National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
Latest available findings on quality of and access to health care
Data
- Data Infographics
- Data Visualizations
- Data Tools
- Data Innovations
- All-Payer Claims Database
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)
- Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
- AHRQ Quality Indicator Tools for Data Analytics
- State Snapshots
- United States Health Information Knowledgebase (USHIK)
- Data Sources Available from AHRQ
Search All Research Studies
Topics
- Access to Care (1)
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (1)
- Caregiving (1)
- Children/Adolescents (1)
- COVID-19 (1)
- Education: Patient and Caregiver (1)
- Evidence-Based Practice (2)
- Guidelines (1)
- (-) Healthcare Delivery (8)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (2)
- Health Promotion (1)
- Health Services Research (HSR) (1)
- (-) Maternal Care (8)
- Medicaid (1)
- Newborns/Infants (1)
- Patient-Centered Healthcare (2)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (1)
- Policy (1)
- Pregnancy (7)
- Quality Improvement (1)
- Quality of Care (1)
- Research Methodologies (1)
- Telehealth (2)
- Women (7)
AHRQ Research Studies
Sign up: AHRQ Research Studies Email updates
Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 8 of 8 Research Studies DisplayedSaldanha IJ, Adam GP, Kanaan G
Delivery strategies for postpartum care: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
This systematic review examined the effects of postpartum health care-delivery strategies on health care utilization and maternal outcomes. The authors searched medical databases from inception to November 16, 2022. They found 64 eligible studies (50 randomized controlled trials, 14 nonrandomized comparative studies; N=543,480). The review found that for general postpartum care, care location (clinic, at home, by telephone) did not affect depression or anxiety symptoms (low strength of evidence), and care integration (by multiple types of health care professionals) did not affect depression symptoms or substance use (low strength of evidence). Providing contraceptive care earlier (compared with later) was associated with greater implant use at 6 months (moderate strength of evidence). Low strength of evidence was found for location of breastfeeding affecting hospitalization, other unplanned care utilization, or mental health symptoms. Peer support was associated with higher rates of any or exclusive breastfeeding at 1 month and any breastfeeding at 3-6 months but not other breastfeeding measures (all moderate strength of evidence). Care by a lactation consultant was associated with higher breastfeeding rates at 6 months but not exclusive breastfeeding (all moderate strength of evidence). Moderate strength of evidence was found for the association of use and nonuse of information technology for breastfeeding care with comparable rates of breastfeeding. Moderate strength of evidence was found for the association of testing reminders for screening or preventive care and greater adherence to oral glucose tolerance testing but not random glucose or hemoglobin A1c testing.
AHRQ-funded; 75Q80120D00001; 75Q80121F32007.
Citation: Saldanha IJ, Adam GP, Kanaan G .
Delivery strategies for postpartum care: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Obstet Gynecol 2023 Sep 1; 142(3):529-42. doi: 10.1097/aog.0000000000005293..
Keywords: Maternal Care, Women, Healthcare Delivery, Evidence-Based Practice, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
Peahl AF, Powell A, Berlin H
Patient and provider perspectives of a new prenatal care model introduced in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
The authors evaluated institutional-level adoption and patient and provider experiences with a coronavirus disease 2019 prenatal care model. They found that reduced visit schedules and virtual visits were rapidly integrated into real-world care, with positive experiences for many patients and providers. They recommended future research to understand the health outcomes and care experience associated with alternative approaches to prenatal care delivery across more diverse patient populations outside of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic to inform broader health policy decisions.
AHRQ-funded; HS025465.
Citation: Peahl AF, Powell A, Berlin H .
Patient and provider perspectives of a new prenatal care model introduced in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
Am J Obstet Gynecol 2021 Apr;224(4):384.e1-84.e11. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2020.10.008..
Keywords: Maternal Care, Pregnancy, Patient-Centered Healthcare, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Healthcare Delivery, COVID-19
Peahl AF, Smith RD, Moniz MN
Prenatal care redesign: creating flexible maternity care models through virtual care.
Each year, over 98% of the almost 4 million pregnant patients in the United States receive prenatal care-a crucial preventive service to improve outcomes for moms and babies. In this paper, the authors outline their experience rapidly transitioning prenatal care to a new model with 4 in-person visits, 1 ultrasound visit, and 4 virtual visits (the 4-1-4 prenatal plan). They then explore how lessons from this implementation can inform patient-centered prenatal care redesign during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
AHRQ-funded; HS025465.
Citation: Peahl AF, Smith RD, Moniz MN .
Prenatal care redesign: creating flexible maternity care models through virtual care.
Am J Obstet Gynecol 2020 Sep;223(3):389.e1-89.e10. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2020.05.029..
Keywords: Maternal Care, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Pregnancy, Women, Healthcare Delivery, Patient-Centered Healthcare
Friedman Peahl A, Heisler M, Essenmacher LK
A comparison of international prenatal care guidelines for low-risk women to inform high-value care.
The authors compared U.S. to international prenatal care consensus guidelines for low-risk women to inform care delivery reforms. They found that U.S. and peer-country guidelines recommended similar prenatal education and psychosocial services for low-risk women; however, peer countries generally recommended fewer visits, longer intervals between visits, and less reliance on obstetrician-gynecologists for routine, low-risk prenatal care. They recommended that further investigation evaluate associations between recommended care and actual practice, as well as the effects of different components of prenatal care and delivery models on maternal-infant outcomes, patient-centeredness, and health care expenditures in the U.S.
AHRQ-funded; HS025465.
Citation: Friedman Peahl A, Heisler M, Essenmacher LK .
A comparison of international prenatal care guidelines for low-risk women to inform high-value care.
Am J Obstet Gynecol 2020 May;222(5):505-07. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2020.01.021..
Keywords: Maternal Care, Pregnancy, Women, Guidelines, Evidence-Based Practice, Healthcare Delivery
Peahl AF, Novara A, Heisler M
Patient preferences for prenatal and postpartum care delivery: a survey of postpartum women.
The objective of this study was to describe patients' preferences for prenatal and postpartum care delivery. The investigators concluded that current prenatal and postpartum care delivery did not match patients' preferences for visit number or between-visit contact, and patients were open to alternative models of prenatal care, including remote monitoring.
AHRQ-funded; HS025465.
Citation: Peahl AF, Novara A, Heisler M .
Patient preferences for prenatal and postpartum care delivery: a survey of postpartum women.
Obstet Gynecol 2020 May;135(5):1038-46. doi: 10.1097/aog.0000000000003731.
.
.
Keywords: Pregnancy, Maternal Care, Women, Healthcare Delivery
Gordon SH, Sommers BD, Wilson IB
Effects of Medicaid expansion on postpartum coverage and outpatient utilization.
Timely postpartum care is associated with lower maternal morbidity and mortality, yet fewer than half of Medicaid beneficiaries attend a postpartum visit. Using Medicaid claims data for 2013-2015 from Colorado, which expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and Utah, which did not, the authors conclude that expansion may promote the stability of postpartum coverage and increase the use of postpartum outpatient care in the Medicaid program.
AHRQ-funded; HS025560.
Citation: Gordon SH, Sommers BD, Wilson IB .
Effects of Medicaid expansion on postpartum coverage and outpatient utilization.
Health Aff 2020 Jan;39(1):77-84. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00547..
Keywords: Medicaid, Pregnancy, Women, Access to Care, Maternal Care, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Policy, Healthcare Delivery
Connor KA, Duran G, Faiz-Nassar M
Feasibility of implementing group well baby/well woman dyad care at federally qualified health centers.
The aim of this qualitative study was to assess stakeholder perspectives on the feasibility of implementing Centering Parenting (CP) in federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in Baltimore. The investigators concluded that perceptions regarding facilitators and barriers to CP implementation in FQHCs were similar to existing group well-child care literature; however the benefit of emphasis on maternal wellness was a unique finding. The investigators suggested that a maternal wellness integration might make CP a particularly desirable model for implementation at FQHCs, but potential systems barriers must be addressed.
AHRQ-funded; HS017596.
Citation: Connor KA, Duran G, Faiz-Nassar M .
Feasibility of implementing group well baby/well woman dyad care at federally qualified health centers.
Acad Pediatr 2018 Jul;18(5):510-15. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2017.09.011..
Keywords: Caregiving, Children/Adolescents, Education: Patient and Caregiver, Health Promotion, Healthcare Delivery, Maternal Care, Newborns/Infants, Pregnancy, Women
Phillippi JC, Hartmann KE
Differentiating research, quality improvement, and case studies to ethically incorporate pregnant women.
This article discusses the need to involve pregnant women in research, quality improvement, and case studies and how to involve them in an ethical way with high standards to protect participants. This review includes vignettes to distinguish between the different types of studies and emphasizes that perinatal care providers will need to seek institutional review board approval for all research to be conducted.
AHRQ-funded; HS024733.
Citation: Phillippi JC, Hartmann KE .
Differentiating research, quality improvement, and case studies to ethically incorporate pregnant women.
J Midwifery Womens Health 2018 Jan;63(1):104-14. doi: 10.1111/jmwh.12673..
Keywords: Health Services Research (HSR), Healthcare Delivery, Maternal Care, Pregnancy, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement, Research Methodologies, Women