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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 8 of 8 Research Studies DisplayedSmith DC, Phillippi JC, Tilden EL
Comparing cesarean birth utilization between US hospitals: a demonstration of the robson ten-group classification system for use in quality improvement and benchmarking.
The objective of this study was to describe the application and utility of the World Health Organization-endorsed Robson Ten-Group Classification System (TGCS) to compare hospital-level cesarean births rates for use in quality improvement and benchmarking. The authors conducted a descriptive, secondary data analysis of the Consortium on Safe Labor dataset using data from births from 2002-08 at 12 sites across the US. Results showed a variation in use of cesarean birth, labor induction, and trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC) across the 12 sites. The authors concluded that TGCS provides a method for between-hospital comparisons and adoption of TGCS in the US would provide an effective benchmarking tool to assist in reducing the use of cesarean birth and increasing the support of TOLAC.
AHRQ-funded; HS024733.
Citation: Smith DC, Phillippi JC, Tilden EL .
Comparing cesarean birth utilization between US hospitals: a demonstration of the robson ten-group classification system for use in quality improvement and benchmarking.
J Perinat Neonatal Nurs 2023 Jul-Sep; 37(3):214-22. doi: 10.1097/jpn.0000000000000670..
Keywords: Hospitals, Healthcare Utilization, Maternal Care, Women, Quality Improvement, Quality Measures, Quality of Care
Ling VB, Levi EE, Harrington AR
The cost of improving care: a multisite economic analysis of hospital resource use for implementing recommended postpartum contraception programmes.
Researchers evaluated the cost of implementing immediate postpartum contraceptive services at four academic centers and one private hospital in the US. Using mixed-methods cost analysis, they found that pre-implementation activities required more resources than execution activities, and sites that used lower-cost employees observed lower costs per hour for implementation activities. Further, implementation activities and costs were associated with local contextual factors, including stakeholder acceptance, integration of employees, and infrastructure readiness for the change effort.
AHRQ-funded; HS025465; HS023784.
Citation: Ling VB, Levi EE, Harrington AR .
The cost of improving care: a multisite economic analysis of hospital resource use for implementing recommended postpartum contraception programmes.
BMJ Qual Saf 2021 Aug;30(8):658-67. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2020-011111..
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Sexual Health, Women, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Rauscher GH, Tossas-Milligan K, Macarol T
Trends in attaining mammography quality benchmarks with repeated participation in a quality measurement program: going beyond the mammography quality standards act to address breast cancer disparities.
The Mammography Quality Standards Act requires that mammography facilities conduct audits, but there are no specifications on the metrics to be measured. In this study, the authors present trends from the first 5 years of data collection to examine whether continued participation in this quality improvement program was associated with an increase in the number of benchmarks met for breast cancer screening.
AHRQ-funded; HS018366.
Citation: Rauscher GH, Tossas-Milligan K, Macarol T .
Trends in attaining mammography quality benchmarks with repeated participation in a quality measurement program: going beyond the mammography quality standards act to address breast cancer disparities.
J Am Coll Radiol 2020 Nov;17(11):1420-28. doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2020.07.019..
Keywords: Cancer: Breast Cancer, Cancer, Women, Screening, Quality Measures, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Diagnostic Safety and Quality
Peahl AF, Gourevitch RA, Luo EM
Right-sizing prenatal care to meet patients' needs and improve maternity care value.
In this manuscript, investigators present a new conceptual model for prenatal care that incorporates both patients' medical and social needs into four phenotypes, and use human-centered design methods to describe how better matching patient needs with prenatal services can increase the use of high-value services and decrease the use of low-value services. They also address some of the key challenges to implementing right-sized prenatal care, including capturing outcomes through research and payment.
AHRQ-funded; HS000055; HS025465.
Citation: Peahl AF, Gourevitch RA, Luo EM .
Right-sizing prenatal care to meet patients' needs and improve maternity care value.
Obstet Gynecol 2020 May;135(5):1027-37. doi: 10.1097/aog.0000000000003820..
Keywords: Maternal Care, Pregnancy, Women, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Grant MC, Gibbons MM, Ko CY
Evidence review conducted for the AHRQ Safety Program for Improving Surgical Care and Recovery: focus on anesthesiology for gynecologic surgery.
This paper is an evidence review of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols for gynecologic surgery that will be used as part of AHRQ’s Safety Program for Improving Surgical Care and Recovery. This initiative was developed in partnership with the American College of Surgeons and the Johns Hopkins Medicine Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality. The authors conducted a literature review of the various anesthesia components which may influence outcomes and facilitate recovery after gynecological surgery. They included interventions for preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases of care and then summarized the best available evidence for ERAS for gynecological surgery. The best evidence was summarized for recommendations to be used in the initiative.
Citation: Grant MC, Gibbons MM, Ko CY .
Evidence review conducted for the AHRQ Safety Program for Improving Surgical Care and Recovery: focus on anesthesiology for gynecologic surgery.
AHRQ-funded; 233201500020I..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Surgery, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Evidence-Based Practice, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Women
Maurer M, Carman KL, Yang M
Increasing the use of comparative quality information in maternity care: results from a randomized controlled trial.
The authors tested an intervention to increase uptake of hospital-level maternity care quality reports among 245 pregnant women in North Carolina. They found that intervention participants were significantly more likely to report adopting behaviors to inform care, such as thinking through preferences, talking with their doctor, or creating a birth plan. They concluded that reports designed to put quality information into the larger context of what consumers want and need to know, along with targeted and timely communications, can increase consumer use of quality information and prompt them to talk with providers about care preferences and evidence-based practices.
AHRQ-funded; HS021873.
Citation: Maurer M, Carman KL, Yang M .
Increasing the use of comparative quality information in maternity care: results from a randomized controlled trial.
Med Care Res Rev 2019 Apr;76(2):208-28. doi: 10.1177/1077558717712290.
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Keywords: Maternal Care, Patient and Family Engagement, Quality Improvement, Women, Pregnancy
Milla C, Guo M, Chang A
Patient perspectives in comparing hospitals for childbirth: insights from Hawai'i.
Childbirth is a national priority area for healthcare quality improvement. Patient perspectives are increasingly valued in healthcare, yet Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) perspectives of healthcare quality are often understudied, particularly from individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP). In this study, the goal was to understand factors that consumers in Hawai'i, including AAPI and those with LEP, used to compare patient care in hospitals, especially for childbirth.
AHRQ-funded; HS021903.
Citation: Milla C, Guo M, Chang A .
Patient perspectives in comparing hospitals for childbirth: insights from Hawai'i.
Hawaii J Med Public Health 2019 Mar;78(3):89-97..
Keywords: Labor and Delivery, Pregnancy, Hospitals, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Cultural Competence, Women
Phillippi JC, Hartmann KE
Differentiating research, quality improvement, and case studies to ethically incorporate pregnant women.
This article discusses the need to involve pregnant women in research, quality improvement, and case studies and how to involve them in an ethical way with high standards to protect participants. This review includes vignettes to distinguish between the different types of studies and emphasizes that perinatal care providers will need to seek institutional review board approval for all research to be conducted.
AHRQ-funded; HS024733.
Citation: Phillippi JC, Hartmann KE .
Differentiating research, quality improvement, and case studies to ethically incorporate pregnant women.
J Midwifery Womens Health 2018 Jan;63(1):104-14. doi: 10.1111/jmwh.12673..
Keywords: Health Services Research (HSR), Healthcare Delivery, Maternal Care, Pregnancy, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement, Research Methodologies, Women