National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
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Topics
- Anxiety (1)
- (-) Asthma (14)
- Behavioral Health (1)
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- Children/Adolescents (12)
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- Practice Patterns (1)
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- Provider (1)
- Provider: Physician (1)
- Quality Improvement (3)
- Quality Measures (1)
- Quality of Care (3)
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- Respiratory Conditions (6)
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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 14 of 14 Research Studies DisplayedKrishnan JA, Margellos-Anast H, Kumar R
Coordinated Health Care Interventions for Childhood Asthma Gaps in Outcomes (CHICAGO) plan.
The purpose of this clinical trial was to compare an emergency-department- (ED) only intervention and home visits by community health workers for 6 months (ED-plus-home) and enhanced usual care (UC). The study enrolled children aged 5 to 11 years with uncontrolled asthma. The primary outcomes were change over 6 months in the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Asthma Impact Scale score in children and Satisfaction with Participation in Social Roles score in caregivers. The secondary outcomes included guideline-recommended ED discharge care and self-management. The study found that of the 373 children recruited, only 63% completed the 6-month follow-up visit. Differences in Asthma Impact Scores or caregivers' Satisfaction with Participation in Social Roles scores were not significant. However, in the intervention groups guideline-recommended ED discharge care improved significantly versus in the UC group, and self-management behaviors were significantly improved in the ED-plus-home group versus in the ED-only and UC groups.
AHRQ-funded; HS027804.
Citation: Krishnan JA, Margellos-Anast H, Kumar R .
Coordinated Health Care Interventions for Childhood Asthma Gaps in Outcomes (CHICAGO) plan.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Glob 2023 Aug; 2(3). doi: 10.1016/j.jacig.2023.100100..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Evidence-Based Practice, Emergency Department, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Health Information Technology (HIT), Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Bell N, Lòpez-De Fede A, Cai B
Geographic proximity to primary care providers as a risk-assessment criterion for quality performance measures.
This retrospective cohort study examined geographic proximity to primary care providers as a risk-assessment criterion for quality performance measures for pediatric patients with either attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD, ages 6-12) or asthma (MMA, ages 5-18) defined using Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) performance measures. The authors investigated differences in avoidable and potentially avoidable ED visits by the beneficiary's primary care medical home (PCMH) attribution type and in relation to differences in proximity to their primary care providers versus hospitals. There was a 2.4 percentage point reduction in risk of avoidable emergency department (ED) visits among children in the ADD cohort who attended a PCMH versus those who did not which increased to 3.9 to 7.2 percentage points as relative proximity to primary care providers versus hospitals improved. Children in the ADD and MMA cohorts who were enrolled in a PCMH but did not attend one for primary care services exhibited a 5.4 and 3.0 percentage point increase in avoidable ED visits compared to children who were unenrolled and did not attend medical homes, but these differences were only observed when geographic proximity to hospitals was more convenient than primary care providers.
AHRQ-funded; HS026263.
Citation: Bell N, Lòpez-De Fede A, Cai B .
Geographic proximity to primary care providers as a risk-assessment criterion for quality performance measures.
PLoS One 2022 Sep 6;17(9):e0273805. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273805..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Primary Care, Asthma, Medicaid, Emergency Department
Mahony T, Harder VS, Ang N
Weekend versus weekday asthma-related emergency department utilization.
The objective of this study was to assess variation in pediatric asthma-related emergency department (ED) visits between weekends and weekdays. Data was taken from California 2016 Medicaid data and Vermont 2016 and Massachusetts 2015 all-payer claims sources for children and adolescents in stratified groups aged 3 to 21. The asthma-related ED visit rate was slightly lower on weekends. The authors concluded that their findings suggest the increase of access options during the weekend may not necessarily decrease asthma-related ED visits.
AHRQ-funded; HS025297; HS020518; 233201600221A; 233201550088A
Citation: Mahony T, Harder VS, Ang N .
Weekend versus weekday asthma-related emergency department utilization.
Acad Pediatr 2022 May-Jun;22(4):640-46. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2021.09.005..
Keywords: Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Emergency Department, Healthcare Utilization
Bardach NS, Harder VS, McCulloch CE
Follow-up after asthma emergency department visits and its relationship with subsequent asthma-related utilization.
Researchers sought to assess the association between follow-up after an asthma-related emergency department (ED) visit and the likelihood of subsequent asthma-related ED utilization. Using data from California Medicaid, Vermont, and Massachusetts all-payer claims databases, they found a protective association between outpatient 14-day follow-up and asthma-related ED revisits. They suggested that this may reflect improved asthma control as providers follow the NHLBI guideline stepwise approach.
AHRQ-funded; HS025297; HS020518.
Citation: Bardach NS, Harder VS, McCulloch CE .
Follow-up after asthma emergency department visits and its relationship with subsequent asthma-related utilization.
Acad Pediatr 2022 Apr;22(3S):S125-S32. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2021.10.015..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Emergency Department, Respiratory Conditions, Healthcare Utilization
Cabana MD, Robinson K, Plavin J
Partnering to improve pediatric asthma quality.
The purpose of this article was to explore the need for partnering between emergency departments (Eds) and primary care physicians (PCPs) to improve asthma quality measures, practice level improvements for both PCPs and EDs, and ultimately improve outcomes for children with asthma. Proper and timely management of asthma is thought to prevent ED visits, and the responsibility for addressing improvements in PCP performance should be shared by the PCP practices and health care payors and plans. The ability to measure the drivers of asthma-related visits to the ED may be outside of what a PCP practice can address, and so practices must be able to partner with health plans to successfully measure and develop system-wide interventions for quality and outcomes improvement. Although a child’s asthma may be managed in their PCP office, treatment of asthma issues often takes place in an ED setting or urgent care clinic that may be completely isolated from the patient’s PCP provider and system. Health plans can fill in the missing pieces to provide feedback on performance which can reduce ED visits, improve medication adherence and management, and provide actionable and timely data about hospital visits and discharge to PCP practices for quality improvements. Social determinants and comorbidities play a role in addressing ED visits for asthma. Health plan, public health systems, and provider coordination, integration, and partnerships are required to effectively address those issues and improve outcomes. The authors conclude that a systems approach and thoughtful partnerships across disciplines will be required beyond the PCP practice level to improve the outcomes of children with asthma.
AHRQ-funded; HS025297.
Citation: Cabana MD, Robinson K, Plavin J .
Partnering to improve pediatric asthma quality.
Acad Pediatr 2022 Apr;22(3S):S73-S75. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2021.06.013..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Chronic Conditions, Emergency Department, Quality Measures, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care
Harder VS, Shaw JS, McCulloch CE
Statewide asthma learning collaborative participation and asthma-related emergency department use.
This study looked at outcomes from participation of pediatric practices in a quality improvement (QI) collaborative to decrease asthma-related emergency department (ED) visits. A statewide network of practices participated in the collaborative from 2015 to 2016. Asthma-related ED visit rates per 100 child-years for children ages 3 to 21 was evaluated using the state’s all-payer claims databases. The authors found that in the postintervention year (2017) participating practices’ ED visit rate decreased by 5.8 per 100 child-years, compared to an increase of 1.8 per 100 child-years in non-participating practices. There were no statistically significant differences in asthma-related ED visit rates during 2016, which indicated that it took some time for QI elements to be successfully implemented in pediatric practices.
AHRQ-funded; HS025297.
Citation: Harder VS, Shaw JS, McCulloch CE .
Statewide asthma learning collaborative participation and asthma-related emergency department use.
Pediatrics 2020 Dec;146(6):e20200213. doi: 10.1542/peds.2020-0213..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Emergency Department, Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Primary Care, Guidelines
Cotter JM, Tyler A, Reese J
Steroid variability in pediatric inpatient asthmatics: survey on provider preferences of dexamethasone versus prednisone.
This study looked at pediatric emergency department (ED) inpatient use of dexamethasone versus prednisone by providers for asthma treatment. A survey was distributed to providers who care for inpatient asthmatics. Ninety-two providers completed the survey. When patients received dexamethasone in the ED, 44% continued dexamethasone, 14% switched to prednisone, 2% stopped steroid use, and 40% said it depended on the circumstances. Hospitalists were significantly more likely to continue dexamethasone than pulmonologists (61% versus 15%). Switching to prednisone included factors such as severity of exacerbation (73%) and asthma history (47%). Just over half of providers (5f1%) felt uncomfortable using dexamethasone because of “minimal data to support [its] use inpatient.”
AHRQ-funded; HS026512.
Citation: Cotter JM, Tyler A, Reese J .
Steroid variability in pediatric inpatient asthmatics: survey on provider preferences of dexamethasone versus prednisone.
J Asthma 2020 Sep;57(9):942-48. doi: 10.1080/02770903.2019.1622713..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Medication, Inpatient Care, Care Management, Hospitalization, Emergency Department, Practice Patterns, Provider: Physician, Provider
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
Johnson MD, Zorc JJ, Nelson DS
Intravenous magnesium in asthma pharmacotherapy: variability in use in the PECARN Registry.
Researchers examined the use, efficacy, and safety of intravenous magnesium sulfate (IVMg) in children with asthma whose emergency department (ED) management is recorded in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) Registry. They found that, in PECARN Registry EDs, administration of IVMg occurred late in ED treatment, for a minority of the children likely to benefit, with variation between sites, which suggested the current clinical role for IVMg in preventing hospitalization was limited. Discharge after IVMg administration would likely be safe. They recommended further research to assess the efficacy and safety of early IVMg administration.
AHRQ-funded; HS020270.
Citation: Johnson MD, Zorc JJ, Nelson DS .
Intravenous magnesium in asthma pharmacotherapy: variability in use in the PECARN Registry.
J Pediatr 2020 May;220:165-74.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.01.062..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Medication, Emergency Department, Registries, Treatments, Patient Safety, Medication: Safety
Cushing AM, Bucholz E, Michelson KA
Trends in regionalization of emergency care for common pediatric conditions.
This study examined trends in regionalization of emergency care for common pediatric conditions. The authors sought to determine how the likelihood of definitive care has changed for 3 common conditions: asthma, croup, and gastroenteritis. They used the National Emergency Department Sample Database to study children from 2008 to 2016 who presented to emergency departments with those primary diagnoses, excluding critically ill patients. Researchers conducted analyses by stratification of annual emergency department pediatric volume categorized by quartiles. Referral rates increased for all conditions in all volume quartiles, with referral rates greatest in the lowest pediatric volume quartile.
AHRQ-funded; HS026503.
Citation: Cushing AM, Bucholz E, Michelson KA .
Trends in regionalization of emergency care for common pediatric conditions.
Pediatrics 2020 Apr;145(4). doi: 10.1542/peds.2019-2989..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Children/Adolescents, Emergency Department, Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Digestive Disease and Health, Healthcare Delivery
Bardach NS, Neel C, Kleinman LC
Depression, anxiety, and emergency department use for asthma.
This study examined whether pediatric patients with asthma who use the emergency department (ED) experience increased depression and anxiety in the same way that adult asthma patients do. Out of 65,342 patients identified from the Massachusetts All-Payer Claims Database for 2014 to 2015 who had ED visits, 24.7% had a diagnosis of anxiety, depression, or both. Asthma rates were shown to be higher than those of patients who had no diagnosis of anxiety or depression.
AHRQ-funded; HS025297; HS020518.
Citation: Bardach NS, Neel C, Kleinman LC .
Depression, anxiety, and emergency department use for asthma.
Pediatrics 2019 Oct;144(4). doi: 10.1542/peds.2019-0856..
Keywords: Asthma, Depression, Anxiety, Children/Adolescents, Emergency Department, Behavioral Health
Toy D, Braga MS, Greenhawt M
An update on allergic emergencies.
The purpose of this review was to provide an updated framework of management for allergic emergencies. The authors suggest that although fatalities resulting from anaphylaxis and asthma are rare, patient education serves an important role in preparing for unexpected emergencies, instituting prompt and appropriate treatment, and incorporating effective strategies into the lives of children and families.
AHRQ-funded; HS024599.
Citation: Toy D, Braga MS, Greenhawt M .
An update on allergic emergencies.
Curr Opin Pediatr 2019 Jun;31(3):426-32. doi: 10.1097/mop.0000000000000769..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Emergency Department, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Evidence-Based Practice
Rust G, Zhang S, Holloway K
Timing of emergency department visits for childhood asthma after initial inhaled corticosteroid use.
This study measured the incidence and timing of emergency department (ED) visits in the first 90 days after an initial inhaled corticosteroid prescription (ICS-Rx). It found that one in 5 children with asthma had at least 1 ED visit in the first 90 days after initial ICS-Rx; 10 percent of these visits occurred within the first 48 hours, and 25 percent occurred within the first week.
AHRQ-funded; HS022444; HS019470.
Citation: Rust G, Zhang S, Holloway K .
Timing of emergency department visits for childhood asthma after initial inhaled corticosteroid use.
Popul Health Manag 2015 Feb;18(1):54-60. doi: 10.1089/pop.2013.0126..
Keywords: Asthma, Children/Adolescents, Emergency Department, Medication
Malhotra K, Baltrus P P, Zhang S
Geographic and racial variation in asthma prevalence and emergency department use among Medicaid-enrolled children in 14 southern states.
Using 2007 Medicaid claims data from 556 counties in 14 southern states, the researchers described the local area variation in 1-year asthma prevalence rates, emergency department visit rates, and racial disparity rate ratios. They found much local area variation in asthma prevalence and asthma ED visit rates among Medicaid-enrolled children. Between black and white children, more counties had higher prevalence of asthma and higher ED visit rates among blacks.
AHRQ-funded; HS022444; HS019470
Citation: Malhotra K, Baltrus P P, Zhang S .
Geographic and racial variation in asthma prevalence and emergency department use among Medicaid-enrolled children in 14 southern states.
J Asthma. 2014 Nov;51(9):913-21. doi: 10.3109/02770903.2014.930479..
Keywords: Asthma, Medicaid, Social Determinants of Health, Emergency Department, Emergency Medical Services (EMS)