News
As Summer—and Interns—Roll In, Try a Little Empathy on Your Patients, Colleagues
June 25, 2016
It’s July, the month that marks the annual rite of passage for both newly minted physicians starting their internships and somewhat-less-fresh trainees completing their residencies and moving on to the next stage of their professional journey.
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News
Interhospital Transfer Handoff Practice Variance at U.S. Tertiary Care Centers
June 24, 2016
Clinical question: How do interhospital handoff practices differ among U.S. tertiary care centers, and what challenges and innovations have providers encountered? Background: Little has been studied regarding interhospital transfers.
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Who to Blame for Surgical Readmissions?
June 23, 2016
When too many surgery patients are readmitted, the hospital can be fined by the federal government - but a new study suggests many of those readmissions are not the hospital's fault. Many readmissions were due to issues like drug abuse or homelessness, the researchers found.
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News
Better Reporting Needed to Accurately Estimate Medical Error as Cause of Death in U.S.
June 20, 2016
Clinical question: What is the contribution of hospital-based medical errors to national mortality in the U.S. compared to other causes listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)? Background: Medical error can contribute to patient mortality.
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New Framework for Quality Improvement
June 19, 2016
Improving healthcare means taking an efficacious intervention from one setting and effectively implementing it somewhere else. [caption id="attachment_15449" align="alignright" width="300"] Image Credit: Shuttershock.com[/caption] “It is this key element of adapting what works to new settings
News
Applying Military Principles to HM Leadership
June 19, 2016
Hospitalists are more than doctors—they are also leaders in their organizations, which is why a new book by retired Army Lieutenant General Mark Hertling is relevant to what they do every day.
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News
Recognizing Contributions Physician Personalities Make to the Greater Good
June 18, 2016
My family and I recently took a spring break trip out west to see a few national parks. During the trip, we stayed on a family ranch in Utah.
News
Standardized Clinical Pathways’ Effects on Outcomes
June 17, 2016
Clinical question: What are the effects of implementing standardized clinical pathways on length of stay, cost, readmissions, and patient quality of life? [caption id="attachment_13645" align="alignright" width="150"] Dr.
News
Use the Teach-Back Method to Confirm Patient Understanding
June 16, 2016
Editor’s note: “Everything We Say and Do” is an informational series developed by SHM’s Patient Experience Committee to provide readers with thoughtful and actionable communication tactics that have great potential to positively impact patients’ experience of care.
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News
Does Preoperative Hypercapnia Predict Postoperative Complications in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea?
June 10, 2016
Clinical question: Are patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and preoperative hypercapnia more likely to experience postoperative complications than those without? Background: Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) is known to increase medical morbidity in patients with OSA, but its impact
