Surge in Drug Shortages Occurred in Wake of Pandemic, Study Finds

AHRQ Stats: Trends in Psychological Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Between 2018 and 2021, the proportion of adults who reported experiencing psychological distress increased from 3.5 percent to 4.2 percent. However, among adults experiencing serious distress, the rate of outpatient mental health care decreased from 46.5 percent to 40.4 percent. (Source: Annals of Internal Medicine, Trends in Psychological Distress and Outpatient Mental Health Care of Adults During the COVID-19 Era.)

Today's Headlines:

• Surge in Drug Shortages Occurred in Wake of Pandemic, Study Finds
• April 23 Webinar Will Highlight Advancements by National Action Alliance for Patient and Workforce Safety
• Now Available: Updated TeamSTEPPS 3.0 Pocket Guide App
• Register Now: April 29 Virtual Grand Rounds To Highlight Making Healthcare Safer IV Report
• Resources Help Manage Unhealthy Alcohol Use
• Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network
• Research Funding Opportunities From AHRQ
• AHRQ in the Professional Literature.

Surge in Drug Shortages Occurred in Wake of Pandemic, Study Finds

A recent AHRQ-funded study on pharmaceutical supply chains revealed a significant spike in drug shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the article, published in JAMA Network Open, researchers analyzed data from 2017 to 2021 and found that 13.7 percent of drugs with supply chain issues faced shortages and 6.4 percent were associated with severe shortages, compared with 4.1 percent for unaffected medications. Shortages peaked from February to April 2020, gradually decreasing after May 2020. Researchers said that injectable drugs, generics and essential World Health Organization medicines had lower odds of shortages. They urged continued policy effort to mitigate shortages and prepare pharmaceutical supply chains for future, unanticipated shocks. Access the abstract.

April 23 Webinar Will Highlight Advancements by National Action Alliance for Patient and Workforce Safety

Registration is open for a webinar on April 23 from noon to 1 p.m. ET to highlight progress made by the National Action Alliance for Patient and Workforce Safety. Established by AHRQ on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services, the initiative is a collective effort of federal agencies and private partners to improve the safety of patients and the healthcare workforce across all healthcare delivery settings. Webinar speakers will discuss strategies for achieving 50 percent improvement in preventable harm to patients and healthcare workers. Funding opportunities, resources to improve safety and updates from federal partners will also be featured. Access more information about the National Action Alliance.

Now Available: Updated TeamSTEPPS 3.0 Pocket Guide App

AHRQ has updated its Pocket Guide App for the TeamSTEPPS® 3.0 curriculum. TeamSTEPPS is designed to improve patient safety by training healthcare teams to communicate and practice effective teamwork. The app mirrors content in the pocket guide and provides quick reference to key TeamSTEPPS concepts and tools. Access the pocket guide and the app.

Register Now: April 29 Virtual Grand Rounds To Highlight Making Healthcare Safer IV Report

A virtual Grand Rounds on April 29 from noon to 2 p.m. ET will highlight findings in AHRQ’s Making Healthcare Safer IV Report, a suite of rapid evidence reports on patient safety harms and practices. The Grand Rounds series highlights the work of AHRQ’s Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) Program, which promotes and facilitates the use of evidence in healthcare decisions. The Grand Rounds will focus on awareness and implementation of findings in three reports:

• Opioid Stewardship Interventions.
• Engaging Family Caregivers.
• Rapid Response Systems.

Register now for the event, which will feature presentations from report authors and industry experts. Access previous Grand Rounds on topics including pain management, maternal health and telehealth.

Resources Help Manage Unhealthy Alcohol Use

During Alcohol Awareness Month, AHRQ is highlighting resources for clinicians to help patients struggling with alcohol use. Nearly 29 million adults had alcohol use disorder in 2022, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The AHRQ Academy’s searchable database provides nearly 600 resources for managing unhealthy alcohol use, including trainings and toolkits. An AHRQ guide answers primary care clinicians’ questions about prescribing medications to treat alcohol use disorder. Access information about AHRQ’s EvidenceNOW: Managing Unhealthy Alcohol Use Initiative, which is helping primary care practices implement screening, brief intervention and treatment referrals for patients with unhealthy alcohol use.

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:

• Racial implicit bias and communication among physicians in a simulated environment.
• Characteristics and contributing factors of diagnostic error in surgery: analysis of closed medico-legal cases and complaints in Canada.
• A narrative review of the well-being and burnout of U.S. community pharmacists.

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).

Research Funding Opportunities From AHRQ

Health services researchers committed to improving the quality, safety and equity of healthcare can explore a variety of AHRQ funding opportunities to support this work. AHRQ has recently updated its research priorities guidance to include healthcare quality and safety; delivery and practice improvement; and whole-person healthcare delivery. Notice of Funding Opportunities include Research Grants (R series), Career Development Awards (K series) and Research Training and Fellowships (T & F series). Access more information on when to submit applications. Current notices include:

• AHRQ Health Services Research Projects (R01).
• AHRQ Health Services Research Demonstration and Dissemination Grants (R18).
• AHRQ Small Health Services Research Grant Program (R03).

AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Policy solutions to eliminate racial and ethnic child health disparities in the USA. Jindal M, Barnert E, Chomilo N, et al. Lancet Child Adolesc Health 2024 Feb;8(2):159-74. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Adapting cognitive task analysis methods for use in a large sample simulation study of high-risk healthcare events. Militello LG, Salwei ME, Reale C, et al. J Cogn Eng Decis Mak 2023 Dec;17(4):315-31. Epub 2023 Aug 4. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Development of a novel telemedicine tool to reduce disparities related to the identification of preschool children with autism. Wagner L, Vehorn A, Weitlauf AS, et al. J Autism Dev Disord 2023 Dec 8. [Epub ahead of print.] Access the abstract on PubMed®.

The association between food access and frailty among older adults with gastrointestinal malignancies-the CARE Registry. Fowler ME, Harmon C, Sharafeldin N, et al. Cancer 2024 Apr 1;130(7):1083-91. Epub 2023 Dec 7. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Mental health care provision in community health centers and hospital emergency department utilization. Carey K, Cole MB. Health Serv Res 2024 Apr;59(2):e14283. Epub 2024 Jan 20. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Adapting a community pharmacy intervention to improve medication safety. Berbakov ME, Hoffins EL, Stone JA, et al. J Am Pharm Assoc 2024 Jan-Feb;64(1):159-68. Epub 2023 Nov 7. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Continuous Medicaid eligibility during the COVID-19 pandemic and postpartum coverage, health care, and outcomes. Daw JR, MacCallum-Bridges CL, Kozhimannil KB, et al. JAMA Health Forum 2024 Mar;5(3):e240004. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Outcomes after initiation of medications for alcohol use disorder at hospital discharge. Bernstein EY, Baggett TP, Trivedi S, et al. JAMA Netw Open 2024 Mar 4;7(3):e243387. Access the abstract on PubMed®.