AHRQ Report to Congress Describes Sepsis’ Burgeoning Burden on Hospital Care

AHRQ Stats: Prevalence of Long COVID

Among adults who reported ever having COVID-19, 13.7 percent reported ever having Long COVID, and women were more likely than men to report ever having long COVID (16.5 percent vs. 10.5 percent). (Source: AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Statistical Brief #557 – Prevalence of Long COVID Among Adults Who Have Ever Had COVID-19, by Selected Demographic and Socioeconomic Characteristics, U.S. Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population, Spring 2023)

Today's Headlines:

• AHRQ Report to Congress Describes Sepsis’ Burgeoning Burden on Hospital Care.
• On World Patient Safety Day, AHRQ Highlights Efforts to Address Diagnostic Safety.
• AHRQ Analysis Shows Progress in Reducing Patient Safety Events.
• Technical Assistance Webinar Scheduled Sept. 27 for AHRQ Healthcare Extension Service Cooperative Applicants.
• Register Now for TeamSTEPPS for Diagnosis Improvement Training.
• Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network.
• New Research and Evidence From AHRQ.
• AHRQ in the Professional Literature.

AHRQ Report to Congress Describes Sepsis’ Burgeoning Burden on Hospital Care

The number of sepsis-related inpatient stays at non-federal acute care hospitals in the United States increased from 1.8 million in 2016 to 2.5 million in 2021, with a faster rate of increase following the emergence of COVID-19 in 2020, according to an AHRQ report to Congress. From 2016 to 2021, the aggregate hospital cost for inpatient stays due to sepsis at non-Federal acute-care hospitals in the United States increased from $31.2 billion to $52.1 billion, according to the report. Sepsis is a dysregulated systemic inflammatory response to infection that results in tissue damage and organ failure and can lead to death. AHRQ’s comprehensive federal analysis, based on data from the agency’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), includes detailed information on national trends in hospital utilization, morbidity, and in-hospital mortality; trends for key patient populations; disparities in hospital utilization for sepsis and associated outcomes; and state variations in hospital utilization and associated costs, and in-hospital mortality rates. Access the news release and additional AHRQ resources on sepsis.

On World Patient Safety Day, AHRQ Highlights Efforts to Address Diagnostic Safety

AHRQ’s support for World Patient Safety Day 2024, including this year’s theme of “Improving Diagnosis for Patient Safety,” is highlighted in a new AHRQ Views blog post. Up to 795,000 Americans die or are permanently disabled each year due to misdiagnosis, according to some estimates. AHRQ’s development of toolkits, issue briefs, and a training curriculum, as well as the establishment of 10 Diagnostic Safety Centers of Excellence, underscore the agency’s commitment to safe and timely diagnosis. The blog also highlights the ongoing work of the National Action Alliance for Patient and Workforce Safety, an initiative led by AHRQ on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services. Access the blog post by AHRQ Director Robert Otto Valdez, Ph.D., M.H.S.A., and Craig A. Umscheid, M.D., M.S., director of AHRQ’s Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety. To receive all blog posts, submit your email address.

AHRQ Analysis Shows Progress in Reducing Patient Safety Events

A new analysis of hospitalized Medicare patients reveals a decline in adverse events since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 13-to-15 percent reduction in adverse events in 2022 compared to 2021. The report, Adverse Events Among In-Hospital Medicare Patients in 2021 and 2022 (PDF, 2 MB), was led by AHRQ in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. It is based on data from AHRQ’s Quality and Safety Review System (QSRS), a new one-of-a-kind national repository that includes data on 41 types of adverse events and creates a baseline to assess the national impact of ongoing patient safety improvement initiatives. Among report highlights: in 2022, 6.2 percent of Medicare patients experienced at least one adverse event per hospital stay, a reduction from 7.1 percent in 2021.

Technical Assistance Webinar Scheduled Sept. 27 for AHRQ Healthcare Extension Service Cooperative Applicants

Registration is open for a pre-application technical assistance webinar for organizations seeking to become one of AHRQ’s Healthcare Extension Cooperatives, a central part of AHRQ's emerging Healthcare Extension Service: State-Based Solutions to Healthcare Improvement. A recent Notice of Funding Opportunity announced AHRQ’s plan to award up to 15 grants to establish and support Healthcare Extension Cooperatives over 5 years. The Healthcare Extension Service will accelerate the dissemination and implementation of patient-centered outcomes research evidence into healthcare delivery. The webinar on Sept. 27 from 1 to 2 p.m. ET is optional for applicants. Attendees must complete a registration form, and logon information will be sent to participants about three days before the webinar. Presentation slides will be posted on the AHRQ website after the webinar. Questions may be submitted to AHRQ_HES@ahrq.hhs.gov.

Register Now for TeamSTEPPS for Diagnosis Improvement Training

Registration is open through November for virtual and limited in-person training in AHRQ’s TeamSTEPPS® for Diagnosis Improvement Course. TeamSTEPPS training has supported thousands of healthcare teams in their efforts to improve patient safety by enhancing communication and teamwork in hospitals, primary care practices, and other healthcare settings. Learn more about the TeamSTEPPS Diagnosis Improvement Course, which shows how healthcare teams can achieve safer, more accurate, and more timely diagnosis in all healthcare settings. The curriculum emphasizes patient engagement and includes discussions, videos, case-based scenarios, and other content. The training is free; continuing education credits will be available for a fee.

Highlights From AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network

AHRQ’s Patient Safety Network (PSNet) highlights journal articles, books, and tools related to patient safety. Articles featured this week include:

• Components of pharmacist-led medication reviews and their relationship to outcomes: a systematic review and narrative synthesis.
• Evaluation and mitigation of the limitations of large language models in clinical decision-making.
• Impact of automated alerts on discharge opioid overprescribing after general surgery.

Review additional new publications in PSNet’s current issue, including recent cases and commentaries and AHRQ’s WebM&M (Morbidity and Mortality Rounds on the Web).

New Research and Evidence From AHRQ

• Systematic Review: Healthcare Delivery of Clinical Preventive Services for People With Disabilities.

AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Trends in HPV-associated cancer incidence in Texas medically underserved regions. Hoang TN, Berenson AB, Shan Y, et al. Cancer Med 2024 Aug;13(16):e70133. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Cognitive, physical, and sensory deficits that can affect everyday medication use among older adults: a national view. Tang B, Espejo E, Steinman MA, et al. J Am Geriatr Soc 2024 Jul;72(7):2254-7. Epub 2024 Apr 10. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

How the CAHPS Clinician and Group Patient Experience Survey data have been used in research: a systematic review. Quigley DD, Elliott MN, Qureshi N, et al. J Patient Cent Res Rev 2024 Sum;11(2):88-96. Epub 2024 Jul 16. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Practice facilitation to address unhealthy alcohol use in primary care: a cluster randomized clinical trial. Huffstetler AN, Villalobos G, Webel B, et al. JAMA Health Forum 2024 Aug 2;5(8):e242371. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Mortality for time-sensitive conditions at urban vs rural hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jiang HJ, Henke RM, Fingar KR, et al. JAMA Netw Open 2024 Mar 4;7(3):e241838. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

AI-generated draft replies integrated into health records and physicians' electronic communication. Tai-Seale M, Baxter SL, Vaida F, et al. JAMA Netw Open 2024 Apr;7(4):e246565. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

The effect of Medicare annual wellness visits on breast cancer screening and diagnosis. Hamer MK, Bradley CJ, Lindrooth R, et al. Med Care 2024 Aug;62(8):530-7. Epub 2024 Jun 11. Access the abstract on PubMed®.

Transfer patterns among infants born at 28 to 34 weeks' gestation. Handley SC, Salazar EG, Kunz SN, et al. Pediatrics 2024 Jan 1;153(2). Access the abstract on PubMed®.