Research Activities

October 2001, No. 254

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Contents

About Research Activities

Feature Story

Outpatient mastectomies have increased over the last decade

Women's Health

Hormone replacement therapy does not appear to increase the risk of breast cancer recurrence, but more studies are needed
Chronic hypertension is associated with an 11-fold increase in the risk of preeclampsia during pregnancy
Maternal fever during labor is a strong predictor of infection-related neonatal and infant death

Clinical Decisionmaking

Echocardiography can help identify patients at risk of cardiac complications following major noncardiac surgery
Right heart catheterization during major noncardiac surgery does not reduce postoperative cardiac complications
Increasing primary care patients' access to short-term psychotherapy leads to lasting improvement in mental health
Researchers examine the use of x-rays to diagnose cervical spine injuries due to blunt trauma

Children's Health

Researchers examine parental attitudes and outcomes of adolescents who weighed 2.2 pounds or less at birth
Young people with coexisting substance abuse and emotional problems need specialized residential treatment
Improving the design of Medicaid dental programs may lead to better oral health for poor children

Outcomes/Effectiveness Research

Back pain studies examine racial differences in use of spine x-rays and effectiveness of sacroiliac joint function tests
Age and race are associated with receipt of Medicare-funded outpatient care among people with schizophrenia

Elderly Health

Weight goals for younger people may not be appropriate for the elderly, for whom weight may be protective
Elderly people who are hearing impaired use fewer health services than would be expected

Long-term Care

Increasing Medicaid reimbursement to nursing homes slightly improves quality of care
When integrated into nursing home care, hospice care decreases hospitalizations for Medicare patients

Quality of Care

Large remote rural towns may provide the best conditions for high-quality care of older people with diabetes
England and the United States differ in their approaches to improving cardiac care
Researchers examine the impact of consumer health plan reports on plan choices and quality of care

Special Populations

Adult socioeconomic status better predicts development of certain diseases than socioeconomic status as a child

Evidence-Based Medicine

Exercise may help patients with chronic fatigue syndrome

Health Care Organization/Delivery

Primary care doctors had a high rate of job turnover in the late 1980s and early 1990s
Hospital CEOs' views of health care competition influence their choice of physician-organization integration strategies

Agency News and Notes

AHRQ allocates $50 million for new research on patient safety
New Senior Nurse Scholar now on board at AHRQ

Announcements

New MEPS chartbook, insurance component data, and public use files are now available
AHRQ publishes Spanish-language guide to getting better quality health care
Grant final reports now available from NTIS

Research Briefs

Current as of October 2001
AHRQ Publication No. 02-0002

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Internet Citation:

Research Activities newsletter. October 2001, No. 254. AHRQ Publication No. 02-0002. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/oct01/

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