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
- Access to Care (3)
- Adverse Drug Events (ADE) (2)
- Adverse Events (5)
- Alcohol Use (1)
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (1)
- Antibiotics (2)
- Asthma (5)
- Behavioral Health (2)
- Brain Injury (1)
- Cancer (1)
- Cardiovascular Conditions (4)
- Care Management (2)
- Children/Adolescents (19)
- Chronic Conditions (1)
- Clinical Decision Support (CDS) (2)
- Clinician-Patient Communication (2)
- Communication (2)
- Community-Acquired Infections (1)
- Community-Based Practice (2)
- Community Partnerships (1)
- COVID-19 (1)
- Critical Care (3)
- Data (1)
- Decision Making (5)
- Diagnostic Safety and Quality (7)
- Digestive Disease and Health (1)
- Disparities (1)
- Domestic Violence (1)
- Education: Academic (1)
- Education: Continuing Medical Education (2)
- Elderly (7)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (5)
- (-) Emergency Department (82)
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) (3)
- Emergency Preparedness (2)
- Evidence-Based Practice (3)
- Falls (1)
- Guidelines (2)
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) (9)
- Healthcare Costs (1)
- Healthcare Delivery (10)
- Healthcare Utilization (10)
- Health Information Exchange (HIE) (1)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (13)
- Health Insurance (3)
- Health Services Research (HSR) (2)
- Health Status (1)
- Heart Disease and Health (3)
- Home Healthcare (2)
- Hospital Discharge (5)
- Hospitalization (7)
- Hospital Readmissions (3)
- Hospitals (16)
- Imaging (4)
- Infectious Diseases (1)
- Influenza (2)
- Injuries and Wounds (6)
- Inpatient Care (1)
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (2)
- Kidney Disease and Health (1)
- Long-Term Care (1)
- Medicaid (1)
- Medical Errors (2)
- Medicare (1)
- Medication (9)
- Medication: Safety (1)
- Mortality (3)
- Nutrition (1)
- Obesity (1)
- Opioids (3)
- Osteoporosis (2)
- Outcomes (6)
- Pain (2)
- Patient-Centered Healthcare (1)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (4)
- Patient Safety (9)
- Pneumonia (1)
- Policy (2)
- Practice Patterns (3)
- Prevention (2)
- Primary Care (4)
- Provider (3)
- Provider: Nurse (1)
- Provider: Physician (5)
- Provider Performance (2)
- Public Health (1)
- Quality Improvement (7)
- Quality Indicators (QIs) (2)
- Quality Measures (2)
- Quality of Care (11)
- Quality of Life (1)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (1)
- Registries (2)
- Research Methodologies (2)
- Respiratory Conditions (5)
- Risk (4)
- Rural Health (2)
- Screening (2)
- Sepsis (5)
- Sickle Cell Disease (1)
- Simulation (1)
- Skin Conditions (2)
- Social Determinants of Health (3)
- Stroke (2)
- Substance Abuse (2)
- Surgery (2)
- Telehealth (5)
- Training (1)
- Transitions of Care (3)
- Trauma (3)
- Treatments (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 25 of 82 Research Studies DisplayedMyong C, Hull P, Price M
The impact of funding for federally qualified health centers on utilization and emergency department visits in Massachusetts.
This retrospective study examined the impact of funding for federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) on utilization and emergency department (ED) visits in Massachusetts. The authors theorized that greater funding for FQHCs could increase the local availability of clinic-based care and reduce more costly resource use, such as ED visits. Data from the Massachusetts All Payer Claims Database (APCD) 2010-2013 was used that included enrollees in 559 Massachusetts ZIP codes (2010 numbers 6,173,563). They calculated shift-share predictions of changes in FQHC funding at the ZIP code-level for FQHCs that received Community Health Center funds in any year. They found that a standard deviation increase in prior year FQHC funding (31%) was associated with a 2.3% increase in enrollees with FQHC visits and a 1.3% decrease in enrollees at EDs. However, there were no significant changes in emergent ED visit rates.
AHRQ-funded; HS025378.
Citation: Myong C, Hull P, Price M .
The impact of funding for federally qualified health centers on utilization and emergency department visits in Massachusetts.
PLoS One 2020 Dec 3;15(12):e0243279. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243279..
Keywords: Community-Based Practice, Healthcare Utilization, Emergency Department, Healthcare Costs, Access to Care, Vulnerable Populations, Policy
Anesi GL, Chelluri J, Qasim ZA
Association of an emergency department-embedded critical care unit with hospital outcomes and intensive care unit use.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential impact of an emergency department-embedded critical care unit (CCU) at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania among patients with sepsis and acute respiratory failure (ARF) admitted from the emergency department to a medical ward or ICU from January 2016 to December 2017. Findings showed that the emergency department-embedded CCU was not associated with clinical outcomes among patients admitted with sepsis or ARF. Among less sick patients with sepsis, the emergency department-embedded CCU was initially associated with reduced rates of direct ICU admission from the emergency department. Further research was recommended to further evaluate the impact and utility of the emergency department-embedded CCU model.
AHRQ-funded; HS026372.
Citation: Anesi GL, Chelluri J, Qasim ZA .
Association of an emergency department-embedded critical care unit with hospital outcomes and intensive care unit use.
Ann Am Thorac Soc 2020 Dec;17(12):1599-609. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201912-912OC..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Critical Care, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Hospitals, Sepsis, Respiratory Conditions, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Healthcare Delivery
Patterson BW, Jacobsohn GC, Maru AP
Comparing strategies for identifying falls in older adult emergency department visits using EHR data.
This study compared seven different strategies for identifying falls in older adult emergency department (ED) visits using electronic health record (EHR) data. This retrospective cohort study used randomly selected data from 500 ED visits by patients 65 and older at an academic medical center from December 2016 to April 2017. The seven strategies tested were: Chief complaint (CC), ICD codes, Restrictive ICD codes, Broad ICD codes, Combined approaches, Natural language processing (NLP), and Manual abstraction (gold standard). When compared with manual chart review, NLP was found to be the most accurate fall identification strategy, followed by a combination of a restrictive ICD code-based definition with CC.
AHRQ-funded; HS024558.
Citation: Patterson BW, Jacobsohn GC, Maru AP .
Comparing strategies for identifying falls in older adult emergency department visits using EHR data.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2020 Dec;68(12):2965-67. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16831..
Keywords: Elderly, Falls, Emergency Department, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Griffey RT, Schneider RM, Sharp BR
Description and yield of current quality and safety review in selected US academic emergency departments.
This study examined the impact of current quality and safety reviews used in US academic emergency departments (EDs). The authors hypothesized that current protocols are decades old and inefficient with low yield for identifying patient harm. They conducted a prospective observational study at five academic EDs for a 12-month procedure. Sites used the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s definition in defining an adverse event and a modified National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (MERP) Index for severity grading of events. They reviewed a total of 4735 cases and identified 381 events, of which 287 were near-misses, and 94 had adverse events (AEs). The overall AE rate was 1.99% (1.24-3.47%) across all sites. Quality concern rate (events without harms) was 6.06% (5.42-6.78%). Forty-seven percent of cases used 72 hour returns as their referral source but with only a 0.81% yield in identifying harm. Other referral sources also had similar low yields. External referrals in the 94 AE cases accounted for 41.49% of cases. The authors concluded that new approaches to quality and safety review in the ED are needed to optimize yield and efficiency for identifying harms and areas for improvement.
AHRQ-funded; HS025052.
Citation: Griffey RT, Schneider RM, Sharp BR .
Description and yield of current quality and safety review in selected US academic emergency departments.
J Patient Saf 2020 Dec;16(4):e245-e49. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000379..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Patient Safety, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Provider Performance
Miller AC, Ward MM, Ullrich F
Emergency department telemedicine consults are associated with faster time-to-electrocardiogram and time-to-fibrinolysis for myocardial infarction patients.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of telemedicine on the timeliness of emergency acute myocardial infarction (AMI) care for patients presenting to rural emergency departments (EDs) with chest pain. Findings showed that, in telemedicine networks, telemedicine consultation during the ED visit was associated with improved timeliness of electrocardiogram evaluation and increased use of fibrinolytic reperfusion therapy for rural AMI patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS025753.
Citation: Miller AC, Ward MM, Ullrich F .
Emergency department telemedicine consults are associated with faster time-to-electrocardiogram and time-to-fibrinolysis for myocardial infarction patients.
Telemed J E Health 2020 Dec;26(12):1440-48. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2019.0273..
Keywords: Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Emergency Department, Rural Health, Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions
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
Rutkowski RA, Salwei M, Barton H
Physician perceptions of disposition decision-making for older adults in the emergency department: a preliminary analysis.
Disposition decision-making in the emergency department (ED) is critical to patient safety and quality of care. Disposition decision-making has particularly important implications for older adults who comprise a significant portion of ED visits annually and are vulnerable to suboptimal outcomes throughout ED care transitions. In this study, the investigators conducted a secondary inductive content analysis of interviews with ED physicians to explore their perceptions of who they involve in disposition decision-making and what information they use to make disposition decisions for older adults.
AHRQ-funded; HS026624.
Citation: Rutkowski RA, Salwei M, Barton H .
Physician perceptions of disposition decision-making for older adults in the emergency department: a preliminary analysis.
Proc Hum Factors Ergon Soc Annu Meet 2020 Dec;64(1):648-52. doi: 10.1177/1071181320641148..
Keywords: Elderly, Decision Making, Emergency Department, Provider: Physician
Harder VS, Shaw JS, McCulloch CE
Statewide asthma learning collaborative participation and asthma-related emergency department use.
This study looked at outcomes from participation of pediatric practices in a quality improvement (QI) collaborative to decrease asthma-related emergency department (ED) visits. A statewide network of practices participated in the collaborative from 2015 to 2016. Asthma-related ED visit rates per 100 child-years for children ages 3 to 21 was evaluated using the state’s all-payer claims databases. The authors found that in the postintervention year (2017) participating practices’ ED visit rate decreased by 5.8 per 100 child-years, compared to an increase of 1.8 per 100 child-years in non-participating practices. There were no statistically significant differences in asthma-related ED visit rates during 2016, which indicated that it took some time for QI elements to be successfully implemented in pediatric practices.
AHRQ-funded; HS025297.
Citation: Harder VS, Shaw JS, McCulloch CE .
Statewide asthma learning collaborative participation and asthma-related emergency department use.
Pediatrics 2020 Dec;146(6):e20200213. doi: 10.1542/peds.2020-0213..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Emergency Department, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Primary Care, Guidelines
Tameron AM, Ricci KB, Oslock WM
The association between self-declared acute care surgery services and critical care resources: results from a national survey.
In this study, the investigators examined differences in critical care structures and processes between hospitals with Acute Care Surgery (ACS) versus general surgeon on call (GSOC) models for emergency general surgery (EGS) care. The investigators concluded that while harnessing of critical care structures and processes varied across hospitals that had implemented ACS, overall ACS models of care appeared to have more robust critical care practices.
AHRQ-funded; HS022694.
Citation: Tameron AM, Ricci KB, Oslock WM .
The association between self-declared acute care surgery services and critical care resources: results from a national survey.
J Crit Care 2020 Dec;60:84-90. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2020.04.002..
Keywords: Surgery, Critical Care, Emergency Department, Healthcare Delivery, Hospitals
Griffey RT, Schneider RM, Todorov AA
The emergency department trigger tool: validation and testing to optimize yield.
Researchers validated the emergency department trigger tool (EDTT) in an independent sample and compared record selection approaches to optimize yield for quality improvement. In this single-site study of the EDTT, they observed high levels of validity in trigger selection, yield, and representativeness of adverse events, with yields that are superior to estimates for traditional approaches to adverse event detection. Record selection using weighted triggers outperformed a trigger count threshold approach and far outperformed random sampling from records with at least one trigger. They concluded that the EDTT is a promising efficient and high-yield approach for detecting all-cause harm to guide quality improvement efforts in the emergency department.
AHRQ-funded; HS025052.
Citation: Griffey RT, Schneider RM, Todorov AA .
The emergency department trigger tool: validation and testing to optimize yield.
Acad Emerg Med 2020 Dec;27(12):1279-90. doi: 10.1111/acem.14101..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Medical Errors, Adverse Events, Patient Safety, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Matson TE, Lapham GT, Bobb
Cannabis use, other drug use, and risk of subsequent acute care in primary care patients.
This study evaluated whether self-reported frequency of cannabis or other drug use was associated with subsequent acute care. Using EHR and claims data from 8 sites in Washington State that implemented annual substance use screening, findings showed that those reporting cannabis use less than monthly or daily had greater risk of acute care during follow-up than those reporting no use. Patients reporting other drug use less than monthly, weekly, or daily had greater risk of acute care than those reporting no other drug use. It is unclear whether findings will generalize to U.S. states with broader racial/ethnic diversity.
AHRQ-funded; HS023173.
Citation: Matson TE, Lapham GT, Bobb .
Cannabis use, other drug use, and risk of subsequent acute care in primary care patients.
Drug Alcohol Depend 2020 Nov 1;216:108227. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108227..
Keywords: Substance Abuse, Primary Care, Emergency Department
Mohr NM, Pape SG, Runde D
Etomidate use is associated with less hypotension than ketamine for emergency department sepsis intubations: a NEAR cohort study.
The objectives of this study were to describe the current use of etomidate and other induction agents in patients with sepsis and to compare adverse events between etomidate and ketamine in sepsis. Using the National Emergency Airway Registry data set, findings showed that etomidate is used less frequently in sepsis patients than in non-sepsis patients, with ketamine being the most frequently used alternative. Further, ketamine was associated with more postprocedural hypotension than etomidate. Recommendations included future clinical trials to determine the optimal induction agent in patients with sepsis.
AHRQ-funded; HS025753.
Citation: Mohr NM, Pape SG, Runde D .
Etomidate use is associated with less hypotension than ketamine for emergency department sepsis intubations: a NEAR cohort study.
Acad Emerg Med 2020 Nov;27(11):1140-49. doi: 10.1111/acem.14070..
Keywords: Medication, Sepsis, Emergency Department, Registries, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events
Topaz M, Woo K, Ryvicker M
Home healthcare clinical notes predict patient hospitalization and emergency department visits.
About 30% of home healthcare patients are hospitalized or visit an emergency department (ED) during a home healthcare (HHC) episode. Novel data science methods are increasingly used to improve identification of patients at risk for negative outcomes. The aim of the study was to identify patients at heightened risk hospitalization or ED visits using HHC narrative data (clinical notes).
AHRQ-funded; HS027742.
Citation: Topaz M, Woo K, Ryvicker M .
Home healthcare clinical notes predict patient hospitalization and emergency department visits.
Nurs Res 2020 Nov/Dec;69(6):448-54. doi: 10.1097/nnr.0000000000000470..
Keywords: Elderly, Home Healthcare, Emergency Department, Hospitalization, Risk, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Michelson KA, Hudgins JD, Burke LG
Trends in severe pediatric emergency conditions in a national cohort, 2008 to 2014.
The objective of this study was to determine the incidence and recent trends in serious pediatric emergency conditions. Data from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample 2008-2014 was used, and included patients less than18 years of age with a serious condition. Findings showed that the most common serious condition in children presenting to United States emergency departments was serious respiratory disease, while anaphylaxis was the fastest increasing serious condition.
AHRQ-funded; T32 HS000063.
Citation: Michelson KA, Hudgins JD, Burke LG .
Trends in severe pediatric emergency conditions in a national cohort, 2008 to 2014.
Pediatr Emerg Care 2020 Nov;36(11):e620-e21. doi: 10.1097/pec.0000000000001409..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Children/Adolescents, Emergency Department
Boggs KM, Teferi MM, Espinola JA
Consolidating emergency department-specific data to enable linkage with large administrative datasets.
This paper looks at the challenges and opportunities presented by consolidating hospital-level data with patient-level data to create better analyses of hospital-based specialties, units, or departments, and patient outcomes. The American Hospital Association (AHA) has hospital-level data, while the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has patient-level data which can be used to study emergency departments (EDs). A distinct database discussed in this paper is the Nationwide Emergency Department Inventory (NEDI). However, the NEDI database lists EDs individually while the AHA and CMS databases list EDs individually or by group if they are part of a larger network. A test set using EDs from New England was conducted using individually matched NEDI EDs with corresponding EDs in the AHA and CMS. A “group match” was assigned when more than one NEDI ED was matched to a single AHA or CMS facility ID number. Of the 195 EDs in the test set, 169 (87%) completed the NEDI survey. Of those, 77% EDs were individually listed in AHA and CMS while 39 were part of groups consisting of 2-3 EDs with one facility ID. The grouped EDs had a larger number of annual visits and beds, were more likely to be freestanding and were less likely to be rural. The consolidated dataset with 171 EDS yielded similar results to the 169 responding EDs which provides a more representative sample for studies.
AHRQ-funded; HS024561.
Citation: Boggs KM, Teferi MM, Espinola JA .
Consolidating emergency department-specific data to enable linkage with large administrative datasets.
West J Emerg Med 2020 Oct 27;21(6):141-45. doi: 10.5811/westjem.2020.8.48305..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Emergency Department, Hospitals, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Slatnick LR, Thornhill D, Deakyne Davies
Disseminated intravascular coagulation is an independent predictor of adverse outcomes in children in the emergency department with suspected sepsis.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of early disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) on illness severity in children using a database of emergency department ED encounters for children with suspected sepsis, in view of similar associations in adults. The investigators concluded that a DIC score of ≥3 was an independent predictor for both vasopressor use and mortality in this pediatric cohort, distinct from the adult overt DIC score cutoff of ≥5.
AHRQ-funded; HS025696.
Citation: Slatnick LR, Thornhill D, Deakyne Davies .
Disseminated intravascular coagulation is an independent predictor of adverse outcomes in children in the emergency department with suspected sepsis.
J Pediatr 2020 Oct;225:198-206.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.06.022..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Emergency Department, Sepsis, Adverse Events, Mortality, Patient Safety, Outcomes
Martinez DA, Levin SR, Klein EY
Early prediction of acute kidney injury in the emergency department with machine-learning methods applied to electronic health record data.
Researchers analyzed routinely collected emergency department (ED) data and developed prediction models with capacity for early identification of ED patients at high risk for acute kidney injury. They found that machine learning applied to routinely-collected ED data identified ED patients at high risk for acute kidney injury up to 72 hours before they met diagnostic criteria. They recommended further prospective evaluation.
AHRQ-funded; HS027793.
Citation: Martinez DA, Levin SR, Klein EY .
Early prediction of acute kidney injury in the emergency department with machine-learning methods applied to electronic health record data.
Ann Emerg Med 2020 Oct;76(4):501-14. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2020.05.026..
Keywords: Kidney Disease and Health, Emergency Department, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Isbell LM, Tager J, Beals K
Emotionally evocative patients in the emergency department: a mixed methods investigation of providers' reported emotions and implications for patient safety.
Emergency department (ED) physicians and nurses frequently interact with emotionally evocative patients, which can impact clinical decision-making and behaviour. This study introduced well-established methods from social psychology to investigate ED providers' reported emotional experiences and engagement in their own recent patient encounters, as well as perceived effects of emotion on patient care.
AHRQ-funded; HS025752.
Citation: Isbell LM, Tager J, Beals K .
Emotionally evocative patients in the emergency department: a mixed methods investigation of providers' reported emotions and implications for patient safety.
BMJ Qual Saf 2020 Oct;29(10):1-2. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2019-010110..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Patient Safety
Dresden SM, Lo AX, Lindquist LA
The impact of Geriatric Emergency Department Innovations (GEDI) on health services use, health related quality of life, and costs: protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
The objective of this randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the efficacy of the Geriatric Emergency Department Innovations (GEDI) program, an ED nurse-led geriatric assessment and care coordination program, in decreasing unnecessary health services use and improving Health-Related Quality-of-Life (HRQoL) for older adults in the ED. Community-dwelling older adults aged 65 and older who are vulnerable or frail according to the Clinical Frailty Scale during an ED visit will be randomized to either GEDI or to usual ED care. The primary outcome is hospitalization or death within 30 days of the ED visit. Secondary outcomes include health service use outcomes, healthcare costs, and HRQoL outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS026489.
Citation: Dresden SM, Lo AX, Lindquist LA .
The impact of Geriatric Emergency Department Innovations (GEDI) on health services use, health related quality of life, and costs: protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
Contemp Clin Trials 2020 Oct;97:106125. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2020.106125..
Keywords: Elderly, Emergency Department, Quality of Life, Hospitalization, Hospital Discharge
Ramgopal S, Aronson PL, Marin JR
United States' emergency department visits for fever by young children 2007-2017.
The authors estimated rates of emergency department (ED) visits for fever by children less than 2 years of age and evaluated frequencies of testing and treatment during these visits. They found that, given existing guidelines, blood and urine culture performance was low for infants up to 90 days old. For children 91 days up to 2 years, rates of radiography and antibiotic use were higher in general EDs compared to pediatric EDs. They concluded that their findings suggest opportunities to improve care among febrile young children in the ED.
AHRQ-funded; HS026006.
Citation: Ramgopal S, Aronson PL, Marin JR .
United States' emergency department visits for fever by young children 2007-2017.
West J Emerg Med 2020 Oct 27;21(6):146-51. doi: 10.5811/westjem.2020.8.47455..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Emergency Department, Healthcare Utilization
Wentz AE, Wang RRC, Marshall BDL
Variation in opioid analgesia administration and discharge prescribing for emergency department patients with suspected urolithiasis.
Previous research has suggested caution about opioid analgesic usage in the emergency department (ED) setting and raised concerns about variations in prescription opioid analgesic usage, both across institutions and for whom they are prescribed. In this study, the investigators examined opioid analgesic usage in ED patients with suspected urolithiasis across fifteen participating hospitals. They found marked hospital-level differences in opioid analgesic administration and prescribing, as well as associations with education, healthcare insurance, and race/ethnicity groups.
AHRQ-funded; HS019312.
Citation: Wentz AE, Wang RRC, Marshall BDL .
Variation in opioid analgesia administration and discharge prescribing for emergency department patients with suspected urolithiasis.
Am J Emerg Med 2020 Oct;38(10):2119-24. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2020.07.016..
Keywords: Opioids, Medication, Emergency Department, Practice Patterns, Hospital Discharge
Isbell LM, Boudreaux ED, Chimowitz H
What do emergency department physicians and nurses feel? A qualitative study of emotions, triggers, regulation strategies, and effects on patient care.
Despite calls to study how healthcare providers' emotions may impact patient safety, little research has addressed this topic. The current study aimed to develop a comprehensive understanding of emergency department (ED) providers' emotional experiences, including what triggers their emotions, the perceived effects of emotions on clinical decision making and patient care, and strategies providers use to manage their emotions to reduce patient safety risks.
AHRQ-funded; HS025752.
Citation: Isbell LM, Boudreaux ED, Chimowitz H .
What do emergency department physicians and nurses feel? A qualitative study of emotions, triggers, regulation strategies, and effects on patient care.
BMJ Qual Saf 2020 Oct;29(10):1-2. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2019-010179..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Provider: Nurse, Provider: Physician, Patient Safety
Drendel AL, Brousseau DC, Casper TC
Opioid prescription patterns at emergency department discharge for children with fractures.
The authors sought to measure the variability in discharge opioid prescription practices for children discharged from the emergency department (ED) with a long-bone fracture. They found that, for children with a long-bone fracture, discharge opioid prescription varied widely by ED site of care. In addition, black patients, Hispanic patients, and patients with government insurance were less likely to be prescribed opioids. This variability in opioid prescribing was not accounted for by patient- or injury-related factors that are associated with increased pain.
AHRQ-funded; HS020270.
Citation: Drendel AL, Brousseau DC, Casper TC .
Opioid prescription patterns at emergency department discharge for children with fractures.
Pain Med 2020 Sep;21(9):1947-54. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnz348..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Opioids, Medication, Emergency Department, Injuries and Wounds, Practice Patterns
Cotter JM, Tyler A, Reese J
Steroid variability in pediatric inpatient asthmatics: survey on provider preferences of dexamethasone versus prednisone.
This study looked at pediatric emergency department (ED) inpatient use of dexamethasone versus prednisone by providers for asthma treatment. A survey was distributed to providers who care for inpatient asthmatics. Ninety-two providers completed the survey. When patients received dexamethasone in the ED, 44% continued dexamethasone, 14% switched to prednisone, 2% stopped steroid use, and 40% said it depended on the circumstances. Hospitalists were significantly more likely to continue dexamethasone than pulmonologists (61% versus 15%). Switching to prednisone included factors such as severity of exacerbation (73%) and asthma history (47%). Just over half of providers (5f1%) felt uncomfortable using dexamethasone because of “minimal data to support [its] use inpatient.”
AHRQ-funded; HS026512.
Citation: Cotter JM, Tyler A, Reese J .
Steroid variability in pediatric inpatient asthmatics: survey on provider preferences of dexamethasone versus prednisone.
J Asthma 2020 Sep;57(9):942-48. doi: 10.1080/02770903.2019.1622713..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Medication, Inpatient Care, Care Management, Hospitalization, Emergency Department, Practice Patterns, Provider: Physician, Provider
Terp S, Seabury SA, Axeen S
The association between hospital characteristics and Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act citation events.
The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) is a federal law enacted in 1986 prohibiting patient dumping (refusing or transferring patients with emergency medical conditions without appropriate stabilization), and discrimination based upon ability to pay. In this study, the investigators evaluated hospital-level features associated with citation for EMTALA violation. They concluded that for-profit ownership was associated with increased odds of EMTALA citations after adjusting for other characteristics.
AHRQ-funded; HS025281.
Citation: Terp S, Seabury SA, Axeen S .
The association between hospital characteristics and Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act citation events.
Med Care 2020 Sep;58(9):793-99. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001360..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Hospitals, Policy, Transitions of Care