American Journal of Medical Quality This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

A Multifaceted Initiative to Improve Clinician Awareness of Pain Management Disparities
This study identifies health care provider attitudes, knowledge, and practices regarding the treatment of chronic pain in vulnerable patient populations and assesses whether a certified continuing medical education (CME) intervention can improve knowledge in this area. Survey responses revealed several knowledge gaps, including a lack of knowledge that the undertreatment of pain is more common in minority patients than others. Respondents identified language barriers, miscommunication, fear of medication diversion, and financial barriers as major obstacles to optimal pain management for this patient population. Participant...
Source: American Journal of Medical Quality - August 22, 2014 Category: Health Management Authors: Bekanich, S. J., Wanner, N., Junkins, S., Mahoney, K., Kahn, K. A., Berry, C. A., Stowell, S. A., Gardner, A. J. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Using NSQIP to Investigate SCIP Deficiencies in Surgical Patients With a High Risk of Developing Hospital-Associated Urinary Tract Infections
The study objectives were to identify risk factors for surgical patients who develop postoperative urinary tract infections (UTIs) and to characterize urethral catheter practices at the study hospital. Patients from the 2006-2010 institutional National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database were evaluated. Patients with UTIs within 30 postoperative days (n = 116) were compared to patients without UTIs (n = 8685) using multivariable logistic regression. A nested case-control study evaluated the effects of catheter practices on postoperative UTI using conditional logistic regression. Independent predictors of UTI were...
Source: American Journal of Medical Quality - August 22, 2014 Category: Health Management Authors: Trickey, A. W., Crosby, M. E., Vasaly, F., Donovan, J., Moynihan, J., Reines, H. D. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Identifying Hospital-Wide Harm: A Set of ICD-9-CM-Coded Conditions Associated With Increased Cost, Length of Stay, and Risk of Mortality
This study identifies an expanded set of hospital-acquired conditions (HACs), using the Present-On-Admission (POA) indicator and secondary diagnoses present on International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM)-coded discharge abstracts and evaluates their association with mortality, length of stay (LOS), and cost. A sample of 500 000 de-identified ICD-9-CM-coded discharge abstracts was randomly drawn from a data set of 11 million. A total of 138 secondary condition clusters were identified as potential inpatient complications (PICs). Regression modeling was used to determine margina...
Source: American Journal of Medical Quality - August 22, 2014 Category: Health Management Authors: Bankowitz, R. A., Doyle, B., Duan, M., Kroch, E., Martin, J. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

The Proceedings of Medical Quality 2014
(Source: American Journal of Medical Quality)
Source: American Journal of Medical Quality - July 21, 2014 Category: Health Management Tags: Articles Source Type: research

AJMQ Newsletter
(Source: American Journal of Medical Quality)
Source: American Journal of Medical Quality - July 16, 2014 Category: Health Management Authors: Cross, J. D. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Perioperative Surgical Outcomes 100 (PSO 100)
(Source: American Journal of Medical Quality)
Source: American Journal of Medical Quality - July 16, 2014 Category: Health Management Authors: Huang, J. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Measuring Patient Safety in the Emergency Department: The Spanish Experience
(Source: American Journal of Medical Quality)
Source: American Journal of Medical Quality - July 16, 2014 Category: Health Management Authors: Tomas-Vecina, S., Chanovas-Borras, M. R., Roqueta-Egea, F., Toranzo-Cepeda, T. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Book Review: Unaccountable: What Hospitals Won't Tell You and How Transparency Can Revolutionize Health Care
(Source: American Journal of Medical Quality)
Source: American Journal of Medical Quality - July 16, 2014 Category: Health Management Authors: Amos, T. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Implementation of Pharmacy to Dose: Reducing Near Miss Medication Errors
(Source: American Journal of Medical Quality)
Source: American Journal of Medical Quality - July 16, 2014 Category: Health Management Authors: Vanderford, C. E., McKinney, K. M., Emmons, J. T. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

What Will It Take to Move the Needle on Hospital Readmissions?
(Source: American Journal of Medical Quality)
Source: American Journal of Medical Quality - July 16, 2014 Category: Health Management Authors: Axon, R. N., Coleman, E. A. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Surgical Safety Training of World Health Organization Initiatives
Undergraduate training in surgical safety is essential to maximize patient safety. This national review quantified undergraduate surgical safety training. Training of 2 international safety initiatives was quantified: (1) World Health Organization (WHO) "Guidelines for Safe Surgery" and (2) Department of Health (DoH) "Principles of the Productive Operating Theatre." Also, 13 additional safety skills were quantified. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U tests. In all, 23 universities entered the study (71.9% response). Safety skills from WHO and DoH documents were formally taught in 4 UK medical schools (17.4%). Individu...
Source: American Journal of Medical Quality - July 16, 2014 Category: Health Management Authors: Davis, C. R., Bates, A. S., Toll, E. C., Cole, M., Smith, F. C. T., Stark, M. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

The Patient-Centered Medical Neighborhood: Transformation of Specialty Care
This article discusses the 6 key processes that, according to the American College of Physicians, define an effective medical neighborhood; the evidence supporting the need for this coordinated system; and pilot medical neighborhood strategies being implemented. (Source: American Journal of Medical Quality)
Source: American Journal of Medical Quality - July 16, 2014 Category: Health Management Authors: Spatz, C., Bricker, P., Gabbay, R. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Comparison of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Indicator Rates Among Veteran Dual Users
This study compares rates of 11 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Indicators (PSIs) among 266 203 veteran dual users (ie, those with hospitalizations in both the Veterans Health Administration [VA] and the private sector through Medicare fee-for-service coverage) during 2002 to 2007. PSI risk-adjusted rates were calculated using the PSI software (version 3.1a). Rates of pressure ulcer, central venous catheter-related bloodstream infections, and postoperative sepsis, areas in which the VA has focused quality improvement efforts, were found to be significantly lower in the VA than in the private secto...
Source: American Journal of Medical Quality - July 16, 2014 Category: Health Management Authors: Chen, Q., Hanchate, A., Shwartz, M., Borzecki, A. M., Mull, H. J., Shin, M. H., Rosen, A. K. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

The Effect of Interdisciplinary Team Rounds on Urinary Catheter and Central Venous Catheter Days and Rates of Infection
Interdisciplinary team (IDT) rounds were initiated in the intensive care unit (ICU) in June 2010. All catheters were identified by location, duration, and indication. Catheters with no indication were removed. Data were collected retrospectively on catheter days and associated infections in a 20-month period before and after intervention with an aggregate of 19 207 ICU days before and 23 576 ICU days after institution of rounds. Results showed a statistically significant decrease in the number of indwelling urinary catheter (IUC) days (5304 vs 4541 days, P = .05) and catheter-associated urinary tract infection rates (4.71 ...
Source: American Journal of Medical Quality - July 16, 2014 Category: Health Management Authors: Arora, N., Patel, K., Engell, C. A., LaRosa, J. A. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Surgical Process Improvement: Impact of a Standardized Care Model With Electronic Decision Support to Improve Compliance With SCIP Inf-9
The absence of standardization in surgical care process, exemplified in a "solution shop" model, can lead to unwarranted variation, increased cost, and reduced quality. A comprehensive effort was undertaken to improve quality of care around indwelling bladder catheter use following surgery by creating a "focused factory" model within the cardiac surgical practice. Baseline compliance with Surgical Care Improvement Inf-9, removal of urinary catheter by the end of surgical postoperative day 2, was determined. Comparison of baseline data to postintervention results showed clinically important reductions in the duration of ind...
Source: American Journal of Medical Quality - July 16, 2014 Category: Health Management Authors: Cook, D. J., Thompson, J. E., Suri, R., Prinsen, S. K. Tags: Articles Source Type: research