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Research Activities

October 2012, No. 386



Contents

About Research Activities

Feature Story

AHRQ Annual Conference focuses on implementing research at the frontlines of care
From the Director

Patient Safety and Quality

Many Federal drug risk alerts fail to achieve the recommended changes in prescribing
Label changes, manufacturer's warning letter did not reduce use of propofol for conscious sedation in children
Drug discontinuation effects are not limited to psychoactive drugs, but may be important for cardiovascular drugs as well
Giving consumers easy-to-understand information on health care quality and costs boosts the choice of high-value care

Chronic Disease

Diabetes treatment involves more multidrug regimens and high financial burden
Survival rates for colon cancer patients on chemotherapy improve with addition of oxaliplatin
Diagnostic coding formulas underestimate hospitalizations for acute exacerbations of COPD
About three fourths of patients in the United States estimated to remain in HIV care

Health Information Technology

Electronic health records improve diabetes care and outcomes
Electronic medical records reduce negative outcomes and related costs after patient safety events occur
Study describes challenges of using electronic health record-derived measurements for quality reporting
Research shows health IT enables quality measurement, but obstacles remain
Sending health maintenance reminders to personal health records helps patients adhere to some screenings

Men's Health

Effectiveness of active surveillance for men with localized prostate cancer is unclear

Adolescent/Child Health

Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis are at high risk of hospital stays that involve bacterial infections
Nuclear kidney scans in children with urinary tract infections increase costs and radiation exposure
Certain antibiotics increase the risk of treatment failure in children with MRSA-related skin and soft-tissue infections
Hospitals vary widely in their use of dopamine and dobutamine in preterm/low birthweight neonates
Two different tools help measure tracheal intubation adverse events and performance in pediatric intensive care units

Elderly Health/Long-Term Care

Depression, falls, and low blood sugar affect quality of life as much as diabetes complications in older adults with diabetes
Alcohol may be misused by residents in assisted living places

Comparative Effectiveness

Behavioral counseling is an effective treatment for alcohol misuse
Evidence lacking on best approaches to treat autism in teens and young adults
Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation improves COPD patient outcomes
More research needed on coronary artery disease treatments for women
Insulin pump and glucose monitoring improve blood-sugar control for patients with type 1 diabetes
Best strategies to treat traumatic brain injury patients are unclear
Extending use of anti-clotting medication following major orthopedic surgery may help prevent post-operative blood clots
New research examines use of nitrous oxide for labor pain
Tactics to improve medication adherence in short-term shown effective
New effectiveness review discusses treatment options for inguinal hernia
More evidence needed on benefit of additional procedure for diagnosing plasma cell cancer

Disparities/Minority Health

Black patients are negatively affected by clinicians' attitudes about race
Physicians' implicit racial attitudes influence prescribing of opioids for black children
Blacks treated at community health centers are less likely than Hispanics or whites to have controlled blood pressure
Elderly blacks less likely than elderly whites to receive a depression diagnosis or treatment

Agency News and Notes

AHRQ safety project reduces bloodstream infections by 40 percent
Number of Americans prescribed anticonvulsant drugs has nearly doubled
More safeguards needed to prevent adverse drug events caused by medication administration errors
Videonovela for Hispanics on managing diabetes uses family drama to educate patients and families
AHRQ reviews evidence on multigene panels for prostate cancer risk assessment

Announcements

AHRQ launches its new Facebook page
New Web page for evaluation of CHIPRA Quality Demonstration Grant Program
New surveys evaluate culturally competent and health-literate care

Research Briefs

Research Briefs

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Healthcare 411

AHRQ Publication No. 13-RA001
Current as of October 2012


Internet Citation:

Research Activities Newsletter. October 2012, No. 386. AHRQ Publication No. 13-RA001. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/oct12/index.html


 

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