AHRQ Report Updates Evidence on Effectiveness of Medications for Adults With Type 2 Diabetes

Issue Number

514

AHRQ's Electronic Newsletter summarizes Agency research and programmatic activities.

April 19, 2016

AHRQ Stats: COPD Admissions for Women

In 2013 about 17 percent of blacks reported receiving recommended services for diabetes after diagnosis, compared with about 26 percent of whites. (Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2014 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report,Chartbook on Health Care for Blacks.)

Today's Headlines

AHRQ Report Updates Evidence on Effectiveness of Medications for Adults With Type 2 Diabetes.
AHRQ Calls For New Research, Issues White Paper on Improving Primary Care.
Register Now: AHRQ Webinar on Shared Decision Making With Lung Cancer Screening Decision Aids.
New Research and Data From AHRQ.
April 28 Deadline Set for Submitting Abstracts for Concordium 2016.
Register Now for May TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer Online Course.
Featured Case Study: Novant Health Uses AHRQ Tools To Assess and Improve Patient Communications.
AHRQ in the Professional Literature.

1. AHRQ Report Updates Evidence on Effectiveness of Medications for Adults With Type 2 Diabetes

A new AHRQ-funded systematic review found evidence to support current clinical guidelines identifying metformin as the recommended first-line agent to treat adults with type 2 diabetes. The conclusion is based on the medication's beneficial effects on hemoglobin A1c, weight, cardiovascular mortality (versus sulfonylureas) and relative safety profile. Researchers evaluated more than 200 studies of different diabetes drugs, more than half of which were new since AHRQ’s 2011 report on the comparative effectiveness of diabetes medicines. Diabetes affects more than 9 percent of the U.S. population. Most patients with type 2 diabetes eventually require medication to reduce long-term complications. Classes of diabetes drugs differ in their effects on glucose-lowering, safety and other important outcomes. “Diabetes Medications as Monotherapy or Metformin-Based Combination Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” appeared online April 19 in Annals of Internal Medicine. Read the abstract.

2. AHRQ Calls For New Research, Issues White Paper on Improving Primary Care

A new special emphasis notice from AHRQ announces the agency’s interest in funding innovative research in primary care. The agency seeks projects that provide evidence about how to improve the delivery of primary care, create and test tools and training that support primary care improvement, and advance the development of primary care research methods. Meanwhile, a new AHRQ white paper, “Creating Patient-Centered, Team-Based Primary Care,” offers a conceptual framework and strategies to help health care providers ensure team-based, patient-centered care in primary care settings. The paper discusses how well-implemented team-based care can improve quality and comprehensiveness of primary care. It also stresses that team-based approaches can disrupt or change specific aspects of care, such as ongoing relationships, that are important to patients and providers. Strategies and resources provided in the white paper are intended to support the development and maintenance of these relationships. Additional resources on primary care improvement are available at AHRQ’s Patient Centered Medical Home Resource Center. Select here for a recent AHRQ Views blog post about AHRQ’s ongoing efforts to improve primary care.

3. Register Now: AHRQ Webinar on Shared Decision Making With Lung Cancer Screening Decision Aids

Registration is open for a webinar on May 4 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. ET to highlight the use of AHRQ’s new lung cancer screening decision aid and toolkit in shared decision making. These new tools can be used to meet the Medicare coverage requirements related to shared decision making and patient counseling for lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography. Continuing education/continuing medical education credits are available at no charge to eligible professionals.

4. New Research and Data From AHRQ

5. April 28 Deadline Set for Submitting Abstracts for Concordium 2016

Abstracts are now being accepted for Concordium 2016, the annual meeting of researchers, policymakers and data experts seeking to advance the strategic development and use of evidence to transform health systems. The September 12-13 meeting in Alexandria, Virginia, will showcase individuals and organizations working with data from electronic health records and other sources to integrate evidence, practice and policy in health care delivery systems. Select for more information.

6. Register Now for May TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer Online Course

AHRQ’s TeamSTEPPS® training curriculum is available online as an accredited course, allowing health care providers to become certified as TeamSTEPPS Master Trainers through a Web-based course. TeamSTEPPS is an evidence-based patient safety training program that emphasizhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26531860es the importance of communication and teamwork among health care professionals. TeamSTEPPS Master Trainers are prepared to guide TeamSTEPPS training and implementation in a variety of settings. Enrollment is open for the next course beginning in May as well as subsequent courses throughout the year. Potential participants are encouraged to complete the TeamSTEPPS readiness assessment. The course is offered at no cost, but participants must create a change team, submit a draft change plan and upload a letter of commitment before receiving an enrollment code. Create an account to begin drafting a change plan.

7. Featured Case Study: Novant Health Uses AHRQ Tools To Assess and Improve Patient Communications

Novant Health, the nation’s fifth largest medical group, based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, used AHRQ’s Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) to assess approximately 1,000 patient-focused health education materials and 5,500 forms. The PEMAT is a method to evaluate whether patient education materials are understood and can be put to use. More than a third of U.S. adults have limited health literacy, which interferes with their ability to take care of their health. Novant Health has also implemented AHRQ’s Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit. Read the case study.

8. AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Contraceptive service needs of women with young children presenting for pediatric care. Upadhya KK, Burke AE, Marcell AV, et al. Contraception 2015 Nov;92(5):508-12. Epub 2015 Jul 18. Access the abstract in PubMed®.

Care to Plan: an online tool that offers tailored support to dementia caregivers. Gaugler JE, Reese M, Tanler R. Gerontologist 2015 Nov 23 [Epub ahead of print]. Access the abstract in PubMed®.

How patient comments affect consumers' use of physician performance measures. Kanouse DE, Schlesinger M, Shaller D, et al. Med Care 2016 Jan;54(1):24-31. Access the abstract in PubMed®.

Using voluntary reports from physicians to learn from diagnostic errors in emergency medicine. Okafor N, Payne VL, Chathampally Y, et al. Emerg Med J 2016 Apr;33(4):245-52. Epub 2015 Nov 3. Access the abstract in PubMed®.

Connecting emergency department patients to primary care. Wexler R, Hefner JL, Sieck C, et al. J Am Board Fam Med 2015 Nov-Dec;28(6):722-32. Access the abstract in PubMed®.

Discordant pregnancy intentions in couples and rapid repeat pregnancy. Cha S, Chapman DA, Wan W, et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2016 Apr;214(4):494.e1-494.e12. Epub 2015 Oct 28. Access the abstract in PubMed®.

Evidence synthesis activities of a hospital evidence-based practice center and impact on hospital decision making. Jayakumar KL, Lavenberg JA, Mitchell MD, et al. J Hosp Med 2016 Mar;11(3):185-92. Epub 2015 Oct 27. Access the abstract in PubMed®.

Anticholinergic vs long-acting β-agonist in combination with inhaled corticosteroids in black adults with asthma: the BELT randomized clinical trial. Wechsler ME, Yawn BP, Fuhlbrigge AL, et al. JAMA 2015 Oct 27;314(16):1720-30. Access the abstract in PubMed®.