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Electronic Newsletter

June 25, 2004, Issue No. 139

AHRQ News and Numbers

In 2001, the average length of a hospital stay in the United States was 4.6 days, with an average charge of $14,957 or $3,252 per day. [Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, HCUP, Nationwide Inpatient Sample, 2001, HCUPnet.]

Today's Headlines:

  1. New evidence report on Pharmacological Treatment of Dementia available
  2. Women's Health Issues editorial available
  3. Translating Research Into Practice conference scheduled for July 12-14
  4. Second AHRQ Web conference on surge capacity and health system preparedness set for July 13
  5. Sixth Rocky Mountain Workshop: "How to Practice Evidence-based Health Care" set for August
  6. Register now for Third Annual Patient Safety Research Conference
  7. New tools added to AHRQ's QualityTools
  8. AHRQ in the professional literature

1.  New Evidence Report on Pharmacological Treatment of Dementia Available

AHRQ released the summary of a new report, Pharmacological Treatment of Dementia. It presents evidence suggesting that drug therapy for dementia can improve symptoms and outcomes, including global assessment, cognition, behavior and mood, and quality of life. However, the review also noted deficiencies in the research, such as insufficient evidence of the effects of drug treatment on delaying the onset or progression of dementia and the lack of drug-to-drug comparison studies. Select to access the summary. Print copies of the summary and the report are available by sending an E-mail to AHRQPubs@ahrq.hhs.gov.

2.  Women's Health Issues Editorial Available

A new editorial released by AHRQ calls for more advancement in women's health research, clinical practice, policy, curriculum development, and research training. The editorial, "A Wake-Up Call To Advance Women's Health," by AHRQ's Senior Advisor on Women's Health, Rosaly Correa-de-Araujo, M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D., was published in Women's Health Issues. Select to access the editorial. A print copy is available by sending an E-mail to AHRQPubs@ahrq.hhs.gov.

3.  Translating Research Into Practice Conference Scheduled for July 12-14

Register now for TRIP 2004, "Translating Research Into Practice: Advancing Excellence from Discovery to Delivery." This expanded conference, to be held July 12-14 at the new Washington DC Convention Center, will examine the state of the art and next horizons in implementing research in clinical practice and health policy. AHRQ Director Carolyn Clancy, M.D., and National Health Information Technology Coordinator David Brailer, M.D., Ph.D., are among the keynote speakers. Sessions will focus on knowledge transfer related to ephedra, colorectal and prostate cancer screening, and tobacco cessation interventions for underserved populations. Health care provider organizations, clinicians, patients, purchasers, researchers, innovators, knowledge transfer experts, and others from across the public and private sectors will share research, insights, collaborations, and initiatives for moving knowledge of efficacy and effectiveness into sustained practice change.

4.  Second AHRQ Web Conference on Surge Capacity and Health System Preparedness Set for July 13

AHRQ's second event in its 2004 series of free bioterrorism Web conference calls on Surge Capacity and Health System Preparedness is set for July 13. Surge capacity is a health care system's ability to rapidly expand beyond normal services to meet the increased demand for qualified personnel, medical care, and public health in the event of bioterrorism or other large-scale public health emergencies or disasters. The second Web-assisted audio conference is scheduled for Tuesday, July 13, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m., EDT and will focus on "Facilities and Equipment." These 90-minute Web conferences are designed to share the latest health services research findings, promising practices, and other important information with State and local health officials and key health systems decisionmakers.

5.  Sixth Rocky Mountain Workshop: "How to Practice Evidence-based Health Care" Set for August

Mark your calendar! AHRQ is cosponsoring a 5-day workshop with the University of Colorado School of Medicine's Department of Preventive Medicine & Biometrics and the Rocky Mountain Prevention Research Center to be held August 8-12 at the Keystone Resort in Keystone, CO. The workshop is designed to focus on teaching the basics of, and developing further insights into, the conscientious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients or the delivery of health services.

6.  Register Now for Third Annual Patient Safety Research Conference

Register now for AHRQ's "Third Annual Patient Safety Research Conference: Making the Health Care System Safer" to be held September 26-28 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA.

7.  New Tools Added to AHRQ's QualityTools

Select to see what's new at QualityTools, a Web-based clearinghouse that gives health care providers, health plans, policymakers, purchasers, patients, and consumers an easy way to implement quality improvement recommendations, initiatives, or principles. These tools can be used to improve how care is delivered and received, inform health care decisions, and educate individuals about their own health care needs. The QualityTools Web site also features the National Healthcare Quality Report and the National Healthcare Disparities Report. Select What's New to subscribe to QualityTools Weekly Update Service, which notifies you via E-mail when new tools become available at the QualityTools Web site.

8.  AHRQ in the Professional Literature

We are providing the following hyperlinks to journal abstracts through PubMed® for your convenience. Unfortunately, some of you may not be able to access the abstracts because of firewalls or specific settings on your individual computer systems. If you are having problems, you should ask your technical support staff for possible remedies.

Tye S, Phillips KA, Liang SY, et al. Moving beyond the typologies of managed care: the example of health plan predictors of screening mammography. Health Serv Res 2004 Feb;39(1):179-206. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Lackan NA, Ostir GV, Freeman JL, et al. Decreasing variation in the use of hospice among older adults with breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer. Med Care 2004 Feb;42(2):116-22. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Backmore CC. Critically assessing the radiology literature. Acad Radiol 2004 Feb;11(2):134-40. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Liang SY, Phillips KA, Tye S, et al. Does patient cost sharing matter? Its impact on recommended versus controversial cancer screening services. Am J Manag Care 2004 Feb;10(2):99-107. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Groessl EJ, Kaplan RM, Barrett-Connor E, et al. Body mass index and quality of well-being in a community of older adults. Am J Prev Med 2004 Feb;26(2):126-9. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

El-Kebbi IM, Ziemer DC, Cook CB, et al. Utility of casual postprandial glucose levels in type 2 diabetes management. Diabetes Care 2004 Feb;27(2):335-9. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Redlener I, Markenson D. Disaster and terrorism preparedness: what pediatricians need to know. Dis Mon 2004 Jan;50(1):6-40. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Lautenbach E, Strom BL, Nachamkin I, et al. Longitudinal trends in fluoroquinolone resistance among enterobacteriaceae isolates from inpatients and outpatients, 1989-2000: differences in the emergence and epidemiology of resistance across organisms. Clin Infect Dis 2004 Mar 1;38(5):655-62. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Contact Information

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Current as of June 2004

Internet Citation:

AHRQ Electronic Newsletter. June 25, 2004, Issue No. 139. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/enews/enews139.htm

 
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