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- Adverse Events (4)
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- (-) Surgery (16)
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- Transitions of Care (3)
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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 16 of 16 Research Studies DisplayedKim KM, Giannitrapani KF, Garcia A
Patient characteristics associated with occurrence of preoperative goals-of-care conversations.
This study’s goal was to evaluate the association between patient risk of hospitalization or death and goals-of-care conversations documented with a completed Life-Sustaining Treatment (LST) Decisions Initiative note among veterans undergoing surgery. This retrospective cross-sectional study included 190,040 veterans who underwent operations between January 2017 and February 2020. The main outcome looked at was preoperative LST note completion (30 days before or on the day of surgery) or no LST note completion within the 30-day preoperative period prior to or on the day of the index operation. Of 190,040 veterans (90.8% men), 3.8% completed an LST note before surgery, and 96.2% did not complete an LST note. In the groups with and without LST note completion before surgery, most were aged between 65 and 84 years, male, and Whites. Compared with patients who completed an LST, patients who did not tended to be female, married, Black, and in better health; to have a lower risk of hospitalization or death; or to undergo neurosurgical or urologic surgical procedures. Over the 3-year study interval, unadjusted rates of LST note completion before surgery increased from 0.1% to 9.6%. High-risk surgery was not associated with increased LST note completion before surgery. Veterans who underwent cardiothoracic surgery had the highest likelihood of LST note completion before surgery.
AHRQ-funded; F32 HS028747.
Citation: Kim KM, Giannitrapani KF, Garcia A .
Patient characteristics associated with occurrence of preoperative goals-of-care conversations.
JAMA Netw Open 2023 Feb;6(2):e2255407. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.55407.
Keywords: Surgery, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication
Alagoz E, Saucke M, Arroyo N
Communication during interhospital transfers of emergency general surgery patients: a qualitative study of challenges and opportunities.
This study’s objective was to understand the nature of and challenges to communication between referring (RP) and accepting (AP) providers transferring emergency general surgery (EGS) patients from the transfer center nurse’s (TCN) perspective. Worse outcomes have been shown to be experienced by transferred EGS patients than directly admitted patients. The authors interviewed 17 transfer center nurses (TCNs) at an academic medical center regarding (in)efficient and (in)effective communication between RPs and APs. The in-person interviews were recorded, transcribed and managed in NVivo. Four researchers developed a codebook, which was then co-coded with the transcripts. A consensus was developed to discuss emergency themes and arrive at higher-level concepts. Issues relating to ineffective communication included RPs that provided incomplete information because of a lack of necessary infrastructure, personnel, or technical knowledge; competing clinical demands; or a fear of the transfer request being rejected. Inefficient communication resulted from RPs being unfamiliar with the information APs expected and the lack of a structured process to share information and communication also failed when providers disagreed about the necessity of the transfer.
AHRQ-funded; HS025224.
Citation: Alagoz E, Saucke M, Arroyo N .
Communication during interhospital transfers of emergency general surgery patients: a qualitative study of challenges and opportunities.
J Patient Saf 2022 Oct 1;18(7):711-16. doi: 10.1097/pts.0000000000000979..
Keywords: Care Coordination, Communication, Transitions of Care, Surgery
Links AR, Callon W, Wasserman C
Treatment recommendations to parents during pediatric tonsillectomy consultations: a mixed methods analysis of surgeon language.
A deeper understanding of the dialogue clinicians use to relay treatment recommendations is needed to fully understand their influence on patient decisions about surgery. In this study, the authors characterize how otolaryngologists provide treatment recommendations and suggest a classification framework. The investigators concluded that clinicians provide treatment recommendations in a variety of ways that may introduce more or less certainty and choice to parental treatment decisions.
AHRQ-funded; HS022932.
Citation: Links AR, Callon W, Wasserman C .
Treatment recommendations to parents during pediatric tonsillectomy consultations: a mixed methods analysis of surgeon language.
Patient Educ Couns 2021 Jun;104(6):1371-79. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2020.11.015..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Surgery, Caregiving, Decision Making, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Provider: Physician, Provider
Kanji F, Catchpole K, Choi E
Work-system interventions in robotic-assisted surgery: a systematic review exploring the gap between challenges and solutions.
The purpose of this review was to identify the gap between identified Robotic Assisted Surgery (RAS) work-system barriers and interventions developed to address those barriers. This review identified a significant gap between issues and solutions in RAS. Improving RAS-associated non-technical skills, task management, and technology management may lead to improved operating room dynamics associated with greater efficiency, reduced costs, and better systems-level outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS026491.
Citation: Kanji F, Catchpole K, Choi E .
Work-system interventions in robotic-assisted surgery: a systematic review exploring the gap between challenges and solutions.
Surg Endosc 2021 May;35(5):1976-89. doi: 10.1007/s00464-020-08231-x..
Keywords: Surgery, Communication
Frasier LL, Pavuluri Quamme SR, Wiegmann D
Evaluation of intraoperative hand-off frequency, duration, and context: a mixed methods analysis.
The authors sought a better understanding of the coordination and impact of intraoperative hand-offs. They found that intraoperative hand-offs were frequent and not well coordinated with intraoperative events including counts and other hand-offs. Anchoring and announced hand-offs occurred in a small proportion of cases. They recommended that future work focus on optimizing timing, content, and participation in intraoperative hand-offs.
AHRQ-funded; HS022403.
Citation: Frasier LL, Pavuluri Quamme SR, Wiegmann D .
Evaluation of intraoperative hand-off frequency, duration, and context: a mixed methods analysis.
J Surg Res 2020 Dec;256:124-30. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2020.06.007..
Keywords: Surgery, Transitions of Care, Communication, Teams
McGovern KM, Wells EE, Landstrom GL
Understanding interpersonal and organizational dynamics among providers responding to crisis.
Patient rescue occurs in phases: recognizing the problem, communicating the concern, and treating the complication. To help improve rescue, the investigators sought to understand facilitators and barriers to managing postoperative complications, using a criterion-based sample from a large academic medical center. The study identified significant variation in communication processes across providers caring for surgical patients.
AHRQ-funded; HS024403.
Citation: McGovern KM, Wells EE, Landstrom GL .
Understanding interpersonal and organizational dynamics among providers responding to crisis.
Qual Health Res 2020 Feb;30(3):331-40. doi: 10.1177/1049732319866818..
Keywords: Surgery, Patient Safety, Adverse Events, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication
White AEC
When and how do surgeons initiate noticings of additional concerns?
Physicians are trained on how to best solicit additional concerns from patients. What has not yet been studied is when and how physicians initiate additional concerns. This analysis focuses on when and how general surgeons share their noticings of medical problems unrelated to the upcoming (or recent) procedures that patients are being seen for.
AHRQ-funded; HS022236.
Citation: White AEC .
When and how do surgeons initiate noticings of additional concerns?
When and how do surgeons initiate noticings of additional concerns?.
Keywords: Clinician-Patient Communication, Surgery, Provider: Physician, Communication
Hoonakker PLT, Wooldridge AR, Hose BZ
Information flow during pediatric trauma care transitions: things falling through the cracks.
In order to investigate information flow during pediatric trauma care transitions, researchers interviewed 18 clinicians about communication and coordination between the emergency department, operating room, and pediatric intensive care unit, then surveyed the clinicians about patient safety during these transitions. They found that, despite the fact that the many services and units involved in pediatric trauma cooperate well together during trauma cases, important patient care information is often lost when transitioning patients between units. To manage the transition of this fragile and complex population better, they recommend finding ways to manage the information flow during these transitions better by, for instance, providing technological support to ensure shared mental models.
AHRQ-funded; HS023837.
Citation: Hoonakker PLT, Wooldridge AR, Hose BZ .
Information flow during pediatric trauma care transitions: things falling through the cracks.
Intern Emerg Med 2019 Aug;14(5):797-805. doi: 10.1007/s11739-019-02110-7..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Communication, Emergency Department, Healthcare Delivery, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Patient Safety, Provider, Provider: Clinician, Surgery, Transitions of Care, Trauma
Johnston FM, Beckman M
Navigating difficult conversations.
In this paper, the authors discussed breaking bad news and navigating difficult conversations in surgical oncology practice. They note that mounting evidence supports a patient-centered communication approach and models of shared decisionmaking. Physician training in patient-centered cancer communication also continues to evolve.
AHRQ-funded; HS024736.
Citation: Johnston FM, Beckman M .
Navigating difficult conversations.
J Surg Oncol 2019 Jul;120(1):23-29. doi: 10.1002/jso.25472..
Keywords: Cancer, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Decision Making, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Patient and Family Engagement, Provider: Physician, Surgery
Frasier LL, Pavuluri Quamme SR, Ma Y
Familiarity and communication in the operating room.
Researchers sought to evaluate the relationship between familiarity, communication rates, and communication ineffectiveness of health care providers in the operating room. They found that team members do not compensate for unfamiliarity by increasing their verbal communication, and dyad familiarity is not protective against ineffective communication. Cross-disciplinary communication remains vulnerable in the operating room, suggesting poor crosstalk across disciplines in the operative setting. They recommended further investigation to explore these relationships and identify effective interventions, ensuring that all team members have the necessary information to optimize their performance.
AHRQ-funded; HS022403.
Citation: Frasier LL, Pavuluri Quamme SR, Ma Y .
Familiarity and communication in the operating room.
J Surg Res 2019 Mar;235:395-403. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2018.09.079..
Keywords: Communication, Patient Safety, Surgery, Teams, Provider: Physician, Provider
Smith ME, Wells EE, Friese CR
Interpersonal and organizational dynamics are key drivers of failure to rescue.
This qualitative study of providers from hospitals with high and low rescue rates identified key factors that providers believe influence the successful rescue of surgical patients. These factors are: teamwork, action taking, psychological safety, recognition of complications, and communication. Providers surveyed agreed on two targets for improvement: delayed recognition of developing complications, and poor interprofessional communication and inability to express clinical concerns. The authors conclude that, to improve perioperative outcomes, hospitals and payers should shift their attention to improving early detection and increasing communication effectiveness when major complications occur.
AHRQ-funded; HS023621; HS024403.
Citation: Smith ME, Wells EE, Friese CR .
Interpersonal and organizational dynamics are key drivers of failure to rescue.
Health Aff 2018 Nov;37(11):1870-76. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2018.0704..
Keywords: Adverse Events, Communication, Hospitals, Mortality, Organizational Change, Patient Safety, Surgery
Everson J, Funk RJ, Kaufman SR
Repeated, close physician coronary artery bypass grafting teams associated with greater teamwork.
This study sought to determine whether observed patterns of physician interaction around shared patients are associated with higher levels of teamwork as perceived by physicians. It found that in hospitals where physicians repeatedly cared for patients with the same colleagues, physicians perceived better teamwork. When physicians who worked together also had other colleagues in common, the reported teamwork was stronger.
AHRQ-funded; HS024525; HS024728.
Citation: Everson J, Funk RJ, Kaufman SR .
Repeated, close physician coronary artery bypass grafting teams associated with greater teamwork.
Health Serv Res 2018 Apr;53(2):1025-41. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12703.
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Keywords: Cardiovascular Conditions, Care Coordination, Communication, Surgery, Teams
Kruser JM, Taylor LJ, Campbell TC
"Best case/worst case": training surgeons to use a novel communication tool for high-risk acute surgical problems.
"Best Case/Worst Case" (BC/WC) is a communication tool designed to promote goal-concordant care during discussions about high-risk surgery. The objective of this study was to evaluate a structured training program designed to teach surgeons how to use BC/WC. It concluded that : surgeons can learn to use BC/WC with older patients considering acute high-risk surgical interventions..
AHRQ-funded; HS000078.
Citation: Kruser JM, Taylor LJ, Campbell TC .
"Best case/worst case": training surgeons to use a novel communication tool for high-risk acute surgical problems.
J Pain Symptom Manage 2017 Apr;53(4):711-19.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2016.11.014.
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Keywords: Communication, Decision Making, Provider: Health Personnel, Surgery, Training
Mello MM, Greenberg Y, Senecal SK
Case outcomes in a communication-and-resolution program in New York hospitals.
The researchers sought to determine case outcomes in a communication-and-resolution program (CRP) implemented to respond to adverse events in general surgery. They concluded that the bulk of CRPs' work is in investigating and communicating about events not caused by substandard care. These CRPs were quite successful in handling such events, but less consistent in offering compensation in cases involving substandard care.
AHRQ-funded; R18 HS019505.
Citation: Mello MM, Greenberg Y, Senecal SK .
Case outcomes in a communication-and-resolution program in New York hospitals.
Health Serv Res 2016 Dec;51 Suppl 3:2583-99. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.12594.
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Keywords: Adverse Events, Communication, Medical Errors, Medical Liability, Surgery
Jones LK, Jennings BM, Goelz RM
An ethogram to quantify operating room behavior.
The researchers adopted a method from the field of ethology for observing and quantifying the interpersonal interactions of operating room (OR) team members. They found that the ethogram's high interobserver reliability indicates its utility for yielding largely objective, descriptive, quantitative data on OR behavior.
AHRQ-funded; HS023403.
Citation: Jones LK, Jennings BM, Goelz RM .
An ethogram to quantify operating room behavior.
Ann Behav Med 2016 Aug;50(4):487-96. doi: 10.1007/s12160-016-9773-0.
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Keywords: Communication, Provider: Physician, Provider, Surgery, Patient Safety
McElroy LM, Collins KM, Koller FL
Operating room to intensive care unit handoffs and the risks of patient harm.
The goal of this study was to assess systems and processes involved in the operating room(OR) to intensive care unit (ICU) handoff in an attempt to understand the criticality of specific steps of the handoff. In total, 81 process failures were identified, Process failures with the greatest risk of harm were lack of preliminary OR to ICU communication, team member absence during handoff communication, and transport equipment malfunction.
AHRQ-funded; HS000078.
Citation: McElroy LM, Collins KM, Koller FL .
Operating room to intensive care unit handoffs and the risks of patient harm.
Surgery 2015 Sep;158(3):588-94. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2015.03.061..
Keywords: Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Patient Safety, Surgery, Communication, Adverse Events