Emergency Departments Don’t Coordinate How They Collect, Use Social Needs Information

AHRQ Stats

Access more data on this topic in the associated statistical brief, plus additional AHRQ data infographics

Today's Headlines:

• Emergency Departments Don’t Coordinate How They Collect, Use Social Needs Information.
• AHRQ Grantee Simon Mahler Explores Strategies To Safely and Efficiently Treat Patients With Chest Pain.
• Coverage Problems Found for Both Publicly, Commercially Insured Children During Pandemic.
• AHRQ Commits to Priority Actions for Suicide Prevention.
• Upcoming AHRQ Webinars.
• Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network.
• New Research and Evidence From AHRQ.
• AHRQ in the Professional Literature.

Emergency Departments Don’t Coordinate How They Collect, Use Social Needs Information

Emergency departments need to be more effective at coordinating the collection and use of “health-related social needs” information, a new AHRQ-funded study has found. The study, published in BMC Emergency Medicine, found that information such as transportation bar­riers, housing instability, food insecurity and financial strain is inconsistently available, influenced by patient willingness to disclose it. Researchers conducted interviews with emergency department clinicians, staff and patients, and learned that staff prefer collecting this information through direct conversations, but patients’ disclosure varies based on the method and the questioner. Patients and ED providers and staff differed in their perspectives on how health-related social needs information should be collected and acted upon. Accounting for such difference in clinical and administrative decisions will be critical for patient acceptance and effective usage of the information. Access the abstract.

AHRQ Grantee Simon Mahler Explores Strategies To Safely and Efficiently Treat Patients With Chest Pain

People who go to an emergency department with chest pain are often admitted for further observation, testing or treatment. However, most patients do not need to be admitted and can safely go home. Simon A. Mahler, M.D., a professor and vice chair of research at Wake Forest University School of Medicine’s Department of Emergency Medicine, is using AHRQ funding to test a strategy he calls CARE, for Cardiovascular Ambulatory Rapid Evaluation. He aims to find out if moderate-risk patients can be sent home safely and receive outpatient clinic follow-up within 72 hours in lieu of being admitted immediately. Access more information about Dr. Mahler’s work as a first-time grantee, as well as profiles of other AHRQ grantees.

Coverage Problems Found for Both Publicly, Commercially Insured Children During Pandemic

An AHRQ-funded study pinpoints challenges in both public and commercial health insurance for children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzing data from 2016 to 2021, research featured in JAMA Health Forum found that children with public insurance experienced more inconsistent coverage, which is defined as having a gap over the past year, compared with children covered by private insurance (4.2 percent vs. 1.4 percent). However, children with public insurance had fewer instances of inadequate or insufficient coverage compared with commercially insured children (12.2 percent vs. 33.0 percent). Researchers also found that during the pandemic, inconsistent insurance for publicly insured children dropped by 42 percent, while inadequate insurance for those with commercial insurance decreased by 6 percent. The authors concluded their findings by calling for tailored policies to improve health coverage for both groups. Access the abstract.

AHRQ Commits to Priority Actions for Suicide Prevention

The Biden-Harris administration's 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention introduced a comprehensive,10-year plan to tackle suicide across society. AHRQ has committed to six of the priority actions outlined in the plan, including conducting systematic reviews, producing statistical briefs and identifying measures for assessing the quality of care provided to individuals with suicide risk. Access more information provided by the AHRQ Academy, which promotes the integration of behavioral health into primary and ambulatory care settings.

Upcoming AHRQ Webinars

• June 27, 11 a.m. to noon ET: National Evaluation and Grantee Findings from the Unhealthy Alcohol Use in Primary Care Initiative. This webinar will highlight findings from AHRQ EvidenceNow: Managing Unhealthy Alcohol Use grantees who used quality improvement strategies to increase primary care screening, management and evidence-based treatment for unhealthy alcohol use. The fourth leading cause of preventable death in the United States, unhealthy alcohol use is associated with deteriorating mental and physical health as well as social and economic problems. Access information about webinar speakers and registration.
• July 24, 2:30 to 4 p.m. ET: Medication Without Harm—How Digital Healthcare Tools Can Support Providers and Improve Patient Safety. Experts who will share how quality improvement approaches and digital healthcare interventions such as clinical decision support tools are reducing medication errors, improving provider effectiveness and enhancing patient safety in a variety of clinical care settings. The webinar is part of a series offered by AHRQ’s Digital Healthcare Research Program. Access information about panelists and registration.

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:

• Interventions to prevent falls in older adults: updated evidence report and systematic review for the US Preventive Services Task Force.
• Incidence of drug-related adverse events related to the use of high-alert drugs: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
• Anesthesia-related closed claims in free-standing ambulatory surgery centers.

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

New Research and Evidence From AHRQ

Comparative Effectiveness Review (draft open for comment): Mental Health and Occupational Stress in the Emergency Medical Services and 911 Workforce

AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Subspecialty pediatrics: an unmet opportunity to address unmet social risks. Wadhwani SI, Pantell MS, Winestone LE. Acad Pediatr. 2024 Mar;24(2):204-7. Epub 2023 Jul 26. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Patient sex, racial and ethnic disparities in emergency department triage: a multi-site retrospective study. Patel MD, Lin P, Cheng Q, et al. Am J Emerg Med. 2024 Feb;76:29-35. Epub 2023 Nov 10. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Health system integration and cancer center access for rural hospitals. Amu-Nnadi CN, Ross ES, Garcia NH, et al. Am Surg. 2024 May;90(5):1023-9. Epub 2023 Dec 10. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Associations between patient safety culture and workplace safety culture in hospital settings. Hesgrove B, Zebrak K, Yount N, et al. BMC Health Serv Res. 2024 May 2;24(1):568. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Home time and state regulations among Medicare beneficiaries in assisted living communities. Mao Y, Li Y, McGarry B, et al. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2024 Mar;72(3):742-52. Epub 2023 Dec 8. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Strengthening quality measurement to predict success for total knee arthroplasty: results from a nationally representative total knee arthroplasty cohort. Zheng H, Ash AS, Yang W, et al. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2024 Apr 17;106(8):708-15. Epub 2024 Jan 25. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Development of a hospital coding intensity measure based on sepsis diagnoses. Ellenbogen MI, Weiner JP, Zhu Y, et al. J Hosp Med. 2024 Jun;19(6):505-7. Epub 2024 April 1. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Caregiver perspectives on receiving gender-affirming care with their transgender and gender diverse adolescents via telemedicine. Kahn NF, Asante PG, Guler J, et al. LGBTQ Fam. 2024;20(3):190-200. Epub 2024 Feb 20. Access the abstract on PubMed®.