Patient Safety
Computerized algorithms that generate reminders, alerts, protocols, and other information reduce clinical errors
New Zealand's no-fault approach to medical injury cases has the potential to prevent such injuries in the future
Women's Health
Hysterectomy does not appear to diminish long-term life satisfaction among older women
Long-term outcomes are comparable for inpatient and outpatient treatment of women with pelvic inflammatory disease
Outcomes/Effectiveness Research
New measure may help prevent patients with pneumonia from being sent home from the hospital too soon
People who have diabetes are twice as likely to use complementary and alternative medicine as other patients
Elevated lipoprotein(a) may be a risk factor for problems with vascular access among black hemodialysis patients
Use of subcutaneous instead of IV erthropoietin for end-stage renal disease patients could reduce Medicare costs
Users of nonaspirin, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medicines may benefit from use of aspirin for cardioprotection
Lower birthweight may be associated with patient responses to certain antihypertensive medications
Iron deficiency in utero is associated with diminished performance in certain mental and psychomotor tests
Researchers examine prevalence, quality of life, and treatment of men suffering from prostate problems
Primary Care
Primary care doctors suspect that one in five childhood injuries they see is due to physical abuse
Pediatricians often make referrals to specialists during telephone conversations with parents
Pneumonia vaccination rates remain low, and racial disparities exit
Obese patients have a greater illness burden than other patients and usually are less satisfied with their health care
Impaired nursing home residents may not get the end-of-life care they want, even if they have an advance directive
Mental Health
Depression in people with diabetes is associated with increased health care use and higher expenditures
Primary care physicians often prescribe psychotropic drugs to treat hyperactivity and depression in children
Although a sense of control at work and home affects people's risk for depression and anxiety, social class also counts
Health Care Costs and Financing
Expanding income eligibility for State Children's Health Insurance Programs would not burden the program
New case study indicates that mental health parity did not raise costs for a large employer who used a managed care arrangement
Shifting to Medicaid managed care in New Mexico increased barriers for rural residents and burdened safety-net providers
Accreditation of managed care health plans does not necessarily ensure high quality care or higher enrollment rates
Health plans can work toward eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities by developing better data
Medical Informatics
Collaborations between medical informatics and health services reseach are a natural bridge to improved health care quality
Agency News and Notes
Joint Commission and National Quality Forum establish the John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety Awards
AHRQ launches GOLD on the Web
Announcements
AHRQ announces a new recommendation on screening for depression and other materials from the U.S Preventive Services Task Force
Web conference on child health scheduled for mid-July
AHRQ releases nine new evidence reports, including one on methods used to rate the strength of scientific evidence
AHRQ schedules MEPS users' workshops
New publications now available from AHRQ
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