The Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality's Effective Health Care Program: Creating a Dynamic System for
Discovering and Reporting What Works in Health Care. J. Slutsky,
C. Clancy, American Journal of Medical Quality 20(6): November/December 2005, 358-360. Discusses AHRQ's Effective Health Care
Program, created by Congress to develop evidence about the effectiveness and
comparative effectiveness of different treatments and clinical approaches to
significant health problems and to communicate findings to a wide variety of
audiences, including consumers. (AHRQ 06-R022)
The Challenge of Comparative Effectiveness:
Getting the Right Information to the Right People at the Right
Time. M. Coopey, M. James, W. Lawrence, C. Clancy, Journal of
Nursing Care Quality 23(1): January/March 2008, 1-5. Discusses the
meaning of effectiveness in health care and describes how prior investments in
outcomes research were used as a foundation for AHRQ's Effective Health Care
program. (AHRQ 08-R031)
Effective Health Care Program
Booklet. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, January
2006. Booklet discusses the Effective Health Care Program, which focus on a
core set of priority health conditions. Describes the process of synthesizing,
generating, and translating knowledge on topics concerning the particular
topics. (AHRQ 06-EHC002)
Effective Health Care Program Kit.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, June 2006 (updated monthly).
Includes fact sheets, background information, and report summaries from the
Effective Health Care Program. (AHRQ 06-EHC004)
A Progress Report on AHRQ's Effective Health
Care Program: Commentary. C. Clancy, J. Slutsky, Health
Services Research 42(5): October 2007, xi-xix. Provides an update on
the progress of AHRQ's Effective Health Care Program, describes the interest
that the program has garnered recently, and discusses some observations about
the program since its inception in 2003. (AHRQ 08-R006)
User's Guide to Registries Evaluating Patient
Outcomes: Summary. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
April 2007, 219 pp. Serves as a guide to the design, implementation, analysis,
interpretation, and evaluation of the quality of a registry for understanding
patient outcomes. Report (AHRQ 07-EHC001-1)
Summary (AHRQ 07-EHC001-2)
Clinican and Patient Guides
ACEIs or ARBs for Adults with Hypertension:
Clinician's Guide. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
October 2007, 2 pp. Summarizes evidence comparing the effectiveness and safety
of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor
antagonists when used by adults with essential hypertension. (AHRQ
08-EHC003-3)
Antidepressant Medicines: A Guide for Adults
with Depression. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
August 2007, 9 pp. Booklet provides information to help adult patients work
with their doctors to choose medicines for depression. Describes the various
medications used to treat adults with depression, possible side effects, and
cost of the drugs. (AHRQ 07(08)-EHC007-2A)
Choosing Antidepressants for Adults:
Clinician's Guide. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
August 2007, 4 pp. Summarizes clinical research comparing the effectiveness
and safety of commonly used antidepressants for adults with major depression.
(AHRQ 07-EHC007-3)
Choosing Non-Opioid Analgesics for
Osteoarthritis: Clinician's Guide. Agency for Healthcare Research
and Quality, January 2007, 4 pp. Summarizes clinical evidence on the
effectiveness and safety of non-opioid analgesics for osteoarthritis based on
a systematic review of 351 research publications. (AHRQ 06(07)-EHC009-3)
Choosing Pain Medicine for Osteoarthritis: A
Guide for Consumers. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
January 2007, 9 pp. Booklet describes the different kinds of pain relievers
that are available to treat osteoarthritis and presents information about the
trade-offs between pain relief, potential side-effects, and medication cost.
(AHRQ 06(07)-EHC009-2A). Spanish language booklet (AHRQ
06(08)-EHC009-2B)
Comparing Oral Medications for Adults with
Type 2 Diabetes: Clinican's Guide. Agency for Healthcare Research
and Quality, December 2007, 4 pp. Summarizes evidence from both observational
studies and controlled trials that compared the effectiveness and safety of
oral hypoglycemic medications. (AHRQ 07(08)-EHC010-3)
Comparing Two Kinds of Blood Pressure Pills:
ACEIs and ARBs: A Guide for Adults. Booklet describes two kinds
of pills used to treat high blood pressure, ACE inhibitors (ACEIs) and ARBs
and presents information to help patients talk about these drugs with their
doctors. (AHRQ 08-EHC003-2A)
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
(GERD). Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Comparing
Health Care Choices, December 2005. Provides information for patients
who have more severe GERD and are being treated by a doctor or other health
care provider. (AHRQ 06-EHC003-A). Spanish language booklet
(AHRQ 06-EHC003-B)
Management of Atherosclerotic Renal Artery
Stenosis: Clinician's Guide. Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality, March 2007, 2-sided sheet. Summarizes clinical evidence from 56
studies on the effectiveness and safety of angioplasty and medical therapy for
treating atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis. (AHRQ 07-EHC004-3)
Pills for Type 2 Diabetes: A Guide for
Adults. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, December
2007, 13 pp. Booklet describes the various medications used to treat type 2
diabetes—including how they work, possible side effects, and
cost—and presents information to help patients talk about these drugs
with their doctors. (AHRQ 07(08)-EHC010-2A)
Renal Artery Stenosis Treatments: A Guide for
Consumers. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, June 2007,
8 pp. Provides information to assist patients in talking with their clinicians
about treatments for renal artery stenosis and discusses problems that may be
caused by the condition. (AHRQ 07-EHC004-2A)
Comparative Effectiveness Reviews
Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of
Analgesics for Osteoarthritis. Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality, Executive Summary, No. 4, September 2006, 12 pp. Summarizes
the available evidence comparing the benefits and harms of analgesics in the
treatment of osteoarthritis. (AHRQ 06-EHC009-1)
Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Oral
Diabetes Medications for Adults with Type 2 Diabetes. Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality. Executive Summary, No. 8, July 2007,
16 pp. Summarizes the available evidence on the safety and effectiveness of
oral diabetes medications used by adults with type 2 diabetes. (AHRQ
07-EHC010-1).
Comparative Effectiveness of
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACEIs) and Angiotensin II
Receptor Antagonists (ARBs) for Treating Essential Hypertension.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Executive Summary, No. 10,
November 2007, 5 pp. Summarizes the evidence on the comparative long-term
benefits and harms of ACEIs vs. ARBs, focusing on their use for treating
essential hypertension in adults. (AHRQ 08-EHC003-1)
Comparative Effectiveness of Drug Therapy for
Rheumatoid Arthritis and Psoriatic Arthritis in Adults. Agency
for Healthcare Research and Quality, Executive Summary, No. 11,
November 2007, 11 pp. Summarizes the evidence on the comparative efficacy,
effectiveness, and harms of corticosteroids and synthetic and biologic
disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in the treatment of patients with
rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis. (AHRQ 08-EHC004-1)
Comparative Effectiveness of Epoetin and
Darbeopetin for Managing Anemia in Patients Undergoing Cancer
Treatment. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
Executive Summary, No. 3, May 2006. Focuses on use of epoetin and
darbepoetin to manage anemia in patients undergoing cancer treatment with
chemotherapy and/or radiation. (AHRQ 06-EHC008-1)
Comparative Effectiveness of Management
Strategies for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality, Executive Summary, No. 1, December
2005, 6 pp. Examines alternatives for managing the chronic symptoms of
uncomplicated gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in patients who may
require long-term treatment. (AHRQ 06-EHC003-1)
Comparative Effectiveness of Management
Strategies for Renal Artery Stenosis. Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality, Executive Summary, No. 5, October 2006, 12 pp.
Summarizes the evidence evaluating the effect and safety of angioplasty with
stent placements and medical therapies in the treatment of antherosclerotic
renal artery stenosis, particularly after long-term followup. (AHRQ
06-EHC004-1).
Comparative Effectiveness of Management
Strategies for Renal Artery Stenosis: 2007 Update. Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality, Executive Summary, No. 5, Update,
November 2007. Evaluates the same questions, using the same eligibility
criteria, as the previous review to update the literature search through April
23, 2007. (AHRQ 07(08)-EHC004-1U).
Comparative Effectiveness of Percutaneous
Coronary Interventions and Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting for Coronary
Artery Disease. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
Executive Summary, No. 9, October 2007, 16 pp. Evaluates the evidence
for the comparative effectiveness of percutaneous coronary interventions and
coronary artery bypass graft surgery in patients with certain types of
coronary artery disease. (AHRQ 08-EHC002-1)
Comparative Effectiveness of
Second-Generation Antidepressants in the Pharmacologic Treatment of Adult
Depression. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
Executive Summary, No. 7, January 2007, 16 pp. summarizes the
available evidence on the comparative efficacy, effectiveness, and harms of 12
second-generation antidepressants in treating adult patients with depression.
(AHRQ 07-EHC007-1)
Comparative Effectiveness of Therapies for
Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer. Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality, Executive Summary, No. 13, February 2008, 20 pp.
Summarizes the evidence comparing the benefits and harms of treatments for
clinically localized prostate cancer, including watchful waiting, surgery to
remove the prostate gland, external beam radiotherapy, interstitial
radiotherapy, freezing the prostate, and androgen derivation therapy. (AHRQ
08-EHC010-1)
Comparative Effectiveness of Treatments to
Prevent Fractures in Men and Women with Low Bone Density or
Osteoporosis. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
Executive Summary, No. 12, December 2007, 6 pp. Summarizes the
available evidence comparing the efficacy and safety of agents used to prevent
or treat low bone density, including osteoporosis. (AHRQ 08-EHC008-1)
Effectiveness of Noninvasive Diagnostic Tests
for Breast Abnormalities. Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality, Executive Summary, No. 2, February 2006. Summarizes available
data on the performance of noninvasive diagnostic tests in the evaluation of
women presenting with breast abnormalities that suggest the possibility of
breast cancer. (AHRQ 06-EHC005-1)
Efficacy and Comparative Effectiveness of
Off-Label Use of Atypical Antipsychotics. Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality, Executive Summary, No. 6, January 2007, 8 pp.
Reviews the scientific evidence on the safety and effectiveness of atypical
antipsychotics for the following conditions: dementia and severe geriatric
agitation, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress
disorder, and personality disorders, as well as the management of Tourette's
syndrome and autism in children. (AHRQ 07-EHC003-1) Summary for
Clinicians and Policymakers, July 2007, 4 pp. (AHRQ
07-EHC003-2)
Comparative Effectiveness Reviews.
These final reports are systematic appraisals of existing scientific
evidence regarding treatments for high-priority health conditions. They
identify gaps in existing scientific evidence and support new research. The
full reports and summaries are available at http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/.
AHRQ Publications Order Form
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