May 2011, No. 369
Contents
About Research Activities
Feature Story
Social media use is one of many innovations in care delivery transforming the frontlines of care
From the Director
Outcomes/Effectiveness Research
Patient Web portals improve diabetes care and outcomes
Genotype information can make the predicted therapeutic dose of warfarin more accurate
Emergency department patients and visitors are most interested in education about stress and depression
Nurse survey identifies important but underused end-of-life care skills
Practice setting, ownership, and specialty all affect volume of charity care provided by physicians
Patient Safety and Quality
Systems to detect adverse drug events need buy-in from leaders and staff to become part of hospital routine
Laboratory monitoring of high-risk medications varies greatly
Performing cardiac catheterization and heart surgery on different hospital admissions may reduce risk of kidney damage
Primary Care
Specific primary care strategies may improve medication safety
Primary care physicians spend a fifth of their time in patient care activities outside of office visits
Child/Adolescent Health
Surgery and imaging rates for children's kidney stones are stable, but vary greatly from hospital to hospital
Studies examine black mothers' choices for infant sleep position and location
Health Care Costs and Financing
Inhaler costs contribute to medication nonadherence for Medicare patients with chronic pulmonary disease
Care for patients with HIV remains expensive
Agency News and Notes
Treatments show promise in reducing autism-related behaviors, but some have significant side effects
Hospital charges surpass the trillion dollar mark
Uninsured hospital stays surged from 2003 to 2008
Diabetes testing plummets among poor, minority, and inner-city adults
Low health literacy linked to higher risk of death and more emergency room visits and hospitalizations
Announcements
National Quality Strategy released
AHRQ's MONAHRQ® is one of six winners in the HHSinnovates program
AHRQ updates report on oral diabetes medications' effectiveness and safety
AHRQ releases plain-language guides on cystic fibrosis
New technical brief covers surgeries for seven fetal conditions
Clinicians from pediatrics, family medicine, and geriatrics appointed to lead the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
New resource helps hospitals get up to speed on safety culture
New resource identifies care coordination measures
HCUP offers new online tutorial series' modules
AHRQ releases Common Formats for patient safety reporting in skilled nursing facilities
New AHRQ public reports on provider performance are available for consumer Web page
New AHRQ podcasts focus on prevention of falls, motorcycle-related head injuries, and pressure sores
Research Briefs
Research Briefs
Subscribe to AHRQ's Electronic Newsletter
Healthcare 411
Follow AHRQ News on Twitter
AHRQ Publication No. 11-RA008
Current as of May 2011
Internet Citation:
Research Activities Newsletter. May 2011, No. 369. AHRQ Publication No. 11-RA008. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/may11/