Research Activities

February 2011, No. 366

---

Contents

About Research Activities

Feature Story

Research comparing diabetes medications helps patients and clinicians choose the right one
From the Director

Patient Safety and Quality

Hospitals vary greatly in the quality of their trauma care
Flawed State apology and disclosure laws dilute their intended impact on malpractice suits
Simulation training improves insertion of central venous catheters
Nurses with higher education levels rate themselves as having more clinical expertise and are sought out for their guidance

Health Care Costs and Financing

Trauma care costs less at hospitals with lower mortality rates
Routing ambulances to cardiac surgery-equipped hospitals more cost effective than building more such hospitals
Many factors are likely to slow the adoption of pay for performance in dentistry

Emergency Medicine

Nearly one-third of emergency department visits involve nonideal care events
Emergency departments have increasingly become the health care safety net for adults insured by Medicaid
Routine opt-out HIV emergency department screening only slightly improves identification of patients with HIV infection

Child/Adolescent Health

Pilot study finds a low level of medication errors for look-alike, sound-alike drugs prescribed for children
Telephone coaching improves quality of life for parents of children with asthma
Ketorolac, a pain medication, is underused in children operated on for bladder reflux

Women's Health

More than half of women do not get regular mammograms
Vaginal births after cesarean are safe for most women
Prenatal screening for Group B streptococci often fails to live up to current screening and treatment guidelines

Elderly/Long-Term Care

Nurse-facilitated guided care for elders and their caregivers leads to improved perceptions of quality of care
Use of physician extenders associated with increase in antidepressant prescribing in nursing homes

Outcomes/Effectiveness Research

Cardiac procedures can lead to substantial radiation exposure for patients
Contrast-enhanced CT scans do not increase the risk of kidney failure in patients with acute stroke
Arterial and perfusion imaging help guide treatment for stroke patients when symptom onset is unknown
Higher in-hospital complication rate for primary posterior versus primary anterior cervical fusion
Pre-existing cardiovascular conditions linked to lower stimulant prescribing rates for adults with ADHD

Disparities/Minority Health

Poorer patients less likely to receive specific treatment for head and neck cancer
Regular home blood pressure measurement raises the likelihood of blood pressure control among Korean Americans
Gender trumps religiosity in older Mexican Americans' views on physician-assisted suicide

Primary Care Research

Primary care physicians' performance ratings depend on the makeup of their patient population
Primary care practices that take part in research networks report benefits beyond the study itself

Health Information Technology

Clinicians' adoption and use of electronic prescribing is likely linked to their views on technology

Agency News and Notes

The number of U.S. adults treated for diabetes more than doubled between 1996 and 2007
One in 16 women hospitalized for childbirth has diabetes
U.S. employers lost nearly 3 weeks of work per employee due to sick days
More than one in five hospital patients in 2008 were born in 1933 or earlier

Announcements

Report available on clinical decision support tool to assess patients' risk for deleterious BRCA mutations
AHRQ publishes evidence report on the relationship of alcohol consumption to breast and colorectal cancer
AHRQ updates 2001 evidence report on treating acute otitis media
New Federal resources help hospitals plan, carry out, and evaluate emergency preparedness exercises
AHRQ 2010 Annual Conference plenary session videos available
Archive of Webcast on integrating comparative effectiveness research into everyday practice available

Research Briefs

Research Briefs
Follow AHRQ News on Twitter
Healthcare 411

AHRQ Publication No. 11-RA005
Current as of February 2011

---

Internet Citation:

Research Activities Newsletter. February 2011, No. 366. AHRQ Publication No. 11-RA005. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/feb11/

---