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Articles of Interest

March 9, 2007

This weekly compilation of articles appearing in recently released journals and newsletters includes:

Articles funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Articles mentioning or discussing AHRQ staff, activities, and publications/products.
Articles related to AHRQ-funded Evidence-based Practice Centers.
Articles related to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force or Put Prevention into Practice program.
Articles mentioning the National Healthcare Disparities Report and National Healthcare Quality Report.
Other research using AHRQ data or products.

AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles

American Journal of Cardiology
Harris WS, Reid KJ, Sands SA, et al. Blood, omega-3 and trans-fatty acids in middle-aged acute coronary syndrome patients. Am J Cardiol 2007 Jan 15; 99(2):154-8. [Supported by grant R01 HS11282-01.]

JAMA
Nallamothu RK, Rogers RA, Chernew ME, et al. Opening of specialty cardiac hospitals and use of coronary revascularization in Medicare beneficiaries. JAMA 2007 Mar 7; 297(9):962-8. [Supported by grant 1 R01 HS015571-01A1.]

Journal of Infectious Diseases
Hanage WP, Huang SS, Lipsitch M, et al. diversity and antibiotic resistance among nonvaccine serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage isolates in the post-heptavalent conjugate vaccine era. J Infect Dis 2007 Feb 1; 195(3):347-52. [Supported by grant R01 HS10247.]

International Journal of Medical Informatics
Anderson JG, Ramanujam R, Hensel D, et al. The need for organizational change in patient safety initiatives. Int J Med Inform 2006 Dec; 75(12):809-17. [Supported by grant U18 HS11926-02.]

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Field TS, Mazor KM, Briesacher B, et al. Adverse drug events resulting from patient errors in older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 2007 Mar; 55(2):271-6. [Supported by grant AG15979, cofunded by AHRQ and the National Institute on Aging.]

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Han HR, Kang J, Kim KB, et al. Barriers to and strategies for recruiting Korean Americans for community-partnered health promotion research. j Immigr Minor Health 2007 Apr; 9(2):137-46. [Supported by grants R01 HS013160 and R03 HS013779.]

Journal of Medical Systems
Ward MM, jaana M,Bahensky JA, et al. Clinical information system availability and use in urban and rural hospitals. J Med Syst 2006 Dec; 30(6):429-38. [Supported by grant HS015009.]

Journal of Urban Health
Fang J, Negassa A, Gern RW, et al. Access to revascularization among patients with acute myocardial infarction in New York City—impact of hospital resources. J Urban Health 2006 Nov; 83(6):1085-94. [Supported by grant HS11612-01A1.]

Journal of Urology
Basta AM, Blackmore CC, Wessells H. Predicting urethral injury from pelvic fracture patterns in male patients with blunt trauma. J Urology 2007 Feb; 177(2):571-5. [Supported by grant K08 HS11291.]

Obstetrics and Gynecology
Teplin V, Vittinghoff E, Lin F, et al. Oophorectomy in premenopausal women: health-related quality of life and sexual functioning. Obstet Gynecol 2007 Feb; 109(2 Pt 1):347-54. [Supported by grant U01 HS09478.]

Policy, Politics and Nursing Practice
Stone PW, Gershon RR. Nurse work environments and occupational safety in intensive care units. Policy Polit Nurs Pract 2006 Nov; 240-7. [Supported by grant R01 HS013114.]

Psychiatric Services
Zuvekas SH, Rupp A, Norquist G. In reply. Psychiatr Serv 2007 Mar; 58(3):413-5. [First author is researcher in AHRQ's Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends; responds to letter in same issue commenting on article by Zuvekas, et al. (Psychiatr Serv, 2007).]

Quality and Safety in Health Care
Parnes B, Fernald D, Quintela J, et al. Stopping the error cascade: a report on ameliorators from the ASIPS collaborative. Qual Saf Health Care 2007 Feb; 16(1):12-6. [Supported by grant 1 U18 HS011878-01.]

Social Science and Medicine
Bell JF, Zimmerman FJ, Almgren GR, et al. Birth outcomes among urban African-American women: a multilevel analysis of the role of racial residential segregation. Soc Sci Med 2006 Dec; 63(12):3030-45. [Supported by grant T32 HS013853-01.]

AHRQ-Related Articles

EBRI Issue Brief
Fronstin P. Employment-based health benefits: access and coverage, 1988-2005. EBRI Issue Brief 2007 Mar; (303):1-22. [Discusses collection of data on health insurance coverage/noncoverage by AHRQ's Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS).]

Health Management Technology
Smith J. Time for the patient safety movement to coalesce for greater effectiveness. Health Manag Technol 2007 Feb; 28(2):76. [Mentions AHRQ as one of four federal agencies dealing with the subject of medical errors.]

Healthcare Financial Management
A hospital's tale: understanding challenges and strategies associated with data reporting is key to effectively communicate performance. Healthc Financ Manag 2007 Feb; 61(2):S1-8. [Includes a separate boxed section describing AHRQ's Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS); cites AHRQ's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Method Series Report.]

JAMA
Cram P, Rosenthal GE. Physician-owned specialty hospitals and coronary revasculariztion utilization: too much of a good thing? JAMA 2007 Mar 7; 297(9):998-9. [Comments on AHRQ-funded article by Nallamothu, et al. (JAMA, 2007) cited in AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles \.]

Modern Healthcare
Gardner E. High-quality information: HealthPartners wins annual NQF award for efforts putting data to work— cutting complications and improving outcomes. Mod Healthc 2007 Mar 5; 37(10):36-8. [Notes organizations collaboration with AHRQ and other quality improvement groups.]

New England Journal of Medicine
Hayward RA. Performance measurement in search of a path. N Engl J Med 2007 Mar 1; 356(9):951-3. [Comments on Herculean undertaking pursued by Landon, et al. in AHRQ-funded article in same issue.]

Quality and Safety in Health Care
McAlister FA, Majumdar SR, Eurick DT, et al. The effect of specialist care within the first year on subsequent outcomes in 24,232 adults with new-onset diabetes mellitus: population-based cohort study. Qual Saf Health Care 2007 Feb; 16(1):6-11. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Guadagnoli, et al. (N Engl J Med, 1995).]

Forster AJ, Rose NG, van Walraven C, et al. Adverse events following an emergency department visit. Qual Saf Health Care 2007 Feb; 16(1):17-22. [Cites article by Thomas, Studdert, Burstin (former AHRQ center director), et al. (Med Care, 2000).]

Harries C, Forrest D, Harvey N, et al. Which doctors are influenced by a patients age? A multi-method study of angina treatment in general practice, cardiology and gerontology. Qual Saf Health Care 2007 Feb; 16(1):23-27. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Schulman, et al. (N Engl J Med, 1999).]

Avery AJ, Savelyich BS, Sheikh A, et al. Improving general practice computer systems for patient safety: qualitative study of key stakeholders. Qual Saf Health Care 2007 Feb; 16(1):28-33. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Bates and Gawande (N Engl J Med, 2003).]

Glintborg B, Anderson SE, Dalhoff K. Insufficient communication about medication use at the interface between hospital and primary care. Qual Saf Health Care 2007 Feb; 16(1):34-9. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Leape, et al. (JAMA, 1995).]

Olsen S, Neale G, Schwab K, et al. Hospital staff should use more than one method to detect adverse events and potential adverse events; incident reporting,pharmacist surveillance and local real-time record review may all have a place. Qual Saf Health Care 2007 Feb; 16(1):40-4. [Cites AHRQ-funded articles by Jha, et al. (J Am Med Inform Assoc, 1998) and Bates, et al. (J Am Med Inform Assoc, 2003).]

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

Annals of Internal Medicine
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Routine aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for the primary prevention of colorectal cancer: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. Ann Intern Med 2007 Mar 6; 146(5):361-4. [Summarizes USPSTF recommendations and supporting evidence on routine use of aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for primary prevention of colorectal cancer.]

Dube C, Rostom A, Lewin G, et al. The use of aspirin for primary prevention of colorectal cancer: a systematic review prepared for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Intern Med 2007 Mar 6; 146(5):365-375. [Based on evidence synthesis funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for AHRQ and the USPSTF.]

Rostom A, Dube C, Lewin G, et al. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors for primary prevention of colorectal cancer: a systematic review prepared for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Intern Med 2007 Mar 6; 146(5):376-89. [Supported by CDC for AHRQ and the USPSTF.]

Katon W, Roy-Byrne P. Anxiety disorders: efficient screening is the first step in improving outcomes. Ann Intern Med 2007 Mar 6; 146(5):390-2. [Cites evidence summary on screening for depression in adults published in article by Pignone, et al. (Ann Intern Med, 2002).]

Summaries for patients: aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for the prevention of colorectal cancer: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations. Ann Intern Med 2007 Mar 6; 146(5):I-35. [Present patient summary of USPSTF recommendations given in articles cited above.]

Peripheral arterial disease. Ann Intern Med 2007 Mar 6; 146(5):ITC31. [Discusses USPSTF's recommendations against routine screening for peripheral arterial disease as posted on AHRQ Web site.]

Circulation
Calonge N, Petitti D. Letter by Calonge and Petitti regarding article, "The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement on screening for peripheral arterial disease: more harm than benefit? Circulation 2007 Feb 27; 15(8):e212. [Responds to article by Beckman, et al. (Circulation, 2006) criticizing USPSTF recommendations.]

Beckman JA, Creager MA, Jaff MR. Response to letter by Calonge and Petitti regarding article, The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement on screening for peripheral arterial disease: more harm than benefit? Circulation 2007 Feb 27; 15(8):e213. [Responds to letter cited above.]

JAMA
Singer EA, Penson DF, Palapattu GS. PSA screening and elderly men. JAMA 2007 Mar 7; 297(9):949-50. [Cites USPSTF recommendations on screening for prostate cancer given in articles by Harris, et al. (Ann Intern Med, 2002) and Woolf (N Engl J Med, 1995).]

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Tramell M, Geller D. Evidence-based psychopharmacology [book review]. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2007 Feb; 46(2):263-4. [Mentions that most sections [of the book] include only double-blind, placebo-randomized, controlled trials in their review, the highest level using the [AHRQ] definition, referring to the USPSTFs strength of evidence rating system.]

Journal of Womens Health
Litaker D, Tomolo A. Association of contextual factors and breast cancer screening: finding new targets to promote early detection. J Womens Health 2007 Jan-Feb; 16(1):36-45. [Cites Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, 1996.]

Nash D, Chan C, Horowitz D, et al. Barriers and missed opportunities in breast and cervical cancer screening among women aged 50 and over, New York City, 2002. J Womens Health 2007 Jan-Feb; 16(1):46-56. [Cites Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, 2005.]

Evidence-based Practice Centers-Related Articles

Quality and Safety in Health Care
Aron D, Pogach L. Specialists versus generalists in the era of pay for performance: A plague o both your houses! Qual Saf Health Care 2007 Feb; 16(1):3-5. [Cites article by Shojania, et al. (JAMA, 2006) performed under contract to Sanford-UCSF EPC.]

National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR)/National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR)-Related Articles

Australian Health Review
Kumar S, Grimmer-Somers K. A synthesis of the secondary literature on effectiveness of hospital avoidance and discharge programs. Aust Health Rev 2007 Feb; 31(1):34-49. [Cites Institute of Medicine report, Envisioning the National Health Care Quality Report, 2001.]

Research By Others Using AHRQ Data or Products

Inquiry
Abraham JM, Vogt WB, Gaynor MS. How do households choose their employer-based health insurance? Inquiry 2006 Winter; 43(4):315-32. [Uses 1996 MEPS data.]

Lambrew JM, Gruber J. Money and mandates: relative effects of key policy levers in expanding health insurance coverage to all Americans. Inquiry 2006 Winter; 43(4):333-44. [uses MEPS data to determine nongroup insurance costs.]

Kenney G, Hadley J, Blavin F. Effects of public premiums on children's health insurance coverage; evidence from 1999 to 2003. Inquiry 2006 Winter; 43(4):345-61. [Uses information from the MEPS Insurance Component (IC) to estimate expected contribution to private coverage.]

Hadley J, Reschovsky JD, Cunningham P, et al. Insurance premiums and insurance coverage of near-poor children. Inquiry 2006 Winter; 43(4):362-77. [Uses MEPS-IC data to construct the instrumental variable for the private insurance premium.]

Southern Economic Journal
Lindrooth RC, Bazzoli GJ, Clement J. The effect of reimbursement on the intensity of hospital services. South Econ J 2007 Jan; 73(3):575-87. [Uses AHRQ's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Inpatient Database (SID) for 1996 and 2000 for 11 states.]

Current as of March 2007

Internet Citation:

Articles of Interest, March 9, 2007. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/articles/art030907.htm