Featured Topics

Information on AHRQ's most-searched topics are included below and in the A to Z menu above.

Topics 1 - 10 of 15 Displayed
Opioids

Deaths from drug overdoses have risen steadily over the past two decades and have become the leading cause of injury death in the United States. Prescription drugs, especially opioids, have been increasingly implicated in drug overdose deaths over the last decade. In response to recent increases in More...

Deaths from drug overdoses have risen steadily over the past two decades and have become the leading cause of injury death in the United States. Prescription drugs, especially opioids, have been increasingly implicated in drug overdose deaths over the last decade. In response to recent increases in opioid-related morbidity and mortality, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has made addressing the opioid abuse problem a high priority. HHS is focused on implementing evidence-based approaches to reduce opioid overdoses and overdose-related mortality and the prevalence of opioid use disorder.

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Patient and Family Engagement

To promote stronger engagement, AHRQ offers tools and research to help patients, families, and health professionals work together as partners.

All-Payer Claims

All-payer claims databases (APCDs) are large State databases that include medical claims, pharmacy claims, dental claims, and eligibility and provider files collected from private and public payers.

Ambulatory Care

AHRQ is committed to improving the safety and quality of ambulatory care in the United States. Ambulatory care is care provided by health care professionals in outpatient settings. These settings include medical offices and clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, hospital outpatient departments, and More...

AHRQ is committed to improving the safety and quality of ambulatory care in the United States. Ambulatory care is care provided by health care professionals in outpatient settings. These settings include medical offices and clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, hospital outpatient departments, and dialysis centers.

The scope of ambulatory care has expanded over the past decade, as the volume and complexity of interventions have expanded. Safe, high-quality ambulatory care requires complex information management and care coordination across multiple settings, especially for patients with chronic illnesses.

AHRQ's resources and tools improve the safety and quality of ambulatory care. They enhance the reliability of laboratory testing in medical offices; establish a culture of patient safety; improve the safety of care transitions; and identify techniques, tools, and strategies for clinicians to improve teamwork and performance. The Agency's resources also identify promising ambulatory care patient safety initiatives.

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Antimicrobial Stewardship

Antimicrobial stewardship programs are coordinated programs within a health care setting that promote the appropriate use of antimicrobials, thereby improving patient outcomes, reducing antibiotic resistance, and decreasing the spread of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant organisms.

Care Coordination
Care coordination involves optimally organizing patient care and information-sharing activities. This means that the patient's needs and preferences are known ahead of time and communicated at the right time to the right people, and that this information is used to provide safe, appropriate, and More...
Care coordination involves optimally organizing patient care and information-sharing activities. This means that the patient's needs and preferences are known ahead of time and communicated at the right time to the right people, and that this information is used to provide safe, appropriate, and effective care to the patient. Coordination among health care providers improves outcomes for everyone by decreasing medication errors, unnecessary or repetitive diagnostic tests, unnecessary emergency room visits, and preventable hospital admissions and readmissions—all of which together lead to higher quality of care, improved health outcomes, and lower costs.Collapse
Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI)

Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) are among the most common types of healthcare-associated infections. Most cases of CAUTI are preventable. Since October 2008, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services no longer reimburses costs associated with hospital-acquired CAUTI.

Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI)
Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) are associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and costs. Patients in intensive care units (ICUs) are at an increased risk for CLABSI, because 48 percent of ICU patients have indwelling central venous catheters, accounting for 15 million More...
Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) are associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and costs. Patients in intensive care units (ICUs) are at an increased risk for CLABSI, because 48 percent of ICU patients have indwelling central venous catheters, accounting for 15 million central line days per year in U.S. ICUs. Assuming an average CLABSI rate of 5.3 per 1,000 catheter days and an attributable mortality of 18 percent (0-35 percent), as many as 28,000 patients die from CLABSI annually in U.S. ICUs. AHRQ's efforts to reduce CLABSI are reflected in the following tools, research, and resources.Collapse
Diagnostic Error

Diagnostic error is a significant and under-recognized threat to patient safety. AHRQ is funding research to better understand how these errors happen and what can be done to prevent them.

Disparities
As better understanding of health and sickness has led to superior ways of preventing, diagnosing, and treating diseases, the health of most Americans has improved dramatically. However, ample evidence indicates that some Americans do not receive the full benefits of high-quality care. A substantial More...
As better understanding of health and sickness has led to superior ways of preventing, diagnosing, and treating diseases, the health of most Americans has improved dramatically. However, ample evidence indicates that some Americans do not receive the full benefits of high-quality care. A substantial body of public health, social science, and health services research has shown extensive disparities in health care related to race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.Collapse

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