Research Activities

November 2003, No. 279

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Contents

About Research Activities

Feature Story

Fewer antibiotics are being prescribed for U.S. children

Pharmaceutical Research

Giving disadvantaged inner-city adults systemic corticosteroids after ED treatment for acute asthma may prevent relapses
Use of antidepressants for elderly primary care patients has increased markedly

Nursing Research

Computerized ICU information systems can significantly reduce time spent by nurses on documentation

Quality of Care/Patient Safety

Researchers examine the impact of hospital volume on length of stay, readmissions, and patient outcomes
Duration of catheterization and other factors increase the likelihood of catheter-related urinary tract infection
Fewer Medicare patients hospitalized for heart failure died in the 1990s, but shorter hospital stays may be a problem
California HMOs rely on informal evaluations of quality, not hospital report cards, to select hospitals for contracting
Researchers examine use of the Internet, E-mail, and telephone triage for medical advice

Managed Care

Lack of insurance and living in an area with greater managed care activity reduce access to care
Managed care patients' concerns about conflict of interest may be harming their relationship with their doctors

Health Care Costs and Financing

Rising health care costs may underlie the decline in employment of people with costly chronic conditions

Prevention Research

Celebrity spokespersons can have a substantial impact on cancer screening rates
Individuals who are uninsured for 6 months or more are less likely to use preventive care services
Independent task forces release recommendations on skin cancer prevention

Special Populations

Nearly half of elderly Mexican Americans who suffer a heart attack die of another heart attack within 7 years
Racial differences exist in survival following cardiac arrest, specialty treatment for scleroderma, and access to care
Kawasaki syndrome is the leading cause of noncongenital heart disease among U.S. children
Functional limitations and family stressors worsen psychosocial adjustment among disabled school-aged children

HIV/AIDS Research

Immune activation and related loss of infection-fighting T cells are drive by HIV infection and not illicit drug use
Researchers report recent findings from the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study

Agency News and Notes

AHRQ awards nearly $4 million in challenge grants to help hospitals improve patient safety
AHRQ leads HHS campaign with hospitals and physicians to distribute information about safer health care
AHRQ partners with others to use information technology to put evidence-based care recommendations into the hands of clinicians
HHS Secretary appoints new members to AHRQ National Advisory Council

Announcements

New publications now available from AHRQ
Grant final reports now available from NTIS

Research Briefs

AHRQ Publication No. 04-0021
Current as of November 2003

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Internet Citation:

Research Activities newsletter. November 2003, No. 279. AHRQ Publication No. 04-0021. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/nov03/

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