November 18, 2025 | Issue #979

New AHRQ Toolkit Strengthens Infection Prevention in Long-Term Care Facilities

AHRQ Data Reveal Shifts in Adult Health Trends

Statistical Brief Highlights Trends in High Cholesterol Diagnosis, Treatment

The annual average number of adults with diagnosed or treated high cholesterol increased from 76.4 million per year in 2018 and 2019 to 84.2 million in 2021 and 2022.  A new statistical brief from AHRQ's Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, Recent Changes in Treatment Patterns for Diagnosed or Treated High Cholesterol, 2018–19 to 2021–22, tracks trends in a time when changing guidelines from two organizations and significant healthcare events may have impacted high cholesterol treatment.  The statistical brief (1) explores how the use of medications and visits to providers changed for adult patients with new or existing high cholesterol diagnoses, and (2) provides insight into how a patient's age, insurance access, and other characteristics impacted treatment.

New Analysis Examines Benzodiazepine and Opioid Use Among Older Adults

In 2021–22, 4.0 percent of adults aged 65 and older used benzodiazepines, a type of medication often prescribed for anxiety or sleep problems, without opioids, while 1.5 percent used both medications at the same time.  Concurrent use of these medications is identified by clinical guidelines as a potentially serious health risk for older adults.  The analysis is contained in a new AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey statistical brief, Benzodiazepine Use Among Older Adults: Any Use and Concurrent Use With Opioids, which highlights differences across subgroups.  Older women were more likely than men to use benzodiazepines alone, 5.1 percent compared with 2.7 percent, and with opioids, 2.0 percent compared with 0.9 percent.  Seniors in the Northeast were more likely to use benzodiazepines only, 5.8 percent, than those in the South, Midwest, or West.  Older adults reporting fair or poor health also had higher use of benzodiazepines alone, 5.1 percent, and in combination with opioids, 3.7 percent, compared with those in better health.  Explore the statistical brief for additional insights on use by insurance, chronic conditions, and other factors.

Strengthen Antibiotic Stewardship With AHRQ Resources

During U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week, join AHRQ in advancing safe antibiotic use across all healthcare settings.  Effective antibiotic stewardship protects patients, reduces resistance, and improves outcomes.  AHRQ offers evidence-based tools to help your facility achieve your infection prevention and stewardship goals.  Explore these key resources:

• Toolkits for MRSA Prevention: Guidance for both intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU settings, plus strategies to prevent surgical site infections, and for improving skin care and preventing multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) in long-term care.
• Antibiotic Stewardship Toolkits: Setting-specific toolkits for acute care, long-term care, and ambulatory care—all built around the proven Four Moments of Antibiotic Decision Making framework.
• Nursing Home Antimicrobial Stewardship Guide: Comprehensive toolkits to help nursing homes optimize antibiotic use and improve resident safety.
• Overview of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-Related Adult Inpatient Stays, 2016–2021: A statistical brief from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project.

Preserve the power of antibiotics for future generations: access all of AHRQ's healthcare-associated infection toolkits and antimicrobial stewardship resources.  Also, subscribe to the AHRQ Infection Prevention & Combating Antimicrobial Resistance Bulletin to stay up to date on AHRQ's projects and research.

Use AHRQ's QuestionBuilder App To Prepare for Medical Visits

Studies Explore Physician Well-Being Through Meaningful Connections and Human Factors Engineering

Register for Upcoming Webinars

• AHRQ Safety Program for HAI Prevention: CAUTI Informational Webinar
• November 19, 10:30–11 a.m. ET
• December 2, 10:30–11 a.m. ET
• December 11, 11:30 a.m.–12 p.m. ET

AHRQ Stats: Medical Care Access and Insurance in Small Rural Areas

New Research and Evidence

• Systematic Review: Pharmacologic and Nonpharmacologic Treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Update of the PTSD Repository Evidence Base

AHRQ in the Professional Literature

Peer-support needs and experiences of young adults with chronic conditions: a mixed methods study.  Melton K, Telenko B, Miles P, et al. Health Care Transit. 2025 Jul 29;3:100114.  Access the abstract on PubMed^®.

Prevalence and outcomes of emergency presentations of colorectal cancer in Veterans Affairs health care system.  Khalaf N, Ali B, Zimolzak AJ, et al. Dig Dis Sci. 2025 Jan;70(1):177-90. Epub 2024 Dec 11.  Access the abstract on PubMed^®.

Implementation of passive deterioration index alerts in an intermediate care unit: a failed early warning system strategy.  Byrd IV TF, Mattson M, Polt M, et al. Appl Clin Inform. 2025 Aug;16(4):903-10. Epub 2025 Aug 27.  Access the abstract on PubMed^®.

Potential benefits of incorporating social determinants of health screening on comprehensive medication management effectiveness.  Farley JF, Pradeep S. J Manag Care Spec Pharm. 2024 Nov;30(11):1217-24.  Access the abstract on PubMed^®.

Derivation and validation of an electronic health record penicillin allergy de-labeling prevalence measure.  Blumenthal KG, Jiang B, King AJ, et al. Clin Infect Dis. 2025 Apr 30;80(4):723-6.  Access the abstract on PubMed^®.

Identifying diagnostic errors in the emergency department using trigger-based strategies.  Khalili M, Enayati M, Patel S, et al. BMJ Open Qual. 2025 Aug 6;14(3):e003389.  Access the abstract on PubMed^®.

Health care affordability problems by income level and subsidy eligibility in Medicare.  Park S, Fung V. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Sep 2;8(9):e2532862.  Access the abstract on PubMed^®.

Risk-stratified screening: a simulation study of scheduling templates on daily mammography recalls.  Lin Y, Hoyt AC, Manuel VG, et al. J Am Coll Radiol. 2025 Mar;22(3):297-306.  Access the abstract on PubMed^®.