Background: Adverse events are common in the high‐risk work of neurosurgery and improvement of outcomes has been hindered by a lack of resources and time devoted to quality improvement (QI) activities. Because many hospitalists have experience and expertise in leading QI and patient safety initiatives and because neurosurgeons have experience in clinically interfacing with hospitalists [...]

Background: Patient satisfaction with pain management in the inpatient setting is an important quality improvement measure. Patient‐Controlled Analgesia (PCA) order sets have been shown to reduce adverse events without negatively impacting satisfaction. Such protocols are used as an adjunctive reference to guide therapy, and meet the Joint Commission requirement to ensure communication surrounding these medications. [...]

Background: The Modified Early Warning System (MEWS) is a validated tool that aids in the identification of hospitalized patients at risk for clinical deterioration. With rapid response team involvement, the MEWS has demonstrated reduced in‐hospital mortality in the United Kingdom1, and the Royal College of Physicians has encouraged adoption of a standardized version at all [...]

Background: Safety Event (SE) reporting is a critical element for health care organizations striving for continuous quality improvement. It provides a medium for staff to engage in the quality improvement process, and serves as a valuable primary information source for leaders in the organization. Residents routinely provide the majority of the direct patient care at [...]

Background: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the death of an infant younger than one year of age with the cause of death being unknown even after a complete autopsy and investigation. SIDS is the leading cause of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) in the US among infants between the ages of one month to [...]

Background: To address dissatisfaction and inefficiency with the discharge process, in February 2013, we developed a change in our discharge process to focus on two discharge times. This plan was implemented on a general medical unit at Saint Louis Children’s Hospital. The unit’s patient populations include general medicine, sickle cell disease, rheumatology, and infectious diseases. [...]

Background: Behavioral emergencies occur when patients act in a manner that poses a danger to themselves, family or hospital staff. Pediatric Hospitalists may encounter these events caring for patients with underlying psychiatric or behavioral disorders and patients presenting after ingestion. Outside of psychiatric facilities, these events are relatively rare in hospitalized pediatric patients and pediatric [...]

Background: A 2011 survey found that 85% of hospitalist groups had participated in some form of comanagement. Despite the widespread adoption of the comanagement model of care, there are few published data, mostly focused on orthopedic and neurosurgical services. Existing data suggests that comanagement services are not highly rated by their hospitalist participants. Purpose: To [...]

Background: Preoperative anemia has been shown in multiple studies to be an independent risk factor for perioperative blood transfusion. Blood transfusions impart risks of transfusion reactions, increased infections, increased length of stay and hospitalization cost. Several medical societies have adopted practice guidelines recommending blood management to better mitigate these risks, particularly in the perioperative setting. [...]

Background: Hospitalist physicians rely on admission history and physicals and daily progress notes as important tools for communication regarding patient care and compliance with billing and coding requirements. While electronic health records facilitate ease of thorough documentation, many physicians raise concerns regarding documentation accuracy and readability. Purpose: We aim to improve note accuracy, readability, and [...]