Research Activities

December 2011, No. 376

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Contents

About Research Activities

Feature Story

Human factors challenges in home health care
Three Publications Highlight Human Factors Research
From the Director

Health Information Technology

Many challenges remain in the design and use of consumer health informatics interventions
Transitioning to new electronic health records can result in potential safety problems
Pediatric care providers identify desired characteristics for computerized flu vaccination alerts

Patient Safety and Quality

Volume of paid outpatient malpractice claims underscores need for greater patient safety efforts in this area
Evidence-based strategies substantially reduce the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia in ICUs
Trauma patients are more likely to die after a major complication in high-mortality hospitals
Hospital boards adopt practices to enhance oversight on quality of care
Pharmacy, medical, and nurse practitioner students need more education on drug-drug interactions
For-profit dialysis chains have higher mortality rates than non-profit dialysis chain

Chronic Disease

Overweight or obese patients have higher health care expenditures
Fewer than 1 in 5 emergency departments implement recommendations for HIV screening
Patients with myelodysplastic syndrome have shorter survival times if they have coexisting medical conditions

Child/Adolescent Health

The increase in pediatric stimulant use since 1996 mostly linked to treatment of ADHD in adolescents
Most children receiving palliative care live for more than a year after beginning such treatment
Good communication with the doctor treating their child for cancer improves parental satisfaction with their role in decisions
Moving adolescents with sickle cell disease from pediatric to adult care hampered by lack of knowledgeable adult hematologists

Acute Care/Hospitalization

Increased estradiol levels during critical illness are associated with higher mortality
Hospital lung cancer surgery volume is not correlated with lower mortality

Disparities/Minority Health

Enrollment in Medicare Advantage managed care plans reduces racial/ethnic disparities in primary care quality in some States
Deaf patients who use American Sign Language receive more preventive care if their clinician also uses sign language

Health Care Costs and Financing

Financial performance has modest effect on nursing home quality improvement
Similarly effective international guidelines for managing cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes vary in costs

Agency News and Notes

Heart disease, cancer, and trauma-related disorders among the most costly conditions for men
Knee replacements up dramatically among adults 45 to 64 years old
Hospitalizations for eating disorders declined, but big increase seen in pica disorder
Birth defects may be linked to high blood pressure, not use of ACE inhibitors in early pregnancy
Children's use of asthma controller drugs doubles
Thin evidence on non-drug strategies for treatment-resistant depression
Evidence lacking on transition-of-care programs for heart attack and stroke patients after hospital discharge

Announcements

AHRQ awards $34 million to expand fight against healthcare-associated infections
AHRQ awards grants for the redesign and transformation of primary care practice
AHRQ report shows that parent training is effective for treating young children with ADHD
Updated report compares the effectiveness and risks of popular hypertension medications
New guides compare benefits and risks of GERD treatments
AHRQ's announces CERTs awards
AHRQ awards $4.5 million to create clinical preventive services research centers
HCUP releases 2009 facts and figures report on hospital-based care
HCUP releases 2009 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample
AHRQ's health IT 2010 annual report is available
Comparative effectiveness report on osteoarthritis updated
AHRQ releases new CME/CE courses

Research Briefs

Research Briefs
Healthcare 411
Follow AHRQ news on Twitter

AHRQ Publication No. 12-RA003
Current as of December 2011

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Internet Citation:

Research Activities Newsletter. December 2011, No. 376. AHRQ Publication No. 12-RA003. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/dec11/

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