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
AHRQ Research Studies Date
Topics
- Alcohol Use (2)
- Behavioral Health (2)
- Brain Injury (2)
- Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) (1)
- Chronic Conditions (1)
- Comparative Effectiveness (1)
- Diabetes (1)
- Diagnostic Safety and Quality (1)
- Elderly (1)
- Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) (2)
- Hospital Discharge (1)
- Injuries and Wounds (1)
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (1)
- Long-Term Care (2)
- Medication (1)
- Medication: Safety (1)
- Mortality (1)
- Neurological Disorders (1)
- Nursing Homes (2)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (1)
- Patient Safety (1)
- Pressure Ulcers (1)
- Prevention (3)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (1)
- Risk (1)
- Substance Abuse (1)
- Trauma (2)
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 9 of 9 Research Studies DisplayedNelson HD, Denneson LM, Low AR
Suicide risk assessment and prevention: a systematic review focusing on veterans.
This article reviews studies of the accuracy of methods to identify individuals at increased risk of suicide and the effectiveness and adverse effects of health care interventions relevant to U.S. veteran and military populations in reducing suicide and suicide attempts. It concludes that risk assessment methods have been shown to be sensitive predictors of suicide and suicide attempts, but the frequency of false positives limits their clinical utility.
AHRQ-funded; HS019456.
Citation: Nelson HD, Denneson LM, Low AR .
Suicide risk assessment and prevention: a systematic review focusing on veterans.
Psychiatr Serv 2017 Oct;68(10):1003-15. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201600384.
.
.
Keywords: Comparative Effectiveness, Behavioral Health, Prevention, Risk
Chavez LJ, Liu CF, Tefft N
The association between unhealthy alcohol use and acute care expenditures in the 30 days following hospital discharge among older Veterans Affairs patients with a medical condition.
Heavy alcohol use could predict increased risk for post-discharge acute care. This study assessed 30-day acute care utilization and expenditures for different categories of alcohol use, using VA and Medicare health care utilization data.
AHRQ-funded; HS022800.
Citation: Chavez LJ, Liu CF, Tefft N .
The association between unhealthy alcohol use and acute care expenditures in the 30 days following hospital discharge among older Veterans Affairs patients with a medical condition.
J Behav Health Serv Res 2017 Oct;44(4):602-24. doi: 10.1007/s11414-016-9529-4..
Keywords: Alcohol Use, Hospital Discharge
O'Neil ME, Callahan M, Carlson KF
Postconcussion symptoms reported by Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans with and without blast exposure, mild traumatic brain injury, and posttraumatic stress disorder.
This study examined symptom reporting related to the 10th Edition of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) criteria for postconcussional syndrome (PCS) in veterans. One aim was to examine relationships among PCS symptoms by using the British Columbia Postconcussion Symptom Inventory (BC-PSI). BC-PSI factors were interpreted as cognitive, vestibular, affective, anger, and somatic. Items and factor scores were highest for veterans with blast exposure plus mTBI, and lowest for controls.
AHRQ-funded; HS022981.
Citation: O'Neil ME, Callahan M, Carlson KF .
Postconcussion symptoms reported by Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans with and without blast exposure, mild traumatic brain injury, and posttraumatic stress disorder.
J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2017 Jun;39(5):449-58. doi: 10.1080/13803395.2016.1232699.
.
.
Keywords: Brain Injury, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Behavioral Health, Trauma
Mody L, Greene MT, Saint S
Comparing catheter-associated urinary tract infection prevention programs between Veterans Affairs nursing homes and non-Veterans Affairs nursing homes.
Nursing homes provided baseline information about their infection prevention programs to assess strengths and gaps related to catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) prevention via a needs assessment questionnaire. Among nursing homes participating in an AHRQ-funded collaborative, VA and non-VA nursing homes differed in their approach to CAUTI prevention. Best practices from both settings should be applied universally to create an optimal infection prevention program within emerging integrated healthcare systems.
AHRQ-funded; 290201000025I; HS019767; HS024385; HS018334.
Citation: Mody L, Greene MT, Saint S .
Comparing catheter-associated urinary tract infection prevention programs between Veterans Affairs nursing homes and non-Veterans Affairs nursing homes.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017 Mar;38(3):287-93. doi: 10.1017/ice.2016.279.
.
.
Keywords: Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI), Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Long-Term Care, Nursing Homes, Prevention
Brennan MB, Hess TM, Bartle B
Diabetic foot ulcer severity predicts mortality among veterans with type 2 diabetes.
Diabetic foot ulcers are associated with an increased risk of death. This study evaluated whether ulcer severity at presentation predicts mortality. It concluded that initial diabetic foot ulcer severity is a more significant predictor of subsequent mortality than coronary artery disease, peripheral arterial disease, or stroke.
AHRQ-funded; HS018542.
Citation: Brennan MB, Hess TM, Bartle B .
Diabetic foot ulcer severity predicts mortality among veterans with type 2 diabetes.
J Diabetes Complications. 2017 Mar;31(3):556-561. doi: 10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2016.11.020..
Keywords: Diabetes, Mortality, Chronic Conditions, Pressure Ulcers
Bensley KM, Harris AH, Gupta S
Racial/ethnic differences in initiation of and engagement with addictions treatment among patients with alcohol use disorders in the Veterans Health Administration.
In this study, the researchers investigated racial/ethnic variation in initiation of and engagement with specialty addictions treatment in a national sample of Black, Hispanic, and White patients with clinically recognized alcohol use disorders (AUD) from the US Veterans Health Administration (VA). The investigators found, after accounting for facility- and patient-level characteristics, Black and Hispanic patients with AUD were more likely than Whites to initiate specialty addictions treatment, and Black patients were more likely than Whites to engage.
AHRQ-funded; HS013853.
Citation: Bensley KM, Harris AH, Gupta S .
Racial/ethnic differences in initiation of and engagement with addictions treatment among patients with alcohol use disorders in the Veterans Health Administration.
J Subst Abuse Treat 2017 Feb;73:27-34. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2016.11.001..
Keywords: Alcohol Use, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Substance Abuse
Musuuza JS, Roberts TJ, Carayon P
Assessing the sustainability of daily chlorhexidine bathing in the intensive care unit of a Veteran's Hospital by examining nurses' perspectives and experiences.
The objective of this project was to describe the process of daily chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) bathing and identify the barriers and facilitators that can influence its successful adoption and sustainability in an ICU of a Veterans Administration Hospital. Patient bathing in ICUs was largely influenced by scheduling/workload and patient factors such as clinical stability, hypersensitivity to CHG, patient refusal, presence of IV lines and general hygiene.
AHRQ-funded; HS024039.
Citation: Musuuza JS, Roberts TJ, Carayon P .
Assessing the sustainability of daily chlorhexidine bathing in the intensive care unit of a Veteran's Hospital by examining nurses' perspectives and experiences.
BMC Infect Dis 2017 Jan 14;17(1):75. doi: 10.1186/s12879-017-2180-8.
.
.
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Prevention
Storzbach D, Twamley EW, Roost MS
Compensatory cognitive training for Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn veterans with mild traumatic brain injury.
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of group-based compensatory cognitive training (CCT) for veterans with a history of mild traumatic brain injury. Veterans who participated in CCT reported significantly fewer cognitive and memory difficulties and greater use of cognitive strategies. They also demonstrated significant improvements on neurocognitive tests of attention, learning, and executive functioning, which were 3 of the cognitive domains targeted in CCT.
AHRQ-funded; HS022981.
Citation: Storzbach D, Twamley EW, Roost MS .
Compensatory cognitive training for Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn veterans with mild traumatic brain injury.
J Head Trauma Rehabil 2017 Jan/Feb;32(1):16-24. doi: 10.1097/htr.0000000000000228.
.
.
Keywords: Brain Injury, Neurological Disorders, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Trauma
Moga DC, Carnahan RM, Lund BC
Risks and benefits of bladder antimuscarinics among elderly residents of Veterans Affairs Community Living Centers.
This study evaluated the risks and benefits of drugs to reduce urinary incontinence that were used by elderly VA nursing home residents. It found that the use of these drugs, known as bladder antimuscarinics, resulted in improved continence rates and better social engagement but also led to a higher risk of fractures in new users.
AHRQ-funded; HS016094
Citation: Moga DC, Carnahan RM, Lund BC .
Risks and benefits of bladder antimuscarinics among elderly residents of Veterans Affairs Community Living Centers.
J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2013 Oct;14(10):749-60. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2013.03.008..
Keywords: Elderly, Medication, Medication: Safety, Nursing Homes, Long-Term Care, Injuries and Wounds, Patient Safety