National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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AHRQ Research Studies Date
Topics
- Adverse Drug Events (ADE) (1)
- Adverse Events (2)
- Cancer (2)
- Cancer: Colorectal Cancer (1)
- Cardiovascular Conditions (1)
- Caregiving (1)
- Children/Adolescents (2)
- Comparative Effectiveness (1)
- Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) (2)
- Cultural Competence (1)
- Data (1)
- Diagnostic Safety and Quality (1)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (1)
- Falls (1)
- Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) (1)
- Healthcare Delivery (1)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (3)
- Health Insurance (1)
- Health Systems (1)
- Hospital Readmissions (2)
- (-) Hospitals (19)
- Implementation (1)
- Infectious Diseases (1)
- Inpatient Care (3)
- Labor and Delivery (1)
- Low-Income (1)
- Medical Errors (1)
- Medicare (1)
- Medication (2)
- Medication: Safety (1)
- Orthopedics (1)
- Outcomes (4)
- Patient-Centered Healthcare (1)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (3)
- Patient Experience (2)
- Patient Safety (8)
- Payment (1)
- Pregnancy (1)
- Prevention (1)
- Provider: Clinician (1)
- Provider: Pharmacist (1)
- Provider Performance (2)
- (-) Quality Improvement (19)
- Quality Indicators (QIs) (3)
- Quality Measures (2)
- Quality of Care (17)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (1)
- Research Methodologies (1)
- Risk (2)
- Sepsis (1)
- Surgery (5)
- Surveys on Patient Safety Culture (1)
- Women (1)
- Workflow (1)
- Workforce (1)
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 19 of 19 Research Studies DisplayedSheetz KH, Dimick JB, Nathan H
Centralization of high-risk cancer surgery within existing hospital systems.
Centralization is often proposed as a strategy to improve the quality of certain high-risk health care services. In this study, the investigators evaluated the extent to which existing hospital systems centralize high-risk cancer surgery and whether centralization is associated with short-term clinical outcomes. The investigators concluded that greater centralization of complex cancer surgery within existing hospital systems was associated with better outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS023597.
Citation: Sheetz KH, Dimick JB, Nathan H .
Centralization of high-risk cancer surgery within existing hospital systems.
J Clin Oncol 2019 Dec 1;37(34):3234-42. doi: 10.1200/jco.18.02035..
Keywords: Surgery, Cancer, Risk, Hospitals, Health Systems, Quality Improvement, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality of Care, Outcomes
Barbash IJ, Kahn JM
Sepsis quality in safety-net hospitals: an analysis of Medicare's SEP-1 performance measure.
Researchers studied the relationship between hospital safety-net status and performance on Medicare's SEP-1 quality measure. Data from 2827 hospitals were analyzed. They found that existing sepsis policies may harm safety-net hospitals and widen health disparities. They suggest that strategies to promote collaboration among hospitals may be an avenue for sepsis performance improvement in these hospitals.
AHRQ-funded; HS025455.
Citation: Barbash IJ, Kahn JM .
Sepsis quality in safety-net hospitals: an analysis of Medicare's SEP-1 performance measure.
J Crit Care 2019 Dec;54:88-93. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2019.08.009.
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Keywords: Sepsis, Quality Measures, Quality of Care, Hospitals, Provider Performance, Quality Improvement
Stolldorf DP, Schnipper JL, Mixon AS
Organisational context of hospitals that participated in a multi-site mentored medication reconciliation quality improvement project (MARQUIS2): a cross-sectional observational study.
Medication reconciliation (MedRec) is an important patient safety strategy and is widespread in US hospitals and globally. Nevertheless, high quality MedRec has been difficult to implement. As part of a larger study investigating MedRec interventions, the investigators evaluated and compared organisational contextual factors and team cohesion by hospital characteristics and implementation team members' profession to better understand the environmental context and its correlates during a multi-site quality improvement (QI) initiative.
AHRQ-funded; HS025486.
Citation: Stolldorf DP, Schnipper JL, Mixon AS .
Organisational context of hospitals that participated in a multi-site mentored medication reconciliation quality improvement project (MARQUIS2): a cross-sectional observational study.
BMJ Open 2019 Nov 2;9(11):e030834. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030834.
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Keywords: Medication, Quality Improvement, Hospitals, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Adverse Drug Events (ADE), Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Implementation
Sheetz KH, Dimick JB, Englesbe MJ
Hospital-acquired condition reduction program is not associated with additional patient safety improvement.
In 2013 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that it would begin levying penalties against hospitals with the highest rates of hospital-acquired conditions through the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program. This study evaluates whether the program has been successful in improving patient safety or not. The investigators concluded that the program did not improve patient safety in Michigan beyond existing trends.
AHRQ-funded; HS000053; HS026244.
Citation: Sheetz KH, Dimick JB, Englesbe MJ .
Hospital-acquired condition reduction program is not associated with additional patient safety improvement.
Health Aff 2019 Nov;38(11):1858-65. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2018.05504..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospitals, Patient Safety, Provider Performance, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Infectious Diseases, Payment
Keshvani N, Berger K, Gupta A
Improving respiratory rate accuracy in the hospital: a quality improvement initiative.
Researchers initiated a quality improvement (QI) initiative in hospitals to improve respiratory rate measurement accuracy. Time-keeping devices were added to vital sign carts and patient care assistants were retrained on a newly modified workflow that included concomitant respiratory rate (RR) measurement during automated blood pressure measurement. The median RR measurement rate increased postintervention. This intervention was associated with a 7.8% reduced incidence of tachypnea-specific systemic inflammatory response syndrome. This QI initiative was interdisciplinary, low-cost, and low-tech.
AHRQ-funded; HS022418.
Citation: Keshvani N, Berger K, Gupta A .
Improving respiratory rate accuracy in the hospital: a quality improvement initiative.
J Hosp Med 2019 Nov 1;14(10):673-77. doi: 10.12788/jhm.3232..
Keywords: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Quality Improvement, Inpatient Care, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Hospitals, Quality of Care, Outcomes
Smith AB, Mueller D, Garren B
Using qualitative research to reduce readmissions and optimize perioperative cystectomy care.
This study examined the need for qualitative research on meaningful patient-reported outcomes (PROs) to prevent complications and readmissions after cystectomy. The investigators looked at the potential use of mobile communication devices (mHealth) to capture patients’ experiences and to improve outcomes. Interviews were conducted with 15 readmitted patients and 10 of their partners over 45 semi-structured in-depth interviews. The most common perspectives were that patients and their caregivers were overloaded with cystectomy education; they need to know what are normal post-operative symptoms; and that using mHealth would help with patient and caregiver education.
AHRQ-funded; HS024134.
Citation: Smith AB, Mueller D, Garren B .
Using qualitative research to reduce readmissions and optimize perioperative cystectomy care.
Cancer 2019 Oct 15;125(20):3545-53. doi: 10.1002/cncr.32362..
Keywords: Hospital Readmissions, Surgery, Health Information Technology (HIT), Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Hospitals, Patient-Centered Healthcare
Jones KJ, Skinner A, Venema D
Evaluating the use of multiteam systems to manage the complexity of inpatient falls in rural hospitals.
Researchers evaluated the implementation and outcomes of evidence-based fall-risk-reduction processes when those processes are implemented using a multiteam system (MTS) structure. They found that multiteam systems that effectively coordinate fall-risk-reduction processes may improve the capacity of hospitals to manage the complex patient, environmental, and system factors that result in falls.
AHRQ-funded; HS024630; HS021429.
Citation: Jones KJ, Skinner A, Venema D .
Evaluating the use of multiteam systems to manage the complexity of inpatient falls in rural hospitals.
Health Serv Res 2019 Oct;54(5):994-1006. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13186..
Keywords: Falls, Hospitals, Inpatient Care, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement, Patient Safety, Prevention, Risk
Schwarzkopf R, Behery OA, Yu H
Patterns and costs of 90-day readmission for surgical and medical complications following total hip and knee arthroplasty.
Unplanned readmissions following elective total hip (THA) and knee (TKA) arthroplasty as a result of surgical complications likely have different quality improvement targets and cost implications than those for nonsurgical readmissions. In this study, the investigators compared payments, timing, and location of unplanned readmissions with Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)-defined surgical complications to readmissions without such complications.
AHRQ-funded; HS022882.
Citation: Schwarzkopf R, Behery OA, Yu H .
Patterns and costs of 90-day readmission for surgical and medical complications following total hip and knee arthroplasty.
J Arthroplasty 2019 Oct;34(10):2304-07. doi: 10.1016/j.arth.2019.05.046..
Keywords: Orthopedics, Surgery, Hospital Readmissions, Adverse Events, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Medicare, Hospitals
Odell DD, Quinn CM, Matulewicz RS
Association between hospital safety culture and surgical outcomes in a statewide surgical quality improvement collaborative.
The "safety culture" within hospital systems is increasingly recognized as important to delivery of high-quality care. In this study, the investigators examined the safety culture in a statewide hospital quality improvement collaborative and its associations with surgical outcomes. The authors found, among other results that operating room safety culture scores were highest (97.7% positive) compared with the other domains, and ratings of hospital management were lowest (75.9% positive).
AHRQ-funded; HS024516.
Citation: Odell DD, Quinn CM, Matulewicz RS .
Association between hospital safety culture and surgical outcomes in a statewide surgical quality improvement collaborative.
J Am Coll Surg 2019 Aug;229(2):175-83. doi: 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2019.02.046..
Keywords: Hospitals, Patient Safety, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement, Outcomes, Surgery, Surveys on Patient Safety Culture
Desai AD, Starmer AJ
Process metrics and outcomes to inform quality improvement in pediatric hospital medicine.
This article provides an overview of the selection, development, and use of process and outcome measures for pediatric hospital medicine quality improvement initiatives. It reviews commonly used categories of process and outcome measures, provides a list of common sources and repositories of previously validated measures, and provides a blueprint for the development of novel measures.
AHRQ-funded; HS024299.
Citation: Desai AD, Starmer AJ .
Process metrics and outcomes to inform quality improvement in pediatric hospital medicine.
Pediatr Clin North Am 2019 Aug;66(4):725-37. doi: 10.1016/j.pcl.2019.03.002..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Hospitals, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement, Quality Measures, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Nolan K, Zullo AR, Bosco E
Controlled substance diversion in health systems: a failure modes and effects analysis for prevention.
This study’s purpose was to demonstrate the utility of failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) to identify potential sources of controlled substance diversion and developing solutions in an academic health system. A cross-functional team of 18 members was developed from the department of pharmacy. Scoring criteria was developed and ways were identified in which step of the medication supply there could be failure and result in diversion of controlled substances. Failure was indicated with a vulnerability score of 48 or 64. A total of 10 major steps and 30 substeps in the supply process was identified. From this 103 potential failure modes were identified, with 24 modes (23%) considered failing. Notable failure included controlled substance activity under temporary patients and discrepancy trends. Expanded use of cameras in high-risk areas and added verification checks were implemented after the analysis.
AHRQ-funded; HS022998.
Citation: Nolan K, Zullo AR, Bosco E .
Controlled substance diversion in health systems: a failure modes and effects analysis for prevention.
Am J Health Syst Pharm 2019 Jul 18;76(15):1158-64. doi: 10.1093/ajhp/zxz116..
Keywords: Medication, Provider: Pharmacist, Hospitals, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Ward ST, Dimick JB, Zhang W
Association between hospital staffing models and failure to rescue.
The purpose of this study was to identify hospital staffing models associated with failure to rescue (FTR) rates at low- and high-performing hospitals. The investigators concluded that low FTR hospitals had significantly more staffing resources than high FTR hospitals. They indicated that although hiring additional staff may be beneficial, there remain significant financial limitations for many hospitals to implement robust staffing models.
AHRQ-funded; HS023621; HS024403.
Citation: Ward ST, Dimick JB, Zhang W .
Association between hospital staffing models and failure to rescue.
Ann Surg 2019 Jul;270(1):91-94. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000002744..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Hospitals, Workforce, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Healthcare Delivery
Antunez AG, Kanters AE, Regenbogen SE
Evaluation of access to hospitals most ready to achieve national accreditation for rectal cancer treatment.
This cohort study looked at hospitals’ readiness to be part of the American College of Surgeons National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC), and what types of hospitals are most likely to receive NAPRC accreditation. A total of 1315 American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer-accredited hospitals from the National Cancer Database were sorted into 4 cohorts from 2011 to 2015. They were organized by high versus low volume, adherence to process standards, and patient and hospital characteristics and oncologic outcomes were compared. Among those hospitals, 38 (2.9%) met proposed thresholds for all 5 NAPRC process standards, and 220 (16.7%) met the threshold on 4 standards. Low-adherence hospitals were more likely to serve patients who were older, as well more public insurance recipients, or were black or Hispanic.
ARHQ-funded; HS000053.
Citation: Antunez AG, Kanters AE, Regenbogen SE .
Evaluation of access to hospitals most ready to achieve national accreditation for rectal cancer treatment.
JAMA Surg 2019 Jun;154(6):516-23. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2018.5521..
Keywords: Cancer: Colorectal Cancer, Cancer, Hospitals, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Dalal AK, Fuller T, Garabedian P
Systems engineering and human factors support of a system of novel EHR-integrated tools to prevent harm in the hospital.
This study examined systems engineering and human factors support of a system of novel electronic health record (EHR)-integrated tools for patient safety in the hospital. The authors established a Patient Safety Learning Laboratory of 2 core and 3 individual project teams to introduce a suite of digital health tools integrated with their EHR to identify, assess, and mitigate threats to patient safety. They identified 7 themes regarding use of 12 systems engineering and human factors over the 4-year project.
AHRQ-funded; HS023535.
Citation: Dalal AK, Fuller T, Garabedian P .
Systems engineering and human factors support of a system of novel EHR-integrated tools to prevent harm in the hospital.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2019 Jun;26(6):553-60. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocz002..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Patient Safety, Hospitals, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Hanson C, Herring B, Trish E
Do health insurance and hospital market concentration influence hospital patients' experience of care?
Researchers examined the effects of insurance and hospital market concentration on hospital patients' experience of care. They found that changes in patient satisfaction are positively associated with increases in insurance concentration and negatively associated with increases in hospital concentration. They concluded that their findings add to the evidence on the harms of hospital consolidation but suggest that insurer consolidation may improve patient experience.
AHRQ-funded; HS026333.
Citation: Hanson C, Herring B, Trish E .
Do health insurance and hospital market concentration influence hospital patients' experience of care?
Health Serv Res 2019 May 16;54(4):805-15. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13168..
Keywords: Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Health Insurance, Hospitals, Patient Experience, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement
Toomey SL, Elliott MN, Zaslavsky AM
Improving response rates and representation of hard-to-reach groups in family experience surveys.
This study examined the use of an audio-enabled tablet to survey parents of children discharged from 4 units of a children’s hospital. Normal mail survey response rates are very low, especially for black, Latino, and low-income respondents. This survey was done day of discharge at the hospital and there was a response rate of 71.1% via tablet versus 16.3% for mail only. The Child Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey was used. Tablet response rates were highest with fathers, those more likely to have a high school education or less, less likely to be white, and more likely to be publicly insured. The results are promising for future surveys using tablet administration.
AHRQ-funded; HS020513; HS025299.
Citation: Toomey SL, Elliott MN, Zaslavsky AM .
Improving response rates and representation of hard-to-reach groups in family experience surveys.
Acad Pediatr 2019 May - Jun;19(4):446-53. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2018.07.007..
Keywords: Caregiving, Children/Adolescents, Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS), Health Information Technology (HIT), Hospitals, Low-Income, Patient Experience, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Milla C, Guo M, Chang A
Patient perspectives in comparing hospitals for childbirth: insights from Hawai'i.
Childbirth is a national priority area for healthcare quality improvement. Patient perspectives are increasingly valued in healthcare, yet Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) perspectives of healthcare quality are often understudied, particularly from individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP). In this study, the goal was to understand factors that consumers in Hawai'i, including AAPI and those with LEP, used to compare patient care in hospitals, especially for childbirth.
AHRQ-funded; HS021903.
Citation: Milla C, Guo M, Chang A .
Patient perspectives in comparing hospitals for childbirth: insights from Hawai'i.
Hawaii J Med Public Health 2019 Mar;78(3):89-97..
Keywords: Labor and Delivery, Pregnancy, Hospitals, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Cultural Competence, Women
McGrath SP, Perreard IM, Garland MD
Improving patient safety and clinician workflow in the general care setting with enhanced surveillance monitoring.
This researched analyzed the impact of implementing an improved clinical monitoring system with enhanced surveillance. This enhanced monitoring system was shown to improve patient safety and clinical workflow in inpatient hospital settings. After implementation higher staff satisfaction was shown and reduced average vital signs data collection time by 28%. It improved the availability and accuracy of patient information. However, there was little or no impact on clinical alarms.
AHRQ-funded; HS024403.
Citation: McGrath SP, Perreard IM, Garland MD .
Improving patient safety and clinician workflow in the general care setting with enhanced surveillance monitoring.
IEEE J Biomed Health Inform 2019 Mar;23(2):857-66. doi: 10.1109/jbhi.2018.2834863..
Keywords: Hospitals, Inpatient Care, Patient Safety, Provider: Clinician, Quality Improvement, Workflow
Hsu YJ, Kosinski AS, Wallace AS
Using a society database to evaluate a patient safety collaborative: the Cardiovascular Surgical Translational Study.
The authors assessed the utility of using external databases for quality improvement (QI) evaluations in the context of an innovative QI collaborative aimed to reduce three infections and improve patient safety across the cardiac surgery service line. They compared changes in each outcome between 15 intervention hospitals and 52 propensity score-matched hospitals, and found that improvement trends in several outcomes among the studied intervention hospitals were not statistically different from those in comparison hospitals. They conclude that using external databases may permit comparative effectiveness assessment by providing concurrent comparison groups, additional outcome measures, and longer follow-up.
AHRQ-funded; HS019934.
Citation: Hsu YJ, Kosinski AS, Wallace AS .
Using a society database to evaluate a patient safety collaborative: the Cardiovascular Surgical Translational Study.
J Comp Eff Res 2019 Jan;8(1):21-32. doi: 10.2217/cer-2018-0051..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Quality Improvement, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality of Care, Surgery, Cardiovascular Conditions, Comparative Effectiveness, Data, Hospitals, Research Methodologies, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research