Telehealth Consultations Might Improve Some Patient Outcomes

AHRQ Stats: Hospitalizations for Depressive Disorders

In 2016, one in four hospitalizations for mental and substance use disorders was for depressive disorders. (Source: AHRQ, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Statistical Brief #249: Inpatient Stays Involving Mental and Substance Use Disorders, 2016.)

Today's Headlines:

• Telehealth Consultations Might Improve Some Patient Outcomes.
• Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network.
• Featured Impact Case Study: Johns Hopkins Children’s Center Uses AHRQ-Funded System for Safe Care Transitions.
• AHRQ in the Professional Literature.

Telehealth Consultations Might Improve Some Patient Outcomes

Patient outcomes generally improved in some areas of care when clinicians consulted other providers remotely for additional medical expertise, known as telehealth, according to an AHRQ-funded report. The authors found that when telehealth consultation was used, patients were more likely to survive in intensive care, spent less time in the emergency room waiting for a specialist and were more likely to survive a heart attack. Evidence was not as strong for the impact of telehealth consultations on length of hospitalizations and inpatient costs; outcomes and number of patient transfers in emergency care; and costs and number of patient visits in outpatient care. The authors noted that more research is needed on consultation costs, outcomes data and harms. Access the report. 

Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network

AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network (PSNet) highlights journal articles, books and tools related to patient safety. Articles featured this week include:

• "Sorry" is never enough: how state apology laws fail to reduce medical malpractice liability risk.
• Facilitation of surgical innovation: is it possible to speed the introduction of new technology while simultaneously improving patient safety?
• Perceptions of pediatric hospital safety culture in the United States: an analysis of the 2016 Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture.

Review additional new publications in PSNet’s current issue or access recent cases and commentaries in AHRQ’s WebM&M (Morbidity and Mortality Rounds on the Web). 

Featured Impact Case Study: Johns Hopkins Children’s Center Uses AHRQ-Funded System for Safe Care Transitions

Pediatric residents at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore follow the AHRQ-supported care transition process called I-PASS. I-PASS is a standardized communications procedure that has been proven to enhance patients’ coordination of care during shift changes among the medical staff. Access the Impact Case Study. 

AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Psychometric evaluation of the youth eating disorder examination questionnaire in children with overweight or obesity. Kass AE, Theim Hurst K, Kolko RP, et al. Int J Eat Disord 2017 Jul;50(7):776-80. Epub 2017 Feb 15. Access the abstract on PubMed^®.

Mobile critical care recovery program (m-CCRP) for acute respiratory failure survivors: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Khan S, Biju A, Wang S, et al. Trials 2018 Feb 7;19(1):94. Access the abstract on PubMed^®.

How does autoimmune disease impact treatment and outcomes among patients with lung cancer? A national SEER-Medicare analysis. Khan SA, Pruitt SL, Xuan L, et al. Lung Cancer 2018 Jan;115:97-102. Epub 2017 Nov 24. Access the abstract on PubMed^®.

Impact of new medications and $4 generic programs on overactive bladder treatment among older adults in the United States, 2000-2015. Kinlaw AC, Jonsson Funk M, Conover MM, et al. Med Care 2018 Feb;56(2):162-70. Access the abstract on PubMed^®.

"Best case/worst case": training surgeons to use a novel communication tool for high-risk acute surgical problems. Kruser JM, Taylor LJ, Campbell TC, et al. J Pain Symptom Manage 2017 Apr;53(4):711-19.e5. Epub 2017 Jan 4. Access the abstract on PubMed^®.

Simulating the impact of sugar-sweetened beverage warning labels in three cities. Lee BY, Ferguson MC, Hertenstein DL, et al. Am J Prev Med 2018 Feb;54(2):197-204. Epub 2017 Dec 14. Access the abstract on PubMed^®.

Receipt of pain management information preoperatively is associated with improved functional gain after elective total joint arthroplasty. Lemay CA, Lewis CG, Singh JA, et al. J Arthroplasty 2017 Jun;32(6):1763-8. Epub 2017 Jan 26. Access the abstract on PubMed^®.

Building a better operating room: views from surgery and architecture. Ibrahim AM, Dimick JB, Joseph A. Ann Surg 2017 Jan;265(1):34-6. Access the abstract on PubMed^®.