Research Activities

August 2011, No. 372

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Contents

About Research Activities

Feature Story

AHRQ's clinical care tools help clinicians ensure better and safer care
From the Director

Patient Safety and Quality

Hospital-acquired infections dramatically increase trauma patients' risk of in-hospital death and hospital stay
Trigger tools have potential to detect adverse events following outpatient surgery
Electronic order sets can help treatment conform to guidelines for antibiotic use after surgery
Mental demands of pediatric hospital pharmacy staff have varying effects on likelihood of medication errors and adverse events
High performance on quality measures linked to financial benefits for nursing homes

Chronic Disease

Patients with heart failure are older, have more illnesses, and take more medications than earlier
Drugs to treat hepatitis B may not prevent patients from liver disease later
The likelihood of bacterial blood infections among patients with HIV has risen slightly in recent years
Caregivers for advanced cystic fibrosis patients want to discuss intensive treatments and symptom relief

Disparities/Minority Health

Studies examine possible disparities surrounding implantable cardioverter defibrillators
Having a usual source of care as well as insurance reduces unmet health needs

Child/Adolescent Health

Parents and primary care physicians are satisfied with children's use of nonurgent emergency department services
A usual source of care may be more important than insurance on children's receipt of preventive health counseling
When primary care providers apply fluoride varnish, young Medicaid-insured children have fewer cavities
Impact of self-esteem and academic achievement on substance use and sexual initiation differs among boys and girls

Women's Health

Providers miss opportunities to prevent depression in and discuss birth control with women with unplanned pregnancies

Outcomes/Effectiveness Research

Primary anterior cervical fusion has lower in-hospital complication rates and deaths than posterior cervical fusion

Health Care Workforce

Opportunities to pursue bachelor's degrees may be limited for nurses in rural hospitals
Unionized hospital RNs slightly less satisfied with work than nonunionized RNs

Agency News and Notes

New ad campaign urges patients to consider medical treatment options
Certain Americans pay more than 10 percent of their family income to pay for medical expenses
Employees' share of health plan premium costs up dramatically
Six of every 10 rural emergency departments visits made by poor patients
Up to $500 million in Affordable Care Act funding will help health providers improve care

Announcements

Signups soar for AHRQ's popular CME courses
AHRQ offers interactive tool to analyze national and State health care data
2009 Nationwide Inpatient Sample released
New brief outlines strategies to put patients at the center of primary care
New resources to care for community-dwelling patients during emergency events
Emergency Preparedness Resource Inventory updated

Research Briefs

Research Briefs
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Healthcare 411
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AHRQ Publication No. 11-RA011
Current as of August 2011

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Internet Citation:

Research Activities Newsletter. August 2011, No. 372. AHRQ Publication No. 11-RA011. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/aug11/

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