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Research Activities

March 2004, No. 283



Contents

About Research Activities

Feature Story

Relying on clinical guidelines to treat young infants with fevers may not improve outcomes

Clinical Decisionmaking

Undiagnosed angina is common and is associated with a two-fold risk of death when ECGs are abnormal
Patients with cardiac complications following noncardiac surgery are more likely to have other complications as well
Renal disease progression is not slower among women than men, and it may even be faster
EXCEED projects focus on prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease
Studies show low physician adherence to clinical guidelines for managing pneumonia and heart disease
Women with estrogen-positive breast tumors should not increase their intake of soy or other phytoestrogens
Patients who undergo surgery for gastroesophageal reflux disease use less care later than those who receive only medications

Pharmaceutical Research

Researchers examine physician prescribing of closely controlled antiarrhythmic drugs dofetilide and Betapace AF
Certain oral blood-sugar-lowering drugs may increase the risk of heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes

Elderly Health/Long-term Care

Screening relatively healthy elderly women for breast cancer every 2 years is cost effective
Inconsistent use of medications by elderly Mexican Americans with diabetes may explain their greater risk of some complications
Depression is common among people who are primary caregivers for patients with dementia
Only about half of stroke survivors living in nursing homes receive medicine to prevent another stroke

Health Care Costs and Financing

Hospital costs are higher for elderly Medicare patients with low functional status
Hospitalizations for work-related injuries and illnesses declined from 1997-1999, but charges increased
Medicare's role in financing nursing home care has greatly expanded
Many major teaching hospitals might not be able to offer adequate access to specialty care for uninsured patients
Researchers find SCHIP and Medicaid networks compete for physicians in some markets
Researchers examine the management of chronic illness in managed care settings
State shifting of Medicaid home care costs to Medicare greatly increases Medicare expenditures for home care

Quality of Care

Both low- and high-risk patients benefit from undergoing coronary bypass surgery at high-volume hospitals
Higher RN staffing is associated with fewer deaths among elderly Medicare patients hospitalized for heart attack
Updated ICU information systems substantially free nurses from documentation, giving them more time for direct patient care
Nurses' contributions to patient-centered care and care equity are important components of health care quality
Physicians are much less likely to examine patients in contact isolation, compared with nonisolated patients
Study shows the culture of medical group practice changes as practices become larger and more complex

Organ Transplantation

Understanding the implications of brain death for a patient's recovery may help families decide about donating organs

Agency News and Notes

Treadmill testing, EKG, and CT scans not recommended for screening patients a low risk for heart disease
New AHRQ tool for PDAs helps clinicians treat community-acquired pneumonia

Announcements

Register now for conference on quality-based health care purchasing

Research Briefs

Current as of March 2004
AHRQ Publication No. 04-0038


Internet Citation:

Research Activities newsletter. March 2004, No. 283. AHRQ Publication No. 04-0038. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/mar04/


 

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