National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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Search All Research Studies
Topics
- Adverse Events (2)
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (1)
- Behavioral Health (1)
- Cancer (2)
- Care Coordination (1)
- (-) Caregiving (22)
- Children/Adolescents (16)
- (-) Clinician-Patient Communication (22)
- Communication (18)
- Cultural Competence (3)
- Diagnostic Safety and Quality (1)
- Education: Patient and Caregiver (2)
- Elderly (4)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (3)
- Emergency Department (2)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (6)
- Health Literacy (2)
- Hospitalization (4)
- Hospitals (1)
- Inpatient Care (2)
- Medical Errors (1)
- Neurological Disorders (1)
- Newborns/Infants (1)
- Patient-Centered Healthcare (1)
- Patient and Family Engagement (6)
- Patient Experience (2)
- Patient Safety (2)
- Policy (2)
- Provider (2)
- Provider: Physician (2)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (1)
- Shared Decision Making (8)
- Sleep Problems (1)
- Surgery (1)
- Web-Based (1)
- Young Adults (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 22 of 22 Research Studies DisplayedWust KL, Carayon P, Werner NE
Older adult patients and care partners as knowledge brokers in fragmented health care.
This study explores the knowledge broker roles of older adult patients and their care partners during emergency department (ED) visits. The research concludes that patients and care partners serve as information liaisons between fragmented care systems, providing details on diagnostic testing, medications, health history, and care accommodations. They engage in proactive and reactive knowledge brokering within and across ED work systems, aiding in communication and care coordination to mitigate healthcare fragmentation.
AHRQ-funded; HS026624.
Citation: Wust KL, Carayon P, Werner NE .
Older adult patients and care partners as knowledge brokers in fragmented health care.
Hum Factors 2024 Mar; 66(3):701-13. doi: 10.1177/00187208221092847.
Keywords: Elderly, Emergency Department, Caregiving, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication
Nacht CL, Jacobson N, Shiyanbola O
Perception of physicians' notes among parents of different health literacy levels.
The study explored how parents of varying health literacy levels perceive accessing physicians' notes during pediatric hospitalization. Thematic analysis of interviews with 28 parents revealed benefits like information recall and autonomy, with challenges including receiving bad news before face-to-face communication. The study found that parents with limited literacy found notes especially helpful for understanding the care of the child while reducing worry. Simplifying medical terms could enhance note accessibility for all parents, ensuring equitable access to healthcare information.
AHRQ-funded; HS027214.
Citation: Nacht CL, Jacobson N, Shiyanbola O .
Perception of physicians' notes among parents of different health literacy levels.
Hosp Pediatr 2024 Feb; 14(2):108-15. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2023-007240.
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Health Literacy, Caregiving, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication
Links AR, Callon W, Wasserman C
Treatment recommendations to parents during pediatric tonsillectomy consultations: a mixed methods analysis of surgeon language.
A deeper understanding of the dialogue clinicians use to relay treatment recommendations is needed to fully understand their influence on patient decisions about surgery. In this study, the authors characterize how otolaryngologists provide treatment recommendations and suggest a classification framework. The investigators concluded that clinicians provide treatment recommendations in a variety of ways that may introduce more or less certainty and choice to parental treatment decisions.
AHRQ-funded; HS022932.
Citation: Links AR, Callon W, Wasserman C .
Treatment recommendations to parents during pediatric tonsillectomy consultations: a mixed methods analysis of surgeon language.
Patient Educ Couns 2021 Jun;104(6):1371-79. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2020.11.015..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Surgery, Caregiving, Shared Decision Making, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Provider: Physician, Provider
Zellmer BM, Nacht CL, Coller RJ
BedsideNotes: sharing physicians' notes with parents during hospitalization.
Physicians increasingly share ambulatory visit notes with patients to meet new federal requirements, and evidence suggests patient experiences improve without overburdening physicians. Whether sharing inpatient notes with parents of hospitalized children yields similar outcomes is unknown. In this pilot study, the investigators evaluated parent and physician perceptions of sharing notes with parents during hospitalization. The investigators concluded that parents all valued having access to physicians' notes during their child's hospital stay; however, some physicians remained concerned about the potential negative consequences of sharing.
AHRQ-funded; HS027214.
Citation: Zellmer BM, Nacht CL, Coller RJ .
BedsideNotes: sharing physicians' notes with parents during hospitalization.
Hosp Pediatr 2021 May;11(5):503-08. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2020-005447..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Caregiving, Hospitalization
Aronson PL, Politi MC, Schaeffer P
Development of an app to facilitate communication and shared decision-making with parents of febrile infants ≤ 60 days old.
This study’s aim was to develop and test a tool to engage parents of febrile infants 60 days or less of age evaluated in the emergency department (ED). The tool was designed to improve communication between parents and healthcare providers and to support shared decision-making (SDM) about whether to perform a lumbar puncture (LP) for infants 29 to 60 days of age. The authors conducted a multi-phase development and testing process including individual, semi-structured interviews with parents and clinicians; design of a “storyboard” of the tool with design impression testing; development of a software application prototype called e-Care; and usability testing of e-Care using qualitative assessment and the System Usability Scale (SUS). The authors interviewed 27 parents and 23 clinicians. After the interviews, they developed separate versions of e-Care for infants aged 28 days or less and 29 to 60 days of age in both English and Spanish. e-Care is divided into 4 sections: 1) homepage; 2) why testing is done; 3) what tests are done; and 4) what happens after testing. The mean SUS score given by parents and clinicians was 90.3 representing “excellent” usability.
AHRQ-funded; HS026006.
Citation: Aronson PL, Politi MC, Schaeffer P .
Development of an app to facilitate communication and shared decision-making with parents of febrile infants ≤ 60 days old.
Acad Emerg Med 2021 Jan;28(1):46-59. doi: 10.1111/acem.14082..
Keywords: Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Newborns/Infants, Caregiving, Shared Decision Making, Patient and Family Engagement, Emergency Department, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Hale KL, Wallace DD, Blanco-Duran D
Conversations between Latina mothers and their child's mental health provider: An observational study of shared decision-making regarding pediatric patient mental health needs.
The authors evaluated shared decision-making (SDM) and delineated SDM processes in audio-recorded conversations between language-congruent Spanish-/English-speaking clinicians and parents of pediatric mental health patients. They found that their present sample performed on par with other populations studied to date, and that it expanded the evaluation of observed SDM to include Latino patients and new clinician populations. The practical implications of their findings is that use of the Observer OPTION(5) instrument highlights that eliciting and integrating parent/patient preferences is a skill that requires attention when delivering culturally competent interventions.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Hale KL, Wallace DD, Blanco-Duran D .
Conversations between Latina mothers and their child's mental health provider: An observational study of shared decision-making regarding pediatric patient mental health needs.
Patient Educ Couns 2020 Jan;103(1):96-102. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2019.08.013..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Shared Decision Making, Cultural Competence, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Caregiving, Behavioral Health
Ancker JS, Sharko M, Hong M
Should parents see their teen's medical record? Asking about the effect on adolescent-doctor communication changes attitudes.
Parents routinely access young children's medical records, but medical societies strongly recommend confidential care during adolescence, and most medical centers restrict parental records access during the teen years. In this study, the investigators sought to assess public opinion about adolescent medical privacy. The investigators concluded that although medical societies recommend confidential care for adolescents, public opinion was largely in favor of parental access.
AHRQ-funded; HS021531.
Citation: Ancker JS, Sharko M, Hong M .
Should parents see their teen's medical record? Asking about the effect on adolescent-doctor communication changes attitudes.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2018 Dec;25(12):1593-99. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocy120..
Keywords: Caregiving, Children/Adolescents, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Policy
Meyer AND, Giardina TD, Khanna A
Pediatric clinician perspectives on communicating diagnostic uncertainty.
This study examined how pediatric clinicians discussed diagnostic uncertainty with their patients’ parents. A sample study was conducted at two large academic medical institutions in Texas. Twenty pediatric clinicians participated. Some clinicians felt more comfortable expressing diagnostic uncertainty to parents who were more educated. The strength of the parent-clinician relationship also changed how clinicians communicated with parents.
AHRQ-funded; HS022087; HS023602
Citation: Meyer AND, Giardina TD, Khanna A .
Pediatric clinician perspectives on communicating diagnostic uncertainty.
Int J Qual Health Care 2019 Nov 30;31(9):G107-G12. doi: 10.1093/intqhc/mzz061..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Caregiving, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication
Khan A, Yin HS, Brach C
AHRQ Author: Brach C
Association between parent comfort with English and adverse events among hospitalized children.
The purpose of this study was to examine the association between parents’ limited comfort with English (LCE) and adverse events in a cohort of hospitalized children. Participants included Arabic-, Chinese-, English-, and Spanish-speaking parents of patients 17 years and younger in the pediatric units of seven North American hospitals. Findings showed that hospitalized children of parents expressing LCE were twice as likely to experience harms due to medical care. Targeted strategies are needed to improve communication and safety for this vulnerable group of children.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; HS022986.
Citation: Khan A, Yin HS, Brach C .
Association between parent comfort with English and adverse events among hospitalized children.
JAMA Pediatr 2020 Dec;174(12):e203215. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.3215..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Caregiving, Cultural Competence, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Inpatient Care, Hospitalization
Choe AY, Unaka NI, Schondelmeyer AC
Inpatient communication barriers and drivers when caring for limited english proficiency children.
The authors identified barriers to and drivers of effective interpreter service use when caring for hospitalized limited English proficiency (LEP) children from the perspectives of pediatric medical providers and interpreters. Using Group Level Assessment, they found that participants identified unique barriers and drivers that impact communication with LEP patients and their families during hospitalization. They suggested that future directions include exploring the perspective of LEP families and utilizing team-based and family-centered communication strategies to standardize and improve communication practices.
AHRQ-funded; HS025138.
Citation: Choe AY, Unaka NI, Schondelmeyer AC .
Inpatient communication barriers and drivers when caring for limited english proficiency children.
J Hosp Med 2019 Oct;14(10):607-13. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3240..
Keywords: Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Cultural Competence, Children/Adolescents, Inpatient Care, Patient and Family Engagement, Caregiving
Links AR, Callon W, Wasserman C
Surgeon use of medical jargon with parents in the outpatient setting.
This study analyzed the use of unexplained medical jargon with parents whose children have sleep-disordered breathing and their consultations with otolaryngologists in a pediatric surgical setting. Participants (64 parents and 8 otolaryngologists) completed questionnaires that evaluated demographics, clinical features and parental role in decision-making. Unexplained medical jargon was commonly used by physicians (mean total utterances per visit = 28.9) while parents used jargon a mean of 4.3 times. Clinicians used more jargon when they felt that parents had greater involvement in decision-making or when parents used more jargon themselves. These results will be incorporated into communication training for clinicians.
AHRQ-funded; HS022932.
Citation: Links AR, Callon W, Wasserman C .
Surgeon use of medical jargon with parents in the outpatient setting.
Patient Educ Couns 2019 Jun;102(6):1111-18. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2019.02.002..
Keywords: Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Caregiving, Children/Adolescents, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Shared Decision Making, Education: Patient and Caregiver, Provider, Provider: Physician
Armstrong MJ, Rastgardani T, Gagliardi AR
Barriers and facilitators of communication about off periods in Parkinson's disease: qualitative analysis of patient, carepartner, and physician Interviews.
This article discusses barriers and facilitators of communication with Parkinson’s disease patients, care partners, and their physicians specifically during off periods. Twenty persons with Parkinson’s and their care partners, and 20 physicians participated in interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire. Communication barrier levels were identified as patient-level, caregiver-level, and physician-level. For patients cognitive impairment and reluctance to discuss symptoms was the largest barrier. Caregiver absence was also a barrier. For physicians barriers were distraction by technology and lack of appreciation of off period burdens. Various tools such as home diaries, questionnaires and mobile phone videos can be used to aid communication regarding off periods. Patients and their caregivers stressed the need for more formal educational materials and improved educational tools.
AHRQ-funded; HS024159.
Citation: Armstrong MJ, Rastgardani T, Gagliardi AR .
Barriers and facilitators of communication about off periods in Parkinson's disease: qualitative analysis of patient, carepartner, and physician Interviews.
PLoS One 2019 Apr 18;14(4):e0215384. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215384..
Keywords: Communication, Clinician-Patient Communication, Neurological Disorders, Caregiving, Education: Patient and Caregiver, Health Literacy, Patient and Family Engagement
Kelly MM, Thurber AS, Coller RJ
Parent perceptions of real-time access to their hospitalized child's medical records using an inpatient portal: a qualitative study.
In this study, the authors’ objectives were to identify why parents used an inpatient portal application on a tablet computer during their child's hospitalization and identify their perspectives of ways to optimize the technology. The investigators concluded that providing parents with real-time clinical information during their child's hospitalization using an inpatient portal may enhance their ability to engage in caregiving tasks critical to ensuring inpatient care quality and safety.
Citation: Kelly MM, Thurber AS, Coller RJ .
Parent perceptions of real-time access to their hospitalized child's medical records using an inpatient portal: a qualitative study.
Hosp Pediatr 2019 Apr;9(4):273-80. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2018-0166..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Caregiving, Hospitalization, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Clinician-Patient Communication
Brand McCarthy SR, Kang TI, Mack JW
Inclusion of children in the initial conversation about their cancer diagnosis: impact on parent experiences of the communication process.
The current study examined the frequency and impact of child presence during a serious medical conversation on the parent's communication experience in pediatric oncology. The investigators concluded that the parent's communication experience is not diminished by the choice to include the child. They suggest that given the bioethical imperative to include children in conversations about serious illness whenever possible, this concern should not be used to exclude children, but rather to give parents additional time of their own when needed to fully process decisions.
AHRQ-funded; HS000063.
Citation: Brand McCarthy SR, Kang TI, Mack JW .
Inclusion of children in the initial conversation about their cancer diagnosis: impact on parent experiences of the communication process.
Support Care Cancer 2019 Apr;27(4):1319-24. doi: 10.1007/s00520-019-4653-3..
Keywords: Cancer, Caregiving, Children/Adolescents, Clinician-Patient Communication, Patient and Family Engagement
Ashcraft LE, Asato M, Houtrow AJ
Parent empowerment in pediatric healthcare settings: a systematic review of observational studies.
The objective of this systematic review was to synthesize potential antecedents and consequences of parent empowerment in healthcare settings. The authors identified six themes within consequences of empowerment: increased parent involvement in daily care, improved symptom management, enhanced informational needs and tools, increased involvement in care decisions, increased advocacy for child, and engagement in empowering others. Six themes summarizing antecedents of empowerment also emerged: parent-provider relationships.
AHRQ-funded; HS022989.
Citation: Ashcraft LE, Asato M, Houtrow AJ .
Parent empowerment in pediatric healthcare settings: a systematic review of observational studies.
Patient 2019 Apr;12(2):199-212. doi: 10.1007/s40271-018-0336-2..
Keywords: Caregiving, Children/Adolescents, Clinician-Patient Communication, Shared Decision Making, Patient and Family Engagement
Quintana Y, Fahy D, Crotty B
InfoSAGE: Supporting elders and families through online family networks.
With an increasingly elderly population, families are finding it increasingly challenging to coordinate care for their older family members. This paper reports on the findings of InfoSAGE, an online private social network that has tools for communication and care coordination for elders and their families.
AHRQ-funded; HS021495; HS024869.
Citation: Quintana Y, Fahy D, Crotty B .
InfoSAGE: Supporting elders and families through online family networks.
AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2018 Dec 5;2018:932-41..
Keywords: Elderly, Caregiving, Health Information Technology (HIT), Communication, Clinician-Patient Communication, Care Coordination
Quintana Y, Crotty B, Fahy D
Information sharing across generations and environments (InfoSAGE): study design and methodology protocol.
This open prospective cohort study aimed to assess a novel, Internet based, family-centric communication and collaboration platform created to address the information needs of elders and their informal caregivers in a community setting. It used a mixed methods approach, utilizing qualitative survey data along with website usage analytic data.
AHRQ-funded; HS021495.
Citation: Quintana Y, Crotty B, Fahy D .
Information sharing across generations and environments (InfoSAGE): study design and methodology protocol.
BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 2018 Nov 20;18(1):105. doi: 10.1186/s12911-018-0697-4.
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BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 2018 Nov 20;18(1):105. doi: 10.1186/s12911-018-0697-4.
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Keywords: Caregiving, Communication, Shared Decision Making, Elderly, Health Information Technology (HIT), Patient-Centered Healthcare, Clinician-Patient Communication, Web-Based
Bardach NS, Burkhart Q, Richardson LP
Hospital-based quality measures for pediatric mental health care.
The objective of this study was to develop and test medical record-based measures used to assess quality of pediatric mental health care in the emergency department (ED) and inpatient settings. The investigators drafted an evidence-based set of pediatric mental health care quality measures for the ED and inpatient settings and used them to identify sex and race disparities and substantial hospital variation.
AHRQ-funded; HS020506.
Citation: Bardach NS, Burkhart Q, Richardson LP .
Hospital-based quality measures for pediatric mental health care.
Pediatrics 2018 Jun;141(6). doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-3554..
Keywords: Cancer, Caregiving, Children/Adolescents, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Shared Decision Making, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Patient Experience, Patient and Family Engagement
Wisk LE, Gray SH, Gooding HC
I thought you said this was confidential?-Challenges to protecting privacy for teens and young adults.
In this opinion paper, the authors discuss challenges to protecting privacy for teens and young adults. They specifically examine the implications of the dependent coverage expansion provision of the Affordable Care Act.
AHRQ-funded; HS022986.
Citation: Wisk LE, Gray SH, Gooding HC .
I thought you said this was confidential?-Challenges to protecting privacy for teens and young adults.
JAMA Pediatr 2018 Mar;172(3):209-10. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.3927..
Keywords: Caregiving, Children/Adolescents, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Policy, Young Adults
Khan A, Furtak SL, Melvin P
Parent-provider miscommunications in hospitalized children.
The objectives of this study were to: (1) examine characteristics of parent-provider miscommunications about hospitalized children; (2) describe associations among parent-provider miscommunications, parent-reported errors, and hospital experience; and (3) compare parent and attending physician reports of parent-provider miscommunications. The investigators found that parent-provider miscommunications were associated with parent-reported errors and suboptimal hospital experience. Parents reported parent-provider miscommunications more often than attending physicians did.
AHRQ-funded; HS022986; HS000063.
Citation: Khan A, Furtak SL, Melvin P .
Parent-provider miscommunications in hospitalized children.
Hosp Pediatr 2017 Sep;7(9):505-15. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2016-0190..
Keywords: Adverse Events, Caregiving, Children/Adolescents, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Medical Errors, Patient Safety
Boss EF, Links AR, Saxton R
Parent experience of care and decision making for children who snore.
The researchers identified factors associated with parental experience and decision making in pediatric sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and adenotonsillectomy (AT) surgery. They found that while clinical factors were influential for decision making, interpersonal factors helped parents feel comfortable and influenced their overall experience
AHRQ-funded; HS022932.
Citation: Boss EF, Links AR, Saxton R .
Parent experience of care and decision making for children who snore.
JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2017 Mar;143(3):218-25. doi: 10.1001/jamaoto.2016.2400.
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Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Sleep Problems, Caregiving, Patient Experience, Shared Decision Making, Clinician-Patient Communication
Crotty BH, Walker J, Dierks M
Information sharing preferences of older patients and their families.
This study identified how patients older than 75 years (hereinafter, elders) and family caregivers of such patients approach sharing of health information, with the hope of applying the results to collaborative patient portals. It found that information sharing and control are complex issues even under the most well-meaning circumstances. While elders may delegate control and share information with family, they want to retain granular control of their information.
AHRQ-funded; HS021495.
Citation: Crotty BH, Walker J, Dierks M .
Information sharing preferences of older patients and their families.
JAMA Intern Med 2015 Sep;175(9):1492-7. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.2903..
Keywords: Caregiving, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Elderly, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)