| January 5, 2021, Issue #746 Surgical stays represented a higher percentage of hospitalizations at health system-affiliated hospitals (21 percent) compared with unaffiliated hospitals (14 percent). (Source: AHRQ, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Statistical Brief #265: Health System Affiliation and Characteristics of Inpatient Stays at Rural and Metropolitan Hospitals, 2016.)  AHRQ's vital efforts in 2020 to advance 21st-century healthcare while contributing to the battle against COVID-19 is the subject of a new blog post by agency Director Gopal Khanna, M.B.A. AHRQ urgently revised its priorities as part of the whole-of-government response to the pandemic: existing research projects were refocused on COVID-19 and new projects were launched to explore strategies for controlling the virus' spread; new evidence-based information was developed for clinicians battling COVID-19 firsthand; and AHRQ led the launch of a national training initiative to protect nursing home residents and staff from the virus. AHRQ also took important strides to end the opioid crisis, improve patient safety, widen the use of healthcare data and encourage innovation in the delivery of care. Access the blog post. To receive all blog posts, submit your email address and select "AHRQ Views Blog." |  A new report from AHRQ indicates access to healthcare significantly improved between 2000 and 2018, while gains in quality of care varied among six priority areas: patient safety, person-centered care, care coordination, effective treatment, healthy living and care affordability. The 2019 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report provides a comprehensive annual overview of healthcare quality in the general U.S. population. Analyses of data for measures about healthcare quality and delivery include variables such as race/ethnicity, sex, education, income and residence location. |  An AHRQ-funded team of biomedical researchers, information technology specialists, clinicians and other experts developed a simulated approach to measuring response rates and response times to hospital alarms. A growing body of literature has recognized alarm fatigue as a healthcare hazard, drawing attention to the need to evaluate current monitoring technologies. Study researchers worked with multiple units at a pediatric hospital to measure alarm response times and rates for use as benchmarks to evaluate system performance. They concluded that the new model, designed to evaluate alarm systems without the challenges and expense of video analysis, showed that simulation observational data can be used to evaluate and improve alarm responsiveness. Access the abstract of the study published in Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology. | Register now for a webinar Jan. 13 from noon to 1 p.m. ET that will highlight findings from the recently released Chartbook on Healthcare for Veterans. The chartbook is a collaboration among AHRQ, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Health Equity and the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Inter-Agency Workgroup. The webinar will review how the chartbook improves understanding of the health and healthcare of veterans and identifies opportunities to improve care and reduce disparities. Presenters will include Jeff Brady, M.D., M.P.H., Director of AHRQ's Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, and former AHRQ Director Carolyn Clancy, M.D., Veterans Health Administration Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Discovery, Education, and Affiliate Networks. The chartbook is part of a family of documents and tools that support AHRQ's annual National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report. Two new reports from AHRQ's Evidence-based Practice Center Program summarize what is currently known about the effectiveness of opioids, nonopioid drugs and nonpharmacologic treatments for pain. Treatments for Acute Pain: A Systematic Review examined the evidence on the effectiveness and potential harms of treatments used to control pain from dental procedures, kidney stones, lower back injuries, sickle cell anemia and other pain. Another report, Acute Treatments for Episodic Migraine, explored the effectiveness of both longstanding and newer interventions to control migraine pain. The report found several nonpharmacologic treatments for migraine may improve various measures of pain compared with placebo. Access the detailed findings in the reports on acute pain and pain from episodic migraines. Registration is open for a webinar on Jan. 14 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. ET to highlight opportunities for field testing a new AHRQ TeamSTEPPS course for improving diagnosis. AHRQ is seeking organizations to test strategies for improving diagnosis in outpatient clinics and hospital units. The course features a train-the-trainer format with seven modules similar to AHRQ's TeamSTEPPS 2.0 for Office-Based Care. Up to 20 test sites will be recruited by Jan. 31. Testing will begin in February, and compensation is available to support evaluation activities. Send questions to MIQSInfo@medstar.net. | AHRQ in the Professional Literature Comparison of manual and computer assigned injury severity scores. Otto L, Wang A, Wheeler K, et al. Inj Prev. 2020 Aug;26(4):330-3. Epub 2019 Jul 12. Access the abstract on PubMed®. Economic barriers to antiretroviral therapy in nursing homes. Olivieri-Mui BL, Koethe B, Briesacher B. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2020 Apr;68(4):777-82. Epub 2019 Dec 12. Access the abstract on PubMed®. Multimorbidity and mortality risk in hospitalized adults with chronic inflammatory skin disease in the United States. Narla S, Silverberg JI. Arch Dermatol Res. 2020 Sep;312(7):507-12. Epub 2020 Feb 11. Access the abstract on PubMed®. Geriatric syndrome risk factors among hospitalized postacute Medicare patients. Wu SS, Bellantoni M, Weiner JP. Am J Manag Care. 2020 Oct;26(10):e319-e26. Access the abstract on PubMed®. Racial differences in the effectiveness of Internet-delivered mental health care. Jonassaint CR, Belnap BH, Huang Y, et al. J Gen Intern Med. 2020 Feb;35(2):490-7. Epub 2019 Nov 19. Access the abstract on PubMed®. National trends in the association of race and ethnicity with predialysis nephrology care in the United States From 2005 to 2015. Purnell TS, Bae S, Luo X, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Aug 3;3(8):e2015003. Access the abstract on PubMed®. Environmental methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus contamination, persistent colonization, and subsequent skin and soft tissue infection. Hogan PG, Mork RL, Thompson RM, et al. JAMA Pediatr. 2020 Jun;174(6):552-62. Access the abstract on PubMed®. A multisite study of interprofessional teamwork and collaboration on general medical services. O'Leary KJ, Manojlovich M, Johnson JK, et al. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2020 Dec;46(12):667-72. Epub 2020 Sep 28. Access the abstract on PubMed®. Contact Information For comments or questions about AHRQ News Now, contact Bruce Seeman, (301) 427-1998 or Bruce.Seeman@ahrq.hhs.gov. |
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