Issue Brief Explores the Unique Challenges of Studying and Improving Diagnostic Safety for Children

AHRQ Stats: Regional Differences in Percentage of People Receiving COVID-19 Treatment

In 2020, 4.4 percent and 4.3 percent of people living in the Midwest and South, respectively, received treatment for COVID-19, significantly more than the percentage that received treatment in the Northeast (3.0 percent) or West (2.9 percent). (Source: AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Statistical Brief #549, Healthcare Use and Expenditures for COVID-19, U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population, 2020.) 

Today's Headlines:

• Issue Brief Explores the Unique Challenges of Studying and Improving Diagnostic Safety for Children.
• Register Now: Oct. 19 Virtual Research Meeting on Improving Patient Safety and Provider Well-Being.
• AHRQ-Supported Online Tool Helps Flag Patient Safety Issues.
• AHRQ Supports Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Month.
• Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network.
• New Research and Evidence From AHRQ.
• Explore Careers at AHRQ.
• AHRQ in the Professional Literature.

Issue Brief Explores the Unique Challenges of Studying and Improving Diagnostic Safety for Children

A new issue brief examines the unique challenges of studying and improving diagnostic safety for children in respect to their overall health, access to care and unique aspects of diagnostic testing limitations for multiple pediatric conditions. The issue brief features approaches to address these challenges cross the care-delivery spectrum, including in primary care offices, emergency departments, inpatient wards and intensive care units. It also provides recommendations for building capacity to advance pediatric diagnostic safety. Access the issue brief.

Register Now: Oct. 19 Virtual Research Meeting on Improving Patient Safety and Provider Well-Being

Registration is open for a virtual research meeting on Oct. 19 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET to explore how data from AHRQ’s Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems surveys and other patient experience information can improve patient safety and the well-being of the healthcare workforce. Donald Berwick, M.D., M.P.P., president emeritus and senior fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, will deliver the keynote presentation, “How Improving Patient Experience Can Help Us Achieve the Quintuple Aim in Healthcare.”

AHRQ-Supported Online Tool Helps Flag Patient Safety Issues

A new previsit online engagement tool called OurDX, developed by AHRQ researchers with patients and families, helped identify clinically relevant diagnostic safety opportunities in clinician visits among patients and families living with chronic conditions, according to a new study. Common diagnostic safety opportunities include patients and families not feeling heard; problems/delays with tests or referrals; and problems/delays with explanations or next steps. Patients and families at two U.S. healthcare sites tested OurDX to determine the types and frequencies of potential safety issues and whether their contributions were integrated into the post-visit notes. Using OurDX prior to symptomatic ambulatory visits can help clinicians flag at-risk diagnostic processes at the point of care, according to the study, published in the Journal of American Medical Informatics Association. Access the abstract.

AHRQ Supports Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Month

In recognition of September as National Recovery Month, AHRQ is pleased to support efforts to expand public awareness and assist in mental health and addiction recovery. Since 1989, the National Recovery Month observance has promoted and supported evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the recovery community and service providers who make recovery possible. In alignment with activities by HHS’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration and others, AHRQ offers resources developed to support recovery:

• Integrating Behavioral Health and Primary Care: Unhealthy Alcohol Use Tools & Resources.
• EvidenceNOW: Managing Unhealthy Alcohol Use.
• Fact Sheet on Medication-Assisted Treatment for Unhealthy Alcohol Use (PDF, 712 KB).

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:

• Just what the doctor ordered: missed ordering of venous thromboembolism chemoprophylaxis is associated with increased VTE events in high-risk general surgery patients.
• Diagnostic reliability in teledermatology: a systematic review and a meta-analysis.
• Anesthesia Risk Alert program: a proactive safety initiative.

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).

New Research and Evidence From AHRQ

• Systematic review: Radiation Therapy for Metastatic Bone Disease: Effectiveness and Harms.

Explore Careers at AHRQ

Join the team that strives to improve healthcare for all Americans by investing in health systems research, creating strategies to support practice improvement and providing data and analytics to identify opportunities for improvement. Current vacancies include:

• Director of Healthcare-Associated Infections Division, Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety. Application deadline: Sept. 12.
• Senior Staff Service Fellow, Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Application deadline: Sept. 14.

AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Long-term trends in home respiratory medical equipment among U.S. Medicare patients, 2013-2019. Duan KI, Wong ES, Liao JM, et al. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2022 Aug 15;206(4):509-11. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

The Child Healthcare at MATER Pediatric Study (CHAMPS): a 2-arm cluster randomized control trial of group well child care for mothers in treatment for opioid use disorder and their children. Short VL, Abatemarco DJ, Sood E, et al. Trials 2023 May 17;24(1):333. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Social features of integration in health systems and their relationship to provider experience, care quality and clinical integration. Kerrissey M, Tietschert M, Novikov Z, et al. Med Care Res Rev 2022 Jun;79(3):359-70. Epub 2021 Jun 16. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Identifying workflow disruptions in robotic-assisted bariatric surgery: elucidating challenges experienced by surgical teams. Zamudio J, Kanji FF, Lusk C, et al. Obes Surg 2023 Jul;33(7):2083-9. Epub 2023 May 6. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Internal and environmental predictors of physician practice use of screening and medications for opioid use disorders. Miller-Rosales C, Busch SH, Meara ER, et al. Med Care Res Rev 2023 Aug;80(4):410-22. Epub 2023 Apr 10. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Distributed Cox proportional hazards regression using summary-level information. Li D, Lu W, Shu D, et al. Biostatistics 2023 Jul 14;24(3):776-94. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Using the sociotechnical model to conduct a focused usability assessment of a breast reconstruction decision tool. Foraker R, Phommasathit C, Clevenger K, et al. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 2023 Jul 28;23(1):140. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Engaging stakeholders to adapt an evidence-based family healthy weight program. Darling KE, Hayes JF, Evans EW, et al. Transl Behav Med 2023 Jul;13(7):423-31. Access the abstract on PubMed®.