Articles of Interest

October 8, 2004

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These articles appeared in recently released journals and newsletters. They include articles funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) or authored by AHRQ researchers; articles mentioning or discussing AHRQ; articles related to AHRQ-funded Evidence-based Practice Centers; articles mentioning the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force/Put Prevention into Practice; articles mentioning the Presidents Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry and Agency-supported activities relating to the Quality Interagency Task Force; and other research using AHRQ data.

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AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles

Ambulatory Pediatrics
Dusing SC, Skinner AC, Mayer ML. Unmet need for therapy services, assistive devices, and related services: data from the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs. Ambul Pediatr 2004 Sep-Oct; 4(5):448-54. [Supported by Grant No. 1 K02 HS013309-01A1.]

Friedman JF, Lee GM, Kleinman KP, et al. Child care center policies and practices for management of ill children. Ambul Pediatr 2004 Sep-Oct; 4(5):455-60. [Supported by Grant Nos. T32 HS00063 and HS010247.]

Annals of Family Medicine
Ariza AJ, Binns HJ, Christoffel KK. Evaluating computer capabilities in a primary care practice-based research network. Ann Fam Med 2004 Sep-Oct; 2(5):418-20. [Supported by Grant No. P20 HS11248.]

Green LA, Fryer GE, Froom P, et al. Opportunities, challenges, and lessons of international research in practice-based research networks: the case of an international study of acute otitis media. Ann Fam Med 2004 Sep-Oct; 2(5):429-33. [Supported by Grant No. R01 HS07035-04.]

Temte JL, Anderson AL. Rapid assessment of agents of biological terrorism: defining the differential diagnosis of inhalational anthrax using electronic communication in a practice-based research network. Ann Fam Med 2004 Sep-Oct; 2(5):434-37. [Supported by Grant No. 1 R21 HS1349-01.]

Fink KS, Byrns PJ. Changing prescribing patterns and increasing prescription expenditures in Medicaid. Ann Fam Med 2004 Sep-Oct; 2(5):488-93. [First author is researcher in AHRQ's Center for Outcomes and Evidence.]

Annals of Internal Medicine
Hu D, Hook EW 3rd, Goldie SJ. Screening for Chlamydia trachomatis in women 15-29 years of age: a cost-effectiveness analysis. Ann Intern Med 2004 Oct 5; 141(7):501-13. [Supported by AHRQ Fellowship Award, Grant No. T32 HS00020-20.]

Ornstein S, Jenkins RG, Nietert PJ, et al. A multimethod quality improvement intervention to improve preventive cardiovascular care: a cluster randomized trial. Ann Intern Med 2004 Oct 5; 141(7):523-32. [Supported by Grant No. 1 U18 HS11132-01.]

Coleman EA, Berenson RA. Lost in transition: challenges and opportunities for improving the quality of transitional care. Ann Intern Med 2004 Oct 5; 141(7):533-6. [Published under AHRQ-funded Improving Patient Care section of issue.]

Terasawa T, Blackmore CC, Bent S, et al. Systematic review: computed tomography and ultrasonography to detect acute appendicitis in adults and adolescents. Ann Intern Med 2004 Oct 5; 141(7):537-46. [Supported by Grant No. K08 HS11291.]

Archives of Internal Medicine
Hauer KE, Wachter RM, McCulloch CE, et al. Effects of hospitalist attending physicians on trainee satisfaction with teaching and with internal medicine rotations. Arch Intern Med 2004 Sep 27; 164(17):1866-71. [Supported by Grant No. K08 HS11416-02.]

Kumari M, Head J, Marmot M. Prospective study of social and other risk factors for incidence of type 2 diabetes in the Whitehall II study. Arch Intern Med 2004 Sep 27; 164(17):1873-80. [Supported by Grant No. R01 HS06516.]

Lewis CL, Kinsinger LS, Harris RP, et al. Breast cancer risk in primary care: implications for chemoprevention. Arch Intern Med 2004 Sep 27; 164(17):1897-903. [Supported by Contract No. 290-97-0011.]

BMC Medical Education
Abdolrasulnia M, Collins BC, Casebeer L, et al. Using email reminders to engage physicians in an Internet-based CME intervention. BMC Med Educ 2004 Sep 19; 4(1):17. [Supported by Grant No. HS11124.]

Child Abuse and Neglect
Flaherty EG, Jones R, Sege R. Telling their stories: primary care practitioners' experience evaluating and reporting injuries caused by child abuse. Child Abuse Negl 2004 Sep; 28(9):939-45. [Supported by Grant No. 1 R01 HS10746-01A1.]

Clinical Infectious Diseases
Haggerty CL, Hillier SL, Bass Dc, et al. Bacterial vaginosis and anaerobic bacteria are associated with endometritis. Clin Infect Dis 2004 Oct 1; 39(7):990-5. [Supported by Grant No. HS08358-05.]

Clinical Journal of Pain
Herr K, Titler MG, Schilling ML, et al. Evidence-based assessment of acute pain in older adults: current nursing practices and perceived barriers. Clin J Pain 2004 Sep-Oct; 20(5):331-40. [Supported by Grant No. R01 HS10482.]

Health Affairs
Cunningham P, Kirby J. Children's health coverage: a quarter-century of change: overall coverage rates for children have held steady and have even improved during turbulent times. Health Aff 2004 Sep-Oct; 232(5):27-38. [Second author is researcher in AHRQ's Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends; uses data from AHRQ's National Medical Expenditure Survey (NMES) and Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS).]

Selden TM, Hudson JL, Banthin JS. Tracking changes in eligibility and coverage among children, 1996-2002: improved outreach, reduced stigma, and simplified enrollment have led to large increases in children's take-up rates. Health Aff 2004 Sep-Oct; 232(5):39-50. [Authors are researchers in AHRQ's Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends.]

Dick AW, Brach C, Allison RA, et al. SCHIP's impact in three states: how do the most vulnerable children fare? SCHIP improved access to and satisfaction with care for all enrollees, even the most vulnerable. Health Aff 2004 Sep-Oct; 232(5):63-75. [Supported by Grant Nos. HS10465, HS10536, and HS10450.]

Rogowski JA, Staiger DO, Horbar JD. Variations in the quality of care for very-low-birthweight infants: implications for policy: two approaches hold promise for improving U.S. infant mortality rates, which are among the highest in the industrialized world. Health Aff 2004 Sep-Oct; 232(5):88-96. [Supported by Grant Nos. R01 HS13371 and P01 HS108588.]

Forrest CB, Riley AW. Childhood origins of adult health: a basis for life-course health policy: a pleas for policy attention to the way child health problems affect a person's entire lifespan. Health Aff 2004 Sep-Oct; 232(5):155-64. [Supported by Grant No. K02 HS00003.]

Moeller JF, Miller GE, Banthin JS. Looking inside the nation's medicine cabinet: trends in outpatient drug spending by Medicare beneficiaries, 1997 and 2001: costly new drugs to have an impact on overall drug spending. Health Aff 2004 Sep-Oct; 232(5):217-25. [Authors are researchers in AHRQ's Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends; uses MEPS data.]

Grabowski DC, Angelelli JJ, Mor V. Medicaid payment and risk-adjusted nursing home quality measures: states must consider the potential for quality trade-offs when setting Medicaid payment levels, especially in the current budgetary climate. Health Aff 2004 Sep-Oct; 232(5):243-52. [Supported by Grant No. 1 R03 HS11702-01.]

Hypertension
Hicks LS, Fairchild KG, Horng MS, et al. Determinants of JNC VI guideline adherence, intensity of drug therapy, and blood pressure control by race and ethnicity. Hypertension 2004 Oct; 44(4):429-34. [Supported by Grant No. 3 U18 HS11046.]

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
Linkin DR, Fishman NO, Patel JB, et al. Risk factors for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in a neonatal intensive care unit. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2004 Sep; 25(9);781-3. [Supported by Grant No. HS10399.]

Intensive Care Medicine
Pronovost PJ, Thompson DA. Reducing defects in the use of interventions. Intensive Care Med 2004 Aug; 30(8):1505-7. [Supported by Grant No. U18 HS11902.]

International Journal of Epidemiology
Singh-Manoux A, Ferrie JE, Chandola T, et al. Socioeconomic trajectories across the life course and health outcomes in midlife: evidence for the accumulation hypothesis? Int J Epidemiol 2004 Oct; 33(5):1072-9. [Uses data from Whitehall II study supported by Grant No. HS06516.]

JAMA
Bradley EH, Herrin J, Wang Y, et al. Racial and ethnic differences in time to acute reperfusion therapy for patients hospitalized with myocardial infarction. JAMA 2004 Oct 6; 292(13):1563-72. [Supported by Grant No. R01 HS10407-01.]

Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
Walkup JT, Sambamoorthi U, Crystal S. Use of newer antiretroviral treatments among HIV-infected Medicaid beneficiaries with serious mental illness. J Clin Psychiatry 2004 Sep; 65(9):1180-9. [Supported by Grant No. R24 HS11825.]

Journal of Critical Care
Pronovost PJ, Holzmueller CG. Partnering for quality. J Crit Care 2004 Sep; 19(3):121-9. [Supported by Grant No. U18 HS11902.]

Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
Stafford M, Martikainen P, Lahelma E, et al. Neighborhoods and self-rated health: a comparison of public sector employees in London and Helsinki. J Epidemiol Community Health 2004 Sep; 58(9):772-8. [Supported by Grant No. HS06516.]

Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal
Siminoff LA, Burant C, Youngner SJ. Death and organ procurement: public beliefs and attitudes. Kennedy Inst Ethics J 2004 Sep; 14(3):217-34. [Supported by Grant No. R01 HS10047.]

Medical Decision Making
Stahl JE, Rattner D, Wiklund R, et al. Reorganizing the system of care surrounding laparoscopic surgery: a cost-effectiveness analysis using discrete-event simulation. Med Decis Making 2004 Sep-Oct; 24(5):461-71. [Supported by Grant No. 1 K08 HS011637-01A1.]

Neurosurgery
Barker FG 2nd, Amin-Hanjani S. Changing neurosurgical workload in the United States, 1988-2001: craniotomy other than trauma in adults. Neurosurgery 2004 Sep; 55(3):506-17; discussion 517-8. [Supported by Grant No. 1 K08 HS011637-01A1.]

Psychiatric Services
Willging CE, Semansky RM. State mental health policy: Another chance to do it right: redesigning public behavioral health care in New Mexico. Psychiatr Serv 2004 Sep; 55(9):974-6. [Supported by Grant No. 1 R01 HS09703.]

Public Health Reports
Dato V, Wagner MM, Fapohunda A. How outbreaks of infectious disease are detected: a review of surveillance systems and outbreaks. Public Health Rep 2004 Sep-Oct; 119(5):464-71. [Supported by Contract No. 290-00-0009.]

Quality and Safety in Health Care
Henriksen K, Moss F. From the runway to the airway and beyond. Qual Saf Health Care 2004 Oct; 13(Suppl 1):i1. [First author is researcher in AHRQ's Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety.]

Battles JB, Wilkinson SL, Lee SJ. Using standardized patients in an objective structured clinical examination as a patient safety tool. Qual Saf Health Care 2004 Oct; 13(Suppl 1):i46-i50. [First author is researcher in AHRQ's Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety.]

Studies in Health Technology and Informatics
Ortiz E. Federal initiatives in information technology to improve patient safety and quality of care. Stud Health Technol Inform 2003; 92:59-71. [Author is researcher in AHRQ's Center for Primary Care, Prevention, and Clinical Partnerships.]

AHRQ-Related Articles

Annals of Family Medicine
Stange KC. In this issue: the patient-clinician relationship and practice-based network research. Ann Fam Med 2004 Sep-Oct; 2(5):386-7. [Gives overview of issue and summarizes findings of article by Green et al., cited in AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles.]

Beasley JW, Hankey TH, Erickson R, et al. How many problems do family physicians manage at each encounter? A WReN study. Ann Fam Med 2004 Sep-Oct; 2(5):405-10. [Cites AHRQ-funded article Jaen et al., J Fam Pract, 2001.]

Main DS, Quintela J, Araya-Guerra R, et al. Exploring patient reactions to pen-tablet computers: a report from CaReNet. Ann Fam Med 2004 Sep-Oct; 2(5):421-4. [Cites conduct of present study as part of a larger study performed under AHRQ Grant No. P20 HS112280-01.]

Pearce KA, Love MM, Barron MA, et al. How and why to study the practice content of a practice-based research network. Ann Fam Med 2004 Sep-Oct; 2(5):425-428. [Cites AHRQ Fact Sheet, Primary Care Practice-based Research Networks, as accessed on AHRQ Web site, 2004.]

McMullin ST, Lonergan TP, Rynearson CS, et al. Impact of an evidence-based computerized decision support system on primary care prescription costs. Ann Fam Med 2004 Sep-Oct; 2(5):494-8. [Cites AHRQ-funded articles by Kaushal et al., Arch Intern Med, 2003, and Overhage et al., Arch Intern Med, 1996.]

Annals of Internal Medicine
Bodenheimer T. Insuring the uninsured: will the 2004 election provide an answer? Ann Intern Med 2004 Oct 5; 141(7):556-61. [Cites AHRQ publication, Health Care Expenses in the United States 2000, 2004.]

Stamm WE. Chlamydia screening: expanding the scope. Ann Intern Med 2004 Oct 5; 141(7):570-2. [Cites USPSTF recommendations on screening for chlamydial infection as published in Am J Prev Med, 2001, and cites AHRQ-funded article by Hu et al., cited in AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles.]

Summaries for patients: the cost-effectiveness of screening for chlamydia in women 15 to 29 years of age. Ann Intern Med 2004 Oct 5; 141(7):I29. [Summarizes AHRQ-funded article by Hu et al., cited in AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles.]

Summaries for patients: a comparison of different programs to improve preventive care for cardiovascular conditions. Ann Intern Med 2004 Oct 5; 141(7):I53. [Summarizes AHRQ-funded article by Ornstein et al., cited in AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles.]

Blue Sheet
Expanded newborn screening recommended by HHS advisory committee. Blue Sheet 2004 Oct 4; 47(40):14. [Cites abstention by Denise Dougherty, researcher in AHRQ's Office of Extramural Research, Education, and Priority Populations, from vote of the HHS Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders and Genetic Diseases in Newborns and Children to accept the preliminary report of the American College of Medical Genetics.]

BNA's Health Care Policy Report
195,000 in-hospital deaths per year caused by preventable errors, study says. BNA's Health Care Policy Rep 2004 Aug 2; 12(31):1077. [Cites use of 16 AHRQ-defined patient safety indicators in HealthGrades study.]

Health Affairs
Wise PH. The transformation of child health in the United States: social disparities in child health persist despite dramatic improvements in child health overall. Health Aff 2004 Sep-Oct; 232(5):9-25. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Elixhauser (researcher in AHRQ's Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets) et al., Ambul Pediatr, 2002.]

Chung PJ and Schuster MA. Access and quality in child health services: voltage drops: whether access is approached incrementally or comprehensively, children will not fully realize the benefits until quality in addressed. Health Aff 2004 Sep-Oct; 232(5):77-87. [Cites term "voltage drops" adopted by John Eisenberg and Elaine Power (former AHRQ director and former AHRQ researcher, respectively) in article by Eisenberg and Power, JAMA, 2000; cites AHRQ-funded/authored articles by Zhan, et al., Health Serv Res, 2004, Miller and Zhan, Pediatrics, 2004, and Simpson et al., Ambul Pediatr, 2004.]

Grabowski DC, Feng Z, Intrator O, et al. Recent trends in state nursing home payment policies: states appear to have maintained the level of their Medicaid payment rates since 1999, in spite of the repeal of the Boren amendment. Health Aff 2004 Jan-Jun; Suppl Web Exclusives: W4-363-73. [Cites AHRQ publication by Rhoades and Summers, MEPS Chartbook 6, 2001; cites AHRQ-authored article by Cohen and Spector (researchers in AHRQ's Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends and Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets, respectively), J Health Econ, 1996.]

Simpson L. Lost in translation? Reflections on the role of research in improving health care for children: we need evidence-based answers to two questions: what works, and how do you get providers to do what works? Health Aff 2004 Sep-Oct; 232(5):125-30. [Author is former AHRQ deputy director; cites AHRQ publications, AHRQ Awards Thirteen Grants for Translating Research into Practice II (press release), 2000; Child Health Insurance Research Initiative (CHIRI™) (fact sheet), 2003; and National Healthcare Disparities Report, 2003; cites several AHRQ-authored articles.]

Beal AC. Policies to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in child health and health care: eliminating racial and ethnic disparities will require multiple interventions throughout the health care system. Health Aff 2004 Sep-Oct; 232(5):171-9. [Cites AHRQ publication, National Healthcare Disparities Report, 2003; cites provision for disparities research at AHRQ under the Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education Act of 2000.]

Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association
Goldstein MK, Coleman RW, Tu SW, et al. Translating research into practice: organizational issues in implementing automated decision support for hypertension in three medical centers. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2004 Sep-Oct; 11(5):368-76. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Eisenberg and Kamerow (former AHRQ director and center director, respectively), Am J Prev Med, 2001; cites AHRQ-funded article by Tierney, et al., J Am Med Inform Assoc, 1995, and J Gen Intern Med, 2003.]

Shiffman RN, Michel G, Essaihi A, et al. Bridging the guideline implementation gap: a systematic, document-centered approach to guideline implementation. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2004 Sep-Oct; 11(5):418-26. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Tierney et al., J Am Med Inform Assoc, 1995.]

Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal
Youngner SJ, Siminoff LA, Shapiro R. Introduction. Kennedy Inst Ethics J 2004 Sep; 14(3):211-5. [Summarizes and describes as focus of special issue article by Siminoff, et al., cited in AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles.]

Report on Medical Guidelines and Outcomes Research
Medical errors in pediatric patients are significantly underreported in incident report systems, particularly by physicians. Some types of errors are less likely to be reported than others. Rep Med Guidelines Outcomes Res 2004 Oct 1; 15(19):11. [Summarizes findings from AHRQ-funded article by Taylor in Pediatrics, 2004.]

SEA Currents
New AHRQ bioterrorism preparedness tool available. SEA Currents 2004 Sep-Oct; 22(5):15. [Announces release of AHRQ's alternate care site selection tool and gives Web site access information.]

New guide helps communities prepare for vaccine and drug dispensing in the event of bioterrorism or other public health emergency. SEA Currents 2004 Sep-Oct; 22(5):15-6. [Describes AHRQ planning guide, Community-Based Mass Prophylaxis: A Planning Guide for Public Health Awareness, and gives agency contact information.]

Washington Fax
Expanded newborn screening recommended by Health and Human Services advisors. Wash Fax 2004 Sep 28. [Cites abstention by Denise Dougherty, researcher in AHRQ's Office of Extramural Research, Education, and Priority Populations, from vote of the HHS Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders and Genetic Diseases in Newborns and Children to accept the preliminary report of the American College of Medical Genetics.]

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)/Put Prevention Into Practice (PPIP)-Related Articles

American Family Physician
Randhawa G. Screening for dementia. Am Fam Physician 2004 Oct 1; 770(7):1329-30. [Study questions based on USPSTF recommendations on depression screening

Slawson D. Many pap smears unnecessary after hysterectomy. Am Fam Physician 2004 Oct 1;770(7):1354. [Summarizes article using USPSTF recommendations on cervical cancer screening in women without a cervix (Sirovich, et al., JAMA, 2004).]

Annals of Family Medicine
Vinson DC, Galliber JM, Reidinger C, et al. Comfortably engaging: which approach to alcohol screening should we use? Ann Fam Med 2004 Sep-Oct; 2(5):398-404. [Cites USPSTF recommendations in Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, 2nd ed., 1996.]

Stange KC. Questions, interpretation, exhortation. Ann Fam Med 2004 Sep-Oct; 2(5):514-7. [Cites and discusses responses to USPSTF recommendations on syphilis screening and ovarian cancer screenings published in Ann Fam Med, 2004; gives updated list of USPSTF members.]

Kuzel A, Rothemich S. Networks for new knowledge in family medicine. Ann Fam Med 2004 Sep-Oct; 2(5):521-2. [Cites AHRQ support for development of national family practice networks and regional practice-based research networks (PBRNs) as shown in AHRQ Fact Sheet, Primary Care Practice-based Research Networks, 2001.]

Jerant AF, Franks P, Jackson JE, et al. Age-related disparities in cancer screening: analysis of 2001 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. Ann Fam Med 2004 Sep-Oct; 2(5):481-7. [Cites USPSTF recommendations on screening for prostate cancer and colorectal cancer, as published on AHRQ Web site and in Ann Intern Med, 2002.]

Archives of Internal Medicine
Gilligan T, Wang PS, Levin R, et al. Racial differences in screening for prostate cancer in the elderly. Arch Intern Med 2004 Sep 27; 164(17):1858-64. [Cites USPSTF recommendations, Screening for Prostate Cancer, 3rd ed., 2002.]

JAMA
Dandolu V, Harmanli O, et al. Cervical cancer screening among women without a cervix. JAMA 2004 Oct 6; 292(13):1550-1. [Letters on article using USPSTF recommendations on cervical cancer screening in women without a cervix (Sirovich, et al., JAMA, 2004) and author reply, which cites USPSTF recommendations on screening for chlamydial infection in Am J Prev Med, 2001, and ovarian cancer in Ann Fam Med, 2004.]

Journal of the American Board of Family Practice
Orzano AJ, Scott JG. Diagnosis and treatment of obesity in adults: an applied evidence-based review. J Am Board Fam Pract 2004 Sep-Oct; 17(5):359-369. [Integrates evidence supporting recommendations from USPSTF and other scientific bodies addressing obesity in adults; cites USPSTF recommendations in Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, 2nd ed., 1996; cites USPSTF recommendations on screening and interventions for obesity in adults, Ann Intern Med, 2003; and cites AHRQ's National Guideline Clearinghouse™ database and homepage.]

Evidence-based Practice Centers-Related Articles

Ambulatory Pediatrics
Perrin JM. Youth and disability in the 21st century: the 2004 George Armstrong Lecture of the Ambulatory Pediatric Association. Ambul Pediatr 2004 Sep-Oct; 4(5):402-6. [Cites AHRQ Technical Review, Diagnosis of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, 1999.]

Health Affairs
Bell DS, Marken RS, Meili RC, et al. Recommendations for comparing electronic prescribing systems: results of an expert consensus process. Health Aff 2004 Jan-Jun; Suppl Web Exclusives:W4-305-17. [Cites AHRQ EPC report, Making Healthcare Safer: A Critical Analysis of Patient Safety, 2001.]

Research By Others Using AHRQ Data or Products

Ambulatory Pediatrics
Chen AY. Private dental and prescription-drug coverage in children: data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Ambul Pediatr 2004 Sep-Oct; 4(5):442-7. [Uses 2000 MEPS; cites AHRQ-authored articles by Weinick, et al., Health Aff, 1998; Manski, et al., J Am Dent Assoc, 2002; and several others.]

Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
Natarajan S, Nietert PJ. Hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and their combinations increased health care utilization and decreased health status. J Clin Epidemiol 2004 Sep; 57(9):954-61. [Uses data from 1996 MEPS.]

Current as of October 2004