Articles of Interest Alert

February 13, 2004


These articles appeared in recently released journals and newsletters. They include articles funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) or authored by AHRQ researchers; articles mentioning or discussing AHRQ; articles related to AHRQ-funded Evidence-based Practice Centers; articles mentioning the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force/Put Prevention into Practice; articles mentioning the Presidents Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry and Agency-supported activities relating to the Quality Interagency Task Force; and other research using AHRQ data.


AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles

Archives of Internal Medicine
Mandelblatt J, Lawrence W, Yi B, et al. The balance of harms, benefits, and costs of screening for cervical cancer in older women: the case for continued screening. Arch Intern Med 2004 Feb 9; 164(3):243-7. [Second author is a member of AHRQ's Center for Outcomes and Evidence (COE); cites USPSTF cervical cancer screening recommendations at USPSTF Web site.]

Mandelblatt J, Lawrence W, Yi B, et al. Rebuttal by Mandelblatt, Lawrence, Yi, and King. Arch Intern Med 2004 Feb 9; 164(3):248. [Second author is a member of COE; responds to Sawaya article cited in Evidence-based Practice Centers-Related Articles.]

Family Medicine
Callahan EJ, Stange KC, Bertakis KD, et al. Does time use in outpatient residency training reflect community practice? Fam Med 2003 Jun; 35(6):423-7. [Supported by Grant Nos. R03 HS08029 and R18 HS06167.]

Phillips RL, Phillips KA, Chen FM, et al. Exploring residency match violations in family practice. Fam Med 2003 Nov-Dec; 35(10):717-20. [Third author is a member of AHRQ's Center for Primary Care, Prevention and Clinical Partnerships (CP3).]

JAMA
Rubin HR, Fink NE, Plantinga LC, et al. Patient ratings of dialysis care with peritoneal dialysis vs hemodialysis. JAMA 2004 Feb 11; 291(6):697-703. [Supported by Grant No. R01-HS008365-05.]

Medical Care
Piette JD, Wagner TH, Potter MB, et al. Health insurance status, cost-related medication underuse, and outcomes among diabetes patients in three systems of care. Med Care 2004 Feb; 42(2):102-9. [Supported by Grant No. R18 HS10281-01.]

Lackan NA, Ostir GV, Freeman JL, et al. Decreasing variation in the use of hospice among older adults with breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer. Med Care 2004 Feb; 42(2):116-22. [Supported by Grant No. 1 R24 HS11618.]

Dobalian A, Tsao JC, Duncan RP. Pain and the use of outpatient services among persons with HIV. Med Care 2004 Feb; 42(2):129-38. [Supported by HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study (HCSUS) Grant No. U01 HS08578.]

Lang NM, Mitchell PH, Hinshaw AS, et al. Forward: measuring and improving healthcare quality. Med Care 2004 Feb; 42(2 Suppl):II1-3. [Conference from which supplement articles originated was supported by AHRQ and dedicated to former AHRQ Director John Eisenberg.]

Mattke S, Needleman J, Buerhaus P, et al. Evaluating the role of patient sample definitions for quality indicators sensitive to nurse staffing patterns. Med Care 2004 42(2 Suppl):II21-33. [Funded in part by AHRQ, no grant number given; acknowledges the advice and recommendations of former AHRQ researcher Peter Gergen.]

Bakken S, Cimino JJ, Hripcsak G. Promoting patient safety and enabling evidence-based practice through informatics. Med Care 2004 42(2 Suppl):II49-56. [Supported by Grant No. 1 R18 HS11806.]

Sochalski, J. Is more better? The relationship between nurse staffing and the quality of nursing care in hospitals. Med Care 2004 42(2 Suppl):II67-73. [Supported in part by AHRQ, no grant number given.]

Pediatrics
Allen EC, Manuel JC, Legault C, et al. Perception of child vulnerability among mothers of former premature infants. Pediatrics 2004 Feb; 113(2):267-73. [Supported By Grant No. R01 HS07928.]

Sices L, Feudtner C, McLaughlin J, et al. How do primary care physicians manage children with possible developmental delays? A national survey with an Experimental design. Pediatrics 2004 Feb; 113(2):274-82. [Supported by Grant No. K08 HS00002.]

AHRQ-Related Articles

American Health Line
Health disparities: Thompson says HHS will release original report. Am Health Line 2004 Feb 11; #3. [Discusses Secretary Thompson's announcement regarding the release of the original version of the National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR).]

Racial health disparities: Frist unveils legislation. Am Health Line 2004 Feb 13; #2. [Mentions National Public Radio's "Talk of the Nation" discussion of "HHS' rewriting of the first annual National Healthcare Disparities Report" and the Closing the Health Care Gap Act.]

American Journal of Nursing
Diers D, Goodrich AW. Commentary on the IOM report. Am J Nurs 2004 Jan; 104(1):23-4. [Reviews AHRQ-funded report, Keeping Patients Safe: Transforming the Work Environment of Nurses, 2003.]

Archives of Internal Medicine
Goulding MR. Inappropriate medication prescribing for elderly ambulatory care patients. Arch Intern Med 2004 Feb 9; 164(3):305-12. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Zhan, et al., JAMA, 2001.]

Murthy GD, Byron DP, Pasquale D. Underutilization of digital rectal examination when screening for prostate cancer. Arch Intern Med 2004 Feb 9; 164(3):313-6. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Coles et al., Ann Intern Med, 1997.]

BNA's Health Care Policy Report
Bush budget calls for belt-tightening at some HHS agencies, Thompson says. BNA's Health Care Policy Rep 2004 Feb 9; 12(6):167-8. [Notes that "the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality budget would have flat funding for FY 2005 compared to the previous year, at $304 million."]

Thompson says he's unhappy with handling of disparities study, will issue first version. BNA's Health Care Policy Rep 2004 Feb 16; 12(7):200-1. [Discusses the NHDR and the release of the report's original version.]

Family Medicine
Cox M, Pacala JT, Vercellotti GM, et al. Health care economics, financing, organization, and delivery. Fam Med 2004 Jan; 36(Suppl):S20-30. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Fiscella et al., JAMA, 2000 (fourth author is AHRQ Director Carolyn Clancy).]

Keller DR, O'Dell DV, Skochelak SE, et al. Teaching the basics of clinical pharmaceutical care: innovative pharmacy workshops at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Nebraska. Fam Med 2004 Jan; 36(Suppl):S89-92. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Bates et al., JAMA, 1995.]

Health Affairs
Berwick DM, DeParle N, Eddy DM, et al. Paying for performance: Medicare should lead. Health Aff 2003 Nov/Dec; 22(6):8-10. [Comments that AHRQ "has established itself as an honest broker of evidence-based treatment standards".]

Hammer PJ and Sage WM. Critical issues in hospital antitrust law: ensuring that hospital competition produces social benefits depends much more on regulators and legislators than on courts. Health Aff 2003 Nov/Dec; 22(6):88-100. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Hellinger, JAMA, 2001.]

Buerhaus PI, Staiger DO, Auerbach DI. Is the current shortage of hospital nurses ending? Health Aff 2003 Nov-Dec; 22(6):191-8. Cites AHRQ-funded articles by Needleman et al., N Eng J Med, 2002, and Buerhaus et al., Health Aff, 2002.]

Spetz J, Given R. The future of the nurse shortage: will wage increases close the gap? Health Aff 2003 Nov-Dec; 22(6):199-206. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Needleman et al, N Eng J Med, 2002.]

Short PF, Graefe DR. Battery powered health insurance? Stability in coverage of the uninsured. Health Aff 2003 Nov-Dec; 22(6):244-55. [Cites Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) report, Stability and Change in Health Insurance: New Estimates from the 1996 MEPS.]

Health News Daily
Dove A. Health data collection would be standardized under Senate GOP disparities bill. Health News Daily 2004 Feb 13; 16(30):5. [Discusses legislation introduced by Senator Frist that "would encourage expanded research to identify sources of racial and ethnic disparities and to assess potential interventions," with such research to "be augmented at the [AHRQ.]; mentions Senator Frist's commendation to HHS Secretary Thompson for his decision to release the original version of AHRQ's NHDR.]

JAMA
Heaf J. Underutilization of peritoneal dialysis. JAMA 2004 Feb 11; 291(6):740-2. [Comments on AHRQ-funded article by Rubin et al., cited in AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles.]

Medical Care
Saitto C, Ancona C, Fusco D, et al. Outcome of patients with cardiac diseases admitted to coronary care units. Med Care 2004 Feb; 42(2):147-54. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Elixhauser et al., Med Care, 1998.]

Maas ML, Delaney C. Nursing process outcome linkage research issues, current status, and health policy implications. Med Care 2004 Feb; 42(2 Suppl):II40-48. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Kovner and Gergen, J Nurs Scholarsh, 1998.]

Medicine and Health
Many health programs get dinged in White House budget. Med Health 2004 Feb 9; 58(6):1, 7-8. [Comments on AHRQ funding amounts in FY2005 budget.]

Pediatrics
Bartlett SJ, Krishnan JA, Riekert KA. Maternal depressive symptoms and adherence to therapy in inner-city children with asthma. Pediatrics 2004 Feb; 113(2):229-37. [Cites AHRQ guideline, Depression in Primary Care: II. Treatment of Major Depression, 1993.]

Callahan ST, Cooper WO. Gender and uninsurance among young adults in the United States. Pediatrics 2004 Feb; 113(2):291-7. [Cites AHRQ reports, The Uninsured in America 2001: MEPS Statistical Brief #4, 2001 and The Uninsured in America: 1996-2000, 2002; cites AHRQ-authored articles using MEPS data by Monheit and Vistnes, Med Care Res Rev, 2000, and Zuvekas and Weinick, Health Serv Res, 1999.]

Report on Medical Guidelines and Outcomes Research
Manos D. Government should be more involved in health care quality, experts say. Rep Med Guidelines Outcomes Res 2004 Feb 6; 15(3):9-10, 12. [Summarizes panel discussion, hosted by the Commonwealth fund, on AHRQ's NHQR and NHDR; mentions comments by acting AHRQ Deputy Director Robert Graham.]

Washington Healthbeat
Rewritten disparities report "a mistake," Thompson says. Wash Healthbeat 2004 Feb 10. [Discusses Secretary Thompson's comments about the release of AHRQ's original version of the NHDR.]

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)/Put Prevention into Practice-Related Articles

American Family Physician
Fink K, Clark B. Screening for type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults, case study. Am Fam Physician 2004 Feb 1; 69(3):605-6. [First author is USPSTF Program Director in USPSTF program director in AHRQ's CP3; gives case study questions based on USPSTF recommendations, Screening for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Adults, 2002, as posted on AHRQ Web site and published in Ann Int Med, 2003.]

Sadovsky R. Can vitamins prevent cancer and heart disease? Am Fam Physician 2004 Feb 1; 69(3):631. [Cites USPSTF recommendations on routine vitamin supplementation to prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease as published in Ann Intern Med, 2003.]

American Journal of Nursing
Napoli M. Mammography saves lives—or does it? Am J Nurs 2004 Jan; 104(1):13. [Cites USPSTF findings on mammography for women age 40-49.]

Archives of Internal Medicine
Manson JE, Skerrett PJ, Greenland P, et al. The escalating pandemics of obesity and sedentary lifestyle: a call to action for clinicians. Arch Intern Med 2004 Feb 9; 164(3):249-58. [Cites USPSTF recommendations on behavioral counseling in primary care to promote physical activity as published in Ann Intern Med, 2002.]

Family Medicine
Grigsby DG, McClanahan KG, Garr DR. Wellness and prevention. Fam Med 2004 Jan; 36 (Sup):S74-82. [Lists as first learning objective "Understand the rationale behind the preventive guidelines recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)."]

Evidence-based Practice Centers-Related Articles

American Family Physician
Ebell MH, Siwek J, Weiss BD, et al. Strength of recommendation taxonomy (SORT): a patient-centered approach to grading evidence in the medical literature. Am Fam Physician 2004 Feb 1; 69(3):548-56. [Cites Evidence-based Practice Center/technology assessment report summary, Systems to Rate the Strength of Scientific Evidence, 2002.]

Archives of Internal Medicine
Sawaya GF. Should routine screening papnicolaou smears be done for women older than 65 years? Arch Intern Med 2004 Feb 9; 164(3):243-5. [Cites Evidence-based Practice Center report, Evaluation of Cervical Cytology, 1999.]

Sawaya GF. Rebuttal by Dr. Sawaya. Arch Intern Med 2004 Feb 9; 164(3):247-8. [Responds to article by Mandelblatt et al., cited in AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles; cites AHRQ-authored article by Mandelblatt, et al. (Second author is AHRQ researcher William Lawrence), JAMA, 2002.]

Medical Care
Swan BA, Boruch RF. Quality of evidence usefulness in measuring the quality of health care. Med Care 2004 Feb; 42(2 Suppl):II12-20. [Cites evidence-based practice center report, Systems to Rate the Strength of Scientific Evidence, 2002; cites Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, 1st Edition, 1989; cites AHRQ report, Using Clinical Practice Guidelines to Evaluate Quality of Care, 1995; cites AHRQ-authored articles by Kovner and Gergen, J Nurs Scholarsh, 1998, and Shekelle, et al. (second and third authors are AHRQ researchers), JAMA, 2001; cites AHRQ's National Guideline Clearinghouse™ Web site, Quality Measures Web sites; cites AHRQ/UCSF Safety Improvement Practices as posted on AHRQ Web site.]

President's Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry/Quality Inter-agency Coordination (QuIC) Task Force-Related Articles

Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Safety
Mills PD, Weeks, WB, Surott-Kimberly, BC. A multihospital safety improvement effort and the dissemination of new knowledge. Jt Comm J Qual Improv 2003 Mar; 29(3):124-33. [Study implements action plan outlined in the QuIC Task Force report, Doing What Counts for Patient Safety: Federal Actions to Reduce Medical Errors and Their Impact, 2000.]

Medical Care
Mitchell PH, Lang NM. Framing the problem of measuring and improving healthcare quality: has the quality health outcomes model been useful? Med Care 2004 42(2 Suppl):II4-11. [Cites commission's final report, Quality First: Better Health Care for All Americans, 1998.]

Research by Others Using AHRQ Data or Products

Health Affairs
Reinhardt UE. Does the aging of the population really drive the demand for health care? Health Aff 2003 Nov-Dec; 22(6):27-39. [Uses MEPS data; acknowledges the "quick and flexible response" of AHRQ member Judy Hudson as well as the "richness of the database assembled by AHRQ and the superb analytic capacity residing in the agency."]

McLaughlin CG, Mortensen K. Who walks through the door? The effect of the uninsured on hospital use. Health Aff 2003 Nov-Dec 22(6):143-55. [Uses MEPS data; cites AHRQ report, The Uninsured in America: 1996-2000, 2002.]


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