Research Activities

February 2006, No. 306

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Contents

About Research Activities

Feature Story

Noninvasive tests may miss breast cancer

Patient Safety and Quality

Excessive nurse workload is a key factor affecting the safety of patients in intensive care units
Consumers are unlikely to engage in protective behaviors to prevent medical errors
Asking terminally ill patients why they want to hasten their death may provide opportunities to improve their situation
Experienced nurse practitioners and physician assistants provide high-quality care for people with HIV
Up to 12 percent of tissues examined by pathologists for cancer result in diagnosis errors
Study provides estimates of cervical cancers that may be missed by extending screening time after consecutive negative Pap smears
Study examines the relevance and applications of the Institute of Medicine's quality aims on pediatric critical care
Audit/feedback and educational materials have little effect on monitoring patients for NSAID toxicity

Health Information Technology

The new Medicare drug bill encourages E-prescribing to improve patient safety and health, but advanced systems are key
Computerized physician order entry prevents drug errors, but can initially result in new errors in ICUs
Implementation of computerized order entry systems with clinical decision support in long-term care facilities is a challenge

Child/Adolescent Health

Hospital type and location influence discharge disposition of adolescents hospitalized for suicide attempts
A surgery management protocol helps children with diabetes prepare for surgery

Disparities/Minority Health

Changes in the delivery of care are needed to reduce the burden of diabetes among ethnic minorities
Minority adults with asthma in the inner city spend more time in the emergency department and hospital
More Latinos than whites die before age 45 due to higher rates of diabetes, HIV, liver disease, and homicide
Studies suggest that ethnic differences in use of knee replacement surgery are linked to patient expectations and preferences
Low-income Hispanics and blacks use alternative health care as a substitute for conventional care

Primary Care Research

Patients who suffer from both diabetes and depression have a higher risk of dying
Study details differences in physician and nonphysician acupuncture treatment for chronic low back pain
Clinical setting and physician communication style predict patient participation during medical consultations
Varied use of physical therapists by people with back and neck pain suggests overuse by some patients and underuse by others

Pharmaceutical Research

Long-term antibiotic treatment for acne may be associated with upper respiratory tract infections
Both aspirin and extended release dipyridamole/aspirin are cost-effective anticoagulant agents to prevent second strokes

Outcomes/Effectiveness Research

A diet high in omega-3 fatty acids is unlikely to reduce the risk of cancer
Surgeon experience with on-pump coronary bypass surgery affects outcome of patients undergoing off-pump surgery
Recreational physical activities improve symptoms in patients with low back pain
Light therapy appears to improve sleep, mood, and energy among women with nonseasonal depression
Variants in certain receptor genes affect the survival of patients with acute coronary syndrome who are prescribed beta-blocker therapy

Clinical Decisionmaking

Urethral catheterization to diagnose urinary tract infections in feverish infants is questioned
Delaying treatment may increase the need for bowel resection in patients surgically treated for complete small bowel obstruction
Concern about bleeding problems should not delay giving clot-busting drugs to heart attack patients with kidney disease

Public Health Preparedness

Regional strategies to prepare for public health disasters in Texas offer lessons about community resource allocation

Health Care Costs and Financing

People with diabetes take less diabetes medication when costs increase
Expansion in public health insurance for children lessens the financial burden of health care for low-income families
Employer-offered health coverage affects plan uptake by workers, but has less effect on overall worker and family coverage rates

Agency News and Notes

Translating Research Into Practice 2006 Conference TRIP: Optimizing the Medium and the Message
AHRQ supports publications on pay for performance

Announcements

AHRQ launches new "learning resources" to help providers adopt health IT
Announcing ExpectMore.gov, a new Web site that provides information on how Federal programs perform
Research Briefs

Current as of February 2006
AHRQ Publication No. 06-0023

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Internet Citation:

Research Activities Newsletter. February 2006, No. 306. AHRQ Publication No. 06-0023. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/feb06/

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