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Articles of Interest

June 6, 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 Preventive Medicine
Reid RJ, Bonomi AE, Rivara FP, et al. Intimate partner violence among men: prevalence, chronicity, and health effects. Am J Prev Med Jun 2008; 34(6):478-85. [Supported by grant R01 HS10909.]

Breast Cancer Research and Treatment
Trentham-Dietz A, Sprague BL, Klein R, et al. Health-related quality of life before and after a breast cancer diagnosis. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2008 May; 109(2):379-87. [Supported by grant HS06941.]

Computer Models and Programs in Biomedicine
Zhou XH, Cheng H. A computer program for estimating the re-transformed mean in heteroscedastic two-part models. Comput Methods Prog Biomed 2008 Jun; 90(3):210-16. [Supported by grant R01 HS013105.]

International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance
Rust G, Gailor M, Daniels E, et al. Point of care testing to improve glycemic control. Int J Health Care Qual Assur 2008; 21(3):325-35. [Supported by grant P01 HS10875.]

Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
Sampson M, Shojania KG, Garritty C, et al. Systematic reviews can be produced and published faster. J Clin Epidemiol 2008 Jun; 61(6):531-6. [Supported by contract 290-02-0021; uses AHRQ technical reviews and technology assessments as source documents; acknowledges former staff member David Atkins as a member of the technical advisory panel.]

Leonard CE, Haynes K, Localio AR, et al. Diagnostic E-codes for commonly used, narrow therapeutic index medications poorly predict adverse drug events. J Clin Epidemiol 2008 Jun; 61(6):561-71. [Supported by grant P01 HS11530.]

Medical Care
Gonzales R, Corbett KK, Wong S, et al. Get Smart Colorado: impact of a mass media campaign to improve community antibiotic use. Med Care 2008 Jun; 46(6):597-605. [Supported by grant 1 R01 HS13001-01.]

Fuhlbrigge A, Carey VJ, Finkelstein JA, et al. Are performance measures based on automated medical records valid for physician/practice profiling of asthma care? Med Care 2008 Jun; 46(6):620-6. [Supported by grant HS08368-01.]

Pediatrics
McCormick MC, Escobar GJ, Zheng Z, et al. Factors influencing parental satisfaction with neonatal intensive care among the families of moderately premature infants. Pediatrics 2008 Jun; 121(6):1111-18. [Supported by grant R01 HS10131. Also go to AHRQ-funded article by Norris, et al. (Ann Intern Med, 2008), cited in U.S. Preventive Services Task Force or Put Prevention into Practice Program.]

AHRQ-Related Articles

American Family Physician
Mills AL, Pierce JP. Using teachable moments to improve nutrition and physical activity in patients. Am Fam Physician 2008 Jun 1; 77(11):1510-11. [Cites PHS guideline, Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence, 2000.]

Ackerman LK. Update on immunizations in children and adolescents. Am Fam Physician 2008 Jun 1; 77(11):1561-8. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Maciosek, et al. (Am J Prev Med, 2006).]

Annuals of Internal Medicine
Graham, J. Is reporting of quality scores worth refining? Ann Intern Med 2008 Jun 3; 148(11):883. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Mukamel, et al. (Inquiry, 2004).]

Canadian Medical Association Journal
Bartlett G, Blais R, Tamblyn R, et al. Impact of patient communication problems on the risk of preventable adverse events in acute care settings. CMAJ 2008 Jun 3; 178(12):1555-62. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Thomas, Studdert, Burstin (former AHRQ center director), et al. (Med Care, 2000), and AHRQ-funded articles by Woods, et al. (Pediatrics, 2005), Kuzel, et al. (Ann Fam Med, 2004), and Iezzoni, et al. (Arch Intern Med, 2003 and Ann Intern Med, 2004).].

Zed PJ, Abu-Laban RB, Balen RM, et al. Incidence, severity and preventability of medication-related visits to the emergency department: a prospective study. CMAJ 2008 Jun 3; 178(12):1563-9. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Bates, et al. (JAMA, 1997).]

Frankel, A. Health literacy and harm: who is at risk? What is the fix? CMAJ 2008 Jun 3; 178(12):1573-4. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Iezzoni, et al. (Ann Intern Med, 2004).]

JAMA
Coustan DR. A 40-year-old woman with diabetes contemplating pregnancy after gastric bypass surgery. JAMA 2008 Jun 4; 299(21):2550-7. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Elixhauser (researcher in AHRQ's Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets), et al. (Diabetes Care, 1993).]

Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety
Allison JJ, Weissman NW, Silvey AB, et al. Identifying top-performing hospitals by algorithm: results from a demonstration project. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2008 Jun; 34(6):309-17. [Cites AHRQ-funded articles by Iezzoni (JAMA, 1997), Rosenthal, et al. (JAMA, 2005), and Hofer, et al. (JAMA, 1999).]

Salas E, Wilson KA, Murphy CE, et al. Communicating, coordinating, and cooperating when lives depend on it: tips for teamwork. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2008 Jun; 34(6):333-41. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Pronovost, et al. (Qual Saf Health Care, 2003).]

Pronovost PJ, Rosenstein BJ, Paine L, et al. Paying the piper: investing in infrastructure for patient safety. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2008 Jun; 34(6):342-8. [Cites AHRQ-funded articles by Pronovost, et al. (N Engl J Med, 2007); cites AHRQ-authored article by Altman, Clancy, and Blendon. (N Engl J Med, 2004).]

Medical Care
Hartung DM, Carlson MJ, Kraemer DF, et al. Impact of a Medicaid copayment policy on prescription drug and health services utilization in a fee-for-service Medicaid population. Med Care 2008 Jun; 46(6):565-72. [Cites AHRQ-funded articles by Soumerai, et al. (N Engl J Med, 1987), Ray (Ann Intern Med, 1997), Romano, Jones, and Jollis (J Clin Epidemiol, 1993), Schneeweiss, et al. (Am J Epidemiol, 2001), and Ray and Griffin (Ann Intern Med, 1997).]

Morden NE, Zerzan JT, Rue TC, et al. Medicaid prior authorization and controlled-release oxycodone. Med Care 2008 Jun; 46(6):573-80. [Cites AHRQ-funded articles by Soumerai, et al. (N Engl J Med, 1987), Fischer, et al. (N Engl J Med, 2004), and Soumerai, et al. (N Engl J Med, 1991).]

Calhoun AW, Guyatt GH, Cabana MD, et al. Addressing the unit of analysis in medical care studies: a systematic review. Med Care 2008 Jun; 46(6):635-43. [Cites AHRQ-funded articles by Landrigan, et al. (N Engl J Med, 2004), Tierney, et al. (Health Serv Res, 2005), Bates, et al. (JAMA, 1998), Selker, Beshanski, and Griffith (Ann Intern Med, 2002), Keating, et al. (Med Care, 2004), Wilson, et al. (Ann Intern Med, 2005), and Selby, et al. (Health Serv Res, 1999).]

Neurosurgery
Carter, BS. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample: the gift that keeps on giving. Neurosurgery 2008 April; 62(4):N9. [Briefly reviews two reports (Syin, et al., J Surg Res, 2007, and McPhee, et al., J Vasc Surg, 2007) that use data from AHRQ's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS).]

Social Science and Medicine
Huisman M, Van Lenthe F, Avendano M, et al. The contribution of job characteristics to socioeconomic inequalities in incidence of myocardial infarction. Soc Sci Med 2008 Jun; 66(11):2240-52. [Cites articles by Ferrie, et al. (Occup Environ Med, 2006) and Marmot, et al. (Lancet, 1997), which use Whitehall II cohort data from previously-funded AHRQ grant.]

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force or Put Prevention into Practice Program

American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Bloom MS, Hu Z, Gaydos JC, et al. Incidence rates of pelvic inflammatory disease diagnoses among Army and Navy recruits: potential impacts of chlamydia screening policies. Am J Prev Med 2008 Jun; 34(6):471-7. [Cites USPSTF recommendations on screening for chlamydial infection (Am J Prev Med, 2001).]

Annals of Internal Medicine
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for gestational diabetes mellitus: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Ann Intern Med 2008 May 20; 148(10):759-65. [Updates the 2003 USPSTF recommendation on screening for gestational diabetes mellitus (Obstet Gynecol, 2003).]

Ochs N, Auer R, Bauer DC, et al. Meta-analysis: subclinical thyroid dysfunction and the risk for coronary heart disease and mortality. Ann Intern Med 2008 Jun 3; 148(11):832-45. [Cites USPSTF-sponsored evidence review on screening for subclinical thyroid dysfunction in nonpregnant adults (Helfand, et al., Ann Intern Med, 2004).]

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Ann Intern Med 2008 Jun 3; 148(11):846-54. [Updates the 2003 USPSTF recommendation about screening for type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults (Ann Internal Med, 2003); based on evidence review by Norris, et al., cited immediately below.]

Norris SL, Kansagara D, Bougatsos C, et al. Screening adults for type 2 diabetes: a review of the evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Intern Med 2008 Jun 3; 148(11):855-68. [Supported by contract 290-02-0024 task order no. 2 to the Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center.]

Summaries for patients: screening for type 2 diabetes in adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations. Ann Intern Med 2008 Jun 3; 148(11):1-30. [Summarizes USPSTF recommendations on screening for type 2 diabetes in adults.]

Circulation
Greving JP, Buskens E, Koffijberg H, et al. Cost-effectiveness of aspirin treatment in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease events in subgroups based on age, gender, and varying cardiovascular risk. Circulation 2008 Jun 3; 117(22):2875-83. [Cites Hayden, et al., "Aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular events: a summary of the evidence for the USPSTF" (Ann Intern Med, 2002).]

Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety
Kass N, Pronovost PJ, Sugarman J, et al. Controversy and quality improvement: lingering questions about ethics, oversight, and patient safety research. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2008 Jun; 34(6):349-53. [Discusses methodology used in and findings from AHRQ-funded Johns Hopkins University/Michigan patient safety initiative; cites AHRQ-funded articles by Pronovost, et al. (N Engl J Med, 2006), Baily, et al. (Hastings Cent Rep, 2006), and Lynn, et al. (Ann Intern Med, 2007); cites USPSTF methodology (Harris, et al., Am J Prev Med, 2001).]

Journal of Advanced Nursing
Wang MY, Tsai PS, Lee PH, et al. The efficacy of reflexology: systematic review. J Adv Nurs 2008 Jun; 62(5):512-20. [Uses USPSTF evidence rating system (Harris, et al., Am J Prev Med, 2001) to review the quality of reviewed studies.]

Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery
Sucato DJ, Kim YJ. What's new in pediatric orthopaedics. J Bone Joint Surg 2008 Jun; 90(6):1401-11. [Cites USPSTF recommendations on screening for developmental dysplasia of the hip (Pediatrics, 2006).]

Evidence-based Practice Centers-Related Articles

American Family Physician
Demark-Wahnefried W, Rock CL, Patrick K, et al. Lifestyle interventions to reduce cancer risk and improve outcomes. Am Fam Physician 2008 Jun 1; 77(11):1573-8. [Cites AHRQ Evidence Report/Technology Assessment Effectiveness of Behavioral Interventions to Modify Physical Activity in General Populations and Cancer Patients and Survivors, 2004.]

Annals of Internal Medicine
Rosen H, Lim LS, Stock JL, et al., Black DM, et al., Karis R (authors of five separate letters). Review of comparative effectiveness of treatments to prevent fractures. Ann Intern Med 2008 Jun 3; 148(11):884-7. [Comments from five letters on AHRQ systematic review (Maclean, et al, Ann Intern Med, 2008), with reply by authors.]

Circulation
Heisler M, Hogan MM, Hofer TP, et al. When more is not better: treatment intensification among hypertensive patients with poor medication adherence. Circulation 2008 Jun 3, 117(22):2884-92. [Cites AHRQ Technical Review, Closing the Quality Gap: A Critical Analysis of Quality Improvement Strategies, Vol. 3: Hypertensive Care, 2005). Also go to article by Sochalski, et al. (Med Care 2008) cited in Research by Others Using AHRQ Data or Products.]

Research by Others Using AHRQ Data or Products

Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety
Jha AK, Orav EJ, Ridgway AB, et al. Does the Leapfrog program help identify high-quality hospitals? Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2008 Jun; 34(6):318-25. [Uses a patient-level Elixhauser comorbidity adjustment scheme (Elixhauser, et al., Med Care, 1998), notes that this technique is widely used and supported by [AHRQ] as the risk adjustment method of choice.]

Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
Radley DC, Gottlieb DJ, Fisher ES, et al. Comorbidity risk-adjustment strategies are comparable among persons with hip fracture. J Clin Epidemiol 2008 Jun; 61(6):580-7. [Uses AHRQ's Clinical Classification Software, 1999.]

Journal of Nursing Education
Ridley RT. The relationship between nurse education level and patient safety: an integrative review. J Nurs Educ 2008 Apr; 47(4):149-56. [Uses AHRQ's Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) and notes that the PSIs dominate due to a combined evidence-based, expert panel approach (from AHRQ publication, Advances in Patient Safety; From Research to Implementation, 2005; cites AHRQ Web site publications, AHRQ Quality Indicators, 2006, and AHRQ Quality Indicators; Pediatric Quality Indicators Overview, 2006).]

Medical Care
Sochalski J, Konetzka RT, Zhu J, et al. Will mandated minimum nurse staffing ratios lead to better patient outcomes? Med Care 2008 Jun; 46(6):606-13. [Uses AHRQ acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and failure to rescue (FTR) patient safety indicators from AHRQ publications, AHRQ Quality Indicators—Guide to Inpatient Quality Indicators: Quality of Care in Hospitals—Volume, Mortality, and Utilization, 2002, and AHRQ Quality Indicators—Guide to Patient Safety Indicators, 2003; cites AHRQ Evidence Report/Technology Assessments, Making Health Care Safer: A Critical Analysis of Patient Safety Practices, 2001, and The Effect of Health Care Working Conditions on Patient Safety, 2003, and AHRQ Technical Review, Refinement of the HCUP Quality Indicators, 2001.]

Neurology
Alshekhlee A, Hussain Z, Sultan B, et al. Guillain-Barré syndrome: incidence and mortality rates in US hospitals. Neurology 2008 Apr 29; 70(18):1608-13. [Uses 2000-2004 HCUP NIS data.]

Obesity
Finkelstein EA, Trogdon JG, Brown DS, et al. The lifetime medical cost burden of overweight and obesity: implications for obesity prevention. Obesity 2008 Jun; 16(6):1-6. [Uses Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data for 2001-2004.]

Obstetrics and Gynecology
Chakravarty EF, Khanna D, Chung L. Pregnancy outcomes in systemic sclerosis, primary pulmonary hypertension, and sickle cell disease. Obstet Gynecol 2008 Apr; 111(4):927-34. [Uses 2002-2004 HCUP NIS data.]

Pediatrics
Kronman MP, Hall M, Slonim AD, et al. Charges and lengths of stay attributable to adverse patient-care events using pediatric-specific quality indicators: a multicenter study of freestanding children's hospitals. Pediatrics 2008 Jun; 121(6):e1653-9. [Uses AHRQ pediatric-specific quality indicators (AHRQ Quality Indicators, Pediatric Quality Indicators Download, on AHRQ Web site.]

Scanlon MC, Harris JM 2nd, Levy F, et al. Evaluation of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality pediatric quality indicators. Pediatrics 2008 Jun; 121(6):e1723-31. [Uses AHRQ's pediatric-specific quality indicators and PDI software developed in 2006 to identify potentially preventable complications in hospitalized children.]

Spine
Cook C, Tackett S, Shah A, et al. Diabetes and perioperative outcomes following cervical fusion in patients with myelopathy. Spine 2008 Apr 15; 33(8):E254-60. [Uses 1988-2004 HCUP NIS data.]

Patil CG, Lad EM, Lad SP. Visual loss after spine surgery: a population-based study. Spine 2008 Jun 1; 33(13):1491-6. [Uses 1993-2002 HCUP NIS data and AHRQ's Clinical Classifications Software.]

Current as of June 2008

Internet Citation:

Articles of Interest, June 6, 2008. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/articles/art060608.htm