Engaging Patients as Observers Represents Low-Cost, Accurate Way to Monitor and Improve Hand Hygiene in Outpatient Settings

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | Engaging Patients as Observers Represents Low-Cost, Accurate Way to Monitor and Improve Hand Hygiene in Outpatient Settings

The program led to modest improvements in already high rates of adherence to appropriate hand hygiene procedures and to more departments meeting the 90-percent adherence goal; using patients as observers also proved to be a low-cost, accurate means of monitoring hand hygiene (a requirement for any organization accredited by The Joint Commission).

Support and Services at Home (SASH) Evidence-Based Practices Directory

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | Support and Services at Home (SASH) Evidence-Based Practices Directory

This Directory was developed to aid the SASH programs in developing and revising their Community Healthy Aging Plans, a key component of SASH. 

MD Link: Partnering Physicians with Community Organizations: A Toolkit for Physician Champions

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | MD Link: Partnering Physicians with Community Organizations: A Toolkit for Physician Champions\

Toolkit for physicians who wish to collaborate with community-based organizations (CBOs) that serve older adults. 

Care Coordination, Peer Support, and Discretionary Fund Improve Quality of Life and Reduce Costs for Adults with Serious Mental Illness

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | Care Coordination, Peer Support, and Discretionary Fund Improve Quality of Life and Reduce Costs for Adults with Serious Mental Illness

Offered at no cost to participants, the program has enhanced access to treatment, employment, and job training; reduced suicide and self-harm attempts, hospitalizations, emergency department visits, incarcerations, and homelessness; and significantly lowered health care and other mental illness–related costs.

Affordable Housing Community Offers Seniors Onsite Health Care Coordination and Support, Reducing Hospital Admissions and Falls and Improving Resident Health

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | Affordable Housing Community Offers Seniors Onsite Health Care Coordination and Support, Reducing Hospital Admissions and Falls and Improving Resident Health

In a year-long pilot test with 65 residents, the program reduced hospital admissions and readmissions, had no bounce backs to nursing homes, decreased falls, improved nutritional status, and increased levels of physical activity.

Coordinating Community Care for Seniors

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | Coordinating Community Care for Seniors

The Featured Innovations describe two programs that provide seniors with care coordination and support, which reduced hospital and nursing home admissions, and a third program that provides care coordination to adults with serious mental illness, which reduced emergency department visits.

Immediate Post-Event Debriefing Improves Multiple Aspects of Response to Codes and Increases Staff Satisfaction

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | Immediate Post-Event Debriefing Improves Multiple Aspects of Response to Codes and Increases Staff Satisfaction

The program has improved overall performance in handling cardiopulmonary resuscitation codes, generating fast response times, reducing the frequency of equipment-related issues, improving success with first-time intubations, and enhancing communication and teamwork. This success has, in turn, improved staff satisfaction.

Disease Management Programs Improve Adherence to Evidence-Based Processes and Outcomes by Targeting Sickest Patients and Working Closely With Physicians

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | Disease Management Programs Improve Adherence to Evidence-Based Processes and Outcomes by Targeting Sickest Patients and Working Closely With Physicians

The program has led to significant improvements in patient self-management, greater adherence to key evidence-based practices, and improved outcomes, including reduced symptoms for asthma patients, reduced readmissions for heart failure patients, and lower hemoglobin A1c for diabetes patients.

Child Asthma Risk Assessment Tool (CARAT)

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | Child Asthma Risk Assessment Tool (CARAT)

The remainder of the CARAT Web site provides details on what asthma is, what causes asthma symptoms, and what can be done to reduce exposure to these asthma triggers.

Pediatric Asthma Initiative: Environmental History Form

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | Pediatric Asthma Initiative: Environmental History Form

The questions on the form related to the child’s home also apply to other indoor environments where the child spends time, including school, daycare, car, school bus, work, and recreational facilities.

Parents Helping Parents Fight Asthma

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | Parents Helping Parents Fight Asthma

It includes sample presentation slides and a manual (also available in Spanish) that provides information on how to reduce asthma symptoms and attacks and improve the quality of life for both parents and children.

Real-Time, Color-Coded Alerts Improve Adherence to Pediatric Asthma Guidelines in Primary Care Practices

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | Real-Time, Color-Coded Alerts Improve Adherence to Pediatric Asthma Guidelines in Primary Care Practices

The alerts moderately increased adherence to the guidelines, as compared with a control group of practices that did not have access to the alerts but could make use of embedded asthma tools if they proactively entered and searched the electronic record.

National Academy and Affiliated State Chapters Support Pediatricians in Improving Asthma Care, Leading to Better Guideline Adherence and Disease Control, Fewer Acute Episodes

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | National Academy and Affiliated State Chapters Support Pediatricians in Improving Asthma Care, Leading to Better Guideline Adherence and Disease Control, Fewer Acute Episodes

Over a 1-year period, support included upfront training of the chapters and participating practices on quality improvement concepts, followed by ongoing sharing of data and best practices and assistance with problem-solving. The program improved adherence to recommended care processes, leading to better asthma control.

Mobile Clinic and In-Home Educator Generate Small, Short-Term Increases in Symptom-Free Days in Inner-City Preschool Children With Asthma But No Improvements in Other Key Outcomes

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | Mobile Clinic and In-Home Educator Generate Small, Short-Term Increases in Symptom-Free Days in Inner-City Preschool Children With Asthma But No Improvements in Other Key Outcomes

In a randomized controlled trial (RCT), children enrolled in the Head Start program in Baltimore received services from a mobile pediatric asthma clinic and from asthma educators.

Pediatric Asthma Care

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | Pediatric Asthma Care

The featured Innovations describe one program that provided services to urban preschool children in an effort to improve asthma-related outcomes, and two programs that improved pediatric asthma care by increasing adherence to well-established care guidelines.

Musculoskeletal Care Innovations

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | Browse by Subject Results

Large compendium of musculoskeletal care innovations and online tools for healthcare providers. 

Effective Health Care Program: Tools and Resources

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | Effective Health Care Program: Tools and Resources

The materials cover various health topics and are developed through patient-centered outcomes research. The site also provides materials for researchers and others interested in the systematic study of evidence and research methods.

Effective Health Care Program: Research Summaries for Consumers, Clinicians, and Policymakers

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | Effective Health Care Program: Research Summaries for Consumers, Clinicians, and Policymakers

The summaries are based on comparative effectiveness reviews that cover numerous health topics. The summaries are not clinical recommendations or guidelines and should not be interpreted as such.

Multifaceted Program Helps Pediatricians Screen for Maternal Depression and Assess Infant Crying and Toilet Training, Enhancing Their Ability to Prevent, Identify, and Address Cases of Potential Child Abuse

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | Multifaceted Program Helps Pediatricians Screen for Maternal Depression and Assess Infant Crying and Toilet Training, Enhancing Their Ability to Prevent, Identify, and Address Cases of Potential Child Abuse

As part of the intervention, pediatricians ask parents about crying, bonding/attachment, toilet training, and discipline and provide educational materials related to abuse and neglect prevention to patients and prominently in waiting and examination rooms. 

Health Plan and Psychiatric Hospitals Reduce Readmissions by Reviewing Data and Developing Strategies to Improve Postdischarge Care

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | Health Plan and Psychiatric Hospitals Reduce Readmissions by Reviewing Data and Developing Strategies to Improve Postdischarge Care

The program significantly reduced overall readmission rates at participating hospitals. Patients involved in specific quality improvement initiatives that came out of the program also experienced significantly fewer readmissions, along with associated declines in inpatient days and costs.

Toolkit for Intervention of Overweight Children and Adolescents

AHRQ Innovations Exchange | Toolkit for Intervention of Overweight Children and Adolescents

Online toolkit to educate the public about the childhood obesity epidemic and its effects on physical, mental, social, and economic health.