National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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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 10 of 10 Research Studies DisplayedKubi B, Enumah ZO, Lee KT
Theory-based development of an implementation intervention using community health workers to increase palliative care use.
This study used the Behavior Change Wheel and Theoretical Domains Framework models to help design an implementation intervention using community health workers (CHWs) to increase palliative care use in African American communities. There were two phases to the study. In Phase 1, focus group sessions were conducted to identify barriers and facilitators of palliative care use. Phase 2 consisted of a stakeholder meeting to select intervention content and prioritize modes of delivery after applying the framework. There were 15 stakeholders total that participated in the study. Interventions identified were designed to improve patient capability and motivation, physician capability and motivation, and increase patient opportunities to use palliative care services. The strategies were all facilitated by CHWs and included creation and dissemination of brochures, empowerment and activation of patients to initiate goals-of-care discussions, outreach to community churches, and expanding patient social support.
AHRQ-funded; HS024736.
Citation: Kubi B, Enumah ZO, Lee KT .
Theory-based development of an implementation intervention using community health workers to increase palliative care use.
J Pain Symptom Manage 2020 Jul;60(1):10-19. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2020.02.009..
Keywords: Community-Based Practice, Palliative Care, Healthcare Utilization, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Implementation, Disparities, Healthcare Delivery
Makam AN, Tran T, Miller ME
The clinical course after long-term acute care hospital admission among older Medicare beneficiaries.
Investigators sought to examine the clinical course after long-term acute care (LTAC) admission. They found that hospitalized older adults transferred to LTAC hospitals had poor survival, spent most of their remaining life as an inpatient, and frequently underwent life-prolonging procedures. This prognostic understanding is essential to inform goals of care discussions and to prioritize healthcare needs for these adults. Given the exceedingly low rates of palliative care consultations, they recommend future research to examine unmet palliative care needs in this population.
AHRQ-funded; HS022418.
Citation: Makam AN, Tran T, Miller ME .
The clinical course after long-term acute care hospital admission among older Medicare beneficiaries.
J Am Geriatr Soc 2019 Nov;67(11):2282-88. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16106..
Keywords: Elderly, Medicare, Palliative Care, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Outcomes, Care Management, Healthcare Delivery
Johnston FM, Neiman JH, Parmley LE
Stakeholder perspectives on the use of community health workers to improve palliative care use by African Americans with cancer.
This study focused on the issue of lack of palliative care for African-Americans with cancer. Stakeholder interviews and focus groups were conducted with cancer patients, caregivers, health care administrators, oncologists, and community health workers (CHWs). Participants felt that CHWs could play a central role in bridging patients with their providers, information and resources. They also felt that CHWs should either come from the community, or be familiar with the history, culture, and norms of the communities from which they operate.
AHRQ-funded; HS024736.
Citation: Johnston FM, Neiman JH, Parmley LE .
Stakeholder perspectives on the use of community health workers to improve palliative care use by African Americans with cancer.
J Palliat Med 2019 Mar;22(3):302-06. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2018.0366..
Keywords: Access to Care, Cancer, Healthcare Delivery, Healthcare Utilization, Cultural Competence, Disparities, Palliative Care, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Khandelwal N, Curtis JR, Freedman VA
How often is end-of-life care in the United States inconsistent with patients' goals of care?
The purpose of this study was to document the proportion of bereaved respondents who reported care inconsistent with patients' wishes and characterize the predictors of end-of-life care associated with inconsistent care. The study found that one in eight respondents stated care in the last months of life was inconsistent with patients' wishes; such care was associated with worse ratings of care, pain management, and communication with clinicians.
AHRQ-funded; HS022982.
Citation: Khandelwal N, Curtis JR, Freedman VA .
How often is end-of-life care in the United States inconsistent with patients' goals of care?
J Palliat Med 2017 Dec;20(12):1400-04. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2017.0065..
Keywords: Care Management, Healthcare Delivery, Elderly, Palliative Care, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Quality of Care
Kamal AH, Anderson WG, Boss RD
The Cambia Sojourns Scholars Leadership Program: project summaries from the inaugural scholar cohort.
The Cambia Health Foundation designed the Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program to facilitate leadership development among budding palliative care leaders. This paper presents the background, aims, and results to date of each of the projects from the scholars of the inaugural cohort.
AHRQ-funded; HS023681.
Citation: Kamal AH, Anderson WG, Boss RD .
The Cambia Sojourns Scholars Leadership Program: project summaries from the inaugural scholar cohort.
J Palliat Med 2016 Jun;19(6):591-600. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2016.0086.
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Keywords: Healthcare Delivery, Education: Continuing Medical Education, Palliative Care, Training
Kamal AH, Dionne-Odom JN
A Blue Ocean strategy for palliative care: focus on family caregivers.
The authors argue that there is an undeniable societal need (or high consumer value) for some entity to ensure that family caregivers stay healthy not only so they can provide the best care possible to patients, but also for their own sake. They believe palliative care should rise to meet this societal need and take on family caregivers as a new focus of its specialized care.
AHRQ-funded; HS023681.
Citation: Kamal AH, Dionne-Odom JN .
A Blue Ocean strategy for palliative care: focus on family caregivers.
J Pain Symptom Manage 2016 Mar;51(3):e1-3. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2015.12.305.
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Keywords: Palliative Care, Caregiving, Quality of Life, Healthcare Delivery
Kamal AH, Kavalieratos D, Bull J
Usability and acceptability of the QDACT-PC, an electronic point-of-care system for standardized quality monitoring in palliative care.
The researchers performed usability testing of the Quality Data Collection Tool for Palliative Care (QDACT-PC), a novel, point-of-care quality monitoring tool for palliative care. They found that testing the QDACT-PC reveals equivalence with paper for data collection time, but with less burden overall for electronic methods across other domains of usability.
AHRQ-funded; HS022989.
Citation: Kamal AH, Kavalieratos D, Bull J .
Usability and acceptability of the QDACT-PC, an electronic point-of-care system for standardized quality monitoring in palliative care.
J Pain Symptom Manage 2015 Nov;50(5):615-21. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2015.05.013.
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Keywords: Healthcare Delivery, Quality of Care, Palliative Care, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Quality Measures
Kamal AH, Harrison KL, Bakitas M
Improving the quality of palliative care through national and regional collaboration efforts.
The purpose of this paper was to review examples of quality-improvement collaborations in palliative care to understand the similarities, differences, and future directions of quality measurement and improvement strategies. These three examples showed areas of robust and growing quality-improvement collaboration in the field of palliative care: the Global Palliative Care Quality Alliance; Palliative Care Quality Network; and Project Educate, Nurture, Advise, Before Life Ends.
AHRQ-funded; HS023681.
Citation: Kamal AH, Harrison KL, Bakitas M .
Improving the quality of palliative care through national and regional collaboration efforts.
Cancer Control 2015 Oct;22(4):396-402. doi: 10.1177/107327481502200405.
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Keywords: Healthcare Delivery, Palliative Care, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement
Kamal AH, Nipp RD, Bull JH
Quality of palliative care for patients with advanced cancer in a community consortium.
The authors formed the Carolinas Consortium for Palliative Care and collected a quality data registry to monitor their practice and to inform quality improvement efforts. They demonstrated that measures evaluating process assessment, as opposed to interventions, are better documented. They concluded that analyzing data on quality is feasible and valuable in community-based palliative care and that, overall, processes to collect data on quality using nontechnology methods may underestimate true adherence to quality measures.
AHRQ-funded; HS022763.
Citation: Kamal AH, Nipp RD, Bull JH .
Quality of palliative care for patients with advanced cancer in a community consortium.
J Pain Symptom Manage 2015 Feb;49(2):289-92. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2014.05.024.
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Keywords: Cancer, Healthcare Delivery, Quality of Care, Palliative Care, Registries
Kamal AH, Hanson LC, Casarett DJ
The quality imperative for palliative care.
This article discusses moving beyond demonstrating what palliative care is to focusing on the quality of how it is accomplished. This effort includes developing standardized methods to collect data without adding additional burden, comparing and sharing experiences to promote discipline-wide quality assessment and improvement initiatives, and demonstrating intentions for quality improvement on the clinical frontline.
AHRQ-funded; HS022763.
Citation: Kamal AH, Hanson LC, Casarett DJ .
The quality imperative for palliative care.
J Pain Symptom Manage 2015 Feb;49(2):243-53. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2014.06.008.
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Keywords: Palliative Care, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Healthcare Delivery