through July 2020, and for data from 2018 to 2019 analysis was completed from March through April 2022. The study concluded that readmission rates are associated with the quality of hospital care for pneumonia; patients with pneumonia admitted to hospitals with high all-cause readmission rates had a higher likelihood of developing adverse events during the initial hospitalization.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 290201800005C.
Citation: Wang Y, Eldridge N, Metersky ML .
Analysis of hospital-level readmission rates and variation in adverse events among patients with pneumonia in the United States.
JAMA Netw Open 2022 May 2;5(5):e2214586. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.14586..
Keywords: Hospital Readmissions, Hospitals, Adverse Events, Pneumonia, Respiratory Conditions
Yu A, Jordan SR, Gilmartin H
"Our hands are tied until your doctor gets here": nursing perspectives on inter-hospital transfers.
The purpose of this study was to characterize the experiences of inpatient floor-level bedside nurses caring for inter-hospital transfer (IHT) patients and to identify care coordination challenges and solutions. Results from this study are mapped to AHRQ’s Care Coordination Measurement Framework domains of communication, assessing needs and goals, and negotiating accountability. Findings showed that three key themes characterized nurses' experiences with IHT related to these domains: challenges with information exchange and team communication during IHT, environmental and information preparation needed to anticipate transfers, and determining responsibility and care plans after the IHT patient has arrived at the accepting facility.
AHRQ-funded; HS023331.
Citation: Yu A, Jordan SR, Gilmartin H .
"Our hands are tied until your doctor gets here": nursing perspectives on inter-hospital transfers.
J Gen Intern Med 2022 May;37(7):1729-36. doi: 10.1007/s11606-021-07276-5..
Keywords: Transitions of Care, Hospitals, Provider: Nurse
Schmutz KE, Wallace AS, Bristol AA
Hospital discharge during COVID-19: the role of social resources.
The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ability of patients to obtain and receive support post-discharge after medical or surgical hospital services. The researchers utilized the Individual and Family Self-Management Theory as a framework for semi-structured interviews conducted with 26 patients discharged from the hospital. The study found that the majority of participants described minimal impact on their ability to secure support, with the exception of one participant whose support changes radically affected her experience post-discharge. The researchers concluded that strong pre-existing social support networks were protective for patients returning home after hospitalization during the pandemic.
AHRQ-funded; HS026248.
Citation: Schmutz KE, Wallace AS, Bristol AA .
Hospital discharge during COVID-19: the role of social resources.
Clin Nurs Res 2022 May;31(4):724-32. doi: 10.1177/10547738221075760..
Keywords: COVID-19, Hospital Discharge, Hospitals
