National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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AHRQ Research Studies Date
Topics
- Adverse Drug Events (ADE) (1)
- Adverse Events (2)
- Anxiety (1)
- Behavioral Health (1)
- (-) Brain Injury (20)
- Care Management (1)
- Children/Adolescents (4)
- Clinical Decision Support (CDS) (2)
- Comparative Effectiveness (1)
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- Medication (4)
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- Neurological Disorders (3)
- Outcomes (5)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (3)
- Patient Safety (1)
- Practice Patterns (2)
- Quality of Life (1)
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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 20 of 20 Research Studies DisplayedMarks MR, Dux MC, Rao V
Treatment patterns of anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder following traumatic brain injury.
Investigators examined psychotropic medication use and psychotherapy patterns among individuals diagnosed with anxiety disorders and PTSD post-traumatic brain injury (TBI). They found that receipt of pharmacotherapy pre- and post-TBI was considerably more common than receipt of psychotherapy. Individuals diagnosed with anxiety were 66% less likely to receive psychotherapy compared with individuals diagnosed with PTSD. Overall, psychotropic medication use and rates of antidepressant prescription use in the anxiety group were higher compared to those in the PTSD group.
AHRQ-funded; HS024560.
Citation: Marks MR, Dux MC, Rao V .
Treatment patterns of anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder following traumatic brain injury.
J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 2022 Summer;34(3):247-53. doi: 10.1176/appi.neuropsych.21040104..
Keywords: Anxiety, Behavioral Health, Trauma, Brain Injury, Treatments, Practice Patterns, Medication
Greenberg JK, Olsen MA, Johnson GW
Measures of intracranial injury size do not improve clinical decision making for children with mild traumatic brain injuries and intracranial injuries.
This study evaluated whether measuring traumatic brain injury size (eg, hematoma size) in children with mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) and intracranial injuries (ICIs) improves risk prediction compared with the KIIDS intracranial injury decision support tool for traumatic brain injury (KIIDS-TBI) model. The cohort included children ≤18 years who presented to 1 of the 5 centers within 24 hours of TBI, had Glasgow Coma Scale scores of 13 to 15, and had ICI on neuroimaging. The data set was split into training and testing cohorts. The generalized linear model (GLM) and recursive partitioning (RP) models showed similar specificity across all risk cutoffs, but the GLM model had higher sensitivity. By comparison, the KIIDS-TBI model had slightly higher sensitivity but lower specificity.
AHRQ-funded; HS027075.
Citation: Greenberg JK, Olsen MA, Johnson GW .
Measures of intracranial injury size do not improve clinical decision making for children with mild traumatic brain injuries and intracranial injuries.
Neurosurgery 2022 Jun;90(6):691-99. doi: 10.1227/neu.0000000000001895..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Brain Injury, Decision Making
Evans E, Krebill C, Gutman R
Functional motor improvement during inpatient rehabilitation among older adults with traumatic brain injury.
This retrospective cohort study’s goal was to describe the proportion of older adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who exhibited minimal detectable change (MDC) and a minimally clinically important difference (MCID) in motor function from inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) admission to discharge; and to identify characteristics associated with clinically meaningful improvement in motor function and better discharge functional status. This study used Medicare administrative data probabilistically linked to the National Trauma Data Bank. The authors found that from IRF admission to discharge 84% of patients achieved the MDC threshold, and 68% of patients achieved the MCID threshold for FIM-M scores. A higher probability of achieving the MCID for IM-M scores included better admission motor and cognitive function, lower comorbidity burden, and a length of stay longer than 10 days but only among individuals with lower admission motor function. Older age was associated with a lower FIM-M discharge score but was not associated with the probability of achieving the MCID in FIM-M score.
AHRQ-funded; HS000011.
Citation: Evans E, Krebill C, Gutman R .
Functional motor improvement during inpatient rehabilitation among older adults with traumatic brain injury.
PM R 2022 Apr; 14(4):417-27. doi: 10.1002/pmrj.12644..
Keywords: Elderly, Rehabilitation, Brain Injury, Inpatient Care
Kumar RG, Zhang W, Evans E
Research letter: characterization of older adults hospitalized with traumatic brain injury admitted to long-term acute care hospitals.
The objective of this study was to describe patient, hospital, and geographic characteristics of older adult Medicare beneficiaries who were hospitalized with traumatic brain injury (TBI) then admitted to long-term acute care hospitals. Participants were predominantly White males with an average age of 77.1. Average acute hospital length of stay was 19.4 days. Only 4% of patients were discharged home after a long-term acute care hospital stay; the primary discharge disposition was to skilled nursing facilities. Geographic analyses indicated that Southern and Midwestern states had the greatest number of long-term acute care hospital facilities and highest proportion of admissions. The authors concluded that more research is needed to understand long-term functional outcomes among this population.
AHRQ-funded; HS000011.
Citation: Kumar RG, Zhang W, Evans E .
Research letter: characterization of older adults hospitalized with traumatic brain injury admitted to long-term acute care hospitals.
J Head Trauma Rehabil 2022 Mar-Apr; 37(2):89-95. doi: 10.1097/htr.0000000000000685..
Keywords: Elderly, Brain Injury, Long-Term Care
Greenberg JK, Otun A, Kyaw PT
Usability and acceptability of clinical decision support based on the KIIDS-TBI tool for children with mild traumatic brain injuries and intracranial injuries.
The Kids Intracranial Injury Decision Support tool for Traumatic Brain Injury (KIIDS-TBI) is a validated risk prediction model designed to manage children with mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) and intracranial injuries. Implementing electronic clinical decision support (CDS) may help integrate this evidence-based guidance into clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to assess the acceptability and usability of an electronic CDS tool for managing children with mTBI and intracranial injuries. Emergency medicine and neurosurgery physicians (10 each) from 10 hospitals in the United States participated in usability testing of a novel CDS prototype within a simulated electronic health record environment. The testing involved a think-aloud protocol, an acceptability and usability survey, and a semi-structured interview. The prototype underwent two updates during testing based on user feedback. Usability issues identified in the videos were categorized using content analysis, while interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. The study found that of the 20 participants, the majority worked at teaching hospitals (80%), freestanding children's hospitals (95%), and level-1 trauma centers (75%). During the two prototype updates, issues with clarity of terminology and navigation within the CDS interface were identified and resolved. As a result, the number of usability problems decreased from 35 in phase 1 to 8 in phase 3, and the number of errors made dropped from 18 in phase 1 to 2 in phase 3. According to the survey, 90% of participants found the tool easy to use, 95% found the tool useful in determining a patient's level of care, 90% found it likely to improve resource utilization, and 79% found it likely to improve patient safety. Interview themes focused on the CDS's capability to support evidence-based decision-making and enhance clinical workflow, as well as suggested implementation strategies and potential challenges.
AHRQ-funded; HS027075.
Citation: Greenberg JK, Otun A, Kyaw PT .
Usability and acceptability of clinical decision support based on the KIIDS-TBI tool for children with mild traumatic brain injuries and intracranial injuries.
Appl Clin Inform 2022 Mar; 13(2):456-67. doi: 10.1055/s-0042-1745829..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Brain Injury, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Wickwire EM, Schnyer DM, Germain A
Sleep, sleep disorders, and circadian health following mild traumatic brain injury in adults: review and research agenda.
A rapidly expanding scientific literature supports the frequent co-occurrence of sleep and circadian disturbances following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). In this paper, the authors review relevant literature and present a research agenda to 1) advance understanding of the reciprocal relationships between sleep and circadian factors and mTBI sequelae and 2) advance rapidly the development of sleep-related treatments in this population.
AHRQ-funded; HS024560.
Citation: Wickwire EM, Schnyer DM, Germain A .
Sleep, sleep disorders, and circadian health following mild traumatic brain injury in adults: review and research agenda.
J Neurotrauma 2018 Nov 15;35(22):2615-31. doi: 10.1089/neu.2017.5243..
Keywords: Sleep Problems, Brain Injury, Evidence-Based Practice
Albrecht JS, Perfetto EM, Daniel Mullins C
Safety of antidepressant classes used following traumatic brain injury among Medicare beneficiaries: a retrospective cohort study.
The objective of this study was to compare the risk of several adverse events associated with use of the three most commonly used classes of antidepressants following Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in older adults. One of the study’s conclusions was that compared to tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor use was associated with increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
AHRQ-funded; HS024560
Citation: Albrecht JS, Perfetto EM, Daniel Mullins C .
Safety of antidepressant classes used following traumatic brain injury among Medicare beneficiaries: a retrospective cohort study.
Drugs Aging 2018 Aug;35(8):763-72. doi: 10.1007/s40266-018-0570-2..
Keywords: Adverse Events, Medication, Brain Injury, Elderly, Patient Safety
Sander AM, Lequerica AH, Ketchum JM
Race/ethnicity and retention in traumatic brain injury outcomes research: a traumatic brain injury model systems national database study.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the contribution of race/ethnicity to retention in traumatic brain injury (TBI) research at 1 to 2 years postinjury. The findings emphasized the importance of investigating retention rates separately for blacks and Hispanics rather than combining them or grouping either with other races or ethnicities. The results also suggested the need for implementing procedures to increase retention of Hispanics in longitudinal TBI research.
AHRQ-funded; HS022134.
Citation: Sander AM, Lequerica AH, Ketchum JM .
Race/ethnicity and retention in traumatic brain injury outcomes research: a traumatic brain injury model systems national database study.
J Head Trauma Rehabil 2018 Jul/Aug;33(4):219-27. doi: 10.1097/htr.0000000000000395..
Keywords: Brain Injury, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Research Methodologies
Chen C, Peng J, Sribnick EA
Trend of age-adjusted rates of pediatric traumatic brain injury in U.S. emergency departments from 2006 to 2013.
The objective of this study was to use the 2006(-)2013 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS) database to describe trends of age-adjusted rates of pediatric traumatic brain injuries (TBI) treated in U.S. emergency departments. The investigators found that the overall age-adjusted rates of pediatric TBI-related emergency department (ED) visits increased from 2006 to 2013, which was largely caused by pediatric mild TBIs, especially unspecified injury to the head (ICD-9-CM code 959.01) and concussion.
AHRQ-funded; HS024263.
Citation: Chen C, Peng J, Sribnick EA .
Trend of age-adjusted rates of pediatric traumatic brain injury in U.S. emergency departments from 2006 to 2013.
Int J Environ Res Public Health 2018 Jun 5;15(6). doi: 10.3390/ijerph15061171..
Keywords: Brain Injury, Children/Adolescents, Emergency Department, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Trauma
Mahmoud L, Zullo AR, Thompson BB
Outcomes of protocolised analgesia and sedation in a neurocritical care unit.
Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study of 1197 mechanically ventilated patients admitted to a 12-bed neurocritical care unit (NCCU) over four years in order to evaluate the effect of an analgesia-based sedation protocol on medication use and costs in the NCCU. The protocol resulted in increased in fentanyl use and decreased in propofol use, but their findings indicate no effect on healthcare utilization, healthcare costs, or in-hospital mortality. Based on these results, the researchers suggest that similar NCCUs should consider using population-specific protocols to manage analgesia and sedation.
AHRQ-funded; HS022998.
Citation: Mahmoud L, Zullo AR, Thompson BB .
Outcomes of protocolised analgesia and sedation in a neurocritical care unit.
Brain Inj 2018;32(7):941-47. doi: 10.1080/02699052.2018.1469167..
Keywords: Care Management, Brain Injury, Critical Care, Healthcare Costs, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Medication, Neurological Disorders, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Bush RA, Beaumont JL, Liotta EM
Fever burden and health-related quality of life after intracerebral hemorrhage.
In this prospective observational cohort study, the investigators tested the hypothesis that increased burden of fever is independently associated with decreased health-related quality of life (HRQoL) at follow-up. The authors found that each additional day with a fever was predictive of worse HRQoL domains of Cognitive Function and Mobility after intracerebral hemorrhage up to 1 year. They suggest that HRQoL outcomes may be a sensitive and powerful way to measure the efficacy of fever control in future research.
AHRQ-funded; HS023437.
Citation: Bush RA, Beaumont JL, Liotta EM .
Fever burden and health-related quality of life after intracerebral hemorrhage.
Neurocrit Care 2018 Mar 29;29(2):189-94. doi: 10.1007/s12028-018-0523-y..
Keywords: Brain Injury, Neurological Disorders, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Quality of Life
Callahan ML, Binder LM, O'Neil ME
Sensory sensitivity in operation enduring freedom/operation Iraqi freedom veterans with and without blast exposure and mild traumatic brain injury.
To examine factors associated with noise and light sensitivity among returning Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) Veterans with a self-reported history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) due to blast exposure, the researchers compared the self-report of noise and light sensitivity of 42 OEF/OIF Veterans diagnosed with mTBI resulting from combat blast-exposure to that of 36 blast-exposed OEF/OIF Veterans without a history of mTBI.
AHRQ-funded; HS022981.
Citation: Callahan ML, Binder LM, O'Neil ME .
Sensory sensitivity in operation enduring freedom/operation Iraqi freedom veterans with and without blast exposure and mild traumatic brain injury.
Appl Neuropsychol Adult 2018 Mar-Apr;25(2):126-36. doi: 10.1080/23279095.2016.1261867..
Keywords: Brain Injury, Neurological Disorders
Sharp AL, Huang BZ, Tang T
Implementation of the Canadian CT Head Rule and Its association with use of computed tomography among patients with head injury.
The researchers evaluated the association of implementation of the Canadian CT Head Rule on head computed tomography (CT) imaging in community emergency departments (EDs). They found that a multicomponent implementation of the Canadian CT Head Rule was associated with a modest reduction in CT use and an increased diagnostic yield of head CTs for adult trauma encounters in community EDs.
AHRQ-funded; HS021271.
Citation: Sharp AL, Huang BZ, Tang T .
Implementation of the Canadian CT Head Rule and Its association with use of computed tomography among patients with head injury.
Ann Emerg Med 2018 Jan;71(1):54-63.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2017.06.022.
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Keywords: Brain Injury, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Decision Making, Emergency Department, Guidelines, Healthcare Utilization, Imaging
Humble SS, Wilson LD, McKenna JW
Tracheostomy risk factors and outcomes after severe traumatic brain injury.
The researchers sought to determine risk factors associated with tracheostomy placement after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and subsequent outcomes among those who did and did not receive a tracheostomy. They concluded that age and insurance status are independently associated with tracheostomy placement, but not with mortality after severe TBI. Tracheostomy placement is associated with increased survival after severe TBI.
AHRQ-funded; HS013833.
Citation: Humble SS, Wilson LD, McKenna JW .
Tracheostomy risk factors and outcomes after severe traumatic brain injury.
Brain Inj 2016;30(13-14):1642-47. doi: 10.1080/02699052.2016.1199915.
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Keywords: Adverse Events, Brain Injury, Outcomes, Risk, Trauma
Henry MK, Zonfrillo MR, French B
Hospital variation in cervical spine imaging of young children with traumatic brain injury.
The authors sought to identify child-level and hospital-level factors associated with performance of cervical imaging of children with traumatic brain injury from falls and abusive head trauma. They found no association between annual hospital volume of injured children and cervical imaging performance.
AHRQ-funded; HS024194.
Citation: Henry MK, Zonfrillo MR, French B .
Hospital variation in cervical spine imaging of young children with traumatic brain injury.
Acad Pediatr 2016 Sep-Oct;16(7):684-91. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2016.01.017.
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Keywords: Brain Injury, Children/Adolescents, Imaging, Hospitals, Practice Patterns
Albrecht JS, McCunn M, Stein DM
Sex differences in mortality following isolated traumatic brain injury among older adults.
This retrospective cohort study's objective was to determine the possibility of sex differences in mortality among older adutls following isolated traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to comapre with findings using all TBI. The researchers did not find that women were significantly associated with decreased odds of mortality following isolated TBI.
AHRQ-funded; HS024560.
Citation: Albrecht JS, McCunn M, Stein DM .
Sex differences in mortality following isolated traumatic brain injury among older adults.
J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2016 Sep;81(3):486-92. doi: 10.1097/ta.0000000000001118.
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Keywords: Sex Factors, Trauma, Brain Injury, Mortality, Elderly
Bekelis K, Gottlieb D, Su Y
Surgical clipping versus endovascular coiling for elderly patients presenting with subarachnoid hemorrhage.
The authors studied elderly Medicare patients who underwent treatment for ruptured cerebral aneurysms. They did not demonstrate a difference in mortality, rate of discharge to rehabilitation, and readmissions between surgical clipping and endovascular coiling of ruptured cerebral aneurysms, although clipping was associated with a slightly longer length of stay.
AHRQ-funded; HS021581.
Citation: Bekelis K, Gottlieb D, Su Y .
Surgical clipping versus endovascular coiling for elderly patients presenting with subarachnoid hemorrhage.
J Neurointerv Surg 2016 Sep;8(9):913-8. doi: 10.1136/neurintsurg-2015-011890.
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Keywords: Brain Injury, Surgery, Comparative Effectiveness, Outcomes, Elderly
Humble SS, Wilson LD, Leath TC
ICU sedation with dexmedetomidine after severe traumatic brain injury.
This study describes the dexmedetomidine dosage and infusion times, as well as the physiological parameters, neurological status and daily narcotic requirements before, during and after dexmedetomidine infusion. Its findings demonstrate that initiation of dexmedetomidine infusion is not associated with a decline in neurological functioning in adults with severe TBI.
AHRQ-funded; HS013833.
Citation: Humble SS, Wilson LD, Leath TC .
ICU sedation with dexmedetomidine after severe traumatic brain injury.
Brain Inj 2016;30(10):1266-70. doi: 10.1080/02699052.2016.1187289.
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Keywords: Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Brain Injury, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Medication, Trauma
Flottemesch TJ, Raetzman S, Heslin KC
AHRQ Author: Heslin KC
Age-related disparities in trauma center access for severe head injuries following the release of the updated field triage guidelines.
Reflecting perceived undertriage to trauma centers (TCs) for older adults, the American College of Surgeons' Committee on Trauma and the Center for Disease Control revised field triage guidelines in 2011 with additional emphasis on direct transport to a Level I or II trauma center. Researchers examined whether age-based disparities in TC care for severe head injury decreased. Although patterns of increased TC treatment for all groups with severe head trauma indicate improvements, age-based disparities persisted.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 290201300002C.
Citation: Flottemesch TJ, Raetzman S, Heslin KC .
Age-related disparities in trauma center access for severe head injuries following the release of the updated field triage guidelines.
Acad Emerg Med 2016 Apr;24(4):447-57. doi: 10.1111/acem.13150.
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Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Disparities, Elderly, Brain Injury, Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
Chen W, Wheeler KK, Lin S
Computerized "Learn-As-You-Go" classification of traumatic brain injuries using NEISS narrative data.
This study evaluated a "Learn-As-You-Go" machine-learning program. When using this program, the user trains classification models and interactively checks on accuracy until a desired threshold is reached. It found that the time frame to classify tens of thousands of narratives was reduced from a few days to minutes after approximately sixty minutes of training.
AHRQ-funded; HS022277.
Citation: Chen W, Wheeler KK, Lin S .
Computerized "Learn-As-You-Go" classification of traumatic brain injuries using NEISS narrative data.
Accid Anal Prev 2016 Apr;89:111-7. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2016.01.012.
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Keywords: Brain Injury, Health Information Technology (HIT)