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
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 7 of 7 Research Studies DisplayedShao CC, McLeod MC, Gleason L
Effect of COVID-19 pandemic restructuring on surgical volume and outcomes of non-COVID patients undergoing surgery.
The authors sought to assess changes in surgical case mix and outcomes due to restructuring during the pandemic. Institutional ACS-NSQIP data was used to identify patients undergoing surgery at a single tertiary care institution in the Deep South. They found that surgeries during the COVID-19 pandemic were more often outpatient without differences in post-operative outcomes. They recommended additional analysis to determine the impact of duration of operative delay on surgical outcomes with restructuring focusing more on outpatient surgeries.
AHRQ-funded; HS013852.
Citation: Shao CC, McLeod MC, Gleason L .
Effect of COVID-19 pandemic restructuring on surgical volume and outcomes of non-COVID patients undergoing surgery.
Am Surg 2022 Mar;88(3):489-97. doi: 10.1177/00031348211054528..
Keywords: COVID-19, Surgery, Public Health, Outcomes
Johnson CL, Schwartz H, Greenberg A
Patient perceptions on barriers and facilitators to accessing low-acuity surgery during COVID-19 pandemic.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the postponement of low-acuity surgical procedures in an effort to conserve resources and ensure patient safety. This study aimed to characterize patient-reported concerns about undergoing surgical procedures during the pandemic. The investigators concluded that eliciting patients' perspectives, adapting processes to address potential barriers, and effectively educating patients about institutional measures to minimize in-hospital transmission of COVID-19 should be integrated into surgical care.
AHRQ-funded; HS024532.
Citation: Johnson CL, Schwartz H, Greenberg A .
Patient perceptions on barriers and facilitators to accessing low-acuity surgery during COVID-19 pandemic.
J Surg Res 2021 Aug;264:30-36. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2021.01.028..
Keywords: COVID-19, Surgery, Access to Care, Patient Experience, Public Health
Byrnes ME, Brown CS, De Roo A
Elective surgical delays due to COVID-19: the patient lived experience.
This study looked at the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on scheduling of elective cardiac and vascular surgery. The authors interviewed 47 individuals who experienced a postponement of surgery due to coronavirus. Patients described 3 key issues around their postponement: 1) surgery as part of a “return to normal”; 2) postponement took a toll on their physical health and mental wellbeing; and 3) many patients in their study said they would “rather die from a heart attack” than be exposed to the coronavirus.
AHRQ-funded; HS000053.
Citation: Byrnes ME, Brown CS, De Roo A .
Elective surgical delays due to COVID-19: the patient lived experience.
Med Care 2021 Apr;59(4):288-94. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001503..
Keywords: COVID-19, Surgery, Public Health, Patient Experience, Infectious Diseases
Byrnes ME, Varlamos CJ, Rivard SJ
"You're used to being the one that can fix things…": a qualitative snapshot of colorectal surgeons during COVID-19.
This viewpoint article reflects the narratives of 58 colorectal surgeons who engaged in an in-depth qualitative interview during the COVID-19 shutdown of elective surgeries. The goal for reporting these findings is to offer a snapshot of surgeon perspectives on the delays of elective surgeries and to give voice to surgeons who were unable to perform most or all their duties as a surgeon.
AHRQ-funded; HS025365; HS000053.
Citation: Byrnes ME, Varlamos CJ, Rivard SJ .
"You're used to being the one that can fix things…": a qualitative snapshot of colorectal surgeons during COVID-19.
Dis Colon Rectum 2020 Dec;63(12):1575-78. doi: 10.1097/dcr.0000000000001818..
Keywords: Surgery, Provider: Physician, Provider, COVID-19, Public Health, Infectious Diseases
Patterson ES, Papautsky EL, Krok-Schoen JL
Scheduling delayed treatment and surgeries post-pandemic: a stakeholder analysis.
The purpose of this study was to assess diverse stakeholder perspectives regarding how to trade off risks and benefits to patients, healthcare providers, and the local community. The study found that there exists a high number of different categories of stakeholders affected by the post-pandemic decisions to reschedule delayed treatments and surgeries. The primary stakeholders for a delayed surgery are the surgeon with knowledge of the clinical benefits of undertaking an operation and the patient's willingness to tolerate uncertainty and the increased risk of infection. For decisions about capacity in the operating rooms and inpatient setting after the surgery, the primary factors are reducing staff infections, preventing patients from contracting COVID-19 during operations and during post-surgical recovery at the hospital, conserving critical resources such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and addressing the quality of life needs of hospital staff, such as childcare and preventing infecting members of their household. The timing and selection of elective surgery cases has an effect on the ability of hospitals to manage finances, which impacts decisions about staff employment when resources such as rooms are not being utilized.
AHRQ-funded; HS024379.
Citation: Patterson ES, Papautsky EL, Krok-Schoen JL .
Scheduling delayed treatment and surgeries post-pandemic: a stakeholder analysis.
Proc Int Symp Hum Factors Ergon Healthc 2020 Sep;9(1):10-14. doi: 10.1177/2327857920091066..
Keywords: COVID-19, Surgery, Public Health, Access to Care
Baker AW, Nehls N, Ilies I
Use of optimised dual statistical process control charts for early detection of surgical site infection outbreaks.
This study analyzed the use of optimized dual statistical process control (SPC) charts to predict surgical site infection (SSI) outbreaks. The researchers retrospectively applied an optimized pair of moving average (MA) SPC charts to all 30 SSI outbreaks previously identified and investigated from 2007 to 2015 in the Duke Infection Control Outreach Network (DICON), which is a network of more than 50 community hospitals. The dual MA SPC chart approach detected all 30 outbreaks at a median of 16 months prior to traditional surveillance detection.
AHRQ-funded; HS23821.
Citation: Baker AW, Nehls N, Ilies I .
Use of optimised dual statistical process control charts for early detection of surgical site infection outbreaks.
BMJ Qual Saf 2020 Jun;29(6):517-20. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2019-010586..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Surgery, Patient Safety, Hospitals, Public Health, Infectious Diseases
Baker AW, Haridy S, Salem J
Performance of statistical process control methods for regional surgical site infection surveillance: a 10-year multicentre pilot study.
The authors performed a pilot study within a large network of community hospitals to evaluate performance of statistical process control (SPC) methods for detecting surgical site infections (SSI) outbreaks. Their findings illustrated the potential usefulness and feasibility of real-time SPC surveillance of SSI to rapidly identify outbreaks and improve patient safety. Further study is needed to optimize SPC chart selection and calculation, statistical outbreak detection rules and the process for reacting to signals of potential outbreaks.
AHRQ-funded; HS023821.
Citation: Baker AW, Haridy S, Salem J .
Performance of statistical process control methods for regional surgical site infection surveillance: a 10-year multicentre pilot study.
BMJ Qual Saf 2018 Aug;27(8):600-10. doi: 10.1136/bmjqs-2017-006474..
Keywords: Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs), Patient Safety, Surgery, Hospitals, Public Health, Prevention, Adverse Events