Hospital Medicine

The author recalls how the digitization of a sign-out system greatly improved efficiency and reduced headaches among hospital staff, leading to the development of a custom system that further eased the pains of the sign-out process.

Scientists have identified a new way to kill the bacterium P. aeruginosa, a bacteria that inhibits the process of maggot dibridement therapy.

There's a concept in healthcare insurance where all risks in a community of interest, a market, are pooled - community rating; and then there's experience rating where the healthy are advantaged in more ways then one and the sick are marginalized, paying disproportionately more into the pool just to have a seat at the table.

Splenic artery aneurysm is the most common form of visceral artery aneurysm. Most present asymptomatically with incidental findings on CT or ultrasound which are diagnostic, although about 20% present with vague left upper quadrant abdominal pain. Treatment should be aimed at preserving splenic function whenever possible and endovascular treatments offer a less invasive option to patients than open surgical ligation or resection.

The film Extraordinary Measures tells the story of one family's race to find a treatment for Pompe disease, a rare and potentially fatal neuromuscular disorder that had afflicted two of their children.

The treatment of intractable pain remains an unresolved controversy in American medicine. Although, in theory, it is generally accepted that pain must be adequately treated, particularly in cancer patients, the treatment of pain unrelated to malignancy remains a stubborn and highly contentious issue.

We've collected links to some of the top podcast resources for primary care physicians.

The International Psychopharmacology Algorithm Project (IPAP) offers several Web-based algorithms for the systematic treatment of major Axis I psychiatric disorders.

University of Michigan researchers found that several coxibs interfere with aspirin's ability to discourage blood clots, if the aspirin is taken in low doses. Celebrex (celecoxib) is the only coxib currently on the market.

Researchers at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School have developed a method for quickly determining volume of blood loss that is more accurate than the visual estimates currently used by many emergency medical technicians.

This educational activity discusses the results of an April 2009 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine about proton-pump inhibitors and asthma control.

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations states that medication errors continue to be one of the most frequent causes of preventable harm in healthcare. As Tangalos sees it, electronic and IT solutions hold the greatest promise to eliminate these errors.

Surveys show that more than 90% of US hospitals do not use even a basic EHR, despite the improvements to efficiency, care coordination, and patient safety to be gained by implementing an EHR. Some hospitals, however, have been quick to recognize the benefits of EHRs, and have already taken steps to prepare for a paperless future.

As hospital medicine continues to evolve and grow as a specialty, hospitalist groups are looking to branch out and provide more services.

A variety of factors are prompting hospitals to expand coverage to provide 24/7 hospitalist care, leading to the creation of a new sub-specialty: the nocturnist. Although many programs, in an effort to recruit nocturnists, promise shorter hours, more flexible scheduling, and better pay, the lifestyle adjustment nighttime coverage requires is not for everyone.

As the mean BMI in the U.S. edges higher, I thought that a discussion of 2 recent analyses regarding lipids was pertinent to the season.

Below are select statistics on the prevalence, incidence, and mortality rates associated with angina pectoris in the US.

A study from Johns Hopkins has found that "routine prescription of extended-release niacin, a B vitamin (1,500 milligrams daily), in combination with traditional cholesterol-lowering therapy offers no extra benefit in correcting arterial narrowing and diminishing plaque buildup in seniors who already have coronary artery disease."

Rates of clostridium difficile are increasing in the outpatient setting, according to new research from the Mayo Clinic.

The Joint Commission's Health Services Research Department conducted a survey of nearly 2,000 hospitals and found that 45% have a smoke-free facility policy. This represents close to a 3% increase since 1992 when the Joint Commission required all of its accredited hospitals to ban smoking inside the hospital.

Scientists from the University of Heidelberg Hospital have discovered why thicker blood may simultaneously increase and decrease an individual’s risk for heart attack and stroke.

A new medication for the maintenance treatment of eczema may "prevent flares and prolong flare-free intervals."

The steady growth of hospital medicine has led to a push for specified certification in this field. But who should provide that certification, and is the move in this direction good or bad for hospitalists and hospital medicine?

New research has found a greater prevalence of oral bacteria increases the risk of heart attacks.