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 (1)
- Adverse Drug Events (ADE) (4)
- Adverse Events (4)
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (1)
- Caregiving (1)
- Care Management (1)
- Children/Adolescents (3)
- Clinical Decision Support (CDS) (1)
- Community-Based Practice (1)
- Decision Making (1)
- Elderly (3)
- Emergency Department (1)
- Guidelines (1)
- Healthcare Costs (2)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (4)
- Health Services Research (HSR) (1)
- Hospitalization (1)
- Hospital Readmissions (1)
- Implementation (1)
- Infectious Diseases (2)
- Influenza (1)
- Medical Errors (3)
- Medication (14)
- Medication: Safety (8)
- Opioids (2)
- Patient Adherence/Compliance (1)
- Patient Safety (6)
- Policy (1)
- Practice Patterns (2)
- Prevention (1)
- Primary Care (1)
- Provider (5)
- Provider: Clinician (1)
- (-) Provider: Pharmacist (21)
- Provider: Physician (2)
- Public Health (1)
- Telehealth (3)
- Transitions of Care (2)
- Transplantation (2)
- Vaccination (5)
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 21 of 21 Research Studies DisplayedPestka DL, Brummel AR, Wong MT
Characterizing the reach of comprehensive medication management in a population health primary care model.
As care teams adopt team-based models of care, it is important to examine the reach of interdisciplinary services, such as pharmacists providing comprehensive medication management (CMM). This study examined the reach of pharmacist-delivered CMM in the first 10 months of a population health-focused primary care transformation (PCT). This study illustrated that pharmacists providing CMM see complex patients with a high propensity for medication therapy problems.
AHRQ-funded; HS026379.
Citation: Pestka DL, Brummel AR, Wong MT .
Characterizing the reach of comprehensive medication management in a population health primary care model.
J Am Coll Clin Pharm 2021 Nov;4(11):1410-19. doi: 10.1002/jac5.1525..
Keywords: Medication, Care Management, Provider: Pharmacist, Implementation
Taber DJ, Fleming JN, Su Z
Significant hospitalization cost savings to the payer with a pharmacist-led mobile health intervention to improve medication safety in kidney transplant recipients.
This paper examined hospitalization cost savings to the payer with a pharmacist-led mobile health intervention to improve medication safety in kidney transplant recipients. This study was an economic analysis of a 12-month, parallel arm, randomized controlled trial in adult kidney recipients 6 to 36 months posttransplant (NCT03247322). All participants received usual posttransplant care, while the intervention arm received supplemental clinical pharmacist-led medication therapy monitoring and management, via a smartphone-enabled mHealth app, integrated with risk-based televisits.
AHRQ-funded; HS023754.
Citation: Taber DJ, Fleming JN, Su Z .
Significant hospitalization cost savings to the payer with a pharmacist-led mobile health intervention to improve medication safety in kidney transplant recipients.
Am J Transplant 2021 Oct;21(10):3428-35. doi: 10.1111/ajt.16737..
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Provider: Pharmacist, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Transplantation, Hospitalization, Medication: Safety, Medication
Gilson AM, Stone JA, Morris AO
Impact of a pilot community pharmacy system redesign on reducing over-the-counter medication misuse in older adults.
This pilot study’s goal was to decrease misuse of over-the-counter (OTC) medications by older adults aged 65 years or older by creating a pharmacy “Senior Section”. The Senior Section contains a curated selection of OTC medications and it located close to the prescription department to facilitate pharmacy staff-patient engagement to reduce misuse. The study recruited 87 older adults from 3 pharmacies. Misuse outcomes measured were drug-drug, drug-disease, drug-age, and drug-label, with 5 subtypes. The Senior Section reduced drug-label misuse for different models. Misuse was found to decrease after implementation for 7 of 11 comparisons.
AHRQ-funded; HS024490.
Citation: Gilson AM, Stone JA, Morris AO .
Impact of a pilot community pharmacy system redesign on reducing over-the-counter medication misuse in older adults.
J Am Pharm Assoc (2003) 2021 Sep-Oct;61(5):555-64. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2021.04.007..
Keywords: Elderly, Provider: Pharmacist, Medication, Medication: Safety
Snyder ME, Adeoye-Olatunde OA, Gernant SA
A user-centered evaluation of medication therapy management alerts for community pharmacists: recommendations to improve usability and usefulness.
Community pharmacists provide comprehensive medication reviews (CMRs) through pharmacy contracts with medication therapy management (MTM) vendors. These CMRs are documented in the vendors' web-based MTM software platforms, which often integrate alerts to assist pharmacists in the detection of medication therapy problems. The objectives of this study were to 1) assess the usability and usefulness of MTM alerts for MTM vendor-contracted community pharmacists and 2) generate recommendations for improving MTM alerts for use by community pharmacists.
AHRQ-funded; HS025005.
Citation: Snyder ME, Adeoye-Olatunde OA, Gernant SA .
A user-centered evaluation of medication therapy management alerts for community pharmacists: recommendations to improve usability and usefulness.
Res Social Adm Pharm 2021 Aug;17(8):1433-43. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.10.015..
Keywords: Medication, Provider: Pharmacist, Community-Based Practice
De Oliveira GS, Castro-Alves LJ, Kendall MC
Effectiveness of pharmacist intervention to reduce medication errors and health-care resources utilization after transitions of care: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
The main objective of the current investigation was to examine the effectiveness of pharmacist-based transition-of-care interventions on the reduction of medication errors after hospital discharge. Findings showed that pharmacist transition-of-care intervention is an effective strategy to reduce medication errors after hospital discharge and also reduces subsequent emergency room visits.
AHRQ-funded; HS024158.
Citation: De Oliveira GS, Castro-Alves LJ, Kendall MC .
Effectiveness of pharmacist intervention to reduce medication errors and health-care resources utilization after transitions of care: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
J Patient Saf 2021 Aug 1;17(5):375-80. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000283..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Provider: Pharmacist, Transitions of Care
Green TC, Stopka T, Xuan Z
Examining nonprescription syringe sales in Massachusetts and Rhode Island community pharmacies.
The authors sought to describe, compare, and assess the convergent validity of staff-reported nonprescription syringe (NPS) sales volume and NPS administrative sales data from community pharmacies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. They found that the counts of administrative pharmacy syringe sales data in both states indicated high need, substantial volume, and notable access at community pharmacies. They recommended future research of NPS sales data rather than self-reported data to track emerging trends and to tailor local responses.
AHRQ-funded; HS024021.
Citation: Green TC, Stopka T, Xuan Z .
Examining nonprescription syringe sales in Massachusetts and Rhode Island community pharmacies.
J Am Pharm Assoc 2021 Jul-Aug;61(4):e237-e41. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2021.03.004..
Keywords: Provider: Pharmacist
Gonzales HM, Fleming JN, Gebregziabher M
Pharmacist-led mobile health intervention and transplant medication safety: a randomized controlled clinical trial.
The goal of this study was to examine the efficacy of improving medication safety through a pharmacist-led, mobile health-based intervention. In this single-center study of adult kidney recipients 6-36 months post-transplant, findings showed that participants receiving the intervention experienced a significant reduction in medication errors and a significantly lower incidence risk of Grade 3 or higher adverse events. The intervention arm also demonstrated significantly lower rates of hospitalizations.
AHRQ-funded; HS023754.
Citation: Gonzales HM, Fleming JN, Gebregziabher M .
Pharmacist-led mobile health intervention and transplant medication safety: a randomized controlled clinical trial.
Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2021 May 8;16(5):776-84. doi: 10.2215/cjn.15911020..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Transplantation, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Provider: Pharmacist, Provider, Medical Errors, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events
Gurwitz JH, Kapoor A, Garber L
Effect of a multifaceted clinical pharmacist intervention on medication safety after hospitalization in persons prescribed high-risk medications: a randomized clinical trial.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether a multifaceted clinical pharmacist intervention improves medication safety for patients who are discharged from the hospital and prescribed medications within 1 or more of these high-risk drug classes: anticoagulants, diabetes agents, and opioids. The randomized clinical trial was conducted at a large multidisciplinary group practice in Massachusetts and included patients 50 years or older. Findings showed that there was not an observed lower rate of adverse drug-related incidents or clinically important medication errors during the posthospitalization period that was associated with a clinical pharmacist intervention.
AHRQ-funded; HS023774.
Citation: Gurwitz JH, Kapoor A, Garber L .
Effect of a multifaceted clinical pharmacist intervention on medication safety after hospitalization in persons prescribed high-risk medications: a randomized clinical trial.
JAMA Intern Med 2021 May;181(5):610-18. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.9285..
Keywords: Elderly, Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Provider: Pharmacist, Provider
Gilson AM, Xiong KZ, Stone JA
A pharmacy-based intervention to improve safe over-the-counter medication use in older adults.
This study assessed whether the development of a physical redesign that located a curated inventory of lower-risk over-the-counter (OTC) medications proximal to the pharmacy prescription area was helpful to discourage inappropriate use from OTC medications. An area called the Senior Section™ was developed and placed in 4 pharmacies within a single chain. Eight pharmacists and 5 technicians participated in semi-structured interviews which were transcribed. The staff viewed the Senior Section as contributing to notable improvements in proximity, medication safety, convenience, and patient selection behaviors. It also streamlined the coordination of services between pharmacists and technicians and did not interfere with existing pharmacy workflows.
AHRQ-funded; HS024490.
Citation: Gilson AM, Xiong KZ, Stone JA .
A pharmacy-based intervention to improve safe over-the-counter medication use in older adults.
Res Social Adm Pharm 2021 Mar;17(3):578-87. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.05.008..
Keywords: Elderly, Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Provider: Pharmacist
Snyder ME, Chewning B, Kreling D
An evaluation of the spread and scale of PatientToc™ from primary care to community pharmacy practice for the collection of patient-reported outcomes: a study protocol.
Patient-reported outcomes (PROs), measuring adherence challenges pertaining to both remembering and intention to take medication, offer a rich data source for pharmacists and prescribers to use to resolve medication non-adherence. PatientToc™ is a PROs collection software developed to facilitate collection of PROs data from low-literacy and non-English speaking patients in Los Angeles. This study evaluated the spread and scale of PatientToc™ from primary care to community pharmacies for the collection and use of PROs data pertaining to medication adherence.
AHRQ-funded; HS025943.
Citation: Snyder ME, Chewning B, Kreling D .
An evaluation of the spread and scale of PatientToc™ from primary care to community pharmacy practice for the collection of patient-reported outcomes: a study protocol.
Res Social Adm Pharm 2021 Feb;17(2):466-74. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.03.019..
Keywords: Medication, Patient Adherence/Compliance, Primary Care, Provider: Pharmacist, Provider, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Kane-Gill SL, Wong A, Culley CM
JA, et al. Transforming the medication regimen review process using telemedicine to prevent adverse events.
The objective of this study was to determine the impact of pharmacist-led telemedicine services on reducing high-risk medication adverse drug events (ADEs) for nursing home (NH) residents using medication reconciliation and prospective medication regimen reviews (MRRs) on admission plus ongoing clinical decision support alerts throughout the residents' stay. Studying residents in four NHs in Southwestern Pennsylvania, findings showed that the intervention group had a 92% lower incidence of alert-specific ADEs than usual care, and all-cause hospitalization was similar between groups, as were 30-day readmissions.
AHRQ-funded; HS02420.
Citation: Kane-Gill SL, Wong A, Culley CM .
JA, et al. Transforming the medication regimen review process using telemedicine to prevent adverse events.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2021 Feb;69(2):530-38. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16946..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Patient Safety, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Provider: Pharmacist, Provider, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Prevention
Bartsch SM, Taitel MS, DePasse JV
Epidemiologic and economic impact of pharmacies as vaccination locations during an influenza epidemic.
During an influenza epidemic, where early vaccination is crucial, pharmacies may be a resource to increase vaccine distribution reach and capacity. In this paper, the investigators utilized an agent-based model of the US and a clinical and economics outcomes model to simulate the impact of different influenza epidemics and the impact of utilizing pharmacies in addition to traditional (hospitals, clinic/physician offices, and urgent care centers) locations for vaccination for the year 2017.
AHRQ-funded; HS023317.
Citation: Bartsch SM, Taitel MS, DePasse JV .
Epidemiologic and economic impact of pharmacies as vaccination locations during an influenza epidemic.
Vaccine 2018 Nov 12;36(46):7054-63. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.09.040..
Keywords: Healthcare Costs, Influenza, Provider: Pharmacist, Public Health, Vaccination
Hartung DM, Hall J, Haverly SN
Pharmacists' role in opioid safety: a focus group investigation.
This qualitative study explores the pharmacist's role in promoting opioid safety from the perspective of pharmacists and patients. Using focus groups, results showed that pharmacists expressed discomfort filling potentially high-risk opioid prescriptions and noted barriers such as lack of clinical information and discomfort policing high-risk prescribing; and that patients were concerned about pharmacists potentially overstepping their professional responsibilities by interfering with prescribers' clinical decisions.
AHRQ-funded; HS024227.
AHRQ-funded; HS024227.
AHRQ-funded; HS024227.
Citation: Hartung DM, Hall J, Haverly SN .
Pharmacists' role in opioid safety: a focus group investigation.
Pain Med 2018 Sep;19(9):1799-806. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnx139..
Keywords: Provider: Pharmacist, Opioids, Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety
Shah PD, Trogdon JG, Golden SD
Impact of pharmacists on access to vaccine providers: a geospatial analysis.
This study analyzed the impact of pharmacists on access to vaccines. The study concluded that pharmacists are more geographically dispersed across census tracts than primary care physicians. As a result, adding pharmacists to the workforce would increase the availability of vaccine providers in areas with inadequate primary care provider coverage.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Shah PD, Trogdon JG, Golden SD .
Impact of pharmacists on access to vaccine providers: a geospatial analysis.
Milbank Q 2018 Sep;96(3):568-92. doi: 10.1111/1468-0009.12342.
.
.
Keywords: Access to Care, Provider: Pharmacist, Vaccination
Johnston K, Alley L, Novak K
Pharmacists' attitudes, knowledge, utilization, and outcomes involving prescription drug monitoring programs: a brief scoping review.
Researchers sought to identify and synthesize findings from current literature on community pharmacists' attitudes toward, knowledge of, and registration and utilization behaviors regarding prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs). While considered studies varied greatly in methodological approach, generally, pharmacists' attitudes and knowledge of PDMPs positively influenced likelihood to register and use state's program. The researchers recommended pharmacist-targeted PDMPs and opioid safety training in order to increase knowledge of and insight into behavioral change.
AHRQ-funded; HS024227.
Citation: Johnston K, Alley L, Novak K .
Pharmacists' attitudes, knowledge, utilization, and outcomes involving prescription drug monitoring programs: a brief scoping review.
J Am Pharm Assoc 2018 Sep - Oct;58(5):568-76. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2018.06.003..
Keywords: Medication, Provider: Pharmacist, Policy
Jones CD, Anthony A, Klein MD
The effect of a pharmacist-led multidisciplinary transitions-of-care pilot for patients at high risk of readmission.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and effect of a pharmacist-led transitions-of-care (TOC) pilot targeted to patients at high risk of readmission on process measures, hospital readmissions, and emergency department visits. Results showed that a pharmacist-led TOC pilot demonstrated potential for reducing hospital readmissions. The intervention was time intensive and led to the creation of a TOC pharmacist role to implement medication-related transitional care.
AHRQ-funded; HS024569.
Citation: Jones CD, Anthony A, Klein MD .
The effect of a pharmacist-led multidisciplinary transitions-of-care pilot for patients at high risk of readmission.
J Am Pharm Assoc 2018 Sep - Oct;58(5):554-60. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2018.05.008..
Keywords: Hospital Readmissions, Provider: Pharmacist, Transitions of Care
Shah PD, Calo WA, Marciniak MW
Support for pharmacist-provided HPV vaccination: national surveys of U.S. physicians and parents.
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2018 Aug;27(8):970-78. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.Epi-18-0380.
State laws about pharmacists providing human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines vary considerably, limiting many pharmacists' ability to provide this important cancer prevention service. In this study, the investigators characterized physician and parent support for pharmacist-provided HPV vaccination for adolescents who are past due for vaccination. The authors concluded that to increase support for HPV vaccination services, pharmacists should raise awareness about their immunization training and standardize vaccination protocols that ensure coordination with primary care.
State laws about pharmacists providing human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines vary considerably, limiting many pharmacists' ability to provide this important cancer prevention service. In this study, the investigators characterized physician and parent support for pharmacist-provided HPV vaccination for adolescents who are past due for vaccination. The authors concluded that to increase support for HPV vaccination services, pharmacists should raise awareness about their immunization training and standardize vaccination protocols that ensure coordination with primary care.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Shah PD, Calo WA, Marciniak MW .
Support for pharmacist-provided HPV vaccination: national surveys of U.S. physicians and parents.
Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2018 Aug;27(8):970-78. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.Epi-18-0380..
Keywords: Caregiving, Children/Adolescents, Infectious Diseases, Provider, Provider: Pharmacist, Provider: Physician, Vaccination
Shah PD, Marciniak MW, Golden SD
Pharmacies versus doctors' offices for adolescent vaccination.
This study sought to understand the relative advantage of pharmacies compared to doctors' offices for delivering HPV vaccination to adolescents. The authors concluded that to be more appealing to parents as HPV vaccine providers, pharmacy providers within community and hospital settings should build on their relative advantage with respect to accessibility and enhance their appeal of their healthcare environment.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Shah PD, Marciniak MW, Golden SD .
Pharmacies versus doctors' offices for adolescent vaccination.
Vaccine 2018 Jun 7;36(24):3453-59. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.04.088..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Health Services Research (HSR), Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Provider: Pharmacist, Vaccination
Shah PD, Calo WA, Marciniak MW
Service quality and parents' willingness to get adolescents HPV vaccine from pharmacists.
The researchers sought to examine whether pharmacy service quality was associated with parents' willingness to have immunizing pharmacists administer human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to their adolescent children. They found that parents who went to independent pharmacies had lower willingness to get HPV vaccine from pharmacists compared to parents who went to chain pharmacies, but there was no difference in willingness for parents who went to clinic versus chain pharmacies.
AHRQ-funded; HS000032.
Citation: Shah PD, Calo WA, Marciniak MW .
Service quality and parents' willingness to get adolescents HPV vaccine from pharmacists.
Prev Med 2018 Apr;109:106-12. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.01.002.
.
.
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Decision Making, Infectious Diseases, Provider: Pharmacist, Vaccination
Chang AC, Lincoln J, Lantaff WM
Characterization of actions taken during the delivery of medication therapy management: a time-and-motion approach.
The purpose of this study was to characterize actions performed by pharmacists and support staff during provision of medication therapy management (MTM) and to compare actions performed according to practice characteristics. The investigators found that MTM activities were longer at Later Maturity Level practices, and these practices were more likely to use paid pharmacy interns and to receive physician referrals for MTM.
AHRQ-funded; HS022119.
Citation: Chang AC, Lincoln J, Lantaff WM .
Characterization of actions taken during the delivery of medication therapy management: a time-and-motion approach.
J Am Pharm Assoc 2018 Jan - Feb;58(1):61-66.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2017.09.059.
.
.
Keywords: Medication, Practice Patterns, Provider: Pharmacist
Kim HS, McCarthy DM, Hoppe JA
Emergency department provider perspectives on benzodiazepine-opioid coprescribing: a qualitative study.
This study examined attitudes of emergency department residents, attending physicians, and pharmacists from three hospitals on coprescribing benzodiazepines and opioids. There is mounting evidence that this increases overdose risk. Focus groups were conducted using semistructured interviews which were audio-recorded and transcribed. Participants were reluctant to admit coprescribing and said when they did that specific discharge instructions were provided. The decision was also influenced by a provider’s belief in the efficacy of combination therapy as well as self-imposed pressure to escalate care or avoid hospital admission. They did not like the idea of using computerized alerts, but were support of pharmacist-assisted interventions.
AHRQ-funded; HS023011; HS000078.
Citation: Kim HS, McCarthy DM, Hoppe JA .
Emergency department provider perspectives on benzodiazepine-opioid coprescribing: a qualitative study.
Acad Emerg Med 2018 Jan;25(1):15-24. doi: 10.1111/acem.13273..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Guidelines, Medication, Opioids, Practice Patterns, Provider: Clinician, Provider: Pharmacist, Provider: Physician