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ECG-based diagnostic tools speed treatment of suspected heart attack victims and substantially reduce malpractice suits
ER doctors often overestimate the need for critical care for patients with acute congestive heart failureMost patients with coronary artery disease take aspirin to prevent strokes and heart attacks, but some do notImplantable defibrillators reduce cardiac deaths and are as cost effective as many generally accepted therapiesUse of cholesterol-lowering drugs by elderly heart attack survivors has increased substantially since the mid-1990sAreas with higher cardiac procedure rates for patients with coronary artery disease do not overuse the proceduresInternal thoracic artery grafting can improve survival in elderly patients undergoing coronary bypass surgeryEducating neurologists about coagulation tests could improve their use of such tests in stroke patients
Value of prostate cancer screening may lie in the reassurance it can provideU.S. Preventive Services Task Force issues recommendation on colorectal cancer screening and other new information
Fewer registered nurses in hospitals linked to more cases of postoperative pneumoniaNewer antidepressant drugs are prescribed more often than other medications for patients hospitalized for depression
Degree of disability at surgery may explain differences between men and women in outcomes of hip replacement surgeryBoth hospital characteristics and board certification of anesthesiologists affect patient outcomesCancer outcomes research is moving toward consensus on the most appropriate outcomes to be studied
Health care costs for children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder are comparable to costs for asthma careResearchers examine regionalization and use of expensive health technologies in neonatal intensive careGrandparents raising adolescent grandchildren often have trouble providing them with health insuranceResearchers examine U.S. dental care expenditures
Parental pressure for antibiotics can influence pediatricians' treatment decisionsUse of three factors at car crash sites can help EMTs quickly triage seriously injured childrenPalliative care services for children with chronic illnesses need to be at least partially hospital-basedImproving medication use may be the key to reducing racial disparities in children's asthma problemsNew approaches are need to encourage parents of children with asthma to reduce their exposure to household allergensNational experts outline a plan of action to improve asthma outcomes among U.S. children
Providing homeless women with health insurance and a regular source of care may greatly improve their access to careWomen with stressful life events are more likely to be physically abused during pregnancy, usually by their partners
Researchers examine use of highly active HIV medications and their effects on costs and access to careOral health is strongly associated with physical and mental health of HIV-positive patientsRoutine voluntary HIV testing of all hospital patients could identify a substantial number of patients with undiagnosed HIV
Researchers examine the role of informatics in responding to bioterrorism, mass disasters, and warConference attendees review the state of the art in telemedicine and telehealth
AHRQ's proposed FY 2003 budgetAHRQ plays an important role in health technology assessment Position availableCorrection
Research Briefs
Current as of August 2002 AHRQ Publication No. 02-0040
Internet Citation:
Research Activities newsletter. August 2002, No. 264. AHRQ Publication 02-0040. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/aug02/
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