News
Depletive Fluid Management Strategy During Weaning from Mechanical Ventilation Can Lower VAP Rates
January 7, 2015
Clinical question: What is the benefit associated with a depletive fluid management strategy on ventilator-associated complication (VAC) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) during weaning from mechanical ventilation? Background: VAP is common in the ICU.
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Limitations of Best Practice Alerts on Curbing Blood Transfusions
January 7, 2015
Clinical question: Why do providers continue to transfuse blood products outside of recommended guidelines, despite best practice alerts (BPAs)? Background: There is evidence that a restrictive approach to blood transfusion versus a liberal approach is beneficial in reducing cost, morbidity, and
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Peri-Operative Atrial Fibrillation, Long-Term Risk of Ischemic Stroke
January 7, 2015
Clinical question: Is there an association between peri-operative AF and long-term risk of ischemic stroke in patients undergoing any type of surgery? Background: Peri-operative AF is usually viewed as a transient response to physiological stress, and the long-term risk of stroke after peri-opera
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Lower Health Literacy Contributes to Post-Discharge Medication Errors
January 7, 2015
Clinical question: What patient characteristics contribute to post-discharge medication errors? Background: Post-discharge medication errors are common, but the characteristics of patients associated with those errors are not well understood. Study design: Prospective study with patient data c
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Use, Interpretation of SpO2 Treatment for Pediatric Bronchiolitis Is Questioned
January 7, 2015
Clinical question: Does artificial elevation of pulse oximetry measurement in bronchiolitis patients during ED evaluations affect hospitalization rates? Background: Bronchiolitis is the leading cause of hospitalization for infants younger than one year, leading to direct medical costs in the U.S.
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Hospitalist Joshua Allen-Dicker, MD, MPH, Optimistic About Future of Hospital Medicine
January 7, 2015
As a young student and resident, Joshua Allen-Dicker, MD, MPH, was stunned to see the flip side of medicine—miscommunication, disenfranchised patients, unnecessary testing, and, worst of all, medical errors.
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Hospitalist Energized by Designing, Building Fighting Robots After Hours
January 7, 2015
“The box is locked, the lights are on. It’s robot fighting time. Sewer Snake charges first. He’s lifting Ragin Scotsman high in the air. Ragin Scotsman manages to escape his death grip and slams Sewer Snake against the wall. Oh no!
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Elderly Patient Care Guide Goes Beyond Textbooks, Treatment Guidelines
January 7, 2015
EDITOR’S NOTE: Third in an occasional series of reviews of the Hospital Medicine: Current Concepts series by members of Team Hospitalist. Summary Older patients comprise an increasingly large part of the population we serve as hospitalists.
News
Antibiotic Therapy Guidelines for Pediatric Pneumonia Helpful, Not Hurtful
December 19, 2014
Hospitalists need not fear negative consequences when prescribing guideline-recommended antibiotic therapy for children hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), according to a recent study conducted at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC). "Guideline-recommended ther
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Oncology, Surgical Hospitalists Most Common as Subspecialties Gain Followers
December 16, 2014
The recent rise of specialty hospitalists, particularly in the surgery and oncology fields, has benefitted hospitals and patients alike.