Research Activities

January 2013, No. 389

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Contents

About Research Activities

Feature Story

Planting seeds for change in primary care practice
From the Director

Patient Safety and Quality

High rates of paper-based prescribing errors found among community-based primary care providers
Including FDA hotline in print drug ads has small effect on adverse event reporting by consumers
Intravenous fentanyl can be given safely to trauma patients for pain in the prehospital setting
Aldosterone antagonist therapy at hospital discharge linked to modest reduced risk of rehospitalization for heart failure
Skill in estimating blood loss declines 9 months after Web-based training
Decision modeling can demonstrate potential trade-offs between survival and quality of life in advance directives

Acute Care/Hospitalization

24-hour staffing of intensive care units with intensivists has benefits as well as some tradeoffs for patients and physicians
Alcohol screening questionnaire can help identify high-risk drinkers with increased postoperative health care use

Mental Health

Headache and nausea most common side effects among adults and adolescents taking antidepressants

Women's Health

Study is first to show improved outcomes with postpartum depression screening and care
Computerized clinical decision support may promote contraceptive counseling for women prescribed teratogenic medications

Child/Adolescent Health

Quality improvement collaborative improves outcomes in children with inflammatory bowel disease
New guidelines help clinicians assess and treat maladaptive aggression in youth

Elderly Health/Long-Term Care

Being a caregiver linked to poor health behaviors among baby boomers
Elderly colon cancer patients receiving chemotherapy after surgery are at risk for various toxicities
Antipsychotic choices in nursing homes partly influenced by nursing home's prescribing culture
Partial kidney removal offers survival advantage for elderly patients with small tumors

Health Care Costs and Financing

Defense expenses for medical malpractice claims have risen faster than settlement amounts
Occupational back injuries lead to increased financial and domestic hardship for black and young workers
Computerized clinical decision support produces only modest savings for nursing home residents with impaired kidney function

Health Information Technology

Electronic health record-based medication monitoring improves patient compliance in primary care clinics
Careful design of personal health records can improve the delivery of preventive care
Provision of personal digital assistants alone does not help providers avoid drug-drug interactions

Comparative Effectiveness Research

Four drugs to treat chronic heart failure found similarly effective
Review examines Hepatitis C screening effects in adults
Dual therapy may be slightly less effective than triple therapy for chronic infection with hepatitis C virus
Many non-oral medications appear to effectively treat acute migraines in emergency department patients
New review evaluates treatment options for plaque psoriasis

Agency News and Notes

Combining strategies cuts hospitals' healthcare-associated infection rates
AHRQ report examines the effect of quality improvement interventions on palliative care
AHRQ Stats: Adult asthma rates nearly doubled in past decade

Announcements

Registration now open for TeamSTEPPS® training in 2013

Research Briefs

Research Briefs

AHRQ Publication No. 13-RA004
Current as of January 2013

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Internet Citation:

Research Activities Newsletter. January 2013, No. 389. AHRQ Publication No. 13-RA004. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/jan13/index.html

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