This fact sheet summarizes new AHRQ

initiatives in child and adolescent health

care focusing on improving the quality,

safety, efficiency and effectiveness of

health care. In Fiscal Year 2004,

AHRQ committed over $22 million of

total support over the lives of the

projects for new intramural and

extramural research activities, including

grants, contracts, and inter-agency

agreements. 

Improving Quality and

Increasing Safety 

Project Funded under AHRQ’s

Program Announcement (PA) for

Health Services Research. This PA

supports projects focusing on a wide range

of topics under AHRQ’s priority program

areas including: (1) supporting

improvements in health outcomes, (2)

improving quality and patient safety, and

(3) identifying strategies to improve access

and foster appropriate use and reduce

unnecessary expenditures. 

• Impact of Gait Analysis on

Surgical Outcomes. Principal

Investigator: Tishya Wren, Children’s

Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles,

CA. Grant No. R01 HS014169

(04/01/2004-03/31/2009). This

project will conduct a randomized

controlled trial to assess the effects of

preoperative gait analysis on surgical

outcomes in ambulatory children

ages 3-18 with cerebral palsy. This

study will involve a large population

of Hispanic children, and a small

sample of African-American, Asian,

and Native Hawaiian or other

Pacific Islander children. 

Project Funded under the PA for

AHRQ’s Small Research Grant

Program. This program provides support

for new investigators or researchers new to

health care services issues, and encourages

preliminary, exploratory, or innovative

research in new or previously unexamined

areas.

Research on Child and

Adolescent Health

New Starts—Fiscal Year 2004

FACT SHEET

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

AHRQ’s mission is to improve the quality,

safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health

care by:

• Using evidence to improve health care.

• Improving health care outcomes through

research.

• Transforming research into practice.

Advancing Excellence in Health Care • www.ahrq.gov

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
• *Pharmaceutical Regulation

and New Drug Safety.

Principal Investigator: Mary

Olson, Yale University, New

Haven, CT. Grant No. R03

HS013932 (05/01/2004-

04/30/2006). The aims of this

project are to (1) examine

whether faster new-drug reviews

are associated with higher counts

of serious adverse drug reactions

among new drug approvals, and

(2) explore the factors that

influence serious adverse drug

reaction levels associated with

newly approved drugs. Women

and children will be represented

in this study. 

Projects funded under RFA for

Demonstrating the Value of

Health Information Technology

(HIT). This RFA requested projects

to increase knowledge and

understanding of the value of HIT,

including clinical, safety, quality,

financial, organizational, effectiveness,

efficiency, or other direct or indirect

benefits that may be derived from the

use of HIT in the delivery of health

care.

• Valuation of Primary CareIntegrated Telehealth. Principal

Investigator: Kenneth

McConnochie, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY. Grant

No. R01 HS015165

(09/30/2004-09/29/2007). Using a Health-e-Access

telehealth model, primary car

e

clinicians in 9 practices will

evaluate children in 9 schools

and 13 child care programs in

designated geographic areas.

The first study will focus on the

impact of telehealth on

utilization and cost at the level of

child programs and on

individual children using a

before-after design with

historical and concurrent

controls. The second study will

assess integration in primary

care, for example by measuring

the impact on continuity of care,

adherence to well-child visit

schedules, and immunization

rates. This project will include

Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and

black/African-American

children. 

• ParentLink: Better and Safer

Emergency Care for Children.

Principal Investigator: Stephen

Porter, Children’s Hospital

Corporation, Boston, MA. Grant No. R01 HS014947

(09/30/2004-09/29/2006). This

study will (1) evaluate the

completeness and accuracy of

information on symptoms,

disease condition, medications

and allergies generated by

parents using ParentLink versus

information documents by ED

physicians and nurses; and (2)

measure the ParentLink’s impact

on ED patient safety and quality,

specifically the error rate for

ordering and prescribing

medications during ED care and

the percent of ED visits that

adhere to national evidencebased guidelines. Women

(speaking for children under 12

years), and Black and

Asian/Pacific Islander children

will be represented in this study. 

• Improving Pediatric Safety and

Quality with Health Care IT. Principal Investigator: Timothy Ferris, Massachusetts General

Hospital, Boston, MA. Grant No. R01 HS015002

(09/30/2004-09/29/2007). In

this study, researchers will assess

2

*Project includes children or children’s health care

issues, but does not focus exclusively on children
changes in patient experience of

care using a modified CAHPS

survey to evaluate the influence

of (1) weight-based dosing on

pediatric adverse drug events; (2)

a test result tracking system on

appropriate follow-up of ordered

tests; and (3) automated

reminders on symptom

monitoring and medications for

children with asthma and

attention deficit disorder. This

study will include inner-city

minority communities, especially

Hispanic and African-American

populations. 

• *Rural Trial of Clinic Order Entry with Decision Support. Principal Investigator: Matthew

Samore, University of Utah, Salt

Lake City, UT. Grant No. R01

HS015413 (09/20/2004-

08/31/2007). This project will

measure the value of a health

information technology

intervention: “The

Computerized Clinic Order Entry tool.” Ten rural primary

care practices in UT will be

assigned to implement the tool

and ten other rural primary care

practices will be assigned to

continue paper-based writing of

outpatient prescriptions and

orders. Effects of the tool on

provider productivity, office

efficiency, user satisfaction, and

medication practices will be

evaluated. Women, minorities,

and children will be included in

this study. 

• *Showing Health Information Value in a Community Network. Principal Investigator:

David Lobach, Duke University, Durham, NC. Grant No. R01

HS015057 (09/30/2004-

08/31/2007). This 3-year

project will assess the costs and

benefits of health information

technology in an established

community-wide network of

academic, private and public

healthcare facilities created to

share clinical information for the

purpose of population-based care

management of over 16,000

Medicaid beneficiaries in

Durham County, NC.

Researchers will evaluate the

impact of information-driven

interventions on care quality,

patient safety and healthcare

costs. The majority of patients in

this study will be minority

children (African-American,

Hispanic, and other ethnicities)

and women. 

• *Improving Safety and Quality

with Integrated Technology. Principal Investigator: JeanneMarie Guise, Oregon Health

and Science University, Portland,

OR. Grant No. R01 HS015321

(09/30/2004-08/31/2007). The

aims of this project will (1)

demonstrate the value of an

integrated outpatient and

inpatient health information

technology (HIT) system to

improve quality of care and

safety for women and infants,

using group B streptococcus

(GBS) prevention as the test

case; (2) demonstrate the value

of an outpatient alert system to

increase GBS screening; and (3)

perform a cost-benefit analysis to

assess the economic impact of

implementing the integrated

HIT system. 

Women, minorities

(Hispanics, African-Americans,

Native Americans, and other

races) and children will be

represented in this study. 

3
• *Impact of Health Information

Technology (HIT) on Clinical

Care. Principal Investigator: John

Hsu, Kaiser Foundation Research

Institute, Oakland, CA. Grant

No. R01 HS015280

(09/30/2004-09/29/2007). This

study has two aims: (1) to

determine the quality and safety

impact of ambulatory HIT on

resource use for patients with five

chronic diseases (asthma, coronary

artery disease, congestive heart

failure, diabetes mellitus, and

hypertension) by evaluating

measures of drug use, laboratory

monitoring, and physiologic

disease control; and (2) to

determine the impact of

ambulatory HIT on resource use

for patients with these chronic

diseases by estimating the rates of

office visits, ED visits, and

hospitalizations. A large number

of children with asthma and fewer

with diabetes mellitus will be

included in this study as well as

women and minorities. 

Projects funded under RFA for

Transforming Healthcare Quality

through Information Technology

(THQIT) – Planning Grants This

RFA supported community-wide

planning processes across multiple

healthcare organizations within a local

or regional area that will enable them

to develop HIT infrastructure that

provides for effective exchange of health

information within the community.

• Improving Quality of Care for

Children with Special Needs.

Principal Investigator, Carmen

Lozzio, University of Tennessee

Health Science Center, Knoxville,

TN. Grant No. P20 HS015426

(09/30/2004-09/29/2005). This

study will develop a database to

include diagnosis, health records,

and educational information on

children with special health care

needs in the Tennessee Child

Health Profile. Low-income,

minority children will be included

in this study. 

• Creating Online NICU

Networks to Educate, Consult

and Team. Principal Investigator,

Jane Siders, University of

Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg,

MS. Grant No. P20 HS014996

(09/30/2004-09/29/2005). This

study will develop, implement,

and evaluate a cooperative effort

using health information

technology to facilitate a

continuum of appropriate medical

and developmental care for

infants most at-risk for long-term

neurodevelopmental problems.

High-risk infants, including

Asians and African Americans

from birth to 24 months, will be

represented in this study. 

• *El Dorado County Safety

Network Technology Project.

Principal Investigator, Neda West,

Marshall Medical, Placerville, CA.

Grant No. P20 HS014908

(09/30/2004-09/29/2005). This

study will integrate the Network’s

“Access Product,” a three pronged

approach to (1) provide outreach

and enrollment for children

eligible for public insurance; (2)

provide access to quality health

care services for those children not

eligible for public insurance up to

300 percent of the poverty level;

and (3) access to healthcare to

those families employed by local

small businesses unable to provide

coverage for their workers. The

safety net population included in

this study will be indigent,

uninsured, and underinsured

rural, low-income, minorities,

women, and children. 

• *Boone County Community

Care Network. Principal

Investigator, Robert Atkins,

Boone Memorial Hospital,

Madison, WV. Grant No. P20

HS015286 (09/30/2004-

09/29/2005). This project will

launch (1) ChartLink, a webenabled application that will

provide secure and interactive

access to patient information

designed for physicians with

access to the hospital’s medical

records, and (2) a computerized

physician order entry (CPOE)

system which is a secure and

interactive tool that will enhance

patient care utilizing the internet

to increase patient safety and

order process efficiency. The

population in this study includes

rural, low-income, women and

children. 

• *Service Integration. Principal

Investigator, Michelle Lemming,

Franklin Foundation Hospital,

Franklin, Louisiana. Grant No.

P20 HS015195 (09/30/2004-

09/29/2005). This study will (1)

develop an implementation plan,

including organizational,

governance and financial

components; and (2) create a

medication management system

with an electronic note writing

capability. The population in this

study will include rural, lowincome, minorities, women,

children, the elderly, and persons

with chronic illnesses. 

• *Linking Rural Providers to

Improve Patient Care and

Health. Principal Investigator,

Timothy Broos, Katherine Shaw

Bethea Hospital, Dixon IL.

Grant No. P20 HS015023

4
(09/30/2004-09/29/2005). The

aim of this project is to plan the

development of a central

electronic health record system

that will facilitate standards-based

data sharing of health information

between a local acute care

hospital, an associated medical

group, the county health

department; and the local

behavioral health organizations

This study will provide

coordination of quality and safe

health care services for disparate

groups, including rural,

economically disadvantaged,

ethnic/racial minority residents,

and older and younger persons

with special/complex health care

needs. 

• *Bay Area Community

Informatics Project. Principal

Investigator, Jeffery Givens, Bay

Area Health District DBA Bay

Area Hospital, Coos Bay, OR.

Grant No. P20 HS014893

(09/30/2004-09/29/2005). The

purpose of this study is to

establish a secure fiber optic

connection between primary

performance sites (a consortium

of rural Oregon Coast healthcare

organizations) for transmission of

patient demographic data,

medical transcription files,

laboratory results, and

radiographic images. Patients in

this study include rural, women,

children, the elderly, and persons

with chronic illnesses. 

• *Improving the Quality and

Safety of Regional Surgical

Patient Care through the

Creation of a Multi-institutional

Partnership for the

Implementation and Support of

Perioperative Informatics Tools.

Principal Investigator, Michael

Higgins, Vanderbilt University

Medical Center, Nashville, TN.

Grant No. P20 HS015401

(09/30/2004-09/29/2005). This

project will create a plan for

development, implementation,

and support of informatics tools

in regional health centers to

improve the safety of surgical

patient care in the mid-South.

The tools include creating a

registry of patients that details

surgical risks; a preoperative

evaluation resource containing the

medical history relevant to

planning perioperative care; a

performance benchmarking

resource to support collaborative

quality improvement efforts; and

point-of-care prompts designed to

reduce errors in the patient care

process. Minorities, women,

children and the elderly will be

represented in this study. 

• *Community HealthLink Care:

Regional Electronic Medical

Record. Principal Investigator:

Thomas Lewis, Primary Care

Coalition of Montgomery

County, Silver Spring, MD.

Grant No. P20 HS014962

(09/30/2004-09/29/2005). This

study will (1) implement the

health information technology

infrastructure among communitybased healthcare providers

necessary to support a single,

shared electronic medical record

application for medically

underserved patients in the

national capital area, and (2)

promote the community-wide

exchange of patient information

for clinical decision support,

research and disease management

on behalf of low-income,

uninsured individuals and

families. 

Projects funded under RFA for

Transforming Healthcare Quality

through Information Technology

(THQIT) – Implementation

Grants. This RFA supported projects

that focuses on organizational and

community-wide implementation and

diffusion of HIT and assessed the extent

to which HIT contributes to

measurable and sustainable

improvements in patient safety, cost and

overall quality of care. 

• Electronic Records to Improve

Care for Children. Principal

Investigator: Richard Shiffman,

Yale University, New Haven, CT.

Grant No. UC1 HS015420

(09/30/2004-09/29/2007). The

aims of this project are to (1)

implement a shared, electronic

health record for health care

providers in pediatric primary

care, school health, specialty care,

and emergency medicine; (2)

demonstrate improvements in

quality of care for children with

asthma; (3) understand

organizational barriers and factors

that enhance IT acceptance; and

(4) provide administrative and

technical elements of a

community-wide health network

infrastructure that can be further

extended to additional health

partners, including academic

health center clinics, community

health centers, hospital emergency

departments, and inpatient

facilities. This study will involve

an inner-city, multiethnic group

of children and women. It will

also include minority physicians

and nurse practitioners, who

practice at partner sites, as study

subjects. 

5
• Comprehensive IT Solution

for Quality and Patient Safety.

Principal Investigator: Ann

Beach, Children’s Healthcare of

Atlanta, Inc., Atlanta, GA.

Grant No. UC1 HS015236

(09/30/2004-09/29/2007). This

pediatric healthcare system will

implement a series of health

information technologies to

improve patient safety and

quality as well as increase

efficiency of all operations. Four

related technologies, focusing on

pharmacy, will be implemented

including: (1) inpatient

pharmacy system; (2) electronic

medication administration

record; (3) bar coding system;

and (4) computerized provider

order entry system. Patients in

this study will include women,

minorities, and inner-city

children using Medicaid. 

• *Rural Hospital Collaborative

for Excellence Using IT.

Principal Investigator, Patricia Dorris, Palo Pinto General Hospital, Mineral Wells, TX. Grant No. UC1 HS015431

(09/30/2004-09/29/2007). This

project has three aims: (1) to

implement web-based business

intelligence tools, internet

connectivity, and standardized

national measures of patient

safety and quality to impr

o

v

e

delivery of care; (2) to

implement advanced technology

with an enriching educational

intervention to support a

committed patient safety and

quality culture; (3) to conduct a

randomized trial to evaluate the

effects of technology and the

incremental effects of an

educational intervention on

patient safety and quality.

Participants in this study will

include women, children, and

minorities in rural Texas

hospitals. 

• *Evaluating the Impact of an

ACPOE/CDS System on

Outcomes. Principal

Investigator, Sean Sullivan,

University of Washington,

Seattle, WA. Grant No. UC1

HS015319 (09/30/2004-

09/29/2007). This study will

(1) implement ambulatory

computerized prescriber order

entry (CPOE) systems with a

built-in clinical decision support

system (CDS) in 13 sites of the Everett Clinic, a communitybased integrated health system in

the north Puget Sound region;

and (2) evaluate the impact of

the ambulatory CPOE/CDS

system on patient safety by

characterizing the epidemiology

of medication errors pre- and

post-implementation, and

linking these errors to adverse

events. Women, minorities,

children, disabled persons, and

the elderly will be included in

this project. 

• *C

reating an Evidence Base for

Vision Rehabilitation. Principal Investigator, Betty

Bird, Lighthouse International,

New York, NY. Grant No. UC1

HS015052 (09/30/2004-

08/31/2007). This study will

(1) provide training to staff to

use best-practice protocols; (2)

install electronic vision

rehabilitation record at three

non-profit vision rehabilitation

agencies; (3) determine, build,

and pilot the electronic interface

between go

vernment providers

agencies, private rehabilitation

agencies and primary car

e

6
providers; (4) validate the

system’s logic and predictive

ability; and (5) construct and

populate a national

benchmarking database with

outcome-measurement data

from pilot sites, thereby

developing the first vision

rehabilitation evidence base for

best treatment practice.

Minorities and persons ranging

from six months to over 100

years will be included in this

study. 

• *Taconic Health Information

Network and Community

(THINC). Principal Investigator, John Blair, Taconic

IPA, Fishkill, NY. Grant No.

UC1 HS015316 (09/30/2004-

09/29/2007). The physician

independent practice association

(IPA) will add a healthcare portal

to the existing community-wide

electronic data exchange in area

hospitals and laboratories to

allow use of the current

electronic messaging system and

migration to a full electronic

medical record (EMR). The

EMR will include a clinical

decision support system and

patient registries designed to

significantly impr

o

ve the quality,

safety, and efficiency of

healthcare. The patient

population includes women,

men, minorities, children, and

the elderly. 

• *ED Information Systems—

Kentucky and Indiana

Hospitals. Principal Investigator: David Pecoraro, Jewish Hospital HealthCare

Services, Inc., Louisville, KY. Grant No. UC1 HS014897.

(09/30/2004-09/29/2007). This

study will implement and

evaluate a contemporary, Webbrowser-based electronic record

system called the Ibex

PulseCheck® emergency

department (ED) information

system at two small, countyowned, community hospitals

and one medium-sized

community hospital in southern

Indiana, one rural hospital in

central Kentucky, and three

private primary care physician

practices in Indiana. The system

is intended to ensure

comprehensive patient

evaluation and continuity of

care. This study will include data

on a significant number of

women, children, and indigent

African-Americans, Asians, and

Hispanics. 

• *New Mexico Health Information Collaborative.

Principal Investigator, Martin Hickey, Lovelace Clinic Foundation, Albuquerque, NM.

Grant No. UC1 HS015447

(09/30/2004-09/29/2007). This

project will develop a health

information exchange with the

Collaborative (businesses, health

systems and plans, philanthropic

organizations, government,

schools and the University of

New Mexico) to improve care

coordination, chronic disease

outcomes and reduce

unnecessary costs of care. The

study will develop an

organizational infrastructure and

disease management prototypes

utilizing e-health strategies to

impr

o

ve care and reduce costs;

establish a rural pilot to ser

ve as

a model for other rural areas;

and evaluate development,

implementation, and outcomes

of the health information

7
collaborative. The study

population includes women,

children, and minority groups. 

• *Enhancing Patient Safety

through a Universal EMR

System. Principal Investigator,

Thomas Johnson, DuBois

Regional Medical Center, DuBois,

PA. Grant No. UC1 HS015083

(09/30/2004-09/29/2007). The

aims of this project are to (1)

implement a universal electronic

medical records (EMR) system

across health care delivery sites in

rural inpatient and outpatient

settings, including a rural acute

care hospital, and its partners, the

DuBois Regional Medical Group,

and the Free Medical Clinic of

DuBois; (2) use the EMR system

to reduce cost of delivery of care

through improved productivity,

lower operating expenses,

enhanced revenue, and improved

regulatory compliance; (3) use the

EMR system to improve patient

safety and reduce the frequency of

medical errors; and (4) use the

EMR system to improve quality

of care for women, children, lowincome uninsured populations,

and patients receiving treatment

for diabetes, congestive heart

failure, and end-of-life care. 

• *Improving HIT

Implementation in a Rural

Health System. Principal

Investigator, Daniel Mingle,

MaineGeneral Medical Center,

Augusta, ME. Grant No. UC1

HS015337 (09/30/2004-

08/31/2007). In 2000, a pilot

project for an outpatient

electronic medical record (EMR)

for a range of provider settings in

Central Maine was tested. This

study will (1) complete the

primary implementation of the

EMR; (2) improve the structure

and usage in implemented

practices for disease and

preventive management; (3) put

an EMR into service in one new

practice per quarter, and (4)

collect data about patient safety,

quality, access, cost, and

productivity. This project will

include children, women and the

elderly populations. 

• *CCHS-East Huron Hospital

CPOE Project. Principal

Investigator, Greg Kall, Meridia

Health System CCHS-East, East

Cleveland, OH. Grant No. UC1

HS015076 (09/30/2004-

08/31/2007). This project will

measure the impact of the

computerized physician order

entry (CPOE) on quality of care,

safety, and administrative

efficiency with a special focus on

patients with chronic diseases

using the clinical data repository

created by the electronic medical

record. This study will involve an

inner city, economically

disadvantaged patient population. 

Projects funded under Request for

Proposals (RFP)—State and

Regional Demonstrations in Health

Information Technology. This RFP

sought proposals to develop Statewide

networks allowing major purchasers of

health care, public and private payers,

hospitals, ambulatory care facilities,

home health care providers, and longterm care providers to use HIT to

communicate and share information.

• *Colorado Connecting

Communities—Health

Information Collaborative (C3-

HIC). Project Director, Arthur J.

Davidson, University of Colorado

Health Sciences Center, Aurora,

CO. Contract No. 290-04-0014

(09/30/2004-09/29/2009). The

purpose of this project is to

implement Statewide information

and communications technologies

to enable clinicians to access

patient information from other

clinical data repositories at the

point of care. 

• *An Evolving Statewide Indiana

Information Infrastructure.

Project Director, Marc Overhage,

Indiana University School of

Medicine, Indianapolis, IN.

Contract No. 290-04-0015

(09/30/2004-09/29/2009). This

project will develop and

implement health information

exchange (HIE) using an

established technical infrastructure

and interconnects local health

information insfrastructures. It

will also implement a Statewide

public health surveillance network

that links all hospitals to share

emergency department data. 

• *State and Regional

Demonstrations in Health

Information Technology. Project

Director, Patricia Nolan, State of

Rhode Island, Providence, RI.

Contract No. 290-04-0007

(09/30/2004-09/29/2009). The

purpose of this project is to plan,

develop, implement, and evaluate

a Master Patient Index to facilitate

interoperability and share patient

data between public and private

health care sectors. 

• *State and Regional

Demonstrations in Health

Information Technology. Project

Director, Mark E. Frisse,

Vanderbilt University Medical

Center, Nashville TN. Contract

No. 290-04-0006 (09/30/2004-

09/29/2009). This project will

plan, implement, and evaluate a

State-based regional data sharing

8
and interoperatibility service

interconnecting the health care

entities in three counties

including needs assessment for

healthcare improvement and

reforming TennCare. 

• *Improving Communication

Between Health Care Providers

Via a Statewide Infrastructure:

UHINClinical. Project Director,

Jan Root, Utah Health

Information Network, Murray,

UT. Contract No. 290-04-0002

(09/30/2004-09/29/2009). The

aim of this project is to expand

and enhance the current

Statewide network for the

electronic exchange of patient

administrative and clinical data,

and support the adoption of

EMRs. 

Training Grants

• Using an EMR to Improve

Urban Child Health. Principal

Investigator: William Adams,

Boston Medical Center, Boston,

MA. Grant No. K02 HS013655.

(04/01/2004-03/31/2007). The

purpose of this Independent

Scientist Award is to develop, use,

and evaluate technology-based

solutions to improve the quality

of health and healthcare of urban

children focusing on two areas of

importance to clinicians –

preventive services and the care of

asthma. This study will include

children in predominantly

economically poor populations of

ethnic minorities. 

• Strategies for Group A

Streptococcal Prevention.

Principal Investigator: Grace Lee,

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care,

Inc., Wellesley, MA. Grant No.

K08 HS013908. (05/05/2004-

04/30/2009). The purpose of

this Mentored Clinical Scientist

Development Award is to

incorporate patient preferences

and advance modeling methods in

evaluating the cost-effectiveness of

interventions against infections

such as pharyngitis. This

pediatric population will include

patients of racial and ethnic

minority groups (AfricanAmericans, Asians, Hispanic or

Latino). 

• *Effect of Out-of-Hospital

Endotracheal Intubation Errors.

Principal Investigator: Henry

Wang, University of Pittsburgh,

Pittsburgh, PA. Grant No. K08

HS013628. (04/01/2004-

03/31/2009). This Mentored

Clinical Scientist Development

Award will identify the patterns

and effects of errors occurring in

out-of-hospital endotracheal

intubation (OOH-ETI)

performed by paramedics. The

aims of this study will (1)

examine whether variations in the

emergency medical services system

structure, patient socioeconomic

status or patient racial and ethnic

background are associated with

the incidence of OOH-ETI

errors, and (2) determine whether

OOH-ETI errors affect patient

outcomes and in-hospital resource

utilization. This study will involve

patients of all ages (including

children), both genders, and all

ethnic groups. 

Improving Efficiency and

Effectiveness

Project Funded under Program

Announcement (PA) for AHRQ’s

Small Research Grant Program. 

• *The Role of Technology in

Health Care Cost Growth.

Principal Investigator: Michael

Chernew, University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI.

Grant No. R03 HS013048.

(09/01/2004-08/31/2005). This

project will assess (1) which

diseases have contributed most to

health care cost growth at the

population level, (2) the role of

technology in contributing to cost

growth, and (3) the types of

technology that have influenced

cost growth since 1996 and the

types of patients to which they

have been applied. Women,

minorities and children will be

included in this study. 

Contracts

Projects funded under the

Ambulatory Pediatric Association’s

Young Investigator Grant Program.

AHRQ has supported this initiative for

several years. This program focuses on

the field of general pediatrics (e.g.,

emergency medicine, behavioral

pediatrics, education, quality, health

services research, etc. with focus on

health care delivery). 

• Ethnic Differences in

Complementary and Alternative

Medicine Use among Older US

Adolescents. Principal

Investigator: Susan Yussman,

University of Rochester Medical

Center, Rochester, NY. Contract

No. 04R000101 (02/15/2004-

12/31/2004). The aims of this

study are to: (1) describe and

compare the prevalence of

complementary and alternative

medicine (CAM) use among a

nationally representative

population of older adolescents

including Hispanics, Asians,

African-Americans and whites; (2)

determine the impact of age,

gender, region of the US,

9
education level, financial status,

access to allopathic medical care,

and health status on CAM use

by these adolescents; and (3)

compare the prevalence of CAM

use among subgroups of

Hispanic older adolescents

including Mexican-American,

Chicano, Cuban, Puerto Rican,

and Central/South American

populations. 

• Teen Suicide: Attributes and

Opportunities for Prevention.

Principal Investigator: Romi

Webster, Children’s Hospital,

Boston, MA. Contract No.

04R000101 (02/15/2004-

12/31/2004). This project will

(1) describe the attributes of teen

suicide as portrayed by the 2001

and 2002 National Violent

Injury Statistics System (NVISS)

data on suicide victims less than

18 years of age, and (2) compare

these attributes to 2001 and

2002 NVISS adult suicides to

explore developmental patterns

and potential opportunities for

prevention of adolescent suicide. 

• Patient-Centered Access to

Resources for Families with Health Related Social

Problems. Principal Investigator: Eric Fleegler,

Children’s Hospital, Boston,

MA. Contract No. 04R000101

(02/15/2004-12/31/2004). This

study will use geographical

information systems to perform

a geospatial analysis to evaluate

the availability of appropriate

referral agencies, based on

families’ needs and preferences.

The study population will

include English- and-Spanish

speaking caregivers of children

ages 0-6 present at one of two

urban primary care pediatric

clinics for well-child visits. 

Conferences and Meetings

• Third Annual Forum for

Improving Children’s Health

Care—March 2-4, 2004 (San

Diego, CA). Principal

Investigator: Charles Homer,

National Initiative for Children’s

Healthcare Quality, Boston, MA.

Grant No. R13 HS14202.

(02/25/2004-01/30/2006). This

conference focused on (1)

building improvements in care

by highlighting successful

evidenced-based models and

interventions; (2) disseminating

strategies for implementing valid

findings from health services research; (3) providing

collaboration and information

sharing relating to child health

care across multiple stakeholder

levels; and (4) developing faculty

for future initiatives to improve

quality of health care for

children. 

• The Sixth Annual Child

Health Services Research Meeting—Child Health Services Research Across Systems—June 5, 2004 (San

Diego, CA). Principal

Investigator: Wendy Valentine,

AcademyHealth, Washington,

D.C. Grant No. R13 HS14654.

(04/01/2004-03/31/2005). This

conference provided an

opportunity for participants to

learn about the latest child

health services research , develop

new skills and discuss critical

policy issues for children.

Various sessions addressed,

preventive service delivery

impr

o

vement interventions,

pediatric patient safety, activating

parents, school readiness,

research in health plans, and

qualitative methods. The

10
conference was co-sponsored by

AHRQ and AcademyHealth, with

support from the American

Academy of Pediatrics, American

Board of Pediatrics Foundation,

The Commonwealth Fund, The

David and Lucile Packard

Foundation, Health Resources

and Services Administration,

Nemours Foundation, and the

National Association of Children’s

Hospitals and Related

Institutions. 

For More Information

AHRQ’s Web site at www.ahrq.gov

provides information on the Agency’s

children’s health services agenda, and

detailed information on funding

opportunities.

Further details on AHRQ’s programs

and priorities in child health services

research are available from:

Denise Dougherty, Ph.D.

Senior Advisor, Child Health

Agency for Healthcare Research and

Quality

540 Gaither Road

Rockville, MD 20850

Phone: 301-427-1868

Fax: 301-427-1347

E-mail: ddougher@ahrq.gov

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www.ahrq.gov 

AHRQ Pub. No. 05-P006

January 2005