You Are Here: AHRQ Home > Research Findings > Research Activities > May 1996
About Research Activities
Half the cases of early childhood asthma are due to secondhand cigarette smoke
Health Care Delivery Nearly one-third of U.S. toddlers have not received complete immunizations Laboratory testing and antibiotic therapy are often at odds with expert advice about Lyme disease care
Clinical Decisionmaking Treadmill testing of certain ED patients with chest pain may substantially reduce hospital admissions and costs Heparin reduces catheter-related clot formation and may reduce catheter-related infections Moderately anemic elderly patients who undergo surgery don't necessarily require blood transfusions Nonclinical factors affect use of maternal corticosteroids to reduce respiratory complications in premature infants
Outcomes/Effectiveness Research Using relatively inexpensive antibiotics to treat pneumonia does not lead to poorer medical outcomes You can help us show how health services research makes a difference Stoke PORT examines post-stroke risks and outcomes of carotid endarterectomy
Hospital Studies Receipt of certain major procedures by hospitalized adults varies by race and sex Problems in communicating critical hospital lab results delay necessary treatment
Managed Care HMO coverage may alter treatment choices and hospital stays for women with breast cancer Managed care patients with chronic diseases are hospitalized less often than those with traditional insurance Priorities identified for managed care research agenda Attention AHCPR-funded researchers Managed care plans develop research capabilities and partnerships A changing health care environment presents both challenges and opportunities for health services researchers
Health Care Costs and Financing California hospitals shifted costs from public to private payers during the 1980s Multiple births raise neonatal intensive care charges 250-400 percent over singleton births Job lock due to loss of employer-related health insurance is smaller than previously thought
Health Care Access and Quality Reasons vary for lacking a usual source of health care Discharge abstract data may not be a reliable indicator of hospital quality of care for bypass surgery Linking published evidence with practice data can change physicians' practice behavior
Elderly/Long-term Care Attitudes toward medical care and risk affect demand by elderly for Medigap insurance Use of long-term care varies according to race
Special Populations Asthma disproportionately affects blacks who often go to the ER for asthma care Rural teens are just as likely as urban teens to become pregnant
HIV/AIDS Research Preventing AIDS-related opportunistic infections is cost effective
AHCPR News and Notes From the Administrator: Academic health centers have an important role in improving health services research and health care AHCPR announces availability of prevention materials Register now for AHCPR's second conference on evidence-based practice AHCPR invites guidelines for public/private clearinghouse
Announcements AHCPR releases new hospital data AHCPR funds new studies New publications now available from AHCPR and NTIS
Research Briefs Impact of opportunistic disease on survival in patients with HIV infection Diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis using PCR assays on sputum collected within 24 hours of hospital admission Public release of cardiac surgery outcomes data in New York: What do New York State cardiologists think of it? Minority issues in Alzheimer disease outcomes research Competition between for-profit and nonprofit health care providers: Can it help achieve social goals? A synoptic evaluation of asthma hospital admissions in New York City Finding health-related quality of life outcomes sensitive to healthcare organization and delivery A comparison of patient and nurse ratings of human immunodeficiency virus-related signs and symptoms The quality-of-life effect of interferon beta-1b in multiple sclerosis Clinic HIV-focused features and prevention of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia
Internet Citation:
Research Activities newsletter. May 1998, No. 215. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/may98/
AHRQ Home | Questions? | Contact AHRQ | Site Map | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Freedom of Information Act | Disclaimers U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | The White House | USA.gov: The U.S. Government's Official Web Portal
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality 540 Gaither Road Rockville, MD 20850 Telephone: (301) 427-1364
540 Gaither Road Rockville, MD 20850 Telephone: (301) 427-1364
