Research Activities

May 2007, No. 321

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Contents

About Research Activities

Feature Story

Report issued to Congress on electronic prescribing to cut errors and costs

Disparities/Minority Health

An educational and support program can improve blood pressure control among immigrant Korean American seniors
Both poor and black patients are more likely to believe that a positive self-presentation can affect the quality of their medical care

Child/Adolescent Health

The shortage of pediatric rheumatologists limits residency training in pediatric rheumatology among general pediatricians
Study provides the first national estimates of the average distances that children travel to see a pediatric subspecialist
Children with cerebral palsy have a greater risk of surgical complications and poor outcomes than other children
Fullness of the neonatal intensive care unit influences early discharge of moderately preterm infants
Parents who explore a preventive health Web site before well-child visits discuss more prevention topics with doctors
Study supports recommendation to expand use of influenza vaccine to children older than 2 years of age
Pediatricians with more knowledge of and confidence in identifying and managing child abuse are more likely to identify abuse

Patient Safety and Quality

Studies examine how to improve patient safety with instructional systems design
Examining use of "rescue drugs" in a hospital can reveal previously unreported adverse drug events
Americans can obtain quality heart care at hospitals that are not ranked in the top 50 by U.S. News & World Report
Hand washing, barrier protection, and other procedures can reduce catheter-related bloodstream infections in the ICU
Applying strategies that focus on laboratory specimen labeling errors can significantly reduce specimen identification errors

Women's Health

Women with disabilities report poorer health and more problems accessing health care than other women
Older women who are depressed following breast cancer therapy are less likely to fully recover shoulder mobility
Despite the benefits of early breastfeeding, many women find it unexpectedly difficult and painful
Use of high-risk medications by pregnant women is not uncommon

Elderly/Long-term Care

Elderly Medicare patients with low health literacy receive little tangible support for their health care needs
Growth hormone is not recommended as an antiaging therapy

Outcomes/Effectiveness Research

More intensive treatment contributes to better hypertension control in the United States compared with western Europe
Hip fracture patients with osteoarthritis have longer hospital stays, but similar functional gain as those without the condition

Emergency Medicine

Study profiles the number, distribution, and basic use patterns of U.S. emergency departments
Emergency physicians ask over half of female patients if they smoke, but don't counsel or advise them to quit
One in six emergency transports of children to South Carolina emergency rooms is medically unnecessary

HIV/AIDS Research

Case management may improve adherence to antiviral therapy as well as outcomes of HIV-infected homeless persons

End-of-Life Care

Use of a multidisciplinary team to care for homeless patients can address their end-of-life needs and improve their care

Health Care Costs and Financing

A study of one managed behavioral health care organization does not show a shift in treatment costs to drugs and primary care
Reconciliation of MEPS and the National Health Expenditure Accounts aids benchmarking and policy simulation efforts
U.S. health care spending has become less concentrated among the top spenders in the past decade
Transfer of health care funding from California State to counties maintained commitment to social service spending for the indigent

Acute Care/Hospitalization

Studies examine effect of physician practice size and opening of specialty cardiac hospitals on treatment of heart attack patients
Assessing all health conditions and heart attack severity at admission helps assess patients' risk of dying
Regionalizing stroke care to high-volume hospitals may not improve stroke outcomes or lower costs for some regions

Agency News and Notes

New DVD trains health care workers to provide respiratory care during disasters

Announcements

Grant final reports now available from NTIS

Research Briefs

Research Briefs

AHRQ Publication No. 07-0028
Current as of May 2007

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Internet Citation:

Research Activities Newsletter. May 2007, No. 321. AHRQ Publication No. 07-0028. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/may07/

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