Background: The Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES‐13) was developed to identify community dwelling elders at risk for functional decline or death. It consists of a 10‐point score based on age, self‐reported health status, and ability to perform 6 physical tasks and 5 activities of daily living. In the outpatient setting it has been shown to predict […]

Background: It is estimated that 7%–15% of all strokes occur in the hospital, yet these strokes have slower response times and longer time to thrombolysis compared with strokes that occur outside the hospital. We initiated an inpatient stroke alert program to improve in‐hospital stroke recognition and reduce time to evaluation. Methods: The University of Colorado […]

Background: Patients are often discharged from hospitals before test results are finalized. Physician awareness of test results finalized after hospital discharge is poor and is an important patient safety concern. We aimed to determine the impact of a computerized test result management application (Hospital Results Manager, HRM) on physician awareness of potentially actionable postdischarge test […]

Background: Tagged white blood cell scans (TWBCSs) are often used as a diagnostic study when searching for an occult infection after most other studies have been performed. These studies are not inexpensive, averaging near $400 per study at our institution. Little is known about how often these scans yield new information that was not known […]

Background: Central line placement is a common ICU procedure that aids in hemodynamic monitoring, as well as delivery of medical treatment and nutritional support. In the United States alone, more than 5 million central venous catheters are placed every year. Complications are experienced in 5%–19% of cases. The current standard to detect postprocedural complications and […]

Background: Since our program conducted a time study to see how hospitalists spend their time 4 years ago, we have significantly increased our daytime coverage as well as our average daily census (more than doubled). To evaluate these changes, we conducted a more robust follow‐up study aiming to validate our original findings and to assess […]

Background: Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) have become an increasingly attractive option for short‐term vascular access in hospitalized patients. PICC placement is a minimally invasive procedure and provides a convenient, dependable intravenous access. These advantages, however, demand increased vigilance to minimize avoidable infectious and thrombotic complications. Though symptomatic in fewer than 5% of patients, PICC‐associated […]

Background: Effective communication and interpersonal skills are essential for delivering quality patient care and have been identified as a core competency for physicians. The Communication Assessment Tool (CAT) is a psychometrically validated instrument for patient assessment of physician communication skills. Most patients (both inpatient and outpatient) sampled during CAT development had multiple interactions with their […]

Background: There is an increased focus on measuring and improving quality of care for hospitalized older patients. Ideally, adherence to quality measures is associated with improved outcomes for these patients. This study aimed to assess the relationship between quality of care, measured by ACOVE (Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elders) quality indicators (Qls), and survival 1 […]

Background: Effective communication between a hospitalist and his or her patients is essential. In the United States, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the American Board of Medical Specialties have recognized interpersonal and communication skills as 1 of the 6 general competencies for physicians. Previous research in the outpatient setting documented that patient […]