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Articles of Interest

February 23, 2007

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

AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings
Berner ES, Kasiraman RK, Yu F. Data quality in the outpatient setting: impact on clinical decision support systems. AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2005;41-5. [Supported by grants R18 HS11820 and 1 T32 HS013852.]

Carroll AE, Rivara FP, Ebel B, et al. Household computer and Internet access; the digital divide in a pediatric clinical population. AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2005;111-5. [Supported by grant R01 HS13302-02.]

Visweswaran S, Cooper GF. Patient-specific models for predicting the outcomes of patients with community acquired pneumonia. AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2005;759-63. [Supported by grant R01 HS06468.]

Annals of Family Medicine
Nutting PA, Dickinson WP, Nelson CC, et al. Use of chronic care model elements is associated with higher-quality care for diabetes. Ann Fam Med 2007 Jan-Feb; 5(1):14-20. [Supported by grant HS10123.]

Annals of Internal Medicine
Baker DW, Persell SD, Thompson JA, et al. Automated review of electronic health records to assess quality of care for outpatients with heart failure. Ann Intern Med 2007 Feb 20; 146(4):270-77. [Supported by grant 5 U18 HS013690.]

British Medical Journal
Weingart SN, Flug J, Brouillard D, et al. Oral chemotherapy safety practices at US cancer centres: questionnaire survey. BMJ 2007 Feb 24; 334(7590):e407. [Supported by grant 1 K08 HS11644.]

International Journal for Quality in Health Care
Kelley E. All or none measurement: why we know so little about the comprehensiveness of care. Int J Qual Health Care 2007 Feb; 19(1):1-3. [Author is director, U.S. National Healthcare Reports, in AHRQ's Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety; discusses development of AHRQ's National Healthcare Quality Report (NHQR) and National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR).]

Zhang W, Ayanian JZ, Zaslavsky AM. Patient characteristics and hospital quality for colorectal cancer surgery. Int J Qual Health Care 2007 Feb; 19(1):11-20. [Supported by grant R01 HS09869.]

JAMA
Rosenthal MB, Dudley RA. Pay-for-performance: will the latest payment trend improve care? JAMA 2007 Feb 21; 297(7):740-4. [Supported by grant R01 HS16117 (per AHRQ's Agency Management Information System).]

Womens Health Issues
Kjerulff KH, Frick KD, Rhoades JA, et al. The cost of being a woman: a national study of health care utilization and expenditures for female-specific conditions. Womens Health Issues 2007 Jan-Feb; 17(1):13-21. [Supported by grant R03 HS013057; third author is researcher in AHRQ's Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends; uses 2000-2002 data from AHRQ's Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. See also article by Segal, et al. (Ann Fam Med, 2007) in Evidence-based Practice Centers-Related Articles.]

AHRQ-Related Articles

Annals of Internal Medicine
Pignone MP, DeWalt DA. Health literacy and heart failure in minority communities. Ann Intern Med 2007 Feb 20; 146(4):312. [Comments on AHRQ-funded article by Sisk, et al. (Ann Intern Med, 2006).]

International Journal for Quality in Health Care
Kane RL, Mosser G. The challenge of explaining why quality improvement has not done better. Int J Qual Health Care 2007 Feb; 19(1):8-10. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Eisenberg (former AHRQ director) (JAMA, 1999).]

Medsurg Nursing
Bernstein KS. Clinical assessment and management of depression. Medsurg Nurs 2006 Dec; 15(6):333-41. [Cites article by Schulberg, et al. (Arch Gen Psychiatry, 1998).]

Modern Healthcare
NCQA adds PPOs to metrics list. Mod Healthc 2007 Feb 19; 37(8):4. [Notes that PPOs will be required to report patient satisfaction scores using AHRQ's Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®).]

Nursing Economics
Lin VW, Lee A, Juraschek S, et al. California regional registered nurse workforce report card. Nurs Econ 2006 Nov-Dec; 24(6):290-9. [[Cites AHRQ publication, Hospital Nurse Staffing and Quality of Care, in Research in Action Issue 14, 2004; cites AHRQ-funded article by Needleman, et al. (N Eng J Med, 2002).]

Nursing Education Perspectives
Bargagliotti LA. The strategic importance of thinking time: creating a mind-set for safety. Nurs Educ Perspect 2007 Jan-Feb; 28(1):2. [Discusses and cites article An analysis of nurses' cognitive work: a new perspective for understanding medical errors, in AHRQ publication, Advances in Patient Safety: From Research to Implementation, Vol I, Research Findings, 2005.]

Pink Sheet
Medicare experts mull idea of U.S. comparative effectiveness review agency. Pink Sheet 2007 Feb 19; 69(8):11-2. [Briefly describes AHRQ's Effective Health Care program, conducted under the Medicare Modernization Act with $15 million annual funding, and notes that the center envisioned by the panelists would require billions of dollars in annual investments and at least $100-150 million just to get started.]

Quality Progress
Benitez Y, Forrester L, Hurst C, et al. Hospital reduces medication errors using DMAIC and QFD. Qual Prog 2007 Jan; 40(1):38-45. [Cites AHRQ publication, Medication Errors and Patient Safety, on AHRQ Web site.]

Kulisek D. Has information about quality become a liability? Qual Prog 2007 Jan; 40(1):64-5. [Cites AHRQ fact sheet, Medical Errors. The Scope of the Problem, on AHRQ Web site.]

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

American Family Physician
Cochrane briefs: screening for prostate cancer. Am Fam Physician 2007 Feb 1; 75(3):336-7. [Cites USPSTF recommendations on screening for prostate cancer (Ann Intern Med, 2002).]

Annals of Family Medicine
Carney PA, Steiner E, Goodrich ME, et al. Discovery of breast cancers within 1 year of a normal screening mammogram: how are they found? Ann Fam Med 2006 Nov-Dec; 4(6):512-8. [Cites USPSTF recommendation statement, Screening for Breast Cancer, 2002, on AHRQ Web site.]

Canadian Journal of Public Health
Huston P, Hogg W, Martin C, et al. A process evaluation of an intervention to improve respiratory infection control practices in family physician offices. Can J Public Health 2006 Nov-Dec; 97(6):475-9. [Indirectly mentions USPSTF guidelines as cited in article by Stange, et al. (J Fam Pract, 1992).]

Journal of Forensic Nursing
Johnston BJ. Intimate partner violence screening and treatment: the importance of nursing caring behaviors. J Forensic Nurs 2006 Winter; 2(4):184-8. [Cites USPSTF-sponsored evidence review on screening for intimate partner violence in article by Nelson, et al. (Ann Intern Med, 2004).]

Journal of Studies on Alcohol Fleming EA, Gmel G, Bady P, et al. At-risk drinking and drug use among patients seeking care in an emergency department. J Stud Alcohol 2007 Jan; 68(1):28-35. [Cites USPSTF-sponsored evidence review on behavioral counseling interventions in primary care to reduce risky/harmful alcohol use by adults in article by Whitlock, et al. (Ann Intern Med, 2004).]

Psychiatric Times
Conwell Y. Suicide in older adults: management and prevention. Psychiatric Times 2007 Jan; 24(1)(7 pages). [Cites USPSTF recommendations on screening for suicide risk (Ann Intern Med, 2004).]

Evidence-based Practice Centers-Related Articles

American Heart Journal
Patel MR, Hurwitz LM, Orlando L, et al. Noninvasive imaging for coronary artery disease: a technology assessment for the Medicare Coverage Advisory Commission. Am Heart J 2007 Feb; 153(2):161-74. [Shortened version of technology assessment commissioned by AHRQ and performed by the Duke Center for Clinical Health Policy Research EPC on behalf of the Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee.]

Annals of Family Medicine
Qaseem A, Snow V, Barry P,et al. Current diagnosis of venous thromboembolism in primary care: a clinical practice guideline from the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Physicians. Ann Fam Med 2007 Jan-Feb; 5(1):57-62. [Based on AHRQ Evidence Report/Technology Assessment Diagnosis and Treatment of Deep Venous Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism, 2003, prepared by Johns Hopkins EPC under contract 290-97-0007.]

Segal JB, Eng J, Tamariz LJ, et al. Review of the evidence on diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Ann Fam Med 2007 Jan-Feb; 5(1):63-73. [Supported by contract 290-97-0006 to Johns Hopkins EPC; updates AHRQ Evidence Report/Technology Assessment, Diagnosis and Treatment of Deep Venous Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism, 2003, prepared by Johns Hopkins EPC under contract 290-97-0007; same article also published in article by Segal, et al. (Ann Intern Med, 2007).]

Snow V, Qaseem A, Barry P, et al. Management of venous thromboembolism: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians and American Academy of Family Physicians. Ann Fam Med 2007 Jan-Feb; 5(1):74-80. [Based on AHRQ Evidence Report/Technology Assessment, Diagnosis and Treatment of Deep Venous Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism, 2003, prepared by Johns Hopkins EPC under contract 290-97-0007.]

Annals of Internal Medicine
Dentali F, Douketis JD, Gianni M, et al. Meta-analysis: anticoagulant prophylaxis to prevent symptomatic venous thromboembolism in hospitalized medical patients. Ann Intern Med 2007 Feb 20; 146(4):278-88. [Notes in first paragraph that AHRQ ranks prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) as the first priority out of 79 preventive initiatives that can improve patient safety in health care settings, citing AHRQ Evidence Report/Technology Assessment, Making Health Care Safer: A Critical Analysis of Patient Safety Practices, 2001.]

Boulware LE, Marinopoulos S, Phillips KA, et al. Systematic review: the value of the periodic health evaluation. Ann Intern Med 2007 Feb 20; 146(4):289-300. [Supported by contract 290-03-0018 to Johns Hopkins EPC.]

AORN Journal
White A, Schneider T. Improving compliance with prophylactic antibiotic administration guidelines. AORN J 2007 Jan; 85(1):173-80. [Cites AHRQ Evidence Report/Technology Assessment, Making Health Care Safer: A Critical Analysis of Patient Safety Practices, 2001.]

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

International Journal for Quality in Health Care
Aron D, Rajan M, Pogach LM. Summary measures of quality of diabetes care: comparison of continuous weighted performance measurement and dichotomous thresholds. Int J Qual Health Care 2007 Feb; 19(1):29-36. [Cites recommendations for the development of AHRQ's NHQR in Institute of Medicine report, Envisioning the National Healthcare Quality Report: Designing the National Healthcare Quality Report, 2001.]

Research By Others Using AHRQ Data or Products

Annals of Family Medicine
Coco AS. Cost-effectiveness analysis of treatment options for acute otitis media. Ann Fam Med 2007 Jan-Feb; 5(1):29-38. [Uses AHRQ's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) data for 2000 and AHRQ-recommended cost-to-charge ratios to calculate the cost of hospitalization for acute mastoiditis.]

Annals of Internal Medicine
Woloshin S, Schwartz LM, Welch HG. The effectiveness of a primer to help people understand risk: two randomized trials in distinct populations. Ann Intern Med 2007 Feb 20; 146(4):256-65. [Uses AHRQ publication, The Pocket Guide for Good Health for Adults, as posted on AHRQ Web site, as study intervention given to the control group.]

Health Care Financing Review
Hughes JS, Averill RF, Goldfield NI, et al. Identifying potentially preventable complications using a present on admission indicator. Health Care Financ Rev 2006 Spring; 27(3):63-82. [Uses AHRQ's Patient Safety Indicators, citing AHRQ Quality Indicators—Guide to Patient Safety Indicators, Version 2.1, Revision 3, 2005.]

International Journal for Quality in Health Care
Agabiti N, Picciotto S, Cesaroni G, et al. The influence of socioeconomic status on utilization and outcomes of elective total hip replacement: a multicity population-based longitudinal study. Int J Qual Health Care 2007 Feb; 19(1):37-44. [Uses the AHRQ-sponsored Elixhauser comorbidity index to define selected coexisting conditions; cites AHRQ's NHDR, as posted on AHRQ Web site; cites AHRQ-authored article by Fiscella, Franks, Gold, and Clancy (last author is AHRQ director) (JAMA, 2000).]

MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
Robbins JM, Bird TM, Tilford JM, et al., for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hospital stays, hospital charges, and in-hospital deaths among infants with selected birth defects—United States, 2003. MMWR Morb Mort Wkly Rep 2007 Jan 19; 56(2):25-29. [Uses 2003 data from AHRQ's HCUP Kids Inpatient Database (KID).]

Current as of February 2007

Internet Citation:

Articles of Interest, February 23, 2007. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/articles/art022307.htm