Research Activities

August 2002, No. 264

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Contents

About Research Activities

Feature Story

ECG-based diagnostic tools speed treatment of suspected heart attack victims and substantially reduce malpractice suits

Heart Disease and Stroke

ER doctors often overestimate the need for critical care for patients with acute congestive heart failure
Most patients with coronary artery disease take aspirin to prevent strokes and heart attacks, but some do not
Implantable defibrillators reduce cardiac deaths and are as cost effective as many generally accepted therapies
Use of cholesterol-lowering drugs by elderly heart attack survivors has increased substantially since the mid-1990s
Areas with higher cardiac procedure rates for patients with coronary artery disease do not overuse the procedures
Internal thoracic artery grafting can improve survival in elderly patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery
Educating neurologists about coagulation tests could improve their use of such tests in stroke patients

Preventive Services

Value of prostate cancer screening may lie in the reassurance it can provide
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issues recommendation on colorectal cancer screening and other new information

Hospitalization and Hospital Care

Fewer registered nurses in hospitals linked to more cases of postoperative pneumonia
Newer antidepressant drugs are prescribed more often than other medications for patients hospitalized for depression

Outcomes/Effectiveness Research

Degree of disability at surgery may explain differences between men and women in outcomes of hip replacement surgery
Both hospital characteristics and board certification of anesthesiologists affect patient outcomes
Cancer outcomes research is moving toward consensus on the most appropriate outcomes to be studied

Health Care Costs and Financing

Health care costs for children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder are comparable to costs for asthma care
Researchers examine regionalization and use of expensive health technologies in neonatal intensive care
Grandparents raising adolescent grandchildren often have trouble providing them with health insurance
Researchers examine U.S. dental care expenditures

Children's Health

Parental pressure for antibiotics can influence pediatricians' treatment decisions
Use of three factors at car crash sites can help EMTs quickly triage seriously injured children
Palliative care services for children with chronic illnesses need to be at least partially hospital-based
Improving medication use may be the key to reducing racial disparities in children's asthma problems
New approaches are need to encourage parents of children with asthma to reduce their exposure to household allergens
National experts outline a plan of action to improve asthma outcomes among U.S. children

Women's Health

Providing homeless women with health insurance and a regular source of care may greatly improve their access to care
Women with stressful life events are more likely to be physically abused during pregnancy, usually by their partners

HIV/AIDS Research

Researchers examine use of highly active HIV medications and their effects on costs and access to care
Oral health is strongly associated with physical and mental health of HIV-positive patients
Routine voluntary HIV testing of all hospital patients could identify a substantial number of patients with undiagnosed HIV

Computers in Medicine

Researchers examine the role of informatics in responding to bioterrorism, mass disasters, and war
Conference attendees review the state of the art in telemedicine and telehealth

Agency News and Notes

AHRQ's proposed FY 2003 budget
AHRQ plays an important role in health technology assessment
Position available
Correction

Research Briefs

Current as of August 2002
AHRQ Publication No. 02-0040

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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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