tailieunhanh - Health Care Quality and Disparities in Women: Selected Findings From the 2010 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the most common known preventable cause of mental impairment. Babies with FAS have distinctive changes in their facial features and they may be born small. The brain damage that occurs with FAS can result in lifelong problems with learning, memory, attention, and problem solving. These alcohol-related changes in the brain may be present even in babies whose appearance and growth are not affected. It is not known if there is any safe drinking level during pregnancy; nor is there any stage of pregnancy in which drinking—at any level—is known to be risk free | ealth Care Quality and Disparities in Women Selected Findings From the 2010 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports Women s health is a priority population for AHRQ meaning women have unique health care needs or issues that require special focus. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality AHRQ supports research on all aspects of health care provided to women including enhancing the response of the health system to women s needs understanding differences between the health care needs of women and men understanding and eliminating disparities in health care and providing evidence to inform women in their health care decisions. This fact sheet focuses on findings in the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports two of many AHRQ publications that address women s health. Since 2003 AHRQ has annually reported on progress and opportunities for improving health care quality and reducing health care disparities. As mandated by the . Congress the National Healthcare Quality Report NHQR focuses on national trends in the quality of health care provided to the American people while the National Healthcare Disparities Report NHDR focuses on prevailing disparities in health care delivery as it relates to racial factors and socioeconomic factors in priority populations. Priority populations include racial and ethnic minorities low-income groups women children older adults residents of rural areas and inner cities and individuals with disabilities and special health care needs. Women s Health Quality and disparities measures in health care for women are integrated throughout both reports. This document extracts and summarizes the measures in a single document. It is organized around the same framework as the larger NHQR and NHDR but collapses some components to provide a higher view. The reports describe health along the following components Effectiveness Patient Safety Timeliness Patient Centeredness Care Coordination Efficiency Health System .