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
- Adverse Events (1)
- (-) Back Health and Pain (11)
- Chronic Conditions (8)
- Clinician-Patient Communication (1)
- Communication (1)
- Diagnostic Safety and Quality (3)
- Elderly (3)
- Emergency Department (1)
- Healthcare Utilization (1)
- Health Status (1)
- Hospitals (1)
- Imaging (2)
- Outcomes (1)
- Pain (9)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (1)
- Primary Care (1)
- Provider Performance (1)
- Quality of Life (2)
- Registries (1)
- Rehabilitation (1)
- Research Methodologies (1)
- Sleep Problems (1)
- Surgery (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 11 of 11 Research Studies DisplayedRumble DD, O'Neal K, Overstreet DS
Sleep and neighborhood socioeconomic status: a micro longitudinal study of chronic low-back pain and pain-free individuals.
This study compared associations between neighborhood-level socioeconomic status (SES), pain-status (chronic low back pain vs. pain-free), and daily sleep metrics in 117 adults. With neighborhood-level SES gathered from Neighborhood Atlas, and with individuals completing home sleep monitoring for 7 consecutive days/nights, analyses revealed neighborhood-level SES and neighborhood-level SES pain-status interaction significantly impacted objective sleep quality.
AHRQ-funded; HS013852.
Citation: Rumble DD, O'Neal K, Overstreet DS .
Sleep and neighborhood socioeconomic status: a micro longitudinal study of chronic low-back pain and pain-free individuals.
J Behav Med 2021 Dec;44(6):811-21. doi: 10.1007/s10865-021-00234-w..
Keywords: Sleep Problems, Back Health and Pain, Chronic Conditions, Pain
Greenberg JK, Olsen MA, Poe J
Administrative data are unreliable for ranking hospital performance based on serious complications after spine fusion.
The authors evaluated the extent to which a metric of serious complications determined from administrative data can reliably profile hospital performance in spine fusion surgery. They found that a metric of serious complications was unreliable for benchmarking cervical fusion outcomes and only modestly reliable for thoracolumbar fusion. They concluded that, when assessed using administrative datasets, these measures appeared to be inappropriate for high-stakes applications, such as public reporting or pay-for-performance.
AHRQ-funded; HS027075; HS019455.
Citation: Greenberg JK, Olsen MA, Poe J .
Administrative data are unreliable for ranking hospital performance based on serious complications after spine fusion.
Spine 2021 Sep 1;46(17):1181-90. doi: 10.1097/brs.0000000000004017..
Keywords: Surgery, Provider Performance, Hospitals, Adverse Events, Back Health and Pain
Overstreet DS, Michl AN, Penn TM
Temporal summation of mechanical pain prospectively predicts movement-evoked pain severity in adults with chronic low back pain.
The objective of this study was to determine whether quantitative sensory tests of endogenous pain inhibition and facilitation prospectively predict movement-evoked pain and chronic low back pain severity self-reported on a validated questionnaire. Through surveys using the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form, findings suggested that a pro-nociceptive pain modulatory balance characterized by enhanced pain facilitation may be an important driver of movement-evoked pain severity and poor physical function in individuals with chronic low back pain.
AHRQ-funded; HS013852.
Citation: Overstreet DS, Michl AN, Penn TM .
Temporal summation of mechanical pain prospectively predicts movement-evoked pain severity in adults with chronic low back pain.
BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2021 May 10;22(1):429. doi: 10.1186/s12891-021-04306-5..
Keywords: Back Health and Pain, Pain, Chronic Conditions, Diagnostic Safety and Quality
Kim HS, Ciolino JD, Lancki N
A prospective observational study of emergency department-initiated physical therapy for acute low back pain.
The purpose of this study was to compare patient-reported outcomes in patients receiving emergency department-initiated physical therapy and patients receiving usual care for acute low back pain. Findings showed that emergency department-initiated physical therapy for low back pain was associated with greater improvement in functioning and lower use of high-risk medications over 3 months.
AHRQ-funded; HS023011.
Citation: Kim HS, Ciolino JD, Lancki N .
A prospective observational study of emergency department-initiated physical therapy for acute low back pain.
Phys Ther 2021 Mar 3;101(3). doi: 10.1093/ptj/pzaa219..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Back Health and Pain, Pain, Chronic Conditions
Fenton JJ, Jerant A, Franks P
Watchful waiting as a strategy to reduce low-value spinal imaging: study protocol for a randomized trial.
This paper describes the protocol that will be used for an upcoming randomized control trial to determine the effectiveness of teaching clinicians how to advise watchful waiting when patients request low-value spinal imaging for acute low back pain. The authors will recruit 8-10 primary care and urgent care clinics in Sacramento, California. The study will last 3-6 months and during this time clinicians in the intervention group with receive 3 visits with standardized patient instructors (SPIs) portraying patients with acute back pain. The SPIs will instruct clinicians in a 3-step model emphasizing trust, empathic communication, and negotiation of a watchful waiting approach. The primary outcome looked for will a decreased post-intervention rate of spinal imaging among actual patients with acute back pain compared to the rate of imaging during the baseline period. Secondary outcomes will include use of targeted communication techniques during a follow-up visit with an SP.
AHRQ-funded; HS026415.
Citation: Fenton JJ, Jerant A, Franks P .
Watchful waiting as a strategy to reduce low-value spinal imaging: study protocol for a randomized trial.
Trials 2021 Feb 27;22(1):167. doi: 10.1186/s13063-021-05106-x..
Keywords: Back Health and Pain, Pain, Chronic Conditions, Imaging, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication
Fritz JM, Lane E, McFadden M
Physical therapy referral from primary care for acute back pain with sciatica: a randomized controlled trial.
This study examined whether early physical therapy (EPT) use in sciatica patients of less than 90 days duration reduces disability compared to usual care (UC) alone. A cohort of 220 adult sciatica patients ages 18 to 60 at two healthcare systems in Salt Lake City, Utah were randomly assigned to the control or EPT. Half (110) were given EPT, 1 education session, and then referred to 4 weeks of physical therapy including exercise and manual therapy. The other 110 were provided usual care. Outcomes were measured using the Oswestry Disability Index (OSW) after 6 months. Secondary outcomes were pain intensity, patient-reported treatment success, health care use or missed workdays. The EPT group were more likely to self-report less back pain after 5 weeks as well as treatment success after 1 year than the UC care group. There were no significant differences in health care use or missed workdays with the 2 groups.
AHRQ-funded; HS022641.
Citation: Fritz JM, Lane E, McFadden M .
Physical therapy referral from primary care for acute back pain with sciatica: a randomized controlled trial.
Ann Intern Med 2021 Jan;174(1):8-17. doi: 10.7326/m20-4187..
Keywords: Back Health and Pain, Pain, Primary Care
Nayfe R, Chansard M, Hynan LS
Comparison of patient-reported outcomes measurement information system and legacy instruments in multiple domains among older veterans with chronic back pain.
This study evaluated construct (convergent and discriminant) validity and time to complete NIH's Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) as compared to legacy instruments. Results showed that, given time efficiency of using PROMIS, along with strong construct validity, PROMIS instruments are a practical choice for measuring multidimensional patient-reported outcomes in older Veterans with chronic low back pain for both research and clinical purposes.
AHRQ-funded; HS022418.
Citation: Nayfe R, Chansard M, Hynan LS .
Comparison of patient-reported outcomes measurement information system and legacy instruments in multiple domains among older veterans with chronic back pain.
BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2020 Sep 8;21(1):598. doi: 10.1186/s12891-020-03587-6..
Keywords: Elderly, Back Health and Pain, Pain, Chronic Conditions, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Research Methodologies
Rundell SD, Resnik L, Heagerty PJ
Performance of the Functional Comorbidity Index (FCI) in prognostic models for risk adjustment in patients with back pain.
The Functional Comorbidity Index (FCI) is a comorbidity measure associated with physical function and may contribute to risk adjustment models in rehabilitation settings, but an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) of the FCI has not been tested in outpatient settings. The purpose of this cohort study was to examine the ability of an ICD-9-CM- based FCI to predict function, health-related quality of life, and overall health care use.
AHRQ-funded; HS01922201; HS022972.
Citation: Rundell SD, Resnik L, Heagerty PJ .
Performance of the Functional Comorbidity Index (FCI) in prognostic models for risk adjustment in patients with back pain.
Pm r 2020 Sep;12(9):891-98. doi: 10.1002/pmrj.12315..
Keywords: Back Health and Pain, Pain, Chronic Conditions, Quality of Life, Rehabilitation
Rundell SD, Resnik L, Heagerty PJ
Comparing the performance of comorbidity indices in predicting functional status, health-related quality of life, and total health care use in older adults with back pain.
The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to determine how well the functional comorbidity index (FCI) predicted outcomes in older adults with back pain compared to Quan's modification of the Charlson comorbidity index (Quan-Charlson comorbidity index) and the Elixhauser comorbidity index. The investigators concluded that all indices performed similarly in predicting outcomes. The authors indicated that there is still a need to develop better function-based risk-adjustment models that improve prediction of functional outcomes versus standard comorbidity indices.
AHRQ-funded; HS019222; HS022972.
Citation: Rundell SD, Resnik L, Heagerty PJ .
Comparing the performance of comorbidity indices in predicting functional status, health-related quality of life, and total health care use in older adults with back pain.
J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2020 Mar;50(3):143-48. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2020.8764..
Keywords: Elderly, Back Health and Pain, Pain, Chronic Conditions, Quality of Life, Healthcare Utilization, Health Status
Suri P, Boyko EJ, Goldberg J
Longitudinal associations between incident lumbar spine MRI findings and chronic low back pain or radicular symptoms: retrospective analysis of data from the longitudinal assessment of imaging and disability of the back (LAIDBACK).
The researchers examined the association of incident lumbar MRI findings with two specific spine-related symptom outcomes: 1) incident chronic bothersome lower back pain, and 2) incident radicular symptoms such as pain, weakness, or sensation alterations in the lower extremity. They found that even when applying more specific definitions for spine-related symptom outcomes, few MRI findings show strong associations with symptom outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS019222
Citation: Suri P, Boyko EJ, Goldberg J .
Longitudinal associations between incident lumbar spine MRI findings and chronic low back pain or radicular symptoms: retrospective analysis of data from the longitudinal assessment of imaging and disability of the back (LAIDBACK).
BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2014 May 13;15:152. doi: 10.1186/1471-2474-15-152..
Keywords: Back Health and Pain, Chronic Conditions, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Imaging, Pain
Jarvik JG, Comstock BA, Heagerty PJ
Back pain in seniors: the Back pain Outcomes using Longitudinal Data (BOLD) cohort baseline data.
Back pain, function, and health-related quality of life varied by demographic and geographic factors among seniors, based on data in the Back pain Outcomes using Longitudinal Data (BOLD) Registry. Lower education, female sex, black race, and older age were linked to worse disability.
AHRQ-funded; HS019222
Citation: Jarvik JG, Comstock BA, Heagerty PJ .
Back pain in seniors: the Back pain Outcomes using Longitudinal Data (BOLD) cohort baseline data.
BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2014 Apr 23;15:134. doi: 10.1186/1471-2474-15-134..
Keywords: Back Health and Pain, Elderly, Outcomes, Registries