Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Phillip Fitzsimmons and Dale Evans
Government Documents
Al Harris Library
SWOSU
Lots of e-gov. docs of interest to educators:
Federal
• Most important of all http://USA.gov/
• Census—Political Science
• NASA—Astronomy and Engineering
• USGS—Biological Sciences
• MedlinePlus—Healthcare Disciplines
State
• http://www.ok.gov/
• http://www.crossroads.odl.state.ok.us/
Your hub to e-gov. documents: http://www.usa.gov/
U.S. Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov/
NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/
USGS:
http://www.usgs.gov/
A word about Medline Plus: http://medlineplus.gov/
Healthcare awareness in the United States has
improved during the last 50 years.
Where do I go for information on …
• Health care quality
• Effective medical procedures and recommendations
for their use
• Guidelines on medical treatment
• The latest in health care research findings and news
…that goes beyond
http://www.ahrq.gov/
?
AHRQ is not found within the SWOSU
database list. Instead, go to:
http://www.ahrq.gov/
AHRQ: Background
Mission: To sponsor, conduct, disseminate, and support research
designed to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness
of health care for all Americans by providing information that helps
people make better decisions about health care.
Created: December 6, 1999, as the Agency for Healthcare Research
and Quality. Sister agencies: National Institutes of Health, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration,
Health Care Financing Administration, and Health Resources and
Services Administration.
Budget: $329.6 million. Nearly 80 percent of AHRQ's budget is
awarded as grants and contracts to researchers at American
universities and other research institutions.
http://www.ahrq.gov/about/profile.htm
Main functions:
• AHRQ sponsors and conducts research that
provides evidence-based information on
health care outcomes; quality; and cost, use,
and access.
• The information helps health care decision
makers—patients and clinicians, health
system leaders, purchasers, and
policymakers—make more informed
decisions and improve the quality of health
care services.
http://www.ahrq.gov/about/profile.htm
http://www.ahrq.gov/
News & Information
First stop – Newsroom
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Press releases
Interviews, speeches, and testimony
Audio and video resources
Research in progress
Web resources
Government information locator service
E-mail requests
• Electronic newsletter
http://www.ahrq.gov/news/vnewsix.htm
How to stay up to date:
• Sign up for the e-newsletter
• RSS feed
• Listen to audio broadcasts
Using the dropdown menu:
Nursing Research:
Nursing tools:
Of special interest:
Nursing research:
• Evidence Reports
• Research Funding
• Speeches & Testimony
• Highlights
Evidence Reports
• Nurse Staffing and Quality of Patient Care
• Hospital Nurse Staffing and Quality of Care
• Palliative Wound Care at the End of Life
Research Funding
• Evidence-based Resources for Nurses
• Funded Grants Submitted by Nurses
Evidence-based Practice Centers
Under the Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPC), 5-year
contracts are awarded to institutions in the United States
and Canada to serve as EPCs. The EPCs review all relevant
scientific literature on clinical, behavioral, and organization
and financing topics to produce evidence reports and
technology assessments. These reports are used for
informing and developing coverage decisions, quality
measures, educational materials and tools, guidelines, and
research agendas. The EPCs also conduct research on
methodology of systematic reviews.
http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/epc/
Fact Sheets:
National Guidelines Clearinghouse
• Collects guidelines for medical
treatments
• Information gathered worldwide
• Has own web site at:
http://www.guideline.gov/
National Guideline Clearinghouse may also be
accessed in AHRQ: http://www.guideline.gov/
National Guideline Clearinghouse
Homepage.
NGC – Cancer search
870 Cancer results found.
Narrowed search: Lung Cancer
211 Results for Lung Cancer.
Recommended Treatment:
Also at AHRQ
• NIH Consensus Development Program
• Archive of consensus reports about
recommended medical treatments
• Includes Previous conference
statements, with links on Webcast
Days, News Release, and Program
Book
• AHRQ Review -- New statements at
This Week and Recent Conferences
AHRQ guideline on patient safety:
AHRQ guideline on pharmacy management:
AHRQ guideline on hospital administration:
To summarize:
• The U.S. Government produces electronic
documents with information in many areas of study
• AHRQ provides Evidence-Based resources for
healthcare workers to make decisions according to
the best research in their field
• AHRQ produces Fact sheets, Evidence Reports and
other products to aid healthcare workers
Questions?
Thank you!