Study Identifies Characteristics of Zero-Burnout Primary Care Practices

AHRQ Stats: Flu Shots Among Adults at Increased Risk of COVID-19

Adults at increased risk of COVID-19, due to underlying health conditions such as diabetes, cancer or heart disease, were more likely to get flu shots (52.5 percent) compared with lower-risk adults (34.9 percent). These estimates are based on prepandemic (2016) vaccination rates. (Source: AHRQ, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Research Findings #48: Influenza Vaccination Prevalence Among Adults with Increased Risk of COVID-19.)

Today's Headlines:

• Study Identifies Characteristics of Zero-Burnout Primary Care Practices.
• New Patient Safety Network WebM&M Cases on Avoiding Severe Medical Errors .
• Data Visualization Tool Shows Falls Are Most Common Injury Seen in Emergency Departments.
• New Tool Helps Nursing Homes Track Resident and Staff Vaccinations.
• Journal Publications Cited for Exceptional Use of Data From Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project.
• AHRQ in the Professional Literature.

Study Identifies Characteristics of Zero-Burnout Primary Care Practices

Primary care practices with zero burnout were more likely to use quality improvement strategies and be owned by one or a small number of clinicians, and were less likely to have participated in accountable care organizations, than high-burnout practices, according to an AHRQ-funded study in Health Affairs. In their survey of 715 small- and medium-size primary practices, researchers funded through AHRQ’s EvidenceNOW: Advancing Heart Health initiative also found zero-burnout practices had higher levels of psychological safety and adaptive reserve, a measure of practice capacity for learning and development. Access the abstract of the study.

New Patient Safety Network WebM&M Cases on Avoiding Severe Medical Errors

New Web M&M (Morbidity & Mortality Rounds on the Web) cases from AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network (PSNet) feature expert analyses of medical errors, including the case of a 65-year-old man who died after receiving a norepinephrine dose 70 times greater than intended. Another case involves a 4-year-old boy with a complex medical history who was hospitalized with hyponatremia after receiving an incorrect home parenteral nutrition solution. In addition to the most recent Web M&Ms, PSNet regularly highlights journal articles, books and tools related to patient safety. Articles featured this week include:

• Shift-to-shift nursing handover interventions associated with improved inpatient outcomes - falls, pressure injuries and medication administration errors: an integrative review.
• Impact of opioid administration in the intensive care unit and subsequent use in opioid-naïve patients.
• Enhancing psychological safety in mental health services.

Review additional new publications in PSNet’s current issue.

Data Visualization Tool Shows Falls Are Most Common Injury Seen in Emergency Departments

A new interactive data visualization tool from AHRQ allows users to explore emergency department (ED) visit rates across common injury causes. The tool shows that falls vastly outnumber other types of injuries causing ED visits for almost every age, community-level income, location and sex. The only group for whom falls were not the most common injury was adults ages 18–29. The visualization is based on Overview of Emergency Department Visits Related to Injuries, by Cause of Injury, 2017, a statistical brief from the agency’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Access additional data visualizations on topics ranging from health insurance trends to characteristics of preventable hospital stays.

New Tool Helps Nursing Homes Track Resident and Staff Vaccinations

AHRQ’s new Nursing Home Vaccine Administration Records for Staff and Residents help users collect, record and file necessary information on COVID-19 vaccinations. A pair of single-page record-keeping tools allows nursing home staff to collect information on every resident (PDF, 270 KB) and staff member (PDF, 302 KB) who is offered the COVID-19 vaccine. The forms, which can be used electronically or as a paper record, capture the vaccine manufacturer, injection dates, adverse reactions, administration location and whether the vaccine is declined. Instructions explain how to enter the data into either version of tool.

Journal Publications Cited for Exceptional Use of Data From Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project

Three studies have received the HCUP Outstanding Article of the Year Award, an annual recognition of peer-reviewed research that makes exceptional use of data from AHRQ’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) to address healthcare research topics. The award winners were named June 16 at the AcademyHealth Virtual 2021 Annual Research Meeting:

Clinical winners:

• Association between Age and Umbilical Hernia Repair Outcomes in Children: A Multistate Population-Based Cohort Study, published in the Journal of Pediatrics.
• Racial/Ethnic Disparities/Differences in Hysterectomy Route in Women Likely Eligible for Minimally Invasive Surgery, published in the Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology.

Policy winner:

• Readmission Rates for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Under the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program: an Interrupted Time Series Analysis published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Access more information on the award and past recipients.

AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Hospital variation in admissions to neonatal intensive care units by diagnosis severity and category. Haidari ES, Lee HC, Illuzzi JL, et al. J Perinatol 2021 Mar;41(3):468-77. Epub 2020 Aug 14. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

NxGen evidence: redesigning the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Effective Health Care website to promote engagement, interactivity, and usability of systematic reviews. Reid E, Guise JM, Fiordalisi C, et al. Res Synth Methods 2021 Jan;12(1):118-23. Epub 2020 Aug 20. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

User-centered design of a longitudinal care plan for children with medical complexity. Desai AD, Wang G, Wignall J, et al. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2020 Dec 9;27(12):1860-70. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Understanding the surgical experience for African-Americans and Caucasians with enhanced recovery. Dos Santos Marques IC, Herbey II, Theiss LM, et al. J Surg Res 2020 Jun;250:12-22. Epub 2020 Jan 31. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

How long-term acute care hospitals can play an important role in controlling carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in a region: a simulation modeling study. Lee BY, Bartsch SM, Lin MY, et al. Am J Epidemiol 2021 Feb 1;190(3):448-58. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Management practices for leaders to promote infection prevention: lessons from a qualitative study. McAlearney AS, Gaughan AA, DePuccio MJ, et al. Am J Infect Control 2021 May;49(5):536-41. Epub 2020 Sep 24. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Identifying outlier patterns of inconsistent ambulance billing in Medicare. Sanghavi P, Jena AB, Newhouse JP, et al. Health Serv Res 2021 Apr;56(2):188-92. Epub 2021 Jan 25. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Racial disparities in post-acute home health care referral and utilization among older adults with diabetes. Smith JM, Jarrín OF, Lin H, et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021 Mar 19;18(6):3196. Access the abstract on PubMed®.