June 2008, No. 334
Contents
About Research Activities
Feature Story
AHRQ and the Ad Council encourage men to take preventive steps in their health care
Patient Safety and Quality
When financially vulnerable rural hospitals become critical access hospitals, patient safety improves in several areas
Medical and surgical intensive care unit patients suffer from similar types of safety problems and related harm
AHRQ's patient safety indicators may be useful for comparing quality of care across delivery systems
Quality partnerships yield advances in collaboration
Study shows value and limitations of voluntary error reporting systems
Child/Adolescent Health
Pediatric autopsies shed more light on cause of death in more than half of cases
Smoking in the home leads to more emergency visits and hospitalizations for lung problems among young children
Community-wide interventions prove modestly successful in reducing antibiotic use among Medicaid-insured children
Elderly/Long-term Care
Several factors can quickly identify mortality risk among frail elderly persons living in the community
Use of dementia treatments is similar in community and long-term care settings
Chronic Disease
Patient factors, not physician or clinic factors, account for most of the variance in blood sugar levels among adults with diabetes
Severe memory impairment substantially reduces employability of persons with systemic lupus erythematosus
Outcomes/Effectiveness Research
Chest pain 6 months after a heart attack is linked to patient dissatisfaction
Minor complications, common after carotid endarterectomy, are associated with higher postoperative risk of death and stroke
Clinical Decisionmaking
Radiologists vary in how accurately they interpret diagnostic mammograms
Clinical practice guidelines in musculoskeletal disorders are often based on expert opinion
Primary Care Research
Antidepressants and therapy may be cost-effective for patients with medically unexplained symptoms
Primary care practices can perform very well in several quality areas
Mental Health
Telepsychiatrists and in-person therapists deliver similar therapy to veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder
Diagnosis of bipolar disorder among youth skyrockets
Serious mood disorders may be underdiagnosed or undertreated among impoverished blacks
Pharmaceutical Research
More studies need to be done on potential risk of incident heart failure among certain patients taking TNF-alpha antagonists
FDA warnings appear to lead to appropriate prescriber action
End-of-Life Care
Living wills should be updated, since preferences for life-prolonging treatments change when health status changes
Health Care Costs and Financing
Many cost-of-illness studies do not include all costs of a particular injury or illness, and may be misleading
A collaborative approach to diabetes care in community health centers can cost-effectively improve that care
Acute Care/Hospitalization
Sending high-risk heart attack patients to certain hospitals reduces deaths, minimizes hospital volume shifts
Use of quality improvement strategies by home care agencies may reduce hospitalizations of home patients
Agency News and Notes
Children from low-income communities are five times more likely to have untreated cavities
More than 200 abused children under age 5 died in U.S. hospitals in 2005
Potentially deadly infection doubled among hospital patients over last 5 years
Premiums rise 18 percent for nonemployer health insurance
Announcements
AHRQ releases 2006 State data from HCUP
Updated releases of HCUP Comorbidity Software and Clinical Classifications Software Updates are available
AHRQ Web resource features 100 examples of health care innovations and tools
Research Briefs
Research Briefs
Visit the AHRQ Patient Safety Network Web Site
AHRQ Publication No. 08-0056
Current as of June 2008
Internet Citation:
Research Activities Newsletter. June 2008, No. 334. AHRQ Publication No. 08-0056. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/jun08/
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