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Articles of Interest

May 23, 2008

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 Hypertension
Rabbani A, Alexander GG. Out-of-pocket and total cost of fixed-dose combination antihypertensive and their components. Am J Hypertens 2008 May; 21(5):509-13. [Supported by grant K08 HS15699-01A (to second author; uses 2004 data from AHRQ's Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS).]

American Journal of Medical Quality
Clancy CM. Evidence shows cost and patient safety benefits of emergency pharmacists. Am J Med Qual 2008 May-Jun; 23(3):231-3. [Author is AHRQ director.]

Annals of Emergency Medicine
Katz DA, Aufderheide TP, Bogner M, et al. Do emergency department patients with possible acute coronary syndrome have better outcomes when admitted to cardiology versus other services? Ann Emerg Med 2008 May; 51(5):561-70. [Supported by grant R01 HS10466.]

Annals of Family Medicine
Street RL Jr, O' Malley KJ, Cooper LA, et al. Understanding concordance in patient-physician relationships: personal and ethnic dimensions of shared identity. Ann Fam Med 2008 May-Jun; 6(3):198-205 [Supported by grant PO1 HS10876.]

Stille CJ, Rifas-Shiman SL, Kleinman K, et al. Physician responses to a community-level trial promoting judicious antibiotic use. Ann Fam Med 2008 May-Jun; 6(3):206-12 [Supported by grant R01 HS10247.]

Annals of Internal Medicine
Liu H, Bravata DM, Olkin I, et al. Systematic review: the effects of growth hormone on athletic performance. Ann Intern Med 2008 May 20; 148(10):747-58. [Supported by grant HS000028-19.]

AORN Journal
Brady J, Ho K, Clancy CM. Slowed progress in improving quality and minimizing disparities. AORN J 2008 May; 87(5):1007-10. [First and second authors are researchers in AHRQ's Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety and lead staff for AHRQ's National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR) and National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR), respectively; third author is AHRQ director.]

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
Lee I, Thompson S, Lautenbach E, et al. Effect of accessibility of influenza vaccination on the rate of childcare staff vaccinations. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2008 May; 29(5):465-7. [Supported by grant HS10399.]

International Journal of Medical Informatics
Hazlehurst B, Gorman PN, McMullen CK. Distributed cognition: an alternative model of cognition for medical informatics. Int J Med Inform 2008 Apr; 77(4):226-34. [Supported by grant 5 R01 HS12003.]

Journal of Ambulatory Care Management
Cheung K, Moiduddin A, Chin MH, et al. The perceived financial impact of quality improvement efforts in community health centers. J Ambul Care Manage 2008 Apr-Jun; 31(2):111-9. [Supported by grant UO1 HS013635.]

Journal of Biomedical Informatics
Hazlehurst B, McMullen CK, Gorman PN. Distributed cognition in the heart room: how situation awareness arises from coordinated communications during cardiac surgery. J Biomed Inform 2007 Oct; 40(5):539-51. [Supported by grant HS12003.]

Journal of General Internal Medicine
Bolen SD, Samuels TA, Yeh HC, et al. Failure to intensify antihypertensive treatment by primary care providers: a cohort study in adults with diabetes mellitus and hypertension. J Gen Intern Med 2008 May: 23(5):543-50. [Supported by grant 1R03 HS011946-01.]

Ghods BK, Roter DL, Ford DE, et al. Patient physician communication in the primary care visits of African Americans and whites with depression. J Gen Intern Med 2008 May; 23(5):600-6. [Supported by grant R01 HS13645.]

PLoS Medicine
Bisson GP, Gross R, Bellamy S, et al. Pharmacy refill adherence compared with CD4 count changes for monitoring HIV-infected adults on antiretroviral therapy. PLoS Med 2008 May; 5(5):e109-22. [Supported by grant HS10399. Also go to article by Hillier, et al. (Ann Intern Med 2008) cited in U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)/Put Prevention Into Practice (PPIP)-Related Articles.]

AHRQ-Related Articles

American Journal of Hypertension
Arrendondo A. Out-of-pocket costs to users: medicine options for hypertension. Am J Hypertens 2008 May; 21(5):492. [Comments on AHRQ-funded article by Rabbani and Alexander in same issue cited in AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles.]

American Journal of Medical Quality
Reynolds CE, Snow V, Qaseem A, et al. Improving immunization rates: initial results from a team-based, systems change approach. Am J Med Qual 2008 May-Jun; 23(3):176-83. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Egede and Zheng (Am J Pub Health, 2003).]

Farberow B, Hatton V, Leenknecht C, et al. Caveat emptor: the need for evidence, regulation, and certification of home telehealth systems for management of chronic conditions. Am J Med Qual 2008 May-Jun; 23(3):208-14. [Cites AHRQ publication, Hospitalization in the United States 1997, Table 4: Most Common Reasons For Hospitalizations By Age Groups, 2000.]

Annals of Family Medicine
Campbell SM, McDonald R, Lester H. The experience of pay for performance in English family practice: a qualitative study. Ann Fam Med 2008 May-Jun; 6(3):228-34. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Fisher (N Engl J Med, 2006.]

JAMA
Fowler FJ, Gallagher PM, Anthony DL, et al. Relationship between regional per capita Medicare expenditures and patient perceptions of quality of care. JAMA 2008 May 28; 299(20):2406-12. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Fiscella, Franks, Gold, and Clancy (JAMA, 2000).]

Journal of General Internal Medicine
Gaynes BN, Rush AJ, Trivedi MH, et al. Primary versus specialty care outcomes for depressed outpatients managed with measurement-based care: results from STAR*D. J Gen Intern Med 2008 May; 23(5):551-60. [Cites AHRQ guideline, Depression in Primary Care: Volume 2; Treatment of Major Depression, 1993.]

Bosworth HB, Powers B, Grubber JM, et al. Racial differences in blood pressure control: potential explanatory factors. J Gen Intern Med 2008 May; 23(5):692-698. [Cites AHRQ-authored articles by Weinick, Zuvekas, and Cohen (Med Care Res Rev, 2000), Fiscella, Franks, Gold, and Clancy (JAMA, 2000), Brach and Fraser (Med Care Res Rev, 2000), and Holmes, Arispe, and Moy (Med Care, 2005).]

Egede LE, Bosworth H. The future of health disparities research: 2008 and beyond. J Gen Intern Med 2008 May; 23(5):706-8. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Hofer, et al. (JAMA, 1999).]

Medical Decision Making
Normand SL, Wolf RE, McNeil BJ. Discriminating quality of hospital care in the United States. Med Decis Making 2008 May-Jun; 28(3):308-22. [Cites AHRQ-funded articles by Normand, et al. (Med Decis Making, 2007) and Hofer, et al. (JAMA, 1999).]

Bottieau E, Moreira J, Clerinx J, et al. Evaluation of the GIDEON expert computer program for the diagnosis of imported febrile illnesses. Med Decis Making 2008 May-Jun; 28(3):435-42. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Kaushal, et al. (Arch Intern Med, 2003).]

Medscape Pharmacists
Bennett CL, Tigue CC. Overcoming barriers to reporting adverse drug events. Med Pharm 2008 May 29; 4 text pages. [Lists six CERTs centers (taken from AHRQ fact sheet, Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics, 2000) in table on academic organizations with focused interests in specific drug toxicities.]

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

Ambulatory Pediatrics
Simpson LA, Marshall R. Getting the evidence needed: a recent report from the Institute of Medicine. Ambul Pediatr 2008 May-Jun; 8(3):147-9. [First author is former AHRQ deputy administrator; mentions the report's review of priority-setting processes used by the USPSTF and Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPCs) and notes that of the over 150 evidence reviews conducted by AHRQ since 2005, just over 10% have focused on children; cites AHRQ-authored article by Simpson, et al (Ambul Pediatr, 2004).]

Annals of Internal Medicine
Hillier TA, Vesco KK, Pedula KL, et al. Screening for gestational diabetes mellitus: a systematic review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Intern Med 2998 May 20; 148(10):766-75. [Supported by contract 290-02-0024 to the Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center for the USPSTF.]

Whitlock EP, Lin JS, Chou R, et al. Using existing systematic reviews in complex systematic reviews. Ann Intern Med 2008 May 20; 148(10):776-82. [Cites USPSTF publication, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Procedure Manual, 2008; cites AHRQ-funded articles by Shekelle, et al., on the validity of AHRQ clinical practice guidelines (JAMA, 2001) and by Harris, et al. and the Third USPSTF Methods Work Group on current methods of the USPSTF (Am J Prev Med, 2001); cites AHRQ-authored article by Atkins (former AHRQ researcher), et al. (BMJ, 2004); notes author affiliations with three EPCs.]

Cornell JE, Laine C. The science and art of deduction; complex systematic overviews. Ann Intern Med 2008 May 20; 148(10):786-8. [Comments on article by Whitlock, et al. cited directly above; cites USPSTF methodology in article by Guirguis-Blake, et al. (Ann Intern Med 2007).]

Cancer Causes and Control
Eisinger F, Blay JY, Morere JF, et al. Cancer screening in France: subjects and physicians attitudes. Cancer Causes Control 2008 May; 19(4):431-4. [Cites USPSTF recommendations on screening for colorectal cancer (Ann Intern Med, 2002) and Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, 2006.]

JAMA
Woolf SH. The power of prevention and what it requires. JAMA 2008 May 28; 299(20):2437-9. [Cites USPSTF recommendations in Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, 2007.]

Journal of General Internal Medicine
Greiner KA, Born W, Hall S, et al. Discussing weight with obese primary care patients: physician and patient perceptions. J Gen Intern Med 2008 May; 23(5):581-7. [Cites USPSTF recommendation statement Screening for Obesity in Adults, 2003.]

Haas JS, Earle CC, Orav JE, et al. Racial segregation and disparities in cancer stage for seniors. J Gen Intern Med 2008 May; 23(5):699-703. [Cites USPSTF recommendations on lung cancer screening, as published on AHRQ Web site.]

Mayo Clinic Proceedings
Rogers WA, Ballantyne AJ, Australian Gender Equity in Health Research Group. Exclusion of women from clinical research: myth or reality? Mayo Clinic Proc 2008 May; 83(5):536-42. [Cites USPSTF-sponsored evidence review on aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular events (Hayden, et al., Ann Intern Med, 2002).]

Milward EA, Baines SK, Knuiman MW, et al. Noncitrus fruits as novel dietary environmental modifiers of iron stores in people with or without HFE gene mutations. Mayo Clinic Proc 2008 May; 83(5):543-49. [Cites USPSTF-sponsored review on screening for hereditary hemochromatosis (Whitlock, et al., Ann Intern Med, 2006).]

Molina JR, Yang P, Cassivi SD, et al. Non-small cell lung cancer: epidemiology, risk factors, and survivorship. Mayo Clinic Proc 2008 May; 83(5):584-94. [Cites USPSTF recommendations on screening for lung cancer (Ann Intern Med, 2002).]

Evidence-based Practice Centers-Related Articles

Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
Carr DB, When bad evidence happens to good treatments. Reg Anesth Pain Med 2008 May-Jun; 33(3):229-40. [Cites AHRQ Evidence Report/Technology Assessments, Management of Cancer Pain, 2001, and Management of Cancer Symptoms: Pain, Depression, and Fatigue, 2002; cites AHRQ guidelines, Acute Pain Management; Operative or Medical Procedures and Trauma, 1992, and Management of Cancer Pain, 1994. Also go to articles by Simpson and Marshall (Ambul Pediatr, 2008) and Hillier, et al. (Ann Intern Med, 2008) cited in U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)/Put Prevention Into Practice (PPIP)-Related Articles.]

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

Journal of General Internal Medicine
Franks P, Fiscella K. Reducing disparities downstream: prospects and challenges. J Gen Intern Med 2008 May; 23(5):672-7. [Cites AHRQ's NHDR, 2006.]

Sequist TD, Ayanian JZ, Marshall R, et al. Primary-care clinician perceptions of racial disparities in diabetes care. J Gen Intern Med 2008 May; 23(5):678-84. [Cites AHRQ's NHDR, 2006.]

Research By Others Using AHRQ Data or Products

Ambulatory Pediatrics
Chen AY, Wu S. Dispensing pattern of generic and brand-name drugs in children. Ambul Pediatr 2008 May-Jun; 8(3):189-94. [Uses 2002 MEPS data.]

Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery
Asiyanbola B, Chang D, Gleisner AL, et al. Operative mortality after hepatic resection: are literature-based rates broadly applicable? J Gastrointest Surg 2008 May; 12(5):842-51. [Uses data from AHRQ's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) for 1998-2004.]

Spinal Cord
Patil CG, Patil TS, Lad SP, et al. Complications and outcomes after spinal cord tumor resection in the United States from 1993 to 2002. Spinal Cord 2008; 46(5):375-9. [Uses HCUP NIS data for 1993-2002.]

Spine
Li G, Patil CG, Lad SP, et al. Effects of age and comorbidities on complication rates and adverse outcomes after lumbar laminectomy in elderly patients. Spine 2008; 33(11):1250-5. [Uses HCUP NIS data for 1993-2002. Also go to article by Rabbani and Alexander (Am J Hypertens 2008) using MEPS data, cited in AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles.]

Current as of May 2008

Internet Citation:

Articles of Interest, May 23, 2008. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/articles/art052308.htm