Research Activities

April 2000, No. 236

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Contents

About Research Activities

Feature Story

New study finds that each year thousands of c-sections are performed too early in labor

Women's Health

Hysterectomy substantially improves symptoms, physical functioning, and quality of life for some women
Zinc blood levels during pregnancy don't seem to affect pregnancy complications or neonatal outcomes

Evidence-based Medicine

Newer antidepressants are as effective as older tricyclic agents in primary care patients

Clinical Decisionmaking

General anesthesia is as effective and may be better than long-acting spinal anesthesia
CT scans taken during the initial hours of a suspected stroke cannot rule out stroke
Odontoid fractures following blunt trauma often involve certain spinal and sometimes non-spinal damage
More attention should be paid to palliative care for children dying of cancer

Health Care Delivery

Homeless people are willing to obtain health care if they believe it is important
Better use of available TB prevention strategies will be needed to eliminate the disease by the year 2010

Outcomes/Effectiveness Research

Back pain studies examine outcomes of surgery as well as long-term disability and return to work
Both specialists and internists improve outcomes for knee and shoulder pain, but they go about it differently
Researchers assess programs to improve the quality of primary care for depression in managed care

Long-term Care

Improved nursing home quality does not necessarily have to cost more

Smoking Cessation

Adults who feel persistently threatened by violence are more apt to smoke than those who don't feel threatened

HIV/AIDS Research

Coinfection with hepatitis B or C does not necessarily rule out antiretroviral therapy for HIV patients

AHRQ News and Notes

AHRQ resource helps newly diagnosed patients

Announcements

Announcing a new AHRQ patient fact sheet on medical errors
Grant final reports now available from NTIS

Research Briefs

Current as of April 2000
AHRQ Publication No. 00-0027

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Internet Citation:

Research Activities newsletter. April 2000, No. 236. AHRQ Publication No. 00-0027. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/apr00/

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