Research Activities

August 2010, No. 360

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Contents

About Research Activities

Feature Story

Advanced type of cancer radiation reduces side effects, but impact on cancer control is unclear

Safety/Quality of Care

Emergency physicians suggest ways to reduce errors in patient handoffs during shift changes
Hospital risk managers more likely than physicians to recommend error disclosure, but less likely to apologize
Patient preferences are important when making clinical decisions for those who can't, but other factors also play a role
Consider local health care systems when designing services for the uninsured

Women's Health

Acupuncture helps with depression during pregnancy
Women want clinicians to talk about the risk medications pose to an unborn child
Domestic violence on the decline but young women are at highest risk
Many homeless women are reluctant to get free Pap smears

Disparities/Minority Health

Minority patients are less likely to have surgery performed by high-volume surgeons and hospitals
Rate of extrapulmonary TB highest among blacks
More stress means worse asthma in inner-city adults

Child/Adolescent Health

Care setting affects likelihood that children with persistent asthma will receive inhaled steroids

Outcomes/Effectiveness Research

Lower mortality rates after surgery at high-volume hospitals due to fewer complications and other factors
Remote supervision of stroke therapy is safe and effective at smaller hospitals
Studies explore rapid treatment of sepsis and cardiac arrest
Instrument that measures quality of life for breast cancer survivors can be used for other cancers
Surgical simulation training improves speed and confidence in residents learning endoscopic sinus surgery
Coronary risk information may improve prescribing practices
Using quitlines with physician support improves smoking cessation
Thoracic surgeons can help patients stop smoking with a brief smoking cessation program
Challenges abundant for practices that use fax referrals to smoking cessation quitlines

Mental Health

Trauma associated with mental health disorders but not substance abuse in homeless men

Health Literacy

Health literacy level has no impact on frequency of blood-glucose monitoring for inner-city patients with diabetes
Simple tool to measure health literacy in patients with HIV successfully predicts medication adherence

Agency News and Notes

AHRQ and Ad Council encourage men to take preventive steps in their health care
Men shy away from routine medical appointments
Deaths from hospital complications drop, disparities remain
Cost of hospital treatment for blood infection surges
Employees in small businesses more likely to have high-premium health plans

Announcements

New AHRQ guides offer hospitals advice on emergency evacuation, assessment, and recovery
Innovative software cuts costs and time for States to report hospital quality information to the public
Free, innovative new online resource for hospital quality reporting now available
AHRQ announces patient safety and medical liability demonstration projects
2008 Nationwide Inpatient Sample released
Register now for AHRQ's fourth annual conference
AHRQ Webcast on health outcomes of carotid revascularization to air August 19

Research Briefs

Research Briefs
Visit the AHRQ Patient Safety Network Web Site
Follow AHRQ News on Twitter

AHRQ Publication No. 10-RA011
Current as of August 2010

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Internet Citation:

Research Activities Newsletter. August 2010, No. 360. AHRQ Publication No. 10-RA011. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/aug10/

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