News and Notes

New AHRQ protocol helps hospitals reduce MRSA and bloodstream infections
A new protocol released by AHRQ provides instructions for implementing universal decolonization in hospital intensive care units (ICUs) that treat adult patients. "Universal ICU Decolonization Toolkit: An Enhanced Protocol" is based on materials successfully used in the REDUCE MRSA Trial, results of which were published in the May 29, 2013, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
The trial found that universal decolonization is the most effective intervention when compared with routine care or targeted decolonization, reducing MRSA clinical cultures by 37 percent and all-cause bloodstream infections by 44 percent.
The protocol provides:

Decisionmaking tools and a rationale to help hospital leaders understand the effectiveness of ICU decolonization with mupirocin and chlorhexidine gluconate and decide if this strategy represents the best course of action for their facility.
Instructions on how to garner institutional support from key stakeholders to support the adoption of a universal ICU decolonization strategy within ICUs.
Tools to assess adherence to the decolonization protocol and reinforce training.

The protocol also describes the role of unit-based physician and nursing champions who oversee decolonization intervention and provide training and materials for frontline staff. You can access the protocol at http://go.usa.gov/WZ8d.
AHRQ and PCORI Partner on Uterine Fibroid Project
AHRQ and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) have issued a Request for Applications (RFA) for a research project on the effectiveness of different treatments for uterine fibroids. In a first-time partnership with AHRQ, PCORI will commit up to $20 million to develop a national registry of women who have been treated for uterine fibroids, fund studies on the comparative effectiveness of medical and surgical therapies, and to better understand patient preference in informing treatment decisions using data from the registry.
The RFA calls for development of a large, multi-center, practice-based registry that must include women from diverse backgrounds, including those who traditionally have been less involved in health research. Letters of intent may be submitted to AHRQ by November 15, 2013, and applications are due by December 16.
You can access the RFA at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HS-14-006.html.
New CHIPRA evaluation highlight focuses on elevating children on State policy agendas
AHRQ has released its 4th Evaluation Highlight from the national evaluation of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) Quality Demonstration Grant Program. The latest highlight, "How the CHIPRA Quality Demonstration Elevated Children on State Health Policy," gives concrete examples of activities in five States—Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Oregon—and explains how these States used their CHIPRA quality demonstration grants to advance children's health care on their States' health policy agendas.
This highlight also describes how States have aligned their efforts with and used their CHIPRA quality demonstration project experiences to directly inform broader Federal and State health reform initiatives.
You can access the Evaluation Highlight at http://go.usa.gov/WZ8F.

Current as of November 2013

Internet Citation: News and Notes. November 2013. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/newsletters/research-activities/13nov-dec/111213RA25.html