Research Activities

October 2003, No. 278

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Contents

About Research Activities

Feature Story

New vaccine reduces strains of bacteria most likely to cause severe infections

Patient Safety/Quality of Care

Injuries in hospitals pose a significant threat to patients and substantially increase health care costs
Publishing hospital mortality rates does not necessarily affect market share of poor performing hospitals

Clinical Decisionmaking

Increasing the excision margins around melanoma to recommended widths could substantially reduce mortality rates
High-risk patients with certain cancers are the best candidates for referral to high-volume cancer surgery hospitals
Corticosteroid treatment, environmental controls, and other actions can reduce risk of relapse after an acute asthma episode
Managed care patients with glaucoma are receiving recommended care, but care could be improved in a few areas
Calling all AHRQ researchers!

Women's Health

Age, fertility status, and other factors influence satisfaction with progestin treatment for abnormal uterine bleeding
A higher rate of cesarean delivery does not necessarily correspond with better perinatal outcomes
Use of tocolytic therapy to stop uterine contractions can prolong pregnancy and prevent preterm birth
Research shows that a doctor's advice to breastfeed, early return to work, and other factors influence continued breastfeeding
Benefits of adding radiation therapy to tamoxifen after breast conserving surgery diminish with increasing age
Personalized form letters may improve breast and cervical cancer screening among low-income and minority women

Children's Health

Within broad limits, chronic middle-ear disease up to age 3 probably does not impair language and other development by age 4
Researchers focus on early discharge of newborns, low birthweight consequences, and parental misconceptions about colds
School-based health centers can help poor children manage their asthma, but they need to follow care guidelines

Primary Care Research

Despite improvements in access to medications and psychotherapy, many depressed primary care patients are not treated
Group visits to primary care doctors by disadvantaged diabetes patients result in better diabetes care than individual visits
Patient and practice socioeconomic status are independently associated with care among privately insured patients
Use of time in outpatient residency training does not reflect the actual community practice of family physicians

Minority Health

Better diagnosis, management, and monitoring of hypertension is needed for older American Indians and Alaskan Natives
Providing culturally sensitive care may lead to more effective health care delivery for racial/ethnic minorities
South Asian women living in the United States should be targeted to receive Pap smears for cervical cancer screening

Long-term Care

Costs of care for pneumonia in nursing home residents vary widely and could be reduced
Nursing home facility characteristics and quality-of-care factors may contribute to unnecessary hospitalization of residents

Health Care Costs and Financing

Patients with depressed mood and persistent anxiety use more medical care and have higher costs than other patients
An enhanced MEPS enables national studies of health care coverage, access, costs, and health status of U.S. households

Agency News and Notes

AHRQ and HRSA are working together to monitor the Nation's health care safety net
AHRQ helps set action agenda for improving rural health care

Announcements

AHRQ issues call for abstracts on patient safety research
HHS and VA launch patient safety training program
AHRQ announces expanded resource to help adults stay health
New MEPS chartbook now available from AHRQ

Research Briefs

AHRQ Publication No. 04-0007
Current as of October 2003

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Internet Citation:

Research Activities newsletter. October 2003, No. 278. AHRQ Publication No. 04-0007. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/oct03/

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