News and Updates for Healthcare Professionals

Taking Needed Steps To Strengthen the Primary Care

AHRQ’s growing effort to address steep challenges in the delivery of high-quality primary care is the subject of a new AHRQ Views blog post. In the U.S. today, primary care clinicians are battling burnout, and patients are losing access to high-quality coordinated, comprehensive, and continuous care. As we celebrate National…
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New Guidelines Emphasize Liver Care in T2D, Obesity

MADRID — Individuals with type 2 diabetes and/or obesity plus one or more metabolic risk factors are at a higher risk for metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) with fibrosis and progression to more severe liver disease, stated new European guidelines that provide recommendations for diagnosis and management.
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The Multiple Chronic Conditions Resource Center is excited to announce a new collaboration with Stratis Health.

Stratis Health is a trusted expert in leading health care transformation and quality improvement to make lives better in Minnesota and nationwide. Its thought leaders deliver data-driven insights, evidence-based interventions, and leading-edge improvement methodologies that inspire organizations and communities to achieve solutions to their most complex and diverse health improvement challenges. We have joined forces to enhance care coordination and patient outcomes for individuals with multiple chronic conditions.

This collaboration brings together the expertise of both organizations to develop innovative strategies and solutions to address the challenges faced by individuals with complex health needs. Stay tuned for updates on this exciting partnership.

Medication Safety

In 2023, the CDC reported that the most common types of adverse drug events are associated with allergic reactions, side effects, over-medication, medication errors, and drug–drug interactions. Healthcare advances in new drug development, older medications with newer indications for use, an aging population, and the expansion of prescription drug coverage may lead to an increase in these events. When nurses understand what determines evidence, how to implement guidelines as standard of care, and what establishes best practices to optimize medication safety, they can help prevent medication errors.

Patients have long associated trust and respect with nursing. However, recent incidents of nurses delivering inappropriate medications (wrong drug, wrong dose) have led to catastrophic consequences. Most notoriously, former nurse RaDonda Vaught was stripped of her nursing license and charged with reckless homicide and abuse of an impaired adult.

Anticholinergics, widely used in clinical practice for an extensive range of diseases, exert effects on circulation, respiration, alertness, and vision by blocking the action of acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter) within the choli­nergic sys­tem.

Providers prescribe benzodiazepines (BZDs)—also known as anxiolytics, hypnotics, muscle relaxants, anticonvulsants, and amnestic medications—to manage several symptoms and conditions, including anxiety, insomnia, alcohol withdrawal, sedation, muscle spasms, agitation, and seizures.

To ensure safety and effective care, nurses must maintain their knowledge and understanding of opioid pharmacologic properties and best practices when caring for patients with acute and chronic non-cancer pain.

Federal Initiatives for Persons with Multiple Chronic Conditions

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Three Notice of Funding Opportunity for AHRQ’s Health Extension Collaboratives, National Coordinating Center, and National Evaluating Center are now all available. This includes fifteen grants for state-based Healthcare Extension Cooperatives to accelerate the dissemination and implementation of patient-centered outcomes research evidence into healthcare delivery. The National Coordinating Center will provide technical assistance, learning networks, communications, and dissemination guidance to the healthcare extension cooperatives. The National Evaluation Center will assess program implementation and impact. Information about a technical assistance webinar for this funding announcement is forthcoming. Questions may be submitted to AHRQ_HES@ahrq.hhs.gov.

More: Person-Centered Care Planning for People Living with or at Risk for Multiple Chronic Conditions

News and Updates for the Patient and Family

11 Medicine Mistakes to Avoid

Taking even one medication correctly and on time each day can be a challenge. In fact, research shows that as many as half of all patients don’t follow their medication instructions properly. For older adults who often juggle multiple medicines, the challenge is even greater.
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Addiction Treatment Resources

The damage caused by substance abuse doesn’t only affect the individual who is battling alcohol or drug dependency. The effects of addiction impact friends and family members close to the individual, as well. The reason addiction can last months or even years is because friends and family members who recognize…
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How to Manage or Donate Unused Medical Supplies

Once a patient no longer requires at-home care, families are left with the task of determining what to do with leftover medical supplies. These items often require specific disposal practices. Without instructions on how to carry that out, families may throw them in the trash or follow unsafe disposal practices.
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Dr Kim Kuebler Implementing Palliative Care in Multiple Chronic Conditions in the U.S.

Dr Arlene Bierman MD, MS, Director of Center for Evidence and Practice Improvement: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Dr Joanne Lynn MD, MA, MS, Director Center for Elder Care and Advanced Illness, Altarum Institute

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Latest Posts from Our Blog

MCCRC and HealthCom Media – Providing resources for professionals and patients

The Multiple Chronic Conditions Resource Center (MCCRC) is one of several resources held under the umbrella of HealthCom Media. The MCCRC provides clinical practice and health policy updates for healthcare professionals, patients, families and policymakers. It is a one-stop source for all current evidence based guidelines and resources. Sign up…
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AHRQ’s Person Centered Care, Learning Community

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has long-been advocates for promoting person-centered care. AHRQ has recently established a Learning Community (LC) to discuss models of person-centered care planning (PCCP) and real-world implementation with front-line providers. The LC will evaluate barriers and feasible solutions to meet the complex care…
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What are the 4 M’s?

The Hartford Foundation, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, American Hospital Association, and the Catholic Health Association among other agencies are promoting a healthcare system that we want for ourselves and others. Recognizing the need for improved care for the nation’s largest patient population – those living with 2 or more chronic…
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Branding problem with palliative care

There is a branding problem with palliative care in that it is associated with end of life, hospice or serious illness. Palliative care is also symptom management – skilled clinical decision making that improves patient quality of life – allowing for greater physical functioning and engagement in meaningful activities. Palliative…
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