Research Activities

September 2006, No. 313

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Contents

About Research Activities

Feature Story

National studies examine excess work hours among medical interns and the risk for needlestick injuries

Patient Safety and Quality

Financial incentives to physicians and hospitals to improve quality of care seem ineffective
Patients are willing to help prevent medical errors, but reluctant to take all the recommended actions
Survey suggests that hospitals in Iowa have made the most progress in following long-standing safe practices

Women's Health

Bone protection therapy shifted from estrogen to nonestrogen anti-osteoporosis medicine after publication of the Women's Health Initiative study

Child/Adolescent Health

Diabetes screening practices in children vary widely among pediatric clinicians
Anthrax in children is difficult to detect and treat
Children's hospitals are much more likely than general hospitals to diagnose child abuse in severely injured infants
Use of stimulant medications to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children has leveled off since 1997
Children receiving surgery for hypoplastic left heart syndrome have better outcomes at hospitals that perform more such surgeries

Health Information Technology

Using handheld computers with specific prescribing software at the point of care can reduce unsafe NSAID prescribing

Outcomes/Effectiveness Research

Nurse-led care improves functioning for patients with heart failure in minority communities

Health Care Costs and Financing

Health insurance coverage for mental health specialists is still lower than for other medical visits
Previous hospital performance, internal operations, and market competition are key in improving hospital performance
Study identifies factors contributing to growth in hospital inpatient costs since 1998

Public Health Preparedness

Hospitals could be better linked with other community response teams to manage public health emergencies

Agency News and Notes

Over 1 million U.S. babies are delivered by Cesarean section
Almost 70 percent of children visiting a physician for a sore throat are prescribed antibiotics
Life-saving surgery for heart patients increases by more than one-third
Health insurance enrollment rates are down at large companies

Announcements

AHRQ releases evidence report on tests for heart failure
AHRQ awards seven grants for health services research dissertation
Research Briefs

Current as of September 2006
AHRQ Publication No. 06-0071

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Internet Citation:

Research Activities Newsletter. September 2006, No. 313. AHRQ Publication No. 06-0071. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/sep06/

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