Innovations in Women's Health Care | AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange

Innovations in Women's Health Care | AHRQ Health Care Innovations Exchange

Innovations in Women's Health Care 

This issue of the Innovations Exchange is the second in a new monthly series focused on health care disparities experienced by racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups and specific priority populations in the U.S.

 

Each year since 2003, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has produced the National Healthcare Quality Report and the National Healthcare Disparities Report. Beginning with the 2014 reports, findings on health care quality and health care disparities are integrated into a single document. The 2014 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report (QDR) provides a comprehensive overview of the quality of care received by the general U.S. population and health care disparities. Detailed information on individual measures and specific populations is available through a new monthly series of chartbooks.

 

In October 2015, AHRQ released the Chartbook on Women's Health Care, which includes a summary of trends across measures of women's health care from the QDR and figures illustrating select measures.

 

The Innovations Exchange collection contains many Innovation Profiles and QualityTools specific to women's health care topics, including women's access to care, cancer screening, health and wellness, and reproductive care. This issue features a selection of content that can help address disparities in women's health care.

 

Featured Innovations:

• Culturally Tailored Lifestyle Counseling Tied To Readiness for Change Helps Underserved African-American Women Reduce Dietary Fat Intake
• Shelter-Based Medical Care and Case Management Enhance Access to Services for Homeless Women, Improve Outcomes, and Lower Costs
• Public Health Nurses Provide Case Management to Low-Income Women With Chronic Conditions, Leading to Improved Mental Health and Functional Status
• Culturally Competent Outreach Programs Increase Cervical Cancer Screening Among Chinese Women
• Monthly Clinic Enhances Access to Culturally Competent Cancer Screening and Primary Care for Rural, Low-Income Hispanic Women Over Age 40
• Countywide Partnership Promotes Culturally Appropriate Outreach and Education, Leading to Increased Breast Cancer Screening and Earlier Detection in Underserved Minorities
• Nurse Practitioner–Staffed Clinic Offers Same-Day, Comprehensive Appointments to Patients With Breast Symptoms, Leading to Faster Diagnosis and Lower Costs
• Awareness Campaign Targeting Young Minority Women Offers Free Home Test Kit for Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Increases Access to Screening and Treatment
• Urban Healthy Start Program Offers Support at Each Stage of Childbearing Cycle, Leading to Fewer Low- and Very Low–Birthweight Babies
• Statewide Medical Home Program for Low-Income Pregnant Women Enhances Access to Comprehensive Prenatal Care and Case Management, Improves Outcomes
• Trained Physicians and Staff in Family Practices Screen for, Treat, and Manage Postpartum Depression, Improving Timeliness of Diagnosis, Access to Treatment, and Outcomes
• Technology-Facilitated Education and Consultations With Lactation Specialists Triple Breastfeeding Rates Among Low-Income Minority Women in Primary Care Clinics
• Interactive Workshops Enhance Access to Health Education and Screenings, Improve Outcomes for Low-Income and Minority Women

Featured QualityTools:

• Latch On NYC
• Medicine and Pregnancy Fact Sheet
• Office of Research on Women's Health: Publications
• National Breast Cancer Foundation
• Healthy Women Publications
• The Healthy Heart Handbook for Women
• Age Page: Menopause
• Alcohol: A Women's Health Issue
• Women's Wellness Guide
• The National Women's Health Information Center--"womenshealth.gov"
• American Cancer Society: Breast Cancer