March 2009, No. 343
Contents
About Research Activities
Feature Story
Educating patients before hospital discharge reduces readmissions, emergency department visits, and saves money
Patient Safety and Quality
Mandatory public reporting of care performance did not affect quality of care for Medicare managed care patients
Nurses and office staff can help report prescribing errors in primary care offices
Disparities/Minority Health
Blacks report greater difficulty in affording prescription medications than whites
Child/Adolescent Health
Some pediatricians would disclose errors only if harm is evident
Inducing labor at 40 weeks may reduce infant deaths
Strategies are needed to improve immunization rates among adolescents, especially those with high-risk conditions
Elderly/Long-Term Care
Staffing level mix affects quality of care in nursing homes
Use of physical restraints in nursing homes creates substantial adverse consequences for residents
Available resources, not competition, drive nursing homes to advertise
Outcomes/Effectiveness Research
People with insurance use more health care services and have better health outcomes
Prior traumatic brain injury is very common among homeless people and is linked to poorer health
Chronic Disease
Nuts, corn, and popcorn are fine for patients with diverticular disease
Indigent patients with diabetes who get free medications have lower blood-sugar levels
Pharmaceutical Research
Risk of bleeding events is reduced among patients who report receiving instructions in warfarin use
Impact of direct-to-consumer advertising on drug use varies depending on the drug, scope of advertising, and culture
Access to Care
Economic and housing instability are linked to poor access to health care and higher rates of hospitalization
Agency News and Notes
Hospitals spend less for patients in Medicare Advantage than for patients in fee-for-service Medicare
Winter weather hospitalizes thousands and kills hundreds
Five therapeutic categories of prescribed drugs dominate spending on prescription medicines
Spending on outpatient prescription pain medicines has tripled in 10 years
Announcements
10-State project to study methods to reduce central line-associated blood stream infections in hospital ICUs
Research Briefs
Research Briefs
Visit the AHRQ Patient Safety Network Web Site
AHRQ Publication No. 09-RA006
Current as of March 2009
Internet Citation:
Research Activities Newsletter. March 2009, No. 343. AHRQ Publication No. 09-RA006.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/mar09/