Research Activities

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