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April 2008, No. 332
Contents
About Research Activities
Feature Story
Modest health care quality gains outpaced by spending
Child/Adolescent Health
State spending on parks and recreation and required physical education classes are linked to youth activity
Children from lower income families are not as likely to visit a dentist after a care provider's referral
White children are about twice as likely to use stimulants as black and Hispanic children
Adolescents are willing to have chlamydial screening by pediatricians during urgent care visits
Concerns about SCHIP expansions crowding out private insurance are not borne out in New York
Maternal asthma is associated with lower birth weight
Patient/Physician Communication
Physicians and terminal patients need to communicate better with each other about end-of-life care options
The best way to communicate uncertainty to patients about the harms and benefits of treatments remains unidentified
Personality is linked to active and passive decisionmaking style
Physicians tend to be more patient-centered with more positive, satisfied, and involved patients
Men's Health
Despite lack of evidence of benefit, PSA testing for prostate cancer screening has increased dramatically
DNA time-out procedure may help reduce patient identification error among prostate needle core biopsy specimens
Elderly/Long-Term Care
Certain interventions have the potential to reduce costly and risky hospitalizations of the frail elderly
Self-rated health may not be the best way to identify mortality risks among less-educated, black older persons
Quality of care for geriatric-prevalent conditions is worse than general care among the hospitalized frail elderly
Conference on assisted living reveals its evolution, dearth of research, and quality of life for residents
Health Information Technology
Doctors override automated alerts on potential drug interactions
More work is needed to determine the impact of hospital information technology applications on patient outcomes
Outcomes/Effectiveness Research
Cost-effectiveness of primary care treatment of sinusitis depends on individual, societal, and payer's perspectives
Consultations on major surgeries bring higher costs and longer stays but not care improvements
Patients with unstable angina do not have better 1-year health status or rehospitalization outcomes than heart attack patients, despite better 2-year survival
Work-sponsored weight management programs offer losses for employees and gains for employers
Patients with depression who receive mental health treatment and are involved in therapeutic decisions are more satisfied with their care
Primary Care Research
Individuals will use Web-based data about physician characteristics and performance to choose a doctor
Poverty-related factors rather than frequency of primary care visits underlie racial disparities in preventive care
HIV/AIDS Research
Studies examine the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the South
Acute Care/Hospitalization
Patients with heart problems fare better at cardiac hospitals than general hospitals
Life challenges, not discharge problems, cause repeat hospitalizations
Agency News and Notes
Chest pain is a leading reason for hospital emergency department visits
More consumers are buying medicines by mail
Nearly one in three women have babies by C-section
Mental health woes remain one of the top reasons for doctor visits
Announcements
Task Force recommends against screening for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using spirometry
National Conference on Reducing Diagnostic Error in Medicine is May 31-June 1
Research Briefs
Research Briefs
Subscribe to AHRQ's Patient Safety E-Newsletter
Visit the AHRQ Patient Safety Network Web Site
AHRQ Publication No. 08-0036
Current as of April 2008
Internet Citation:
Research Activities Newsletter. April 2008, No. 332. AHRQ Publication No. 08-0036. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/apr08/
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