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) (1)
- Adverse Events (11)
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (6)
- Antibiotics (2)
- Antimicrobial Stewardship (2)
- Anxiety (1)
- Arthritis (1)
- Asthma (3)
- Behavioral Health (4)
- Burnout (2)
- Cancer (12)
- Cancer: Breast Cancer (1)
- Cancer: Colorectal Cancer (2)
- Cancer: Prostate Cancer (1)
- Cardiovascular Conditions (11)
- Care Coordination (2)
- Care Management (4)
- Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) (1)
- Children/Adolescents (13)
- Chronic Conditions (5)
- Clinical Decision Support (CDS) (1)
- Clinician-Patient Communication (3)
- Communication (6)
- Community Partnerships (1)
- Comparative Effectiveness (2)
- Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) (5)
- Critical Care (2)
- Decision Making (1)
- Dementia (1)
- Depression (2)
- Diabetes (1)
- Diagnostic Safety and Quality (11)
- Dialysis (1)
- Digestive Disease and Health (1)
- Disparities (3)
- Domestic Violence (2)
- Elderly (9)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (10)
- Emergency Department (11)
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) (2)
- Evidence-Based Practice (16)
- Falls (2)
- Guidelines (2)
- Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) (4)
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) (1)
- Healthcare Costs (5)
- Healthcare Delivery (17)
- Healthcare Utilization (2)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (15)
- Health Insurance (1)
- Health Services Research (HSR) (2)
- Health Systems (7)
- Heart Disease and Health (3)
- Home Healthcare (1)
- Hospital Discharge (4)
- Hospitalization (1)
- Hospital Readmissions (7)
- Hospitals (31)
- Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) (1)
- Imaging (2)
- Implementation (12)
- Infectious Diseases (1)
- Injuries and Wounds (4)
- Inpatient Care (5)
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (2)
- Kidney Disease and Health (3)
- Labor and Delivery (2)
- Learning Health Systems (1)
- Long-Term Care (7)
- Maternal Care (2)
- Medical Errors (7)
- Medicare (7)
- Medication (8)
- Medication: Safety (2)
- Mortality (2)
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) (1)
- Neurological Disorders (3)
- Newborns/Infants (3)
- Nursing (4)
- Nursing Homes (12)
- Nutrition (1)
- Opioids (1)
- Organizational Change (2)
- Orthopedics (1)
- Outcomes (8)
- Palliative Care (1)
- Patient-Centered Healthcare (7)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (13)
- Patient and Family Engagement (4)
- Patient Experience (13)
- Patient Safety (27)
- Patient Self-Management (1)
- Payment (2)
- Policy (1)
- Practice Improvement (2)
- Practice Patterns (2)
- Pregnancy (2)
- Pressure Ulcers (2)
- Prevention (5)
- Primary Care (18)
- Primary Care: Models of Care (8)
- Provider (10)
- Provider: Clinician (1)
- Provider: Nurse (3)
- Provider: Physician (3)
- Provider Performance (19)
- Public Reporting (1)
- Quality Improvement (75)
- Quality Indicators (QIs) (13)
- Quality Measures (23)
- (-) Quality of Care (145)
- Quality of Life (3)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (2)
- Registries (2)
- Research Methodologies (1)
- Respiratory Conditions (3)
- Risk (5)
- Rural/Inner-City Residents (1)
- Screening (2)
- Sepsis (3)
- Simulation (2)
- Skin Conditions (1)
- Sleep Problems (1)
- Social Determinants of Health (2)
- Stroke (2)
- Substance Abuse (1)
- Surgery (24)
- Teams (3)
- Telehealth (1)
- Training (2)
- Transitions of Care (2)
- Transplantation (1)
- Trauma (1)
- Treatments (3)
- Uninsured (1)
- Urban Health (2)
- Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) (1)
- Vulnerable Populations (1)
- Women (3)
- Workflow (1)
- Workforce (3)
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
51 to 75 of 145 Research Studies DisplayedShoemaker-Hunt S, Hall K, Hoffman L
Advancing patient safety: reviews from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Making Healthcare Safer III report.
This paper discusses the Making Healthcare Safer (MHS) reports from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The reports—providing an analysis of the evidence for various patient safety practices (PSPs)—have served as a consolidated and up-to-date source of information for multiple stakeholders, including healthcare providers, health system administrators, researchers, and government agencies.
AHRQ-funded; 233201500013I.
Citation: Shoemaker-Hunt S, Hall K, Hoffman L .
Advancing patient safety: reviews from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Making Healthcare Safer III report.
J Patient Saf 2020 Sep;16(3S Suppl 1):S1-s2. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000761..
Keywords: Patient Safety, Evidence-Based Practice, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Costar DM, Hall KK
Improving team performance and patient safety on the job through team training and performance support tools: a systematic review.
This systematic review’s objective was to identify recent studies that implemented practices to improve teamwork in health care and were associated with positive improvements on the job. Two databases were searched to identify relevant articles published between 2008 and 2018. Twenty articles were selected for inclusion. Across studies, measures assessing teamwork skills on the job were most often collected and sustained improvements were shown for up to 12 months. Evidence of improved clinical practices and increased patient safety was found in both studies team training interventions, as well as those that introduced performance support tools. All studies were conducted in hospitals with very few studies found in other health care settings such as office-based care.
AHRQ-funded; HHSP233201500013I.
Citation: Costar DM, Hall KK .
Improving team performance and patient safety on the job through team training and performance support tools: a systematic review.
J Patient Saf 2020 Sep;16(3S Suppl 1):S48-s56. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000746..
Keywords: Teams, Patient Safety, Training, Patient Safety, Provider Performance, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Smith LB, Desai NR, Dowd B
Patient and provider-level factors associated with changes in utilization of treatments in response to evidence on ineffectiveness or harm.
High-quality health care not only includes timely access to effective new therapies but timely abandonment of therapies when they are found to be ineffective or unsafe. Little is known about changes in use of medications after they are shown to be ineffective or unsafe. In this study, the investigators examined changes in use of two medications: fenofibrate, which was found to be ineffective when used with statins among patients with Type 2 diabetes (ACCORD lipid trial); and dronedarone, which was found to be unsafe in patients with permanent atrial fibrillation (PALLAS trial).
AHRQ-funded; HS025164.
Citation: Smith LB, Desai NR, Dowd B .
Patient and provider-level factors associated with changes in utilization of treatments in response to evidence on ineffectiveness or harm.
Int J Health Econ Manag 2020 Sep;20(3):299-317. doi: 10.1007/s10754-020-09282-2..
Keywords: Healthcare Utilization, Medication, Medication: Safety, Patient Safety, Quality of Care
Dickinson WP, Nease DE, Rhyne RL
Practice transformation support and patient engagement to improve cardiovascular care: from EvidenceNOW Southwest (ENSW).
The purpose of this study was to improve cardiovascular care through supporting primary care practices' adoption of evidence-based guidelines; a cluster randomized trial compared standard practice support--practice facilitation, practice assessment with feedback, health information technology assistance, and collaborative learning sessions--and standard support plus patient engagement support. Findings showed that practice transformation support can assist practices with improving quality of care. Patient engagement in practice transformation can further enhance practices' implementation of aspects of new models of care.
AHRQ-funded; HS023904.
Citation: Dickinson WP, Nease DE, Rhyne RL .
Practice transformation support and patient engagement to improve cardiovascular care: from EvidenceNOW Southwest (ENSW).
J Am Board Fam Med 2020 Sep-Oct;33(5):675-86. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.2020.05.190395..
Keywords: Cardiovascular Conditions, Primary Care: Models of Care, Primary Care, Patient and Family Engagement, Evidence-Based Practice, Implementation, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Knutzen KE, Schifferdecker KE, Murray GF
Role of norms in variation in cancer centers' end-of-life quality: qualitative case study protocol.
AHRQ-funded; HS022242.
Citation: Knutzen KE, Schifferdecker KE, Murray GF .
Role of norms in variation in cancer centers' end-of-life quality: qualitative case study protocol.
BMC Palliat Care 2020 Aug 27;19(1):136. doi: 10.1186/s12904-020-00641-x..
Keywords: Cancer, Quality of Life, Palliative Care, Quality of Care, Chronic Conditions
Mueller KL, Naganathan S, Griffey RT
Counseling on Access to Lethal Means-Emergency Department (CALM-ED): a quality improvement program for firearm injury prevention.
The authors evaluated the feasibility of the Counseling on Access to Lethal Means intervention in the Emergency Department (CALM-ED) by non-physician personnel. Their quality improvement study was conducted in an urban, academic ED with over 90,000 annual patient visits, and considered adult patients who were discharged after presenting to the ED with a suicidal crisis. They found that an ED-based CALM quality-improvement intervention was feasible for implementation by non-physician personnel and was well received by patients and families. They concluded that the intervention has the potential to help saves lives at times of suicide crisis.
AHRQ-funded; HS025052.
Citation: Mueller KL, Naganathan S, Griffey RT .
Counseling on Access to Lethal Means-Emergency Department (CALM-ED): a quality improvement program for firearm injury prevention.
West J Emerg Med 2020 Aug 20;21(5):1123-30. doi: 10.5811/westjem.2020.5.46952.
.
.
Keywords: Emergency Department, Injuries and Wounds, Prevention, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Domestic Violence, Behavioral Health
Machta RM, Reschovsky J, Jones DJ
AHRQ Author: Furukawa MF
Can vertically integrated health systems provide greater value: the case of hospitals under the comprehensive care for joint replacement model?
The authors sought to assess whether system providers perform better than non-system providers under an alternative payment model that incentivizes high-quality, cost-efficient care. Using CMS data linked to AHRQ’s Compendium of US Health Systems, along with secondary sources, they found that when operating under alternative payment model incentives, vertical integration may enable hospitals to lower costs with similar quality scores.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 290201600001C.
Citation: Machta RM, Reschovsky J, Jones DJ .
Can vertically integrated health systems provide greater value: the case of hospitals under the comprehensive care for joint replacement model?
Health Serv Res 2020 Aug;55(4):541-47. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.13313..
Keywords: Health Systems, Hospitals, Orthopedics, Healthcare Costs, Payment, Quality of Care
Swietek KE, Gaynes BN, Jackson GL
Effect of the patient-centered medical home on racial disparities in quality of care.
Research demonstrates that the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) is associated with improved clinical outcomes and quality of care, and the populations that can most benefit from this model require long-term management, e.g., persons with chronic illness and behavioral health conditions. The objective of this study was to estimate the association between enrollment in National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)-recognized PCMHs and racial disparities in quality of care for adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) and comorbid medical conditions.
AHRQ-funded; HS025562.
Citation: Swietek KE, Gaynes BN, Jackson GL .
Effect of the patient-centered medical home on racial disparities in quality of care.
J Gen Intern Med 2020 Aug;35(8):2304-13. doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-05729-x.
.
.
Keywords: Patient-Centered Healthcare, Disparities, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Quality of Care, Chronic Conditions
Fisher ES, Shortell SM, O'Malley AJ
Financial integration's impact on care delivery and payment reforms: a survey of hospitals and physician practices. Health Aff 2020 Aug;39(8):1302-11. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2019.01813.
This study looked at whether financial integration of hospitals and physician practices was associated with greater quality. A total of 739 hospitals and 2,189 physician practices were included in the nationally representative survey. They were stratified by whether they were independent or owned by complex systems, simple systems, or medical groups. Nine scales were used to measure the level of adoption of diverse, quality-focused care delivery and payment reforms. While quality scores favored financially integrated systems for 4 of 9 hospital measures and one of 9 practice measures, none of them favored complex systems. Better quality was generally not associated with greater financial integration.
AHRQ-funded; U19 HS024075.
Citation: Fisher ES, Shortell SM, O'Malley AJ .
Financial integration's impact on care delivery and payment reforms: a survey of hospitals and physician practices. Health Aff 2020 Aug;39(8):1302-11. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2019.01813.
Health Aff 2020 Aug;39(8):1302-11. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2019.01813..
Keywords: Healthcare Delivery, Payment, Hospitals, Health Systems, Quality of Care
Kaiser SV, Johnson MD, Walls TA
Pathways to improve pediatric asthma care: a multisite, national study of emergency department asthma pathway implementation.
This quality improvement study’s aim was to determine the effects of pediatric asthma pathway implementation in a diverse, national sample of emergency departments (EDs). Desired outcomes included systemic corticosteroid administration within 60 minutes (primary), assessment of severity at ED triage, chest radiograph use, hospital admission or transfer for higher level of care, and ED length of stay. Charts were reviewed each month by EDs for children ages 2-17 years with a primary diagnosis of asthma. A total of 83 EDs were enrolled, with 37 of them children’s hospitals, and 46 community hospitals. Seventy-three percent completed the study (n = 22,963). There was a significant increase in systematic corticosteroid administration within 60 minutes of arrival as well as increased odds of severity assessment at triage and decreased rate of change in odds of hospital admission/transfer. Chest radiograph or ED length of stay was not associated with pathway implementation.
AHRQ-funded; HS024592.
Citation: Kaiser SV, Johnson MD, Walls TA .
Pathways to improve pediatric asthma care: a multisite, national study of emergency department asthma pathway implementation.
J Pediatr 2020 Aug;223:100-07.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.02.080..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Emergency Department, Asthma, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Care Management, Healthcare Delivery, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Evidence-Based Practice, Outcomes
Griffey RT, Schneider RM, Todorov AA
The emergency department trigger tool: a novel approach to screening for quality and safety events.
The goal of this study was to develop an automated version of a previously developed emergency department (ED) trigger tool to track the likelihood of an adverse event. Thirty triggers were associated with risk of harm. The authors identified 1,726 records out of 76,894 ED visits with greater than or equal to 1 trigger. They compared the results of the automated tool to the previous version and found it performed well. They began with a broad set of candidate triggers and validated a computerized query that eliminates the need for manual screening of triggers and also identified a refined set of triggers associated with adverse events in the ED.
AHRQ-funded; HS025052.
Citation: Griffey RT, Schneider RM, Todorov AA .
The emergency department trigger tool: a novel approach to screening for quality and safety events.
Ann Emerg Med 2020 Aug;76(2):230-40. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2019.07.032..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Patient Safety, Adverse Events, Medical Errors, Quality of Care, Risk
Co Z, Holmgren AJ, Classen DC
The tradeoffs between safety and alert fatigue: data from a national evaluation of hospital medication-related clinical decision support.
This study evaluated the overall performance of hospitals that used the Computerized Physician Order Entry Evaluation Tool in 2017 and 2018 and compared performances for fatal orders and nuisance orders each year. The authors evaluated 1599 hospitals that took the test by using their overall percentage scores along with the percentage of fatal orders appropriately alerted on and the percentage of nuisance orders incorrectly alerted on. Overall hospital scores improved from 58.1% in 2017 to 66.2% in 2018. Fatal order performance improved slightly from 78.8% to 83.0%, but there no very little change in nuisance order performance (89.0% to 89.7%). Conclusions were that perhaps hospitals are not targeting the deadliest orders first and some hospitals may be achieving higher scores by over-alerting. This has the potential to cause clinician burnout and even worsen patient safety.
AHRQ-funded; HS023696.
Citation: Co Z, Holmgren AJ, Classen DC .
The tradeoffs between safety and alert fatigue: data from a national evaluation of hospital medication-related clinical decision support.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2020 Aug;27(8):1252-58. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocaa098..
Keywords: Medication: Safety, Medication, Patient Safety, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Decision Making, Burnout, Hospitals, Health Information Technology (HIT), Quality of Care
Shappell CN, Klompas M, Rhee C
Surveillance strategies for tracking sepsis incidence and outcomes.
Sepsis is a leading cause of death and the target of intense efforts to improve recognition, management and outcomes. Accurate sepsis surveillance is essential to properly interpreting the impact of quality improvement initiatives, making meaningful comparisons across hospitals and geographic regions, and guiding future research and resource investments. In this review, the investigators discuss the advantages and limitations of different sepsis surveillance strategies and consider future directions.
AHRQ-funded; HS025008.
Citation: Shappell CN, Klompas M, Rhee C .
Surveillance strategies for tracking sepsis incidence and outcomes.
J Infect Dis 2020 Jul 21;222(Suppl 2):S74-s83. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa102..
Keywords: Sepsis, Outcomes, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Nace DA, Hanlon JT, Crnich CJ
A multifaceted antimicrobial stewardship program for the treatment of uncomplicated cystitis in nursing home residents.
This study describes the result of implementing a multifaceted antimicrobial stewardship program to reduce antibiotic use in nursing homes for urinary tract infections that are unlikely cystitis. Reduction in antibiotic use decreases incidence of Clostridioides difficile (C difficile) infections, as well as adverse drug reactions and antimicrobial drug resistance. This one-year case-control study included 12 intervention nursing homes and 13 control group nursing homes. The intervention nursing homes received a 1-hour introductory webinar, pocket-sized educational cards, tools for system change, and educational clinical vignettes addressing the diagnosis and treatment of suspected uncomplicated cystitis. Additionally, they received a monthly coaching call as well as a quarterly feedback report. In the intervention nursing homes, fewer unlikely cystitis cases were treated with antibiotics and C difficile infection rates were also lower. There was no increase in all-cause hospitalizations or deaths due to the intervention.
AHRQ-funded; HS023779.
Citation: Nace DA, Hanlon JT, Crnich CJ .
A multifaceted antimicrobial stewardship program for the treatment of uncomplicated cystitis in nursing home residents.
JAMA Intern Med 2020 Jul;180(7):944-51. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.1256..
Keywords: Antimicrobial Stewardship, Antibiotics, Nursing Homes, Elderly, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Medication
Sheetz KH, Ryan A
Accuracy of quality measurement for the hospital acquired conditions reduction program.
Accuracy of quality measurement for the hospital acquired conditions reduction program.
AHRQ-funded; HS026244; HS000053.
Citation: Sheetz KH, Ryan A .
Accuracy of quality measurement for the hospital acquired conditions reduction program.
BMJ Qual Saf 2020 Jul;29(7):605-07. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2019-009747..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Hospitals, Quality Measures, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Surgery, Infectious Diseases
Kaiser SV, Lam Cabana, MD
Best practices in implementing inpatient pediatric asthma pathways: a qualitative study.
The objective of this study was to identify potential best practices in pathway implementation. Building upon a previous observational study in which the researchers identified higher and lower performing children's hospitals based on hospital-level changes in asthma patient length of stay after implementation of a pathway, they conducted semi-structured interviews with a sample of healthcare providers involved in pathway implementation at these hospitals. They identified several potential best practices to support pathway implementation. They recommended that hospitals implementing pathways consider applying these strategies to ensure success in improving quality of asthma care for children.
AHRQ-funded; HS024592.
Citation: Kaiser SV, Lam Cabana, MD .
Best practices in implementing inpatient pediatric asthma pathways: a qualitative study.
J Asthma 2020 Jul;57(7):744-54. doi: 10.1080/02770903.2019.1606237..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Hospitals, Inpatient Care, Guidelines, Evidence-Based Practice, Implementation, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Lafferty M, Fauer A, Wright N
Causes and consequences of chemotherapy delays in ambulatory oncology practices: a multisite qualitative study.
The purpose of this study was to examine the causes and consequences of chemotherapy treatment delays and possible solutions to improve quality of care. The authors identified four primary themes from the analysis that affect delays. They suggest future investigations to examine nurses' communication practices in the context of timely chemotherapy administration since communication and documentation technologies within healthcare settings continuously evolve.
AHRQ-funded; HS024914.
Citation: Lafferty M, Fauer A, Wright N .
Causes and consequences of chemotherapy delays in ambulatory oncology practices: a multisite qualitative study.
Oncol Nurs Forum 2020 Jul 1;47(4):417-27. doi: 10.1188/20.Onf.417-427..
Keywords: Treatments, Cancer, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Quality of Care, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Provider: Nurse, Provider, Nursing, Chronic Conditions
Kanters AE, Vu JV, Schuman AD AE, Vu JV, Schuman AD
Completeness of operative reports for rectal cancer surgery.
This study examined the completeness of operative reports for rectal cancer surgery and whether they contain the key elements recommended by the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer. Ten hospitals in Michigan submitted rectal cancer operative reports from June-December 2018. These reports were analyzed for completeness and to identify key elements in the synoptic operative template. Out of 110 reports, 31 contained all 24 elements and they all used a synoptic template. Overall, 62 reported used a synoptic template and 48 did not.
AHRQ-funded; HS000053.
Citation: Kanters AE, Vu JV, Schuman AD AE, Vu JV, Schuman AD .
Completeness of operative reports for rectal cancer surgery.
Am J Surg 2020 Jul;220(1):165-69. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2019.09.036..
Keywords: Cancer: Colorectal Cancer, Cancer, Surgery, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Bronsert M, Singh AB, Henderson WG
Identification of postoperative complications using electronic health record data and machine learning.
Investigators developed a machine learning algorithm for identifying patients with one or more complications using data from the electronic health record (EHR). They concluded that using machine learning on EHR postoperative data linked to American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program outcomes data, a model with 163 predictors from the EHR identified complications well at their institution.
AHRQ-funded; HS026019.
Citation: Bronsert M, Singh AB, Henderson WG .
Identification of postoperative complications using electronic health record data and machine learning.
Am J Surg 2020 Jul;220(1):114-19. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2019.10.009..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Surgery, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Diagnostic Safety and Quality
Jaffe TA, Goldstein JN, Yun BJ
Impact of emergency department crowding on delays in acute stroke care.
This study examined the relationship between emergency department (ED) crowding and timely delivery of emergency stroke care. The authors prospectively collected data from their own institution’s Get with the Guidelines-Stroke registry to identify consecutive acute ischemic stroke patients who came to their urban academic ED from July 2016-August 2018. ED conditions were categorized as normal capacity, high ED crowding, and severe crowding. Of the 1379 patients presenting with ischemic stroke during the study period, 78% presented at normal, 15% during high ED crowding, and 7% during severe crowding times. Outcomes of interest were door-to-imaging (DIT) time. There were no significant delays in stroke care delivery associated with ED crowding.
AHRQ-funded; HS024561.
Citation: Jaffe TA, Goldstein JN, Yun BJ .
Impact of emergency department crowding on delays in acute stroke care.
West J Emerg Med 2020 Jul 8;21(4):892-99. doi: 10.5811/westjem.2020.5.45873..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Stroke, Cardiovascular Conditions, Healthcare Delivery, Quality of Care
Aragaki D, Basu A, Conlon C
Quality of electrodiagnostic testing for carpal tunnel syndrome: adherence to quality measures.
This study examined the quality of electrodiagnostic testing for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The authors prospectively recruited 477 adults with workers’ compensation claims for CTS from 30 occupational health clinics and evaluated whether electrodiagnostic testing adhered to five process-oriented quality measures. Among the patients who had CTS surgery, nearly all had the recommended preoperative electrodiagnostic testing. Most (77.8%) included essential components but few documented skin temperature and criteria were seldom met for interpreting test findings as consistent with CTS or severe CTS.
AHRQ-funded; HS018982.
Citation: Aragaki D, Basu A, Conlon C .
Quality of electrodiagnostic testing for carpal tunnel syndrome: adherence to quality measures.
Muscle Nerve 2020 Jul;62(1):50-59. doi: 10.1002/mus.26858.
.
.
Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality Measures, Quality of Care
De la Garza Ramos R, Gelfand Y, Benton JA
Rates, risk factors, and complications of red blood cell transfusion in metastatic spinal tumor surgery: an analysis of a prospective multicenter surgical database.
The goal of this study was to identify rates, risks, and complications of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion in metastatic spinal tumor surgery. The multicenter prospective American College of Surgeons National Quality Improvement Program database was used to identify adult patients with disseminated cancer who underwent metastatic spinal tumor surgery from 2012-2016. A patient was included if at least 1 intraoperative/postoperative RBC transfusion was received within the first 72 hours of surgery start time. Out of 1601 patients included, 623 (38.9%) received a RBC transfusion. There was an overall higher complication rate in patients who received a transfusion compared to those who didn’t. These complications included sepsis (3.5% vs. 1.9%), deep vein thrombosis (6.1% vs. 3.3%), and prolonged ventilation (3.9% vs. 1.3%). Future research into complication prevention was recommended.
https://www.pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32298819
Citation: De la Garza Ramos R, Gelfand Y, Benton JA .
Rates, risk factors, and complications of red blood cell transfusion in metastatic spinal tumor surgery: an analysis of a prospective multicenter surgical database.
World Neurosurg 2020 Jul;139:e308-e15. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2020.03.202..
Keywords: Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Surgery, Risk, Cancer
O'Leary KJ, Hanrahan K, Cyrus RM
Teamwork essentials for hospitalists.
The authors examine the concept of teamwork in hospitals. They assert that measurement is key to understanding baseline performance and assessing whether teamwork is improving. The authors recommend a multifaceted approach, using a combination of complementary interventions with an ultimate goal that improved teamwork translates into improved patient outcomes.
Citation: O'Leary KJ, Hanrahan K, Cyrus RM .
Teamwork essentials for hospitalists.
Med Clin North Am 2020 Jul;104(4):727-37. doi: 10.1016/j.mcna.2020.03.001.
.
.
Keywords: Teams, Hospitals, Quality of Care
Lee YSH, King MD, Anderson D
The how matters: how primary care provider communication with team relates to patients' disease management.
This study examined how primary care provider (PCP)-team communication relates to patients’ disease management. A longitudinal study was conducted of how 3 aspects of PCP-care team communication including participation, time spent listening, an uninterrupted speaking length relate to disease management of patients with hypertension or diabetes. The study recruited 27 PCPs and 98 team members serving 18,067 patients with hypertension and 8354 patients with diabetes affiliated with a federally qualified health center with 12 practice sites. Data was collected using sociometric sensors worn by PCPs and team members, surveys on patient-PCP communication, and electronic records which extracted PCP and patient characteristics. Results showed that PCPs participated in 75% of care team conversations, spent 56% of conversation time listening, and had an average uninterrupted speaking length of 2.42 seconds. Greater PCP participation, listening, and length of uninterrupted time speaking were associated with significantly higher odds that their patients had controlled hypertension and diabetes.
AHRQ-funded; HS016978.
Citation: Lee YSH, King MD, Anderson D .
The how matters: how primary care provider communication with team relates to patients' disease management.
Med Care 2020 Jul;58(7):643-50. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001342..
Keywords: Primary Care, Communication, Teams, Provider, Quality of Care
Shetty KD, Robbins M, Aragaki D
The quality of electrodiagnostic tests for carpal tunnel syndrome: Implications for surgery, outcomes, and expenditures.
The quality of electrodiagnostic tests may influence treatment decisions, particularly regarding surgery, affecting health outcomes and health-care expenditures. In this study, the investigators evaluated test quality among 338 adults with workers' compensation claims for carpal tunnel syndrome. The investigators found that in simulations, suboptimal quality tests rendered surgery inappropriate for 99 of 309 patients (+32 percentage points). They also found that test quality was not associated with overall health, actual receipt of surgery, or expenditures.
AHRQ-funded; HS018982.
Citation: Shetty KD, Robbins M, Aragaki D .
The quality of electrodiagnostic tests for carpal tunnel syndrome: Implications for surgery, outcomes, and expenditures.
Muscle Nerve 2020 Jul;62(1):60-69. doi: 10.1002/mus.26874..
Keywords: Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Neurological Disorders, Surgery, Quality Indicators (QIs), Quality Measures, Quality of Care