Translating Evidence-Based Research Into Practice

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: AHRQ Public Affairs
(301) 594-1364
Salina Prasad: (301) 594-6385
[email protected]

AHRQ AWARDS FOUR GRANTS AIMED AT TRANSLATING EVIDENCE-BASED RESEARCH INTO IMPROVED CLINICAL PRACTICE

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ, formerly the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research) announces funding for four new research projects which are aimed at implementing research findings, evidence-based tools, and scientific information in everyday practice. These grants are funded under AHRQ's Request for Applications (RFA) entitled "Translating Research into Practice," which was released on January 8, 1999. The goal of the RFA, part of a series of three new calls for research on quality of health care, was to generate new knowledge about approaches which are effective and cost-effective in promoting the use of rigorously derived evidence in clinical settings and lead to improved health care practice and sustained practitioner behavior change.

The funding for these new projects is anticipated to total $4.60 million over a 3-year period. The newly funded projects are:

ï Do Urine Tests Increase Chlamydia Screening in Teens? Principal investigator: Mary-Ann Shafer, M.D. University of California, San Francisco, CA. $1,531,064; 09/30/99 -- 09/29/02. (Grant No.: HS10537)

This study aims to improve screening for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among asymptomatic, sexually active teenagers attending Kaiser Permanente outpatient clinics. Investigators will design a small-group educational program for clinic personnel augmented with weekly supervision and follow-up to reinforce the educational content.
ï Improving Diabetes Care Collaboratively in the Community. Principal investigator: Marshall H. Chin, M.D. University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. $1,353,930; 09/30/99 -- 09/29/02. (Grant No.: HS10479)

The objective of this study is to improve the quality of care and health outcomes of indigent, vulnerable patients with diabetes who receive care at rural and urban community health centers (CHCs). CHCs are critical sites of primary care for 10 million Americans who reside in medically underserved areas.

ï Evidence-Based Surfactant Therapy for Preterm Infants. Principal investigator: Jeffrey D. Horbar, M.D. University of Vermont, Burlington, VT. $1,239,742; 09/30/99 -- 09/29/02. (Grant No.: HS10528)

This project proposes to standardize the current variability in surfactant administration practices for the prevention and treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome to reduce both mortality and morbidity for pre-term infants.

ï Practice Profiling to Increase Tobacco Cessation. Principal investigator: Susan H. Swartz, M.D. Maine Medical Assessment Foundation, Manchester, ME. $473,543; 09/30/99 -- 09/29/02. (Grant No.: HS10510)

The primary objectives of this study are to evaluate the effect of tobacco cessation profiling on provider and practice behavior, including screening for tobacco use and provision of tobacco cessation treatment; and to evaluate the effects of the practice interventions on the quitting behavior of smokers. Secondary aims are to assess the influence of provider and practice characteristics on practice adherence to smoking cessation guideline recommendations; and health insurance benefits for smoking cessation services on the behavior of smokers.

AHRQ is the lead agency charged with supporting research designed to improve the quality of health care, reduce its cost, and broaden access to essential services. 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 decisionmakers - patients and clinicians, health system leaders, and policymakers - make more informed decisions and improve the quality of health care services. To find out more about AHRQ, its research findings and publications, visit the AHRQ home page at www.ahrq.gov.