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 Events (3)
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (2)
- Caregiving (1)
- Clinical Decision Support (CDS) (1)
- Data (1)
- Diagnostic Safety and Quality (1)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (6)
- Evidence-Based Practice (1)
- Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) (5)
- (-) Health Information Technology (HIT) (14)
- Hospitals (1)
- (-) Injuries and Wounds (14)
- Osteoporosis (2)
- Patient Safety (5)
- Quality Improvement (2)
- Quality of Care (2)
- Registries (1)
- Risk (3)
- Surgery (8)
- Telehealth (5)
- Training (1)
- Transitions of Care (1)
- Trauma (3)
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 14 of 14 Research Studies DisplayedJones EK, Ninkovic I, Bahr M
A novel, evidence-based, comprehensive clinical decision support system improves outcomes for patients with traumatic rib fractures.
This study’s objective to investigate if a traumatic rib fracture clinical decision support system (CDSS) reduced hospital length of stay (LOS), 90-day and 1-year mortality, unplanned ICU transfer, and the need for mechanical ventilation. The CDSS included an admission evidence-based (EB) order set and a pain-inspiratory-cough (PIC) score early warning system (EWS). The CDSS was implemented at 9 US trauma centers, with 3,279 patients meeting inclusion criteria. Hospital LOS pre vs post-intervention was unchanged but unplanned transfer to the ICU was reduced, as was 1-year mortality. Provider utilization was associated with significantly reduced LOS. The EWS triggered on 34.4% of patients; however, it was not associated with a significant reduction in hospital LOS.
AHRQ-funded; HS026379.
Citation: Jones EK, Ninkovic I, Bahr M .
A novel, evidence-based, comprehensive clinical decision support system improves outcomes for patients with traumatic rib fractures.
J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2023 Aug 1; 95(2):161-71. doi: 10.1097/ta.0000000000003866..
Keywords: Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Health Information Technology (HIT), Evidence-Based Practice, Injuries and Wounds, Trauma
Otto L, Wang A, Wheeler K
Comparison of manual and computer assigned injury severity scores.
The study objective was to compare the ISS manually assigned by hospital personnel and those generated by the ICDPIC software for value agreement and predictive power of length of stay (LOS) and mortality. The investigators found that the LOS and mortality predictive power were significantly higher for manually assigned ISS when compared with computer assigned ISS in both PTC and NTDB data sets. They indicated that hospitals should be cautious about transitioning to computer assigned ISS, specifically for patients who are critically injured.
AHRQ-funded; HS024263.
Citation: Otto L, Wang A, Wheeler K .
Comparison of manual and computer assigned injury severity scores.
Inj Prev 2020 Aug;26(4):330-33. doi: 10.1136/injuryprev-2019-043224..
Keywords: Health Information Technology (HIT), Injuries and Wounds, Trauma, Hospitals
Tignanelli CJ, Silverman GM, Lindemann EA
Natural language processing of prehospital emergency medical services trauma records allows for automated characterization of treatment appropriateness.
Incomplete prehospital trauma care is a significant contributor to preventable deaths. Current databases lack timelines easily constructible of clinical events. Temporal associations and procedural indications are critical to characterize treatment appropriateness. Natural language processing (NLP) methods present a novel approach to bridge this gap. In this study, the investigators sought to evaluate the efficacy of a novel and automated NLP pipeline to determine treatment appropriateness from a sample of prehospital EMS motor vehicle crash records.
AHRQ-funded; HS026379.
Citation: Tignanelli CJ, Silverman GM, Lindemann EA .
Natural language processing of prehospital emergency medical services trauma records allows for automated characterization of treatment appropriateness.
J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2020 May;88(5):607-14. doi: 10.1097/ta.0000000000002598.
.
.
Keywords: Trauma, Injuries and Wounds, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Colborn KL, Bronsert M, Amioka E
Identification of surgical site infections using electronic health record data.
The objective of this study was to develop an algorithm for identifying surgical site infections (SSIs) using independent variables from electronic health record data and outcomes from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program to supplement manual chart review. The investigators concluded that they identified a model that accurately identified SSIs. They indicated that the framework presented can be easily implemented by other American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program-participating hospitals to develop models for enhancing surveillance of SSIs.
AHRQ-funded; HS026019.
Citation: Colborn KL, Bronsert M, Amioka E .
Identification of surgical site infections using electronic health record data.
Am J Infect Control 2018 Nov;46(11):1230-35. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2018.05.011..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Injuries and Wounds, Patient Safety, Surgery
Grundmeier RW, Xiao R, Ross RK
Grundmeier RW, Xiao R, Ross RK, Ramos MJ, Karavite DJ, Michel JJ, Gerber JS, et al. Identifying surgical site infections in electronic health data using predictive models,.
The objective of this study was to prospectively derive and validate a prediction rule for detecting cases warranting investigation for surgical site infections (SSI) after ambulatory surgery. The investigators concluded that electronic health record data can facilitate SSI surveillance with adequate sensitivity and positive predictive value.
AHRQ-funded; HS020921.
Citation: Grundmeier RW, Xiao R, Ross RK .
Grundmeier RW, Xiao R, Ross RK, Ramos MJ, Karavite DJ, Michel JJ, Gerber JS, et al. Identifying surgical site infections in electronic health data using predictive models,.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2018 Sep;25(9):1160-66. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocy075..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Injuries and Wounds, Surgery, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Risk, Patient Safety, Adverse Events, Ambulatory Care and Surgery
Gunter RL, Fernandes-Taylor S, Rahman S
Feasibility of an image-based mobile health protocol for postoperative wound monitoring.
Many surgical site infections (SSIs) develop in the postdischarge period and are inadequately recognized by patients. To address this, the authors developed a mobile health protocol of remote wound monitoring using smartphone technology. The current study aims to establish its feasibility among patients and providers. It found that participant and provider satisfaction was universally high.
AHRQ-funded; HS023395.
Citation: Gunter RL, Fernandes-Taylor S, Rahman S .
Feasibility of an image-based mobile health protocol for postoperative wound monitoring.
J Am Coll Surg 2018 Mar;226(3):277-86. doi: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2017.12.013.
.
.
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Surgery, Injuries and Wounds, Telehealth, Patient Safety, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Hu Z, Melton GB, Arsoniadis EG
Strategies for handling missing clinical data for automated surgical site infection detection from the electronic health record.
Proper handling of missing data is important for many secondary uses of electronic health record (EHR) data. Data imputation methods can be used to handle missing data, but their use for postoperative complication detection is unclear. Overall, models with missing data imputation almost always outperformed reference models without imputation that included only cases with complete data for detection of SSI overall achieving very good average area under the curve values.
AHRQ-funded; HS024532.
Citation: Hu Z, Melton GB, Arsoniadis EG .
Strategies for handling missing clinical data for automated surgical site infection detection from the electronic health record.
J Biomed Inform 2017 Apr;68:112-20. doi: 10.1016/j.jbi.2017.03.009.
.
.
Keywords: Data, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Registries, Surgery, Injuries and Wounds, Health Information Technology (HIT), Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Adverse Events
Fernandes-Taylor S, Gunter RL, Bennett KM
Feasibility of implementing a patient-centered postoperative wound monitoring program using smartphone images: a pilot protocol.
The researchers propose a protocol of postoperative wound monitoring using smartphone digital images. Their study will help establish the feasibility of such a program, both for patients and for the clinical care team. The feasibility trial will confirm whether patients and their caregivers can learn to use a postdischarge wound monitoring smartphone app and will assess patient and provider satisfaction.
AHRQ-funded; HS023395.
Citation: Fernandes-Taylor S, Gunter RL, Bennett KM .
Feasibility of implementing a patient-centered postoperative wound monitoring program using smartphone images: a pilot protocol.
JMIR Res Protoc 2017 Feb 22;6(2):e26. doi: 10.2196/resprot.6819.
.
.
Keywords: Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Surgery, Injuries and Wounds, Transitions of Care
Wellbeloved-Stone CA, Weppner JL, Valdez RS
A systematic review of telerehabilitation and mhealth interventions for spinal cord injury.
This systematic review evaluated the previous decade of telerehabilitation and mHealth interventions for spinal cord injury. The heterogeneity of the included studies coupled with a lack of standardized reporting guidelines precluded the development of specific recommendations for future intervention development. Rather, recommendations from this review focus on the need for a wide of range of future research in this domain, with a stronger focus on mobile Health.
AHRQ-funded; HS023849.
Citation: Wellbeloved-Stone CA, Weppner JL, Valdez RS .
A systematic review of telerehabilitation and mhealth interventions for spinal cord injury.
Current Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Reports 2016 Dec;4(4):295-311. doi: 10.1007/s40141-016-0138-1.
.
.
Keywords: Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Injuries and Wounds
Wiseman JT, Fernandes-Taylor S, Gunter R
Inter-rater agreement and checklist validation for postoperative wound assessment using smartphone images in vascular surgery.
The authors evaluated whether smartphone digital images can supplant in-person evaluation of postoperative vascular surgery wounds. They concluded that using smartphone digital images is a valid method for evaluating postoperative vascular surgery wounds and is comparable to in-person evaluation with regard to most wound characteristics. The inter-rater reliability for determining treatment recommendations was universally high.
AHRQ-funded; HS023395.
Citation: Wiseman JT, Fernandes-Taylor S, Gunter R .
Inter-rater agreement and checklist validation for postoperative wound assessment using smartphone images in vascular surgery.
J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord 2016 Jul;4(3):320-28.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jvsv.2016.02.001.
.
.
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Injuries and Wounds, Telehealth, Surgery, Health Information Technology (HIT), Diagnostic Safety and Quality
Kho JY, Johns BD, Thomas GW
A hybrid reality radiation-free simulator for teaching wire navigation skills.
The objective of this study was to assess the construct validity for a novel radiation-free simulator designed to teach wire navigation skills in hip fracture fixation. It found that the magnitude of improvement on successive simulator attempts was dependent on the level of expertise; tip-apex distance improved significantly in the novice group, whereas it was unchanged in the experienced group.
AHRQ-funded; HS022077.
Citation: Kho JY, Johns BD, Thomas GW .
A hybrid reality radiation-free simulator for teaching wire navigation skills.
J Orthop Trauma 2015 Oct;29(10):e385-90. doi: 10.1097/bot.0000000000000372..
Keywords: Surgery, Training, Health Information Technology (HIT), Injuries and Wounds, Patient Safety
Wiseman JT, Fernandes-Taylor S, Barnes ML
Conceptualizing smartphone use in outpatient wound assessment: patients' and caregivers' willingness to use technology.
The researchers surveyed a vulnerable patient population to evaluate smartphone capability and willingness to adopt this technology. Their survey demonstrated that an older patient cohort with significant comorbidity is able and willing to adopt a smartphone-based postoperative monitoring program.
AHRQ-funded; HS023395.
Citation: Wiseman JT, Fernandes-Taylor S, Barnes ML .
Conceptualizing smartphone use in outpatient wound assessment: patients' and caregivers' willingness to use technology.
J Surg Res 2015 Sep;198(1):245-51. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2015.05.011..
Keywords: Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Surgery, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Injuries and Wounds, Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Caregiving
LaFleur J, Steenhoek CL, Horne J
Comparing fracture absolute risk assessment (FARA) tools: an osteoporosis clinical informatics tool to improve identification and care of men at high risk of first fracture.
The researchers compared 2 fracture absolute risk assessment (FARA) tools for use with electronic health records (EHRs) to determine which would more accurately identify patients known to be high risk for fracture. They found that absolute fracture risk estimation with the VA-FARA is more predictive of a first fracture than the WHO’s eFRAX in male veterans when used in an EHR-based population screening tool.
AHRQ-funded; HS018582.
Citation: LaFleur J, Steenhoek CL, Horne J .
Comparing fracture absolute risk assessment (FARA) tools: an osteoporosis clinical informatics tool to improve identification and care of men at high risk of first fracture.
Ann Pharmacother 2015 May;49(5):506-14. doi: 10.1177/1060028015572819..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Injuries and Wounds, Osteoporosis, Risk
Unni S, Yao Y, Milne N
An evaluation of clinical risk factors for estimating fracture risk in postmenopausal osteoporosis using an electronic medical record database.
The researchers sought to identify variables in an EMR database for calculating fracture risk Assessment (FRAX) score in a cohort of postmenopausal women, to estimate absolute fracture risk. They found that mean 10-year risk for any major fracture was 11.1 percent when bone mineral density (BMD) was used and 11.2 percent when BMI was used.
AHRQ-funded; HS0018582.
Citation: Unni S, Yao Y, Milne N .
An evaluation of clinical risk factors for estimating fracture risk in postmenopausal osteoporosis using an electronic medical record database.
Osteoporos Int 2015 Feb;26(2):581-7. doi: 10.1007/s00198-014-2899-7..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Injuries and Wounds, Risk, Osteoporosis, Health Information Technology (HIT)