AHRQ Announces New Clinical Decision Support Dissemination and Implementation Initiative for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Findings

AHRQ Stats: Private-Sector Health Coverage

The percentage of private-sector workers who enrolled in a health insurance plan at employers that offered coverage remained stable between 2013 and 2014, at about 58 percent in each year. While the percentage of workers eligible for coverage declined from 78 percent in 2013 to 75 percent in 2014, the percentage of eligible workers enrolling for coverage increased from 75 percent in 2013 to 77 percent in 2014. (Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Statistical Brief #477: Results from the 2014 MEPS-IC Private-Sector National Tables.)

Today's Headlines

1. AHRQ Announces New Clinical Decision Support Dissemination and Implementation Initiative for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Findings.
2. Hospital Organizational Design Can Impede Patient Transitions, AHRQ-Funded Study Finds.
3. Gap Closing for Some Health Disparities, Widening for Others, According to AHRQ Healthy Living Chartbook.
4. Register Now: July 29 AHRQ Webinar on Using Health Information Technology To Support Improvements in Clinical Workflow.
5. Study Examines Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on Reproductive Decision-Making.
6. On-Demand Continuing Education Webinars for Nurses and Nurse Practitioners Available From AHRQ.
7. Featured Impact Case Study: California Hospital System Uses AHRQ Patient Guide To Help Personalize Care Delivery.
8. AHRQ in the Professional Literature.

1. AHRQ Announces New Clinical Decision Support Dissemination and Implementation Initiative for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Findings

AHRQ intends to launch a new initiative to disseminate and implement patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) findings through clinical decision support (CDS). This initiative includes planning for three funding opportunity announcements (FOAs). Together, the three FOAs focus on creating a PCOR CDS Learning Network to drive the field of CDS forward and on conducting CDS projects, extending existing CDS or developing new CDS based on PCOR findings. The notice is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive projects.

2. Hospital Organizational Design Can Impede Patient Transitions, AHRQ-Funded Study Finds

Hospital organizational design poses challenges for doctors in maintaining a high standard of medical care during a patient's transition from the emergency department to an inpatient unit, according to an AHRQ-funded study. Doctors spent considerable time recognizing and responding to changing situations during patients' transition of care, researchers found.  And physicians' divided attention could be further impacted by factors such as heavy reliance on technology rather than face-to-face hospital staff interaction and a lack of consistent procedures during care transitions. Structured coordination interventions such as checklists, care pathways and standardized protocols were identified as primary ways to improve care transitions between teams, the study indicated. The study, "Navigating Care Transitions: A Process Model of How Doctors Overcome Organizational Barriers and Create Awareness," and abstract appeared in the February issue of the journal Medical Care Research and Review.

3. Gap Closing for Some Health Disparities, Widening for Others, According to AHRQ Healthy Living Chartbook

Five measures, including the rate of children ages 19–35 months who received a measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, showed elimination of disparities for different groups, according to findings from AHRQ's new Chartbook on Healthy Living. Some health measures showed a widening of disparities. For example, in four of the five most recent years, black adult smokers were less likely than white adult smokers to receive advice to quit smoking during a checkup. Of the 38 measures included in the Healthy Living Chartbook, 18 showed improvement, 17 indicated no change and three worsened. The chartbook is a supplement of the 2014 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report, which features trends in effectiveness of care, patient safety, timeliness of care, patient centeredness, disparities and efficiency of care. AHRQ offers additional healthy living resources, such as tips and screening tests for staying healthy, preventing obesity and quitting smoking.

4. Register Now: July 29 AHRQ Webinar on Using Health Information Technology To Support Improvements in Clinical Workflow

AHRQ is hosting a webinar July 29 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. ET on how health information technology (IT) can be used to support improvements in clinical workflow. Research suggests that health IT can assist in providers' information processing, health care decision-making and ultimately the delivery of high-quality care. However, health IT applications can limit rather than support a provider's ability to provide care unless appropriately designed to take into account the provider's information needs and workflow processes. Researchers on this Web conference will discuss how health IT used in primary care offices and emergency departments can be better designed to support clinical workflow and improve patient care. Registration is open.

5. Study Examines Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on Reproductive Decision-Making

Women who are victims of intimate partnership violence are significantly less likely to use contraception after their most recent delivery, according to an AHRQ-funded study. The study said this is particularly true with Hispanic women who did not receive prenatal birth control counseling. Investigators used a population-based surveillance system to analyze data on more than 193,000 women in the United States with live births between 2004 and 2008. Study analyses revealed that approximately 6.2 percent of women reported intimate partner violence and 15.5 percent reported no postpartum contraceptive use. Researchers advised health providers to educate women on effective contraceptive options. In addition, the researchers recommended that providers talk with women, within the context of abusive relationships, about long-acting reversible contraceptives that do not depend on the cooperation of their partners. The study and abstract, "Intimate Partner Violence and Postpartum Contraceptive Use: The Role of Race/Ethnicity and Prenatal Birth Control Counseling," were published in the April 29 issue of the journal Contraception.

6. On-Demand Continuing Education Webinars for Nurses and Nurse Practitioners Available From AHRQ

AHRQ offers free Web-based continuing education for nurses, nurse practitioners, case managers, staff educators and nurse practitioner faculty. Eligible professionals can view the recorded webinars that highlight resources such as the National Guidelines Clearinghouse, the Electronic Preventive Services Selector and the Improving Patient Safety in Long-Term Care Facilities Training Modules. The webinars offer practical insights on how these resources can be integrated into education and practice.

7. Featured Impact Case Study: California Hospital System Uses AHRQ Patient Guide To Help Personalize Care Delivery

Sutter Health's Center for Integrated Care (SCIC) uses AHRQ's publication, "Taking Care of Myself: A Guide for When I Leave the Hospital," to help patients record their health care histories during discharge. As part of efforts to coordinate across settings to achieve patient-centered care, SCIC uses the guide, which is adapted from AHRQ's Re-Engineered Discharge (RED) Toolkit

8. AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Ellimoottil C, Miller S, Ayanian JZ, et al. Effect of insurance expansion on utilization of inpatient surgery. JAMA Surg 2014 Aug;149(8):829-36. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Forrester SH, Hepp Z, Roth JA, et al. Cost-effectiveness of a computerized provider order entry system in improving medication safety ambulatory care. Value Health 2014 Jun;17(4):340-9. Epub 2014 May 5. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Krell RW, Girotti ME, Dimick JB. Extended length of stay after surgery: complications, inefficient practice, or sick patients? JAMA Surg 2014 Aug;149(8):815-20. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Huang LC, Conley D, Lipsitz S, et al. The Surgical Safety Checklist and Teamwork Coaching Tools: a study of inter-rater reliability. BMJ Qual Saf 2014 Aug;23(8):639-50. Epub 2014 Feb 4. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Davis AE, Mehrotra S, Kilambi V, et al. The effect of the Statewide Sharing variance on geographic disparity in kidney transplantation in the United States. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2014 Aug 7;9(8):1449-60. Epub 2014 Jun 26. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Smieliauskas F, MacMahon H, Salgia R, et al. Geographic variation in radiologist capacity and widespread implementation of lung cancer CT screening. J Med Screen 2014 Dec;21(4):207-15. Epub 2014 Aug 12. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Galanter WL, Bryson ML, Falck S, et al. Indication alerts intercept drug name confusion errors during computerized entry of medication orders. PLoS One 2014 Jul 15;9(7):e101977. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.

Shelton J, Kummerow K, Phillips S, et al. Patient safety in the era of the 80-hour workweek. J Surg Educ 2014 Jul-Aug;71(4):551-9. Epub 2014 Apr 19. Select to access the abstract on PubMed®.