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
AHRQ Research Studies Date
Topics
- Cancer (5)
- Cancer: Breast Cancer (2)
- Cancer: Ovarian Cancer (1)
- Case Study (1)
- Children/Adolescents (2)
- Community-Acquired Infections (1)
- Data (1)
- Depression (1)
- Diagnostic Safety and Quality (2)
- Digestive Disease and Health (1)
- Disabilities (1)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (1)
- Family Health and History (2)
- (-) Genetics (13)
- Healthcare Costs (1)
- Health Information Technology (HIT) (1)
- Infectious Diseases (1)
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (1)
- Mortality (1)
- Neurological Disorders (2)
- Policy (1)
- Practice Patterns (1)
- Quality of Life (1)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (1)
- Risk (3)
- Screening (3)
- Sexual Health (1)
- Shared Decision Making (1)
- Social Determinants of Health (1)
- Surgery (1)
- Women (3)
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 13 of 13 Research Studies DisplayedLi D, Haritunians T, Landers C
Late-onset Crohn's Disease is a subgroup distinct in genetic and behavioral risk factors with UC-like characteristics.
Age of onset is linked to variations in clinical phenotypes and natural history in Crohn's disease (CD). In this study, the investigators aimed to define etiologically more homogenous subgroups in CD based on ages of onset. The investigators concluded that late-onset CD was subgroup distinct in genetic and behavioral risk factors with UC-like characteristics.
AHRQ-funded; HS021747.
Citation: Li D, Haritunians T, Landers C .
Late-onset Crohn's Disease is a subgroup distinct in genetic and behavioral risk factors with UC-like characteristics.
Inflamm Bowel Dis 2018 Oct 12;24(11):2413-22. doi: 10.1093/ibd/izy148..
Keywords: Digestive Disease and Health, Risk, Genetics
Wilson LE, Pollack CE, Greiner MA
Association between physician characteristics and the use of 21-gene recurrence score genomic testing among Medicare beneficiaries with early-stage breast cancer, 2008-2011.
This study sought to determine whether physician-level characteristics were associated with 21-gene recurrence score (RS) genomic testing to evaluate recurrence risk and benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with estrogen receptor-positive, node-negative breast cancer. The study concluded that although most RS testing was ordered by medical oncologists, physicians in other specialties ordered roughly one-third of the tests. Physician characteristics, including gender and time in practice, were associated with receiving testing.
AHRQ-funded; HS022189.
Citation: Wilson LE, Pollack CE, Greiner MA .
Association between physician characteristics and the use of 21-gene recurrence score genomic testing among Medicare beneficiaries with early-stage breast cancer, 2008-2011.
Breast Cancer Res Treat 2018 Jul;170(2):361-71. doi: 10.1007/s10549-018-4746-6..
Keywords: Cancer, Cancer: Breast Cancer, Genetics, Practice Patterns, Women
Polubriaginof FCG, Vanguri R, Quinnies K
Disease heritability inferred from familial relationships reported in medical records.
Electronic health records (EHRs) passively capture a wide range of clinically relevant data and provide a resource for studying the heritability of traits that are not typically accessible. This study used EHR data to compute heritability estimates for 500 disease phenotypes. These analyses provided a validation of the use of EHRs for genetics and disease research.
AHRQ-funded; HS021816; HS022961.
Citation: Polubriaginof FCG, Vanguri R, Quinnies K .
Disease heritability inferred from familial relationships reported in medical records.
Cell 2018 Jun 14;173(7):1692-704.e11. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.04.032..
Keywords: Data, Family Health and History, Genetics, Health Information Technology (HIT), Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
Childers KK, Maggard-Gibbons M, Macinko J
National distribution of cancer genetic testing in the United States: evidence for a gender disparity in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.
Identifying mutation carriers is critical for treatment decisions, cancer prevention, and early detection. This study analyzed the 2015 US National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), a cross-sectional in-person interview gathering self-reported health data for the US population. The study found that while cancer genetic testing seems to reach a broad geographic and sociodemographic population in the national survey, there remain underrepresented groups, including Hispanics, the uninsured, noncitizens, and those with less education.
AHRQ-funded; HS025079.
Citation: Childers KK, Maggard-Gibbons M, Macinko J .
National distribution of cancer genetic testing in the United States: evidence for a gender disparity in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.
JAMA Oncol 2018 Jun;4(6):876-79. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2018.0340..
Keywords: Cancer, Cancer: Breast Cancer, Cancer: Ovarian Cancer, Genetics, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Screening, Social Determinants of Health, Women
Gray SW, Gagan J, cerami E
Interactive or static reports to guide clinical interpretation of cancer genomics.
Misinterpretation of complex genomic data presents a major challenge in the implementation of precision oncology. In this randomized, vignette-based survey study, the investigators sought to determine whether interactive genomic reports with embedded clinician education and optimized data visualization improved genomic data interpretation. The investigators concluded that interactive genomic reports may improve physicians' ability to accurately assess genomic data and increase report-related satisfaction.
AHRQ-funded; HS024984.
Citation: Gray SW, Gagan J, cerami E .
Interactive or static reports to guide clinical interpretation of cancer genomics.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2018 May;25(5):458-64. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocx150..
Keywords: Genetics, Cancer, Diagnostic Safety and Quality
Roberts MC, Dotson WD, DeVore CS
AHRQ Author: Ganiats TG
Delivery of cascade screening for hereditary conditions: a scoping review of the literature.
The authors conducted a scoping review to obtain a broad overview of cascade screening interventions, facilitators and barriers to their use, relevant policy considerations, and future research needs. They sought standardized best practices for optimizing cascade screening across various geographic and policy contexts, but found none. Studies in which trained providers contacted relatives directly, rather than through probands (index patients), showed greater cascade screening uptake; however, policies in some states might limit this approach.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Roberts MC, Dotson WD, DeVore CS .
Delivery of cascade screening for hereditary conditions: a scoping review of the literature.
Health Aff 2018 May;37(5):801-08. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2017.1630.
.
.
Keywords: Family Health and History, Genetics, Policy, Screening
Lewis AH, Chugh A, Sobotka SA
Behavioral outbursts in a child with a deletion syndrome, generalized epilepsy, global developmental delay, and failure to thrive.
This paper presents the case of a 7-year-old girl with 20q13.33 deletion and a history of generalized convulsive epilepsy who presented to the Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Clinic due to concerns about her behavioral outbursts in the context of overall delayed development.
AHRQ-funded; HS023007.
Citation: Lewis AH, Chugh A, Sobotka SA .
Behavioral outbursts in a child with a deletion syndrome, generalized epilepsy, global developmental delay, and failure to thrive.
Pediatr Ann 2018 Mar;47(3):e130-e34. doi: 10.3928/19382359-20180223-01..
Keywords: Case Study, Children/Adolescents, Disabilities, Genetics, Neurological Disorders
Haymart MR
Is BRAF V600E mutation the explanation for age-associated mortality risk in patients with papillary thyroid cancer?
In this editorial, the author discusses an article appearing within the same issue. She states that the general hypothesis that age-related differences in mortality could be linked to underlying pathogenesis and specifically to oncogenic alterations is probable. She recommends confirmatory studies and concludes that this area of investigation offers potential opportunities to tailor prognostication further through a better understanding of pathogenesis.
AHRQ-funded; HS024512.
Citation: Haymart MR .
Is BRAF V600E mutation the explanation for age-associated mortality risk in patients with papillary thyroid cancer?
J Clin Oncol 2018 Feb 10;36(5):433-34. doi: 10.1200/jco.2017.76.2583..
Keywords: Cancer, Genetics, Mortality, Risk
Dickerson JF, Feeny DH, Clarke GN
Evidence on the longitudinal construct validity of major generic and utility measures of health-related quality of life in teens with depression.
This study examined the longitudinal construct validity in the assessment of changes in depressive symptoms of widely used utility and generic health-related quality of life (HRQL) instruments in teens. Its findings support the longitudinal construct validity of included HRQL instruments for the assessment of change in depression outcomes in teens.
AHRQ-funded; HS017720.
Citation: Dickerson JF, Feeny DH, Clarke GN .
Evidence on the longitudinal construct validity of major generic and utility measures of health-related quality of life in teens with depression.
Qual Life Res 2018 Feb;27(2):447-54. doi: 10.1007/s11136-017-1728-9.
.
.
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Depression, Genetics, Quality of Life
Taylor BD, Totten PA, Astete SG
Toll-like receptor variants and cervical Atopobium vaginae infection in women with pelvic inflammatory disease.
Toll-like (TLR) receptor genetic variants have been implicated in bacterial vaginosis (BV). This study determined whether TLR variants are associated with fastidious BV-associated microbes that are linked with infertility following pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). The investigators concluded that host gene variants in TLR2 signaling pathways were modestly associated with cervical A. vaginae in women with clinical PID.
AHRQ-funded; HS008358.
Citation: Taylor BD, Totten PA, Astete SG .
Toll-like receptor variants and cervical Atopobium vaginae infection in women with pelvic inflammatory disease.
Am J Reprod Immunol 2018 Feb;79(2). doi: 10.1111/aji.12804..
Keywords: Genetics, Sexual Health, Women
Hui KY, Fernandez-Hernandez H, Hu J
Functional variants in the LRRK2 gene confer shared effects on risk for Crohn's disease and Parkinson's disease.
Researchers studied the risk for Crohn’s disease (CD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) in a population of Ashkenazi Jews who have the LRRK2 gene. This gene provides a risk for both conditions, However, some alleles (like N2081D variant) conferred more risk for CD or protection from CD (N551K variant). These shared alleles may provide insight into disease mechanisms and treatments.
AHRQ-funded; HS021747.
Citation: Hui KY, Fernandez-Hernandez H, Hu J .
Functional variants in the LRRK2 gene confer shared effects on risk for Crohn's disease and Parkinson's disease.
Sci Transl Med 2018 Jan 10;10(423). doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aai7795..
Keywords: Genetics, Neurological Disorders, Risk
Balentine CJ, Vanness DJ, Schneider DF
Cost-effectiveness of lobectomy versus genetic testing (Afirma(R)) for indeterminate thyroid nodules: considering the costs of surveillance.
This study evaluated whether diagnostic thyroidectomy for indeterminate thyroid nodules would be more cost-effective than genetic testing after including the costs of long-term surveillance. Its base case estimate suggests that diagnostic lobectomy dominates genetic testing as a strategy for ruling out malignancy of indeterminate thyroid nodules.
AHRQ-funded; HS023009.
Citation: Balentine CJ, Vanness DJ, Schneider DF .
Cost-effectiveness of lobectomy versus genetic testing (Afirma(R)) for indeterminate thyroid nodules: considering the costs of surveillance.
Surgery 2018 Jan;163(1):88-96. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2017.10.004.
.
.
Keywords: Cancer, Shared Decision Making, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Genetics, Healthcare Costs, Screening, Surgery
Wardyn SE, Stegger M, Price LB
Whole-genome analysis of recurrent Staphylococcus aureus t571/ST398 infection in farmer, Iowa, USA.
Staphylococcus aureus strain sequence type (ST) 398 has emerged during the last decade, largely among persons who have contact with swine or other livestock. Although colonization with ST398 is common in livestock workers, infections are not frequently documented. The authors report recurrent ST398-IIa infection in an Iowa farmer in contact with swine and cattle.
AHRQ-funded; HS019966.
Citation: Wardyn SE, Stegger M, Price LB .
Whole-genome analysis of recurrent Staphylococcus aureus t571/ST398 infection in farmer, Iowa, USA.
Emerg Infect Dis 2018 Jan;24(1):153-54. doi: 10.3201/eid2401.161184.
.
.
Keywords: Community-Acquired Infections, Genetics, Infectious Diseases, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)