Research Activities, April 2009, No. 344

Research Activities
April 2009, No. 344
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Contents
About Research Activities

Feature Story
Task Force recommends using aspirin to prevent cardiovascular disease when the benefits outweigh the harms

Child/Adolescent Health
Boosting and preserving green spaces in urban neighborhoods may help reduce childhood obesity
Design of the public insurance plan can reduce the time to a child's first dental visit after enrollment

Patient Safety and Quality
Some patients choose safer hospitals when an insurer offers an incentive program
Perception of patient safety climate in hospitals varies by management level and clinical discipline
Voluntary reporting and computerized surveillance work best together to identify adverse drug events
Patient Safety Culture Surveys
Quality improvement collaborative fails to improve infection prevention in surgical patients
Focused review is more effective than random review in discovering errors in surgical pathology cases
ICU nurses handle medical errors differently than they say they do on survey

Women's Health
More black than white women receive mammograms in St. Louis
Young women with diabetes do not receive recommended preventive services

Elderly/Long-Term Care
Enrollment in a program of all-inclusive elderly care is largely a matter of luck
Nursing home residents with cognitive impairment are able to participate in a motivational intervention
Adequate staffing helps ensure patients in nursing homes receive proper treatment for pneumonia

Mental Health
Nearly a fifth of elderly patients are readmitted after a hospital stay for psychiatric care
Depression and substance abuse treatment hospitalizations declined for Medicare beneficiaries over a decade

Rural Health
Care quality disparities exist for children seen in urban versus rural hospitals
Children in rural areas must travel far distances to receive pediatric specialty care
A novel system lets rural hospitals obtain a remote pharmacist's review of medication orders around-the-clock

Health Care Costs and Financing
Older patients stop using inhalers and end up in the hospital when insurers enact deductibles and copayments
Negative effects are seen when patients reach drug benefit thresholds in Medicare Part D
Seniors use fewer generic drugs as a result of Medicare Part D

Chronic Disease
The chronic care model improves care delivery and patient outcomes, but practices need better tools to implement it
Newest diabetes medications are more costly and widely prescribed than older diabetes drugs
Older patients with multiple chronic conditions desire personalized care plans from their providers
Higher education and income levels are associated with increased willingness to pay for a psoriasis cure

Acute Care/Hospitalization
Simulation exercise for hospital resuscitation teams pinpoints training and patient safety issues
Antibiotic use and diarrhea are factors in hospital room contamination with vancomycin-resistant organisms
Older males with underlying health conditions are at a high risk of dying from intestinal bleeding in hospitals
Hospitalists and general internists provide similar quality of care for patients with congestive heart failure

Outcomes/Effectiveness Research
Two interventions to increase the physical activity of people with multiple sclerosis fare equally well
Lower socioeconomic status results in poor physical and mental health outcomes for patients with lupus

Preventive Care
Immigrants use fewer preventive services than U.S. natives

Agency News and Notes
Hospital outpatient department and office-based provider visits for high cholesterol and other conditions soared in a decade
New MEPS Statistical Brief examines the level of health expenditures over time
The Northeast United States has the most hospitalizations for brain cancer
Uninsured Americans with asthma are less likely to take daily preventive medicine

Announcements
A new tool helps companies estimate costs and possible savings for diabetes care
AHRQ announces new members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
AHRQ issues recommendations for safeguarding children during public health emergencies
AHRQ releases a new tool to help improve patient safety
Call for papers on payment reform

Research Briefs
Research Briefs
Visit the AHRQ Patient Safety Network Web Site

AHRQ Publication No. 09-RA007
Current as of April 2009
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Internet Citation:
Research Activities Newsletter. April 2009, No. 344. AHRQ Publication No. 09-RA007. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/apr09/

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Research Activities, April 2009, No. 344