AHRQ Views Blog: AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting Is Virtual, but No Less Vital

AHRQ Stats: Urban-Rural Variations in Opioid-Related Inpatient Stays

In 2016, hospitals in U.S. metropolitan areas had a higher average rate of opioid-related inpatient stays (31 per 1,000 stays) compared with hospitals in adjacent rural areas (20 per 1,000), or those in more remote rural areas (16 per 1,000). (Source: AHRQ, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Statistical Brief #258, Hospital Burden of Opioid-Related Inpatient Stays: Metropolitan and Rural Hospitals, 2016.) 

Today's Headlines:

• AHRQ Views Blog: AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting Is Virtual, but No Less Vital.
• Study Estimates How Many Americans Must Be Protected by a Vaccine in Order To Extinguish the COVID-19 Pandemic.
• AHRQ Grantee Profile Highlights Work of Jeffrey Schnipper, M.D., M.P.H., To Advance Medication Safety.
• Webinar on Challenge Competition for Improving Rural Postpartum Mental Health.
• Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network.
• Webinar on Latest Quality Indicators Software.
• AHRQ in the Professional Literature.

AHRQ Views Blog: AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting Is Virtual, but No Less Vital

The importance of the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting is highlighted in a new AHRQ Views blog post by Director Gopal Khanna, M.B.A. The meeting is not in person this year, Director Khanna noted, but its virtual format will not detract from its vitality. In these extraordinary times, the need for high-quality health services research and primary care research has never been more necessary. Access the blog post. To receive all blog posts, submit your email address and select “AHRQ Views Blog.”

Study Estimates How Many Americans Must Be Protected by a Vaccine in Order To Extinguish the COVID-19 Pandemic

A COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine given to 75 percent of the U.S. population must prevent at least 80 percent of infection cases in order to end the COVID-19 pandemic without social distancing measures, according to an AHRQ-funded modeling study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Researchers created a model that simulated the spread of the COVID-19 virus through the U.S. population. They then simulated administration of vaccinations to different proportions of the population to see what percentage of infection cases would need to be prevented in order to end the epidemic. In an additional scenario, researchers estimated that, if 100 percent of the population receives the vaccine, it will need to prevent at least 60 percent of cases in order to end the pandemic without social distancing measures. Access the abstract. 

AHRQ Grantee Profile Highlights Work of Jeffrey Schnipper, M.D., M.P.H., To Advance Medication Safety

AHRQ’s latest grantee profile features medication safety pioneer Jeffrey Schnipper, M.D., M.P.H., research director at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Dr. Schnipper helped advance medication safety by identifying best practices in medication reconciliation—the process of checking medications as patients move from one location to another. Learn more about Dr. Schnipper’s work and access additional AHRQ grantee profiles.

Webinar on Challenge Competition for Improving Rural Postpartum Mental Health

A webinar on August 5 from 2 to 3 p.m. ET will provide an overview and panel discussion about AHRQ’s challenge competition to improve postpartum mental-health care for rural American families. The challenge seeks to elicit success stories and proposals to address postpartum mental-health diagnoses and treatment in rural communities. Success story winners will receive $15,000 each, and winners in the program proposal category can win up to $50,000 to support implementation. Submissions are due Sept. 15.

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:

• Cognitive bias and public health policy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Prevalence and nature of medication errors and medication-related harm following discharge from hospital to community settings: a systematic review.
• Impact of structured interdisciplinary bedside rounding on patient outcomes at a large academic health centre.

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).

Webinar on Latest Quality Indicators Software

A webinar on Aug. 5 from 3 to 4 p.m. ET will highlight the release of new AHRQ Quality Indicators (QIs) v2020 software. The software, scheduled for release July 31 and available in SAS and WIN versions, will include additional and enhanced risk adjustment, updated population methodology and coding updates based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision. The updated QI software will be available on the AHRQ QI website.

AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Practice facilitation to promote evidence-based screening and management of unhealthy alcohol use in primary care: a practice-level randomized controlled trial. Huffstetler AN, Kuzel AJ, Sabo RT, et al. BMC Fam Pract 2020 May 20;21(1):93. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

The structure of critical care nursing teams and patient outcomes: a network analysis. Kelly Costa D, Liu H, Boltey EM, et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2020 Feb 15;201(4):483-5. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Potential role of cost and quality of life in treatment decisions for arthritis-related knee pain in African American and Latina women. Gaskin DJ, Karmarkar TD, Maurer A, et al. Arthritis Care Res 2020 May;72(5):692-8. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Simulation-based team leadership training improves team leadership during actual trauma resuscitations: a randomized controlled trial. Fernandez R, Rosenman ED, Olenick J, et al. Crit Care Med 2020 Jan;48(1):73-82. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Effect of TELEmedicine for inflammatory bowel disease on patient activation and self-efficacy. Bilgrami Z, Abutaleb A, Chudy-Onwugaje K, et al. Dig Dis Sci 2020 Jan;65(1):96-103. Epub 2019 Jan 2. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Variation in hospital admission of sickle cell patients from the emergency department using the Pediatric Health Information System. Jacob SA, Mueller EL, Cochrane AR, et al. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2020 Jun;67(6):e28067. Epub 2019 Nov 14. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Sleep-wake disturbances after acquired brain injury in children surviving critical care. Williams CN, Hartman ME, McEvoy CT, et al. Pediatr Neurol 2020 Feb;103:43-51. Epub 2019 Aug 26. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Capturing the patient voice: implementing patient-reported outcomes across the health system. Austin E, LeRouge C, Hartzler AL, et al. Qual Life Res 2020 Feb;29(2):347-55. Epub 2019 Oct 12. Access the abstract on PubMed®.