Background: Provider morale is an important concern for hospitals, particularly during the COVID pandemic. Data from hospitals and alternate care sites (ACSs) have found low morale in hospitalists and nurses working with COVID patients. We compared hospitalist morale at a COVID ACS to regional conventional hospitals using the validated Hospitalist Morale Index (HMI). Methods: Using […]

Background: Osteomyelitis is an acute or chronic infection of the bone structures which can be caused by either bacteria, fungi, or mycobacteria. Studies have reported a high annual incident of about 1 in 675 hospital admission in the United States. The overall incident is higher in the male population for reasons unclear and increases with […]

Background: Patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) are at significantly increased risk for both thrombosis and bleeding relative to those with normal renal function, which makes anticoagulation particularly challenging. Evidence suggests that rivaroxaban and dabigatran are associated with a higher risk of bleeding in ESRD patients. To date, no large national cohort studies have […]

Background: Obesity is associated with many cardiopulmonary comorbidities independently associated with worse health outcomes in acute illness, yet the physiological mechanisms potentially making obese patients more susceptible to COVID-19 remain uncertain. Adiposity-derived immunosuppression, increased thrombogenic potential, and predilection towards inflammatory hyperreactivity have all been postulated as potential mediators of this phenomenon. Yet, the most obvious […]

Background: Physical therapy (PT) is an invaluable tool to prevent and treat the functional decline that hospitalized patients experience. Although it is a constrained resource in most inpatient settings, PT is often requested for patients with high mobility and independence who may not require skilled therapy. This can waste hundreds of PT hours and decrease […]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of the healthcare system and has led to various restrictions including strict visitation policies, limited patient interactions with healthcare workers to mitigate exposure risk, and donning/doffing personal protective equipment (PPE) before each interaction. These interactions have disproportionately affected patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) in Austin, Texas. […]

Background: Morning report is a core educational conference in internal medicine training programs. A recent national survey found that the duration and content of expert clinician commentary influences residents’ perceptions of morning report quality, yet no prior study describes comments made by internal medicine attendings in this core conference. Methods: We conducted a multicenter prospective […]

Background: The age-friendly hospital implements an evidence-based “4M” framework (what matters most, medication reconciliation, mentation and mobility) to minimize harm among older adults. Clinical outcomes of patients who receive bundled 4M’s care delivery remains a knowledge gap. We determined if the incremental benefit of more M’s was associated with reduced discharges to post-acute care facilities. […]

Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused a staggering 200 million cases with over 4 million deaths globally as of August 2021. COVID-19 is associated with lung inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are used to improve lung function by reducing inflammation, edema, mucus secretion, and inhibiting various cytokine activities. However, there is […]

Background: Peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVs) are the most frequently used invasive devices in hospitalized patients. Recent evidence has shown that these devices are not benign, and put patients at risk of serious bloodstream infections as well as other complications. Given their ubiquity, PIVs do not exist independently, and are used in a diverse set of […]