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
- Access to Care (1)
- Behavioral Health (2)
- Children/Adolescents (3)
- COVID-19 (6)
- Elderly (1)
- (-) Emergency Department (8)
- Evidence-Based Practice (1)
- Healthcare Utilization (2)
- Health Status (1)
- Hospitalization (1)
- Infectious Diseases (1)
- Inpatient Care (1)
- Nutrition (1)
- Prevention (1)
- (-) Public Health (8)
- Screening (1)
- Social Determinants of Health (1)
- Vulnerable Populations (1)
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 8 of 8 Research Studies DisplayedKilaru AS, Scheulen JJ, Harbertson CA
Boarding in US academic emergency departments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The purpose of this retrospective study was to characterize changes in emergency department (ED) boarding among U.S. academic EDs across the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. From January 2019 to December 2021 the researchers utilized a convenience sample of academic departments of emergency medicine to conduct an analysis of monthly data. The primary outcome was total boarding hours, and secondary outcomes included patient volume stratified by ED disposition. Of the 73 academic departments of emergency medicine contacted, 46.6% participated, a total of 43 individual EDs in 25 states. The study found that the adjusted mean total boarding hours per month were significantly lower during the second quarter of 2020 compared to the first quarter of 2019. Beginning in the second quarter of 2021, total boarding hours were significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels, peaking during the fourth quarter of 2021.
AHRQ-funded; HS026372.
Citation: Kilaru AS, Scheulen JJ, Harbertson CA .
Boarding in US academic emergency departments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ann Emerg Med 2023 Sep; 82(3):247-54. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2022.12.004..
Keywords: COVID-19, Emergency Department, Public Health
Jenkins JL, Hsu EB, Zhang A
Current evidence for infection prevention and control interventions in emergency medical services: a scoping review.
This study’s aim was to summarize current evidence from the United States on the effectiveness of practices and interventions for preventing, recognizing, and controlling occupationally acquired infectious diseases in Emergency Medical Service (EMS) clinicians. A database search was conducted for literature published January 2006 through March 15, 2022 to search for studies in the United States that involved EMS clinicians and firefighters, reported on one or more workplace practices or interventions that prevented or controlled infectious diseases, and included outcome measures. Eleven observational studies reported on infection prevention and control (IPC) practices providing evidence that hand hygiene, standard precautions, mandatory vaccine policies, and on-site vaccine clinics are effective. Less frequent handwashing and less frequent hand hygiene after glove use were positively correlated with nasal colonization of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) or PPE breach were correlated with higher severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seropositivity and virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seropositivity. Workers were more likely to be vaccinated against influenza if their employer offered the vaccine. Vaccination rates for H1N1 influenza increased with the use of active, targeted education modules.
AHRQ-funded; 75Q80120D00003.
Citation: Jenkins JL, Hsu EB, Zhang A .
Current evidence for infection prevention and control interventions in emergency medical services: a scoping review.
Prehosp Disaster Med 2023 Jun; 38(3):371-77. doi: 10.1017/s1049023x23000389..
Keywords: COVID-19, Emergency Department, Evidence-Based Practice, Prevention, Public Health, Infectious Diseases
Shankar LG, Habich M, Rosenman M
Mental health emergency department visits by children before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Investigators described pediatric mental health emergency department (ED) visit rates and visit characteristics before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. They found that mental health ED visit rates by children increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
AHRQ-funded; HS026385.
Citation: Shankar LG, Habich M, Rosenman M .
Mental health emergency department visits by children before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Acad Pediatr 2022 Sep-Oct;22(7):1127-32. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2022.05.022..
Keywords: COVID-19, Children/Adolescents, Emergency Department, Behavioral Health, Healthcare Utilization, Public Health
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
Murray E, Roosevelt GE, Vogel JA
Screening for health-related social needs in the emergency department: adaptability and fidelity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Researchers sought to evaluate a screening and referral program for health-related social needs (HRSN) in an emergency department. Using the Accountable Health Communities Screening Tool, they found that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, HRSN doubled, likely reflecting the economic impact of the pandemic.
AHRQ-funded; HS023901.
Citation: Murray E, Roosevelt GE, Vogel JA .
Screening for health-related social needs in the emergency department: adaptability and fidelity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Am J Emerg Med 2022 Apr;54:323.e1-23.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2021.09.071..
Keywords: COVID-19, Social Determinants of Health, Emergency Department, Screening, Public Health
Smulowitz PB, O'Malley AJ, Khidir H
National trends In ED visits, hospital admissions, and mortality for Medicare patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Concerns about avoidance or delays in seeking emergency care during the COVID-19 pandemic are widespread, but national data on emergency department (ED) visits and subsequent rates of hospitalization and outcomes are lacking. In this study, the investigators examined trends in ED visits and rates of hospitalization and thirty-day mortality conditional on an ED visit for non-COVID-19 conditions during several stages of the pandemic and for areas that were considered COVID-19 hot spots versus those that were not.
AHRQ-funded; HS025408.
Citation: Smulowitz PB, O'Malley AJ, Khidir H .
National trends In ED visits, hospital admissions, and mortality for Medicare patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Health Aff 2021 Sep;40(9):1457-64. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2021.00561..
Keywords: COVID-19, Public Health, Emergency Department, Hospitalization
Sonik RA, Coleman-Jensen A, Parish SL
Household food insufficiency, health status and emergency healthcare utilisation among children with and without special healthcare needs.
The purpose of this study was to compare exposure to household food insufficiency and the relationship between household food insufficiency and both health status and emergency healthcare utilization among children with and without special healthcare needs (SHCN). The investigators concluded that compared with other children, children with SHCN have an elevated risk of exposure to household food insufficiency and experiencing greater reductions in health status when exposed.
AHRQ-funded; HS026317.
Citation: Sonik RA, Coleman-Jensen A, Parish SL .
Household food insufficiency, health status and emergency healthcare utilisation among children with and without special healthcare needs.
Public Health Nutr 2020 Dec;23(17):3204-10. doi: 10.1017/s1368980020000361..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Nutrition, Health Status, Emergency Department, Public Health
Malik S, Lee DC, Doran KM
Vulnerability of older adults in disasters: emergency department utilization by geriatric patients after Hurricane Sandy.
Older adults are a potentially medically vulnerable population with increased mortality rates during and after disasters. To evaluate the impact of a natural disaster on this population, the authors of this study performed a temporal and geospatial analysis of emergency department (ED) use by adults aged 65 years and older in New York City (NYC) following Hurricane Sandy's landfall.
AHRQ-funded; HS024172.
Citation: Malik S, Lee DC, Doran KM .
Vulnerability of older adults in disasters: emergency department utilization by geriatric patients after Hurricane Sandy.
Disaster Med Public Health Prep 2018 Apr;12(2):184-93. doi: 10.1017/dmp.2017.44..
Keywords: Elderly, Emergency Department, Vulnerable Populations, Public Health, Healthcare Utilization