Articles of Interest

August 13, 2004

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These articles appeared in recently released journals and newsletters. They include articles funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) or authored by AHRQ researchers; articles mentioning or discussing AHRQ; articles related to AHRQ-funded Evidence-based Practice Centers; articles mentioning the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force/Put Prevention into Practice; articles mentioning the Presidents Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry and Agency-supported activities relating to the Quality Interagency Task Force; and other research using AHRQ data.

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AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles

Ambulatory Pediatrics
Seid M, Sobo EJ, Gelhard LR, et al. Parents' reports of barriers to care for children with special health care needs: development and validation of the Barriers to Care Questionnaire. Ambul Pediatr 2004 Jul-Aug; 4(4):323-31. [Supported by Grant No. R03 HS13058.]

Olson LM, Lara M, Frintner MP. Measuring health status and quality of life for US children: relationship to race, ethnicity, and income status. Ambul Pediatr 2004 Jul-Aug; 4(4):377-86. [Supported by Grant Nos. 1 R13 HS12078-01 and K08 HS00008.]

American Journal of Managed Care
Phillips KA, Veenstra DL, Ramsey SD, et al. Genetic testing and pharmacogenomics: issues for determining the impact to healthcare delivery and costs. Am J Manag Care 2004 Jul; 10(7 Pt 1):425-32. [Supported by Grant Nos. P01 HS10771 and P01 HS10856.]

American Journal of Preventive Medicine
He XZ, Baker DW. Changes in weight among a nationally representative cohort of adults aged 51-61, 1992 to 2000. Am J Prev Med 2004 Jul; 27(1):8-15. [Supported by Grant No. R01 HS10283.]

Annals of Emergency Medicine
Atzema C, Mower WR, Hoffman JR, et al. Defining "therapeutically inconsequential" head computed tomographic findings in patients with blunt head trauma. Ann Emerg Med 2004 Jul; 44(1):47-56. [Supported by Grant No. R01 HS09699.]

Archives of Internal Medicine
Stafford RS, Drieling RL, Hersh AL. National trends in osteoporosis visits and osteoporosis treatment, 1988-2003. Arch Intern Med 2004 Jul 26; 164(4):1525-30. [Supported by Grant No. R01 HS013405.]

Curtis LH, Ostbye T, Sendersky V, et al. Inappropriate prescribing for elderly Americans in a large outpatient population. Arch Intern Med 2004 Aug 9-23; 164(5):1621-5. [Supported by Grant No. U18 HS10385.]

Col NF, Weber G, Stiggelbout A, et al. Short-term menopausal hormone therapy for symptom relief: an updated decision model. Arch Intern Med 2004 Aug 9-23; 164(5):1634-40. [Supported by Grant No. R01 HS01332901.]

Mazor KM, Simon SR, Gurwitz JH. Communicating with patients about medical errors: a review of the literature. Arch Intern Med 2004 Aug 9-23; 164(5):1690-7. [Supported by Grant Nos. U18 HS10391-01 and U18 HS11843-01.]

Critical Care Medicine
Needham DM, Bronskill SE, Sibbald WJ, et al. Mechanical ventilation in Ontario, 1992-2000: incidence, survival, and hospital bed utilization of noncardiac surgery adult patients. Crit Care Med 2004 Jul; 32(7):1504-9. [Supported by Grant No. U18 HS11902-01.]

Diabetes Care
Kuo YF, Raji MA, Peek MK, et al. Health-related social disengagement in elderly diabetic patients: association with subsequent disability and survival. Diabetes Care 2004 Jul; 27(7):1630-7. [Supported by Grant No. HS11618.]

Egede LE. Patterns and correlates of emergency department use by individuals with diabetes. Diabetes Care 2004 Jul; 27(7):1748-50. [Supported by Grant No. 5 K08 HS11418.]

Egede LE. Effects of depression on work loss and disability bed days in individuals with diabetes. Diabetes Care 2004 Jul; 27(7):1751-3. [Supported by Grant No. 5 K08 HS11418.]

Epidemiology
Clarke PS. Causal analysis of individual change using the difference score. Epidemiology 2004 Jul; 15(4):414-21. [Supported by Grant No. HS06516.]

Inquiry
Meara E, Landrum MB, Ayanian JZ, et al. The effect of managed care market share on appropriate use of coronary angiography among traditional Medicare beneficiaries. Inquiry 2004 Summer; 41(2):144-58. [Supported by Grant No. P01 HS10803-02.]

Dor A, Koroukian SM, Grossman M. Managed care discounting: evidence from the MarketScan database. Inquiry 2004 Summer; 41(2):159-69. [Supported by Grant No. HS10282-01.]

International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders
Poston WS, Haddock CK, Conard M, et al. Impact of obesity on disease-specific health status after percutaneous coronary intervention in coronary disease patients. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2004 Aug; 28(8):1011-7. [Supported by Grant No. 3R01 HS011282-02S1.]

Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
Schmid CH, Stark PC, Berlin JA, et al. Meta-regression detected associations between heterogeneous treatment effects and study-level, but not patient-level factors. J Clin Epidemiol 2004 Jul; 57(7):683-97. [Supported by Grant No. R01 HS10064.]

Fouad MN, Mayo CP, Funkhouser EM, et al. Comorbidity independently predicted death in older prostate cancer patients, more of whom died with than from their disease. J Clin Epidemiol 2004 Jul; 57(7):721-9. [Supported by Grant No. HS09446.]

Journal of General Internal Medicine
Hitcho EB, Krauss MJ, Birge S, et al. Characteristics and circumstances of falls in a hospital setting: a prospective analysis. J Gen Intern Med 2004 Jul; 19(7):732-9. [Supported by Grant No. U18 HS1189801.]

Lee SW, Mancuso CA, Charlson ME. Prospective study of new participants in a community-based mind-body training program. J Gen Intern Med 2004 Jul; 19(7):760-5. [Supported by Grant No. T32 HS00066.]

Stryer D. Patient safety, research, and evidence: getting to improved systems. J Gen Intern Med 2004 Jul; 19(7):808-9. [Author is director of AHRQ's Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety; comments on AHRQ-funded article by Hitcho, et al. cited above and cites evidence report, Making Health Care Safer: A Critical Analysis of Patient Safety Practices, 2001.]

Journal of Rural Health
Borders TF. Rural community-dwelling elders' reports of access to care: are there Hispanic versus non-Hispanic white disparities? J Rural Health 2004 Summer; 20(3):210-20. [Supported by Grant No. HS1160-01; uses survey questions from AHRQ's Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Survey (CAHPS®).]

Bryant A Jr, Goins RT, Bell R, et al. Health differences among Lumbee Indians using public and private sources of care. J Rural Health 2004 Summer; 20(3):231-6. [Supported by Grant No. P01 HS10854.]

Medical Care
Stryer DB, Siegel JE, Rodgers AB. Outcomes research: priorities for an evolving field. Med Care 2004 Apr; 42(4 Suppl):III1-5. [First two authors are director of and researcher in AHRQ's Center for Outcomes and Evidence.]

Schneeweiss S, Dormuth C, Grootendorst P, et al. Net health plan savings from reference pricing for angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in elderly British Columbia residents. Med Care 2004 Jul; 42(7):653-66. [Supported by Grant No. R01 HS10881.]

Medical Decision Making
Rovner DR, Wills CE, Bonham V, et al. Decision aids for benign prostatic hyperplasia: applicability across race and education. Med Decis Making 2004 Jul-Aug; 24(4):359-85. [Supported by Grant No. R01 HS10608.]

Resnic FS, Zou KH, Do DV, et al. Exploration of a Bayesian updating methodology to monitor the safety of interventional cardiovascular procedures. Med Decis Making 2004 Jul-Aug; 24(4):399-407. [Supported by Grant No. R03 HS13234.]

Nephrology, Dialysis, Transplantation
Kazmi WH, Obrador GT, Shan SS, et al. Late nephrology referral and mortality among patients with end-stage renal disease: a propensity score analysis. Nephrol Dial Transplant 2004 Jul; 19(7):1808-14. [Supported by Grant No. F32 HS00143.]

Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
Zaoutis TE, Greves HM, Lautenbach E, et al. Risk factors for disseminated candidiasis in children with candidemia. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2004 Jul; 23(7):635-41. [Supported by Grant No. U18 HS10399.]

Pediatrics
Young KD, Gausche-Hill M, McClung CD, et al. A prospective, population-based study of the epidemiology and outcome of out-of-hospital pediatric cardiopulmonary arrest. Pediatrics 2004 Jul; 114(1):157-64. [Supported by Grant No. 1 R01 HS9166.]

Mitchell JM, Gaskin DJ. Do children receiving supplemental security income who are enrolled in Medicaid fare better under a fee-for-service or comprehensive capitation model? Pediatrics 2004 Jul; 114(1):196-204. [Supported by Grant No. R01 HS010912.]

Lieu TA, Finkelstein JA, Lozano P, et al. Cultural competence policies and other predictors of asthma care quality for Medicaid-insured children. Pediatrics 2004 Jul; 114(1):e102-10. [Supported by Grant No. HS09935. See also article by Guirguis-Blake, Am Fam Physician, cited in U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)/Put Prevention Into Practice (PPIP)-Related Articles.]

AHRQ-Related Articles

American Health Line
Medical errors: 195,000 patients die annually, study finds. Am Health Line 2004 Jul 27; no. 7. [Notes study's use of 16 types of errors identified as important by AHRQ.]

American Journal of Managed Care
Franciosa JA. The potential role of community-based registries to complement the limited applicability of clinical trial results to the community setting: heart failure as an example. Am J Manag Care 2004 Jul; 10(7 Pt 2):487-92. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Tunis, Stryer, and Clancy (second and third authors are AHRQ Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Director and AHRQ Director, respectively), JAMA, 2003.]

Zuckerman IH, Weiss SR, McNally D, et al. Impact of an educational intervention for secondary prevention of myocardial infarction on Medicaid drug use and cost. Am J Manag Care 2004 Jul; 10(7 Pt 2):493-500. [Cites AHRQ-funded articles by Soumerai, et al., JAMA, 1997.]

McCombs J. Managing antidepressant drug therapy in a evolving marketplace. Am J Manag Care 2004 Jul; 10(6 Suppl):S173-8. [Cites CAHPS® study by Farley (former AHRQ researcher), et al, Health Serv Res, 2002.]

American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Woolf SH. Society's choice: the tradeoff between efficacy and equity and the lives at stake. Am J Prev Med 2004 Jul; 27(1):49-56. [Cites AHRQ's budget and allocation for minority health research.]

Annals of Internal Medicine
Lavizzo-Mourey R, Lumpkin JR. From unequal treatment to quality care. Ann Intern Med 2004 Aug 3; 141(3):221. [First author is former AHRQ deputy administrator.]

Business of Government
Profiles in leadership: Carolyn Clancy, M.D., Director, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Bus Government 2004 Summer; 21-3. Sixth Anniversary Issue. [Reviews AHRQ mission and goals and cites remarks by AHRQ Director Carolyn Clancy.]

Ethnicity and Disease
Fincher C, Williams JE, MacLean V, et al. Racial disparities in coronary heart disease: a sociological view of the medical literature on physician bias. Ethn Dis 2004 Summer; 14(3):360-71. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Schulman, et al., N Engl J Med, 1999, and several other AHRQ-funded articles.]

Health Economics
Buchmueller TC, Couffinhal A, Grignon M, et al. Access to physician services: does supplemental insurance matter? Evidence from France. Health Econ 2004 Jul; 13(7):669-87. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Cooper, Nichols, and Taylor (first and third authors are researchers in AHRQ's Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends), Inquiry, 1996.]

Health Grants and Contracts Weekly
Expecting less, AHRQ caps grants, prunes priorities. Health Grants Contracts Weekly 2004 Aug 11;27(13):1. [Reviews AHRQ budget prospects for FY 2005 and quotes remarks by AHRQ Director Carolyn Clancy.]

Inquiry
Kitchener M, Bostrom A, Harrington C. Smoke without fire: nursing facility closures in California, 1997-2001. Inquiry 2004 Summer; 41(2):189-202. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Cohen and Spector, J Health Econ, 1996.]

International Journal of Health Services
Woolhandler S, Campbell T, Himmelstein DU. Health care administration in the United States and Canada: micromanagement, macro costs. Int J Health Serv 2004; 34(1):65-78. [Cites Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data from 1999 Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Data: National Tools for Enrollees and Costs of Hospitalization and Physician Services 2001, 2002.]

Lexchin J, Grootendorst P. Effects of prescription drug user fees on drug and health services use and on health status in vulnerable populations: a systematic review of the evidence. Int J Health Serv 2004; 34(1):101-22. [Cites AHRQ-funded articles by Soumerai, et al., N Engl J Med, 1987, 1991, and 1994.]

International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care
Jimenez-Puente A, Gomez-Aracena J, Hidalgo-Rojas L, et al. Readmission rate as an indicator of hospital performance: the case of Spain. Int J Technol Assess Health Care 2004 Summer; 20(3):385-91. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Eisenberg (former AHRQ director) and Zarin (AHRQ health technology assessment program director), Int J Technol Assess Health Care, 2002.]

Garcia-Altes A, Ondategui-Parra, Neumann PJ. Cross-national comparison of technology assessment processes. Int J Technol Assess Health Care 2004 Summer; 20(3):300-10. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Bates, et al., Med Care, 1995.]

Journal of General Internal Medicine
Plews-Ogan ML, Nadkarni MM, Forren S, et al. Patient safety in the ambulatory setting: a clinician-based approach. J Gen Intern Med 2004 Jul; 19(7):719-25. [Cites AHRQ-authored articles by Thomas, et al. (third author is Helen Burstin, director of AHRQ's Center for Primary Care, Prevention, and Clinical Partnerships), Med Care, 2000, and Battles (researcher in AHRQ's Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety), et al., Acad Med, 2001; cites several AHRQ-funded articles on adverse drug events.]

Allen JK, Scott LB, Stewart KJ, et al. Disparities in women's referral to and enrollment in outpatient cardiac rehabilitation. J Gen Intern Med 2004 Jul; 19(7):747-53. [Cites AHRQ-funded article by Schulman, et al., N Engl J Med, 1999.]

Journal of Health Services Research and Policy
Adamson J, Gooberman-Hill R, Woolhead G, et al. 'Questerviews': using questionnaires in qualitative interviews as a method of integrating qualitative and quantitative health services research. J Health Serv Res Policy 2004 Jul; 9(3):139-45. [Cites article on AHRQ's Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Survey (CAHPS®), Med Care, 1999.]

Journal of Rural Health
Glover S, Moore CG, Probst JC, et al. Disparities in access to care among rural working-age adults. J Rural Health 2004 Summer; 20(3):193-205. [Cites AHRQ's National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR), 2003; cites AHRQ-authored articles by Weinick, et al., Med Care Res Rev, 2000, and Weinick and Krauss, Am J Public Health, 2000. Note: PubMed® incorrectly lists first author as Clover S.]

Landon B, Loudon J, Selle M, et al. Factors influencing the retention and attrition of community health aids/practitioners in Alaska. J Rural Health 2004 Summer; 20(3):221-30. [Cites AHRQ publication AHRQ Focus on Research: Disparities in Health Care, 2002, as posted on AHRQ Web site.]

Ortiz L, Arizmendi L, Cornelius LJ. Access to health care among Latinos of Mexican descent in colonias in two Texas counties. J Rural Health 2004 Summer; 20(3):246-52. [Cites AHRQ report, Research Findings 2: Health Insurance Status of Workers and Their Families, 1996.]

de la Torre A, Hernandez-Rodriguez C, Garcia L. Cost analysis in telemedicine: empirical evidence from sites in Arizona. J Rural Health 2004 Summer; 20(3):253-7. [Cites AHRQ-authored article by Luce and Elixhauser (researcher in AHRQ's Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets), Int J Technol Assess Health Care, 1990.]

Milbank Quarterly
Burton LC, Anderson GF, Kues IW. Using electronic health records to help coordinate care. Milbank Q 2004; 82(3):457-81. [Cites AHRQ publication, Transforming Healthcare Quality through Information Technology, 2003, on AHRQ Web site, cites AHRQ-funded article by Bates, et al., JAMA, 1998, and AHRQ-authored article by Fitzmaurice, Adams, and Eisenberg, JAMA, 2000.]

Modern Healthcare
Morrissey J. Error measure draws critics. Mod Healthc 2004 Aug 2; 34(31):12. [Cites use of AHRQ patient safety indicators for "failure to rescue" and "unexpected deaths of patients with low risk conditions."]

SEA Currents
NLM Technical Bulletin table of contents. SEA Currents 2004 Jul-Aug;22(4):14. [Announces AHRQ/NIH program announcement on health literacy and AHRQ's redesigned interactive HCUPnet software tool.]

Washington Fax
Grant program aimed at understanding factors that influence research integrity. Wash Fax 2004 Aug 13. [Reviews proposed program on research integrity co-sponsored by AHRQ.]

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)/Put Prevention Into Practice (PPIP)-Related Articles

American Family Physician
Guirguis-Blake J. Routine vitamin supplementation to prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease. Am Fam Physician 2004 Aug 1; 70(3):559-60. [Author is USPSTF medical officer in AHRQ's Center for Primary Care, Prevention, and Clinical Partnerships; case study and questions based on USPSTF recommendations on routine vitamin supplementation to prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease as published in Ann Intern Med, 2003, and posted on AHRQ Web site.]

American Journal of Managed Care
Kirk D, Fish SA. Medical management of osteoporosis. Am J Manag Care 2004 Jul; 10(7 Pt 1):445-55. [Cites USPSTF guideline, Screening for Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women, as published in Ann Intern Med, 2002.]

Annals of Internal Medicine
Groman R, Ginsburg J; American College of Physicians. Racial and ethnic disparities in health care: a position paper of the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med 2004 Aug 3; 141(3):226-32. [Cites AHRQ/Institute of Medicine collaboration on National Healthcare Disparities Report (NHDR).]

Journal of General Internal Medicine
Morris CA, Cabral D, Cheng H, et al. Patterns of bone mineral density testing: current guidelines, testing rates, and interventions. J Gen Intern Med 2004 Jul; 19(7):783-90. [Cites Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, 1996, and USPSTF guideline Screening for Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women as published in Ann Intern Med, 2002.]

Schapira MM, Neuner J. The continuing evolution of women's health. J Gen Intern Med 2004 Jul; 19(7):810-1. [Cites USPSTF guideline Screening for Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women as published in Ann Intern Med, 2002.]

Journal Watch
A Pap smear for a women without a cervix? Journal Watch 2004 Aug 1; 24(15):1-2. [Reviews USPSTF recommendations on cervical cancer screening with Pap smears.]

Women and Health
Matin M, LeBaron S. Attitudes toward cervical cancer screening among Muslim women: a pilot study. Women Health 2004; 39(3):63-77. [Cites USPSTF guideline, Screening for Cervical Cancer: Update, 2003 release, at AHRQ Web site.]

Evidence-based Practice Centers-Related Articles

JAMA
Whelan T, Levine M, Willan A, et al. Effect of a decision aid on knowledge and treatment decision making for breast cancer surgery: a randomized trial. JAMA 2004 Jul 28; 292(4):435-41. [Cites Evidence Report/Technology Assessment, Impact of Cancer-Related Decision Aids, 2002. See also article by Stryer, J Gen Intern Med, cited in AHRQ-Funded/Authored Articles.]

Research By Others Using AHRQ Data or Products

American Journal of Managed Care
Volpp KG, Buckley E. The effect of increases in HMO penetration and changes in payer mix on in-hospital mortality and treatment patterns for acute myocardial infarction. Am J Manag Care 2004 Jul; 10(7 Pt 2):505-12. [Uses AHRQ's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS).]

Inquiry
Blumberg LJ, Holahan J. Government as reinsurer: potential impacts on public and private spending. hghg Inquiry 2004 Summer; 41(2):130-43. [Uses AHRQ's Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)—Household Component (HC) data for 1998-2000.]

Current as of August 2004