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Topics
- Adverse Drug Events (ADE) (3)
- Adverse Events (4)
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (1)
- Antibiotics (1)
- Antimicrobial Stewardship (1)
- Blood Thinners (1)
- Cardiovascular Conditions (1)
- Care Coordination (1)
- Children/Adolescents (2)
- Chronic Conditions (2)
- Clinician-Patient Communication (8)
- (-) Communication (28)
- Diabetes (1)
- Education: Patient and Caregiver (4)
- Elderly (1)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (3)
- Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing) (1)
- Evidence-Based Practice (2)
- Guidelines (4)
- Healthcare Delivery (1)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (5)
- Health Literacy (3)
- Health Promotion (1)
- Heart Disease and Health (2)
- Hospital Discharge (3)
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (1)
- Implementation (2)
- Long-Term Care (1)
- Medical Errors (4)
- Medicare (1)
- (-) Medication (28)
- Medication: Safety (10)
- Nursing Homes (1)
- Opioids (6)
- Pain (2)
- Patient Adherence/Compliance (2)
- Patient Safety (8)
- Policy (3)
- Practice Patterns (4)
- Prevention (1)
- Primary Care (1)
- Provider (4)
- Provider: Clinician (2)
- Provider: Pharmacist (2)
- Public Health (1)
- Risk (1)
- Shared Decision Making (1)
- Stroke (1)
- Substance Abuse (2)
- Tools & Toolkits (2)
- Training (1)
- Transitions of Care (1)
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 25 of 28 Research Studies DisplayedCarroll AR, Johnson JA, Stassun JC
Health literacy-informed communication to reduce discharge medication errors in hospitalized children: a randomized clinical trial.
This study’s objective was to test a health literacy-informed communication intervention to decrease liquid medication dosing errors compared with standard counseling in hospitalized children. This parallel, randomized clinical trial was conducted from June 22, 2021, to August 20, 2022, at a tertiary care, US children's hospital. English- and Spanish-speaking caregivers of hospitalized children 6 years or younger prescribed a new, scheduled liquid medication at discharge were included in the analysis. Observed dosing errors were the main outcome measured, and secondary outcomes included caregiver-reported medication knowledge. Among 198 randomized caregivers (mean age 31.4 years; 186 women [93.9%]; 36 [18.2%] Hispanic or Latino and 158 [79.8%] White), the primary outcome was available for 151 (76.3%). The observed mean (SD) percentage dosing error was 1.0% (2.2 percentage points) among the intervention group and 3.3% (5.1 percentage points) among the standard counseling group (absolute difference, 2.3 percentage points). Twenty-four of 79 caregivers in the intervention group (30.4%) measured an incorrect dose compared with 39 of 72 (54.2%) in the standard counseling group. The intervention enhanced caregiver-reported medication knowledge compared with the standard counseling group for medication dose (71 of 76 [93.4%] vs 55 of 69 [79.7%]), duration of administration (65 of 76 [85.5%] vs 49 of 69 [71.0%], and correct reporting of 2 or more medication adverse effects (60 of 76 [78.9%] vs 13 of 69 [18.8%]).
AHRQ-funded; HS026122.
Citation: Carroll AR, Johnson JA, Stassun JC .
Health literacy-informed communication to reduce discharge medication errors in hospitalized children: a randomized clinical trial.
JAMA Netw Open 2024 Jan 2; 7(1):e2350969. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.50969..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Health Literacy, Communication, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Clinician-Patient Communication, Hospital Discharge, Medication: Safety
Sankar A, Everhart AO, Jena AB
Longitudinal patterns in testosterone prescribing after US FDA safety communication in 2014.
This study described changes in testosterone prescribing following a 2014 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety communication and how changes varied by physician characteristics. The authors extracted data from a 20% random sample of Medicare fee-for-service administrative claims data from 2011 through 2019. This unique sample included 1,544,604 unique male beneficiaries who received evaluation and management (E&M) services from 58,819 unique physicians that prescribed testosterone between 2011 and 2013. Patients were classified by presence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and non-age-related hypogonadism. Physician characteristics included specialty and affiliations with teaching hospitals, for-profit hospitals, hospitals in integrated delivery networks, and hospitals in the top decile of case mix index. Among 65,089,560 physician-patient-quarter-year observations, mean (standard deviation) age ranged from 72.16 (5.84 SD) years for observations without CAD or non-age-related hypogonadism to 75.73 (6.92 SD) years with CAD and without non-age-related hypogonadism. Following the safety communication, immediate changes in off-label testosterone prescription levels fell by 0.22 percentage points (pp) for patients with CAD and by -0.16 pp for patients without CAD, with a similar change in on-label prescribing levels. The off-label testosterone prescription quarterly trend increased for patients with CAD and without CAD; on-label testosterone prescription trends declined for both groups. Primary care physicians had larger declines in off-label prescribing then non-primary care physicians, and physicians affiliated with teaching compared to nonteaching hospitals. On-label prescribing found no changes associated with physician and organizational characteristics.
AHRQ-funded; HS025164.
Citation: Sankar A, Everhart AO, Jena AB .
Longitudinal patterns in testosterone prescribing after US FDA safety communication in 2014.
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2023 Sep; 49(9):458-66. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2023.05.003..
Keywords: Communication, Medication, Practice Patterns
Niederdeppe J, Avery RJ, Liu J
Is exposure to pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer advertising for heart disease and diabetes associated with physical activity and dietary behavior?
This study examined associations between estimated exposure to direct consumer-to-advertising (DTCA) for drugs focused on heart disease/cholesterol and diabetes and self-reported exercise and consumption of a variety of unhealthy foods (candy, sugary drinks, alcohol, and fast food). The authors estimated exposure to DTCA by combining data from Kantar Media Intelligence (Kantar) on televised pharmaceutical DTCA airings in the U.S. from January 2003 to August 2016 (n = 7,696,851 airings) with thirteen years of data from the Simmons National Consumer Survey (Simmons), a mailed survey on television viewing patterns. They estimated associations between exposure to advertising (both overall and for advertisements with specific content) and self-reported physical activity and dietary behavior using Simmons data from January 2004 to December 2016 (n = 288,483 respondents from n = 157,621 unique households in the U.S.). They found that higher estimated exposure to DTCA for heart disease and diabetes drugs were not consistently associated with meaningful differences in the frequency of engaging in regular physical activity. However, greater estimated exposure to DTCA for both diseases were linked to small but consistently higher volume of consumption of candy, sugar-sweetened beverages, alcohol, and fast food.
AHRQ-funded; HS025983.
Citation: Niederdeppe J, Avery RJ, Liu J .
Is exposure to pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer advertising for heart disease and diabetes associated with physical activity and dietary behavior?
Soc Sci Med 2023 Aug; 330:116062. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116062..
Keywords: Communication, Diabetes, Heart Disease and Health, Medication
Alpert A, Lakdawalla D, Sood N
Prescription drug advertising and drug utilization: the role of Medicare Part D.
The purpose of this paper was to explore how direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) for prescription drugs affects use by leveraging a large and plausibly exogenous shock to DTCA influenced by the introduction of Medicare Part D. Part D led to greater increases in advertising in geographic areas with greater concentrations of Medicare beneficiaries. The researchers explored the effect of this increase in advertising on non-elderly individuals to separate the effects of advertising from the direct effects of Part D. The study found that exposure to advertising resulted in large increases in treatment initiation and improved adherence to medication. Advertising also had substantial positive spillover effects on non-advertised generic drugs.
AHRQ-funded; HS025983.
Citation: Alpert A, Lakdawalla D, Sood N .
Prescription drug advertising and drug utilization: the role of Medicare Part D.
J Public Econ 2023 May; 221. doi: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2023.104860..
Keywords: Communication, Medication, Medicare
DiStefano MJ, Markell JM, Doherty CC
Association between drug characteristics and manufacturer spending on direct-to-consumer advertising.
The purpose of this exploratory cross-sectional study was to pinpoint the attributes of drugs that correlate with a larger portion of promotional expenditure on consumer-targeted advertising. The researchers conducted an examination of drug traits and promotional expenses for the top 150 best-selling branded prescription medications in the US in 2020, using data from IQVIA National Sales Perspectives. IQVIA Channel Dynamics provided promotional spending information. Various drug features were assessed, including 2020 total sales and promotional spending, clinical benefit ratings, number of indications, off-label usage, molecule type, condition treated, administration method, generic availability, FDA approval year, World Health Organization anatomical therapeutic chemical classification, Medicare average annual spending per beneficiary, drug sales percentage, market size, and market competitiveness. Data was obtained from health technology assessment agencies and drug databases. The study found that in 2020, the median proportion of promotional spending allocated to direct-to-consumer advertising was 13.5% with a median promotional spending of $20.9 million and median total sales of $1.51 billion. Sixteen of the top 150 drugs had incomplete data, resulting in a primary study sample of 134 drugs. After adjusting for multiple drug characteristics, the mean proportion of total promotional spending allocated to direct-to-consumer advertising for the remaining 134 drugs was an absolute 14.3% higher for drugs with low added clinical benefit compared to those with high added clinical benefit and an absolute 1.5% higher for each 10% increase in total sales.
AHRQ-funded; HS000029.
Citation: DiStefano MJ, Markell JM, Doherty CC .
Association between drug characteristics and manufacturer spending on direct-to-consumer advertising.
JAMA 2023 Feb 7; 329(5):386-92. doi: 10.1001/jama.2022.23968..
Keywords: Medication, Communication
Becker MW, Kashy DA, Harben A
A novel strategy to optimize critical information on over the counter labels for older adults.
In this article, the authors described two experiments in which they evaluated the impact of over-the-counter (OTC) medication label designs that employ highlighting and warning labels placed on package fronts on the attention and use of critical information by older consumers. In both experiments. participants aged 65 or over were required to access and use critical label information to respond correctly to questions. Highlighting or placing critical information on the front of packaging significantly improved response accuracy. The authors concluded that these results are relevant for regulations which dictate label design to further ease and safety of use of medications for older adults.
AHRQ-funded; HS025386.
Citation: Becker MW, Kashy DA, Harben A .
A novel strategy to optimize critical information on over the counter labels for older adults.
Health Sci Rep 2023 Jan 25; 6(1):e1062. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.1062..
Keywords: Elderly, Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Communication
Stolldorf DP, Ridner SH, Vogus TJ
Implementation strategies in the context of medication reconciliation: a qualitative study.
Medication reconciliation (MedRec) is an important patient safety initiative that aims to prevent patient harm from medication errors. Yet, the implementation and sustainability of MedRec interventions have been challenging due to contextual barriers like the lack of interprofessional communication (among pharmacists, nurses, and providers) and limited organizational capacity. Guided by the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) taxonomy, the authors report the differing strategies hospital implementation teams used to implement an evidence-based MedRec Toolkit (the MARQUIS Toolkit).
AHRQ-funded; HS025486.
Citation: Stolldorf DP, Ridner SH, Vogus TJ .
Implementation strategies in the context of medication reconciliation: a qualitative study.
Implement Sci Commun 2021 Jun 10;2(1):63. doi: 10.1186/s43058-021-00162-5..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Implementation, Communication
Kandaswamy S, Pruitt Z, Kazi S
Clinician perceptions on the use of free-text communication orders.
The aim of this study was to investigate (1) why ordering clinicians use free-text orders to communicate medication information; (2) what risks physicians and nurses perceive when free-text orders are used for communicating medication information; and (3) how electronic health records (EHRs) could be improved to encourage the safe communication of medication information. The investigators concluded that clinicians' use of free-text orders as a workaround to insufficient structured order entry can create unintended patient safety risks.
AHRQ-funded; HS025136; HS024755.
Citation: Kandaswamy S, Pruitt Z, Kazi S .
Clinician perceptions on the use of free-text communication orders.
Appl Clin Inform 2021 May;12(3):484-94. doi: 10.1055/s-0041-1731002..
Keywords: Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing), Health Information Technology (HIT), Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Communication, Provider: Clinician, Provider, Risk
Szymczak JE, Keller SC, Linder JA
"I never get better without an antibiotic": antibiotic appeals and how to respond.
In this paper, the investigators present various scenarios in which patients who do not meet guideline criteria for antibiotic prescribing, appeal to clinicians for antibiotics. The authors discuss the issue of antiobiotic appeals and provide examples of responses for clinicians. They suggest that clinicians should acquire a stock of responses to these appeals grounded in the latest evidence about antibiotics.
AHRQ-funded; 233201500020I; HS026506; HS025782.
Citation: Szymczak JE, Keller SC, Linder JA .
"I never get better without an antibiotic": antibiotic appeals and how to respond.
Mayo Clin Proc 2021 Mar;96(3):543-46. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2020.09.031..
Keywords: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Medication, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Practice Patterns
Hood-Medland EA, White AEC, Kravitz RL
Agenda setting and visit openings in primary care visits involving patients taking opioids for chronic pain.
This study looked at primary care visit opening styles to assess use of agenda and non-agenda setting visit openings and their effects on participant experience with patients taking opioids for chronic pain. The study analyzed 83 video-recorded US primary care visits at a single academic medical center in California. A total of 49 family medicine and internal resident physicians and 83 patients were filmed. The authors developed a coding scheme that assessed the presence of agenda setting, distinct visit opening styles, and the number of total topics, major topics, surprise patient topics, and returns to prior topics discusses. They identified 2 visit opening styles with agenda setting (agenda eliciting, agenda reframing) and 3 non-agenda opening styles (open-ended question, patient launch, physician launch). Only 11% of visits included agenda setting and was associated with fewer surprise patient topics than visits without agenda setting.
AHRQ-funded; HS022236.
Citation: Hood-Medland EA, White AEC, Kravitz RL .
Agenda setting and visit openings in primary care visits involving patients taking opioids for chronic pain.
BMC Fam Pract 2021 Jan 4;22(1):4. doi: 10.1186/s12875-020-01317-4..
Keywords: Primary Care, Opioids, Medication, Pain, Chronic Conditions, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Ambulatory Care and Surgery
Alley L, Novak K, Havlin T
Development and pilot of a prescription drug monitoring program and communication intervention for pharmacists
The authors developed the Resources Encouraging Safe Prescription Opioid and Naloxone Dispensing (RESPOND) Toolkit to enhance community pharmacists' understanding of their role in addressing opioid safety; to improve integration of prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) into daily workflow; and to enhance communication between pharmacists, prescribers, and patients. In this paper, they described the development of the RESPOND Toolkit and summarized their findings from initial pilot testing. They concluded that the RESPOND Toolkit has promise as an effective and scalable approach to providing community pharmacist-tailored training to promote behavioral shifts supporting opioid safety for patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS024227.
Citation: Alley L, Novak K, Havlin T .
Development and pilot of a prescription drug monitoring program and communication intervention for pharmacists
Res Social Adm Pharm 2020 Oct;16(10):1422-30. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2019.12.023..
Keywords: Opioids, Substance Abuse, Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Tools & Toolkits, Communication, Provider: Pharmacist, Provider, Training
Brand-McCarthy SR, Delaney RK, Noseworthy PA
Can shared decision making improve stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation?: Implications of the updated guidelines.
This paper discusses the need for shared decision making (SDM) in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients not just at the beginning of treatment but throughout during ongoing care. Use of SDM can help with patient adherence to recommended anticoagulation treatment regimens and lifestyle changes. It can help build a strong partnership between clinician and patient.
AHRQ-funded; HS026379.
Citation: Brand-McCarthy SR, Delaney RK, Noseworthy PA .
Can shared decision making improve stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation?: Implications of the updated guidelines.
Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2020 Mar;13(3):e006080. doi: 10.1161/circoutcomes.119.006080..
Keywords: Shared Decision Making, Stroke, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Prevention, Guidelines, Blood Thinners, Medication, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication
Gilson AM, Xiong KZ, Stone JA
Improving patient-pharmacist encounters with over-the-counter medications: a mixed-methods pilot study.
This study evaluated the impact of having an abbreviated medication section in pharmacies specifically for older adults (Senior Section™) on the frequency and content of over-the-counter (OTC) medication encounters between pharmacy staff and patients. An intervention mixed-methods design was created to generate data from patient OTC encounters, and interviews with two pharmacists and two technicians, throughout the study. The interview transcripts were coded, and frequencies and chi-square analyses demonstrated pre/post-intervention comparisons for the OTC encounter variables. After implementation, pharmacy staff were more likely to initiate (and be involved in) patient encounters, address more topics or problem/symptoms, provide details about OTC products, discuss appropriateness of OTC use, and discuss medication classes highlighted in the Senior Section. Pharmacy staff were less likely to need to leave the prescription counter for extended periods, and they also had fewer prolonged encounters or encounters about product location.
AHRQ-funded; HS024490.
Citation: Gilson AM, Xiong KZ, Stone JA .
Improving patient-pharmacist encounters with over-the-counter medications: a mixed-methods pilot study.
Innov Pharm 2020 Feb 14;11(1). doi: 10.24926/iip.v11i1.2295..
Keywords: Provider: Pharmacist, Medication, Medication: Safety, Communication, Patient Safety
McCarthy DM, Curtis LM, Courtney DM
A multifaceted intervention to improve patient knowledge and safe use of opioids: results of the ED EMC(2) randomized controlled trial.
Despite increased focus on opioid prescribing, little is known about the influence of prescription opioid medication information given to patients in the emergency department (ED). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of an Electronic Medication Complete Communication (EMC(2)) Opioid Strategy on patients' safe use of opioids and knowledge about opioids. The study found that the EMC(2) tools improved demonstrated safe dosing, but these benefits did not translate into actual use based on medication dairies. The text-messaging intervention did result in improved patient knowledge.
AHRQ-funded; HS023459.
Citation: McCarthy DM, Curtis LM, Courtney DM .
A multifaceted intervention to improve patient knowledge and safe use of opioids: results of the ED EMC(2) randomized controlled trial.
Acad Emerg Med 2019 Dec;26(12):1311-25. doi: 10.1111/acem.13860..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Health Literacy, Education: Patient and Caregiver, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Wyatt DL
AHRQ Author: Wyatt DL
Employing technology to make care transitions safer.
This commentary discusses the potential for errors in patient handoffs; important information about medications and instructions regarding patient care may be overlooked when the patient is referred to special care, moved to a new hospital setting, or discharged. The problem is especially acute for patients with multiple chronic conditions who often undergo frequent transitions to new care settings and healthcare providers. The author describes AHRQ’s funding opportunities for health information technology interventions that aim to improve communication and coordination during care transitions, such as location-based smartphone alerts, a patient-centered discharge toolkit, and a ‘smart pillbox’ electronic medication adherence reporting project.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Wyatt DL .
Employing technology to make care transitions safer.
J Nurs Care Qual 2019 Jul/Sep;34(3):185-88. doi: 10.1097/ncq.0000000000000417..
Keywords: Adverse Events, Care Coordination, Chronic Conditions, Communication, Health Information Technology (HIT), Healthcare Delivery, Hospital Discharge, Medical Errors, Medication, Patient Safety, Transitions of Care
Pack AP, Golin CE, Hill LM
Patient and clinician perspectives on optimizing graphical displays of longitudinal medication adherence data.
This study looked into the value of using graphical display prototypes of hypothetical daily drug concentrations measured in hair for patients to assess their medication adherence. Investigators surveyed 30 HIV-positive patients and 29 clinicians to assess their preferences for three different prototypes. Patients and clinicians generally found the prototypes acceptable, but clinicians largely preferred daily drug concentrations in bar graph display. Patients with lower health literacy had trouble understanding the link between medication-taking and drug concentrations in hair and also preferred pictographs over bar or line graphs.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Pack AP, Golin CE, Hill LM .
Patient and clinician perspectives on optimizing graphical displays of longitudinal medication adherence data.
Patient Educ Couns 2019 Jun;102(6):1090-97. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2018.12.029..
Keywords: Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Health Literacy, Medication, Patient Adherence/Compliance, Provider, Provider: Clinician
Klara K, Kim J, Ross JS
Direct-to-consumer broadcast advertisements for pharmaceuticals: off-label promotion and adherence to FDA guidelines.
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements for prescription drugs in the United States are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Off-label promotion, or the advertisement of a drug for an indication not approved by the FDA, is prohibited. The objective of this study was to examine the presence of off-label promotion in broadcast DTC ads and to assess their adherence to FDA guidelines mandating fair balance in presentation of risks and benefits and prohibiting misleading advertisement claims.
AHRQ-funded; HS022882.
Citation: Klara K, Kim J, Ross JS .
Direct-to-consumer broadcast advertisements for pharmaceuticals: off-label promotion and adherence to FDA guidelines.
J Gen Intern Med 2018 May;33(5):651-58. doi: 10.1007/s11606-017-4274-9..
Keywords: Medication, Guidelines, Policy, Communication
Ancker JS, Send A, Hafeez B
Health IT usability focus section: adapting EHR-based medication instructions to comply with plain language guidance-a randomized experiment.
Using examples of clinician-written medication instructions from an electronic health record, the investigators conducted an experiment to determine whether parental misinterpretations would be reduced by instructions that followed best practices for plain language. The researchers found that a relatively simple intervention of revising text was associated with a modest reduction in frequency of misinterpretations of medication instructions.
AHRQ-funded; HS021531.
Citation: Ancker JS, Send A, Hafeez B .
Health IT usability focus section: adapting EHR-based medication instructions to comply with plain language guidance-a randomized experiment.
Appl Clin Inform 2017 Oct;8(4):1127-43. doi: 10.4338/aci-2017-06-ra-0111..
Keywords: Communication, Education: Patient and Caregiver, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Medication
Meisel ZF, Metlay JP, Sinnenberg L
A randomized trial testing the effect of narrative vignettes versus guideline summaries on provider response to a professional organization clinical policy for safe opioid prescribing.
The authors compared whether narrative vignettes embedded in the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) daily e-newsletter improved dissemination of the clinical policy to ACEP members, and engagement of members with the clinical policy, compared with traditional summary text. They found that the vignettes outperformed traditional guideline text in promoting engagement with an evidence-based clinical guideline related to opioid prescriptions.
AHRQ-funded; HS021956.
Citation: Meisel ZF, Metlay JP, Sinnenberg L .
A randomized trial testing the effect of narrative vignettes versus guideline summaries on provider response to a professional organization clinical policy for safe opioid prescribing.
Ann Emerg Med 2016 Dec;68(6):719-28. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2016.03.007.
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Keywords: Communication, Evidence-Based Practice, Guidelines, Opioids, Medication, Medication: Safety, Policy, Provider
Curtis LM, Mullen RJ, Russell A
An efficacy trial of an electronic health record-based strategy to inform patients on safe medication use: the role of written and spoken communication.
The researchers tested the feasibility and efficacy of an electronic health record (EHR) strategy that automated the delivery of print medication information at the time of prescribing. They found that written information and physician counseling were independently associated with patient understanding of risk information and that receiving both was most beneficial. They concluded that although an EHR can be a reliable means to deliver tangible, print medication education to patients, it cannot replace physician-patient communication, and that offering both written and spoken information resulted in a synergistic effect for informing patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS017220.
Citation: Curtis LM, Mullen RJ, Russell A .
An efficacy trial of an electronic health record-based strategy to inform patients on safe medication use: the role of written and spoken communication.
Patient Educ Couns 2016 Sep;99(9):1489-95. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2016.07.004.
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Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Communication, Education: Patient and Caregiver, Medication: Safety, Medication
Smith KJ, Handler SM, Kapoor WN
Automated communication tools and computer-based medication reconciliation to decrease hospital discharge medication errors.
This study examines a health care system’s implementation of a broader set of automated primary care physician communication tools, including computerized medication reconciliation, and its impact on discharge medication errors. It found that implementation of automated health system–based tools, including computerized discharge medication reconciliation, decreased hospital discharge medication errors in medically complex patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS018151.
Citation: Smith KJ, Handler SM, Kapoor WN .
Automated communication tools and computer-based medication reconciliation to decrease hospital discharge medication errors.
Am J Med Qual 2016 Jul;31(4):315-22. doi: 10.1177/1062860615574327..
Keywords: Health Information Technology (HIT), Communication, Medication, Medical Errors, Hospital Discharge
McGinty EE, Kennedy-Hendricks A, Baller J
Criminal activity or treatable health condition? News media framing of opioid analgesic abuse in the United States, 1998-2012.
The authors conducted an analysis of the volume and content of news media coverage of opioid analgesic abuse over a 15-year period from 1998 to 2012. They found that news media more often frame the problem as a criminal justice issue, rather than a public health crisis. The most frequently mentioned cause of the problem was illegal drug dealing, and the most frequently mentioned solutions were law enforcement solutions. Prevention-oriented approaches were mentioned more frequently in the latter years of the study period, but few of the news stories overall mentioned expanding substance abuse treatment, and even fewer mentioned expanding access to evidence-based medication-assisted treatments.
AHRQ-funded; HS000029.
Citation: McGinty EE, Kennedy-Hendricks A, Baller J .
Criminal activity or treatable health condition? News media framing of opioid analgesic abuse in the United States, 1998-2012.
Psychiatr Serv 2016 Apr;67(4):405-11. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201500065.
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Keywords: Communication, Medication, Opioids, Substance Abuse
Flickinger TE, Saha S, Roter D
Clinician empathy is associated with differences in patient-clinician communication behaviors and higher medication self-efficacy in HIV care.
The researchers examined associations of clinicians' empathy with patient-clinician communication behaviors, patients' rating of care, and medication self-efficacy. They found that clinicians in the highest vs. lowest empathy tertile engaged in less explicitly emotional talk, while clinicians in the middle vs. lowest engaged in more positive talk, more questions, and more patient activating talk, while patients of higher empathy clinicians disclosed more psychosocial and biomedical information. They further found that patients of clinicians in both the middle and highest (vs. lowest) empathy tertiles had greater odds of reporting highest medication self-efficacy.
AHRQ-funded; HS013903.
Citation: Flickinger TE, Saha S, Roter D .
Clinician empathy is associated with differences in patient-clinician communication behaviors and higher medication self-efficacy in HIV care.
Patient Educ Couns 2016 Feb;99(2):220-6. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2015.09.001.
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Keywords: Communication, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Medication, Patient Adherence/Compliance, Clinician-Patient Communication
Tjia J, Field T, Mazor K
Dissemination of evidence-based antipsychotic prescribing guidelines to nursing homes: a cluster randomized trial.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of efforts to translate and disseminate evidence-based guidelines about atypical antipsychotic use to nursing homes (NHs). It found that RE-AIM indicators suggest some success in disseminating the toolkit and differences in reach, adoption, and implementation according to dissemination strategy but no measurable effect on antipsychotic prescribing trends.
AHRQ-funded; HS019351.
Citation: Tjia J, Field T, Mazor K .
Dissemination of evidence-based antipsychotic prescribing guidelines to nursing homes: a cluster randomized trial.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2015 Jul;63(7):1289-98. doi: 10.1111/jgs.13488..
Keywords: Communication, Evidence-Based Practice, Guidelines, Long-Term Care, Medication, Nursing Homes, Practice Patterns, Tools & Toolkits, Implementation
Hughes HK, Korthuis PT, Saha S
A mixed methods study of patient-provider communication about opioid analgesics.
The researchers sought to describe patient-provider communication about opioid pain medicine and explore how these discussions affect provider attitudes toward patients. They found that pain management discussions are common in routine outpatient HIV encounters and providers may regard patients less favorably if opioids are discussed during visits. The sometimes-adversarial nature of these discussions may negatively affect provider attitudes toward patients.
AHRQ-funded; 290010012; HS013903.
Citation: Hughes HK, Korthuis PT, Saha S .
A mixed methods study of patient-provider communication about opioid analgesics.
Patient Educ Couns 2015 Apr;98(4):453-61. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2014.12.003..
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Keywords: Communication, Medication, Opioids, Pain, Clinician-Patient Communication