Articles of Interest

November 17, 2006


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


AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles

Advances in Neonatal Care
Dean GE, Scott LD, Rogers AE. Infants at risk: when nurse fatigue jeopardizes quality care. Adv Neonatal Care 2006 Jun; 6(3):120-6. [Supported by grant R01 HS1196301.]

AIDS
Bisson GP, Frank I, Gross R, et al. Out-of-pocket costs of HAART limit HIV treatment responses in Botswanas private sector. AIDS 2006 Jun 12; 20(9):1333-6. [Supported by grant HS10399.]

Bisson GP, Gross R, Strom JB, et al. Diagnostic accuracy of CD4 cell count increase for virologic response after initiating highly active antiretroviral therapy. AIDS 2006 Aug 1; 20(12):1613-9. [Supported by grant HS10399.]

American Journal of Medicine
Cohen AE, Lautenbach E, Morales KH, et al. Fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli in the long-term care setting. Am J Med 2006 Nov; 119(11):958-63. [Supported by grant U18 HS10399.]

American Journal of Public Health
Sterling R, Henderson GE, Corbi-Smith G. Public willingness to participate in and public opinions about genetic variation research: a review of the literature. Am J Public Health 2006 Nov; 96(11):1971-8. [Supported by grant T32 HS000032.]

Annals of Behavioral Medicine
Capolongo MJ, DiBonaventura M, Chapman GB. Physician vaccinate thyself: why influenza vaccination rates are higher among clinicians than among nonclinicians. Ann Behav Med 2006 Jun; 31(3):288-96. [Supported by grant HS10224-01A2.]

Applied Ergonomics
Carayon P. Human factors of complex sociotechnical systems. Appl Ergon 2006 Jul; 37(4):525-35. [Supported by grant P20 HS11561-01 and 1 UC1 HS014253-01.]

Archives of Internal Medicine
Persell SD, Wright JM, Thompson JA, et al. Assessing the validity of national quality measures for coronary artery disease using an electronic health record. Arch Intern Med 2006 Nov 13; 166(20):2272-7. [Supported by grant 5 U18 HS13690-02.]

Journal of Infectious Diseases
Gross R, Yip B, Re VL 3rd, et al. A simple, dynamic measure of antiretroviral therapy adherence predicts failure to maintain HIV-1 suppression. J Infect Dis 2006 Oct 15; 194(8):1108-14. [Supported by grant HS10399.]

Health Affairs
Selden TM, Gray BM. Tax subsidies for employment-related health insurance: estimates for 2006. Health Aff 2006 Nov-Dec; 25(6):1568-79. [First author is researcher in AHRQ's Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends.]

Hicks LS, O'Malley AJ, Lieu TA, et al. The quality of chronic disease care in U.S. community health centers. Health Aff 2006 Nov-Dec; 25(6):1712-23. [Supported by grant 1 U01 HS13653.]

Journal of the American College of Surgeons
Stroupe KT, Manheim LM, Luo P, et al. Tension-free repair versus watchful waiting for men with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic inguinal hernias: a cost-effective analysis. J Am Coll Cardiol 2006 Oct; 203(4):458-68. [Supported by grant R01 HS09860.]

Medical Decision Making
Katz DA, Aufderheide TP, Bogner M. The impact of unstable angina guidelines in the triage of emergency department patients with possible acute coronary syndrome. Med Decis Making 2006 Nov-Dec; 26(6):606-16. [Uses implementation of the AHRQ guideline, Unstable Angina: Diagnosis and Management, 1994, as the key study intervention.]

Patient Education and Counseling
Brown M, Frost R, Ko Y, et al. Diagramming patients' views of root causes of adverse drug events in ambulatory care: an online tool for planning education and research. Patient Educ Couns 2006 Sep; 62(3):302-15. [Supported by grant U18 HS10385.]

Haidet P, Kroll TL, Sharf BF. The complexity of patient participation: lessons learned from patients' illness narratives. Patient Educ Couns 2006 Sep; 62(3):323-29. [Supported by grant P01 HS10876.]

Siminoff LA. Graham GC, Gordon NH. Cancer communication patterns and the influence of patient characteristics: disparities in information-giving and affective behaviors. Patient Educ Couns 2006 Sep; 62(3):355-60. [Supported by grant R01 HS08516 (attributed to NCI).]

Seminars in Diagnostic Pathology
Raab SS. Variability of practice in anatomic pathology and its effect on patient outcomes. Sem Diagn Pathol 2005 May; 22(2):177-85. [Supported by grant R01 HS13321-01.]

AHRQ-Related Articles

American Health Line
Influenza: seniors and older die of flu more often. Am Health Line 2006 Line; #15. [Cites AHRQ publication, Hospital Stays for Influenza, 2004, HCUP Statistical Brief #16, 2006.]

American Medical News
Data on quality of care hard to find. Am Med News 2006 Nov 13; 49(42):13. [Briefly reports findings from AHRQ/Kaiser Family Foundation survey, Survey on Consumers Views of Patient Safety and Quality Information, 2006.]

BMC Health Services Research
Roddy E, Antoniak M, Britton J, et al. Barriers and motivators to gaining access to smoking cessation services amongst deprived smokers—a qualitative study. BMC Health Serv Res 2006 Nov 6; 6:147. [Describes AHRQ smoking cessation guidelines as a cost-effective model which was used to develop a U.K. strategy for smoking cessation services and cites article by Cromwell, et al. (JAMA, 1997).]

BNAs Health Care Policy Report
Comparative effectiveness center needed for health system, Wilensky says. BNA Health Care Policy Rep 2006 Nov 13; 14(45):1468. [Reviews statements by authors of a November 2006 Health Affairs article on the pros and cons of placing a comparative effectiveness center within AHRQ; quotes statement by AHRQ Director Carolyn Clancy that comparative effectiveness research should be a means to increasing the value of health care, and not an end in itself.]

BNAs Health Plan and Provider Report
Comparative effectiveness center needed for health system, Wilensky says. BNA Health Plan Provider Rep 2006 Nov 15; 12(45):1307-8. [Reviews statements by authors of a November 2006 Health Affairs article on the pros and cons of placing a comparative effectiveness center within AHRQ; quotes statement by AHRQ Director Carolyn Clancy that comparative effectiveness research should be a means to increasing the value of health care, and not an end in itself.]

Health Affairs
Keenan PS, Cutler DM, Chernew M. The graying of group health insurance. Health Aff 2006 Nov-Dec; 25(6):1497-506. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Cooper and Schone (Health Aff, 1997).]

Kesselheim AS, Fischer MA, Avorn J. Extensions of intellectual property rights and delayed adoption of generic drugs: effects on Medicaid spending. Health Aff 2006 Nov-Dec; 25(6):1637-47. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Schneeweiss, et al. (N Engl J Med, 2002.]

Garber AM. To use technology better. Health Aff 2006 Mar-Apr; 25(2 Supp):w51-3. [Notes that the entire 2005 budget for the only federal agency responsible for research on more effective care delivery, AHRQ, was less than $320 million.]

Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association
Rubin MA, Bateman K, Donnelly S, et al. Use of a personal digital assistant for managing antibiotic prescribing for outpatient respiratory tract infections in rural communities. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2006 Nov-Dec; 13(6):627-34. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Selker, et al. (Ann Intern Med, 1998), Bates, et al. (JAMA, 1998), Tierney, et al. (Health Serv Res, 2005), and Fine, et al. (N Engl J Med, 1997).]

Callen JL, Westbrook JI, Braithwaite J. The effect of physicians long-term use of CPOE on their test management work practices. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2006 Nov-Dec; 13(6):643-52. [Cites AHRQ-funded articles by Overhage, et al. (J Am Med Inform Assoc, 1997), Bates, et al. (Am J Med, 1999), and Dexter, et al. (N Engl J Med, 2001).]

Milbank Quarterly
Blendon RJ, Brodie M, Benson JM, et al. Americans views of health care costs, access, and quality. Milbank Q 2006; 84(4):623-57. [Cites Kaiser Family Foundation/AHRQ surveys, National Survey on Americans as Health Care Consumers: An Update on the Role of Quality Information, 2000, and National Survey on Consumers Experiences with Patient Safety and Quality Information, 2004.]

Pink Sheet
Comparative efficacy group could be most effective if linked to government. Pink Sheet 2006 Nov 13; 68(46):18-9. [Notes that AHRQ's comparative effectiveness reviews conducted under Section 1013 of the Medicare Modernization Act are the most notable example of the governments relatively limited comparative effectiveness evaluation efforts; reviews statements by authors of a November 2006 Health Affairs article that "establishing [a federally-funded comparative effectiveness body] within AHRQ is the most obvious option but one that could raise concerns about the objectiveness and credibility of information developed by a wholly governmental agency, and that there should be linkage between AHRQ and this new entity and... AHRQ's critical role in sponsoring health services research should be maintained."]

Comparative efficacy of HIV regimens. Pink Sheet 2006 Nov 13; 68(46):24. [Summarizes findings from meta-analysis conducted by the Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center.]

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

American Family Physician
Wolff TA, Wilson JE. Genetic risk assessment and BRCA mutation testing for breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility. Am Fam Physician 2006 Nov 15; 74(10):1759-60. [First author is researcher in AHRQ's Center for Primary Care, Prevention, and Clinical Partnerships and USPSTF medical officer; case study and questions are based on USPSTF recommendations on screening for BRCA mutation.]

Archives of Internal Medicine
Sequist TD, Marshall R, Lampert S, et al. Missed opportunities in the primary care management of early acute ischemic heart disease. Arch Intern Med 2006 Nov 13; 166(20):2237-43. [Cites USPSTF recommendations on aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular events (Ann Intern Med, 2002); cites AHRQ-funded articles by Selker, et al. (Ann Intern Med, 1998) and Sequist, et al. (Am Heart J, 2005).]

Family Medicine
Huang W. Teaching preventive medicine in an office-based visit. Fam Med 2006 Nov-Dec; 38(10):693-5. [Cites report by AHRQ Director Carolyn Clancy, Clinical Preventive Services for Older Americans: A Report to Congress from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2003; lists the USPSTF and National Guideline Clearinghouse™ Web sites as useful Web sites.]

Chumley HS, Dobbie A, Pollock M, et al. Teaching medical students to prioritize preventive services. Fam Med 2006 Nov-Dec; 38(10):696-9. [Uses Guide to Clinical Preventive Services as posted on AHRQ Web site as study intervention.]

Gourlay ML, Preisser JS, Callahan LF, et al. Survey of osteoporosis preventive care in community family medicine settings. Fam Med 2006 Nov-Dec; 38(10):724-30. [Cites USPSTF recommendations on screening for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women (Ann Intern Med, 2002).]

Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPC)-Related Articles

Family Medicine
Hicks G, Barragan M, Franco-Paredes C, et al. Health literacy is a predictor of HIV/AIDS knowledge. Fam Med 2006 Nov-Dec; 38(10):717-23. [Cites AHRQ Evidence Report/Technology Assessment, Literacy and Health Outcomes, 2004.]

Health Affairs
Neumann PJ. Emerging lessons from the Drug Effectiveness Review Project. Health Aff 2006 Jul-Aug; 25(4 Suppl):w262-71. [Discusses AHRQ's EPC program and cites AHRQ-authored article by Atkins, Siegel, and Slutsky (Health Aff 2005).]

Gibson M, Santa J. The Drug Effectiveness Review Project: an important step forward. Health Aff 2006 Jul-Aug; 25(4):w272-5. [Notes that Drug Effectiveness Review Project (DERP) reviewers based in the Evidence-base Practice Centers (EPCs) have already published four peer-reviewed papers based on DERP reports, and several more are in process stract

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

Health Affairs
Hadley J, Cunningham P, Hargraves JL. Would safety-net expansions offset reduced access resulting from lost insurance coverage? Race/ethnicity differences. Health Aff 2006 Nov-Dec; 25(6):1679-87. [Cites NHDR, 2005.]

Research By Others Using AHRQ Data or Products

Health Affairs
Buchmueller T, Johnson RW, Lo Sasso AT. Trends in retiree health insurance, 1997-2003. Health Aff 2006 Nov-Dec; 25(6):1507-16. [Uses Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)-Insurance Component (IC) data for 1997-2003.]

Ziller EC, Coburn AF, Youseflan AE. Out-of-pocket health spending and the rural underinsured. Health Aff 2006 Nov-Dec; 25(6):1568-79. [Uses MEPS-IC and MEPS-Household Component (HC) data for 2002.]

Goldman DP, Smith JP, Sood N. Immigrants and the cost of medical care. Health Aff 2006 Nov-Dec; 25(6):1700-11. [Uses MEPS data for 1999 and 2000.]

Strunk BC, Ginsburg PB, Banker MI. The effect of population aging on future hospital demand. Health Aff 2006 May-Jun; 25(3):w141-9. [Uses data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) for 2003.]

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Update: Guillain-Barre syndrome among recipients of Menactra meningococcal conjugate vaccine—United States, June 2005-September 2006. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2006 Oct 20; 55(41):1120-4. [Uses HCUP data for 2000-2003.]


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