Background: Although communication with primary care physicians (PCPs) during patient hospitalization is recommended, it is unclear if this communication is related to patient outcomes. Communication with PCPs may be especially important for frail older adults who are at risk during care transitions. The aim of this study was to assess the association between PCP awareness [...]

Background: The transition from insulin infusion is problematic. A pilot study in our institution revealed that uncontrolled hyperglyce‐mia was the rule in the first 48 hours after discontinuing insulin infusion and that basal subcutaneous (SC) insulin was virtually never given prior to stopping the infusion. Methods: We designed a protocol to proactively manage the transition [...]

Background: Outpatient management of UTI as a treatment option was firmly established by Hoberman's study in 1999 and confirmed in Cochrane reviews in 2003 and 2007. However, UTI remains a common cause of pediatric hospitalization (ninth in 2006 excluding newborn and psychiatric diagnoses). Our objective was to look at national trends in UTI hospitalizations. Methods: [...]

Background: The number of academic hospitalists in the United States has grown rapidly, but few data exist regarding this workforce. We describe the current demographics, academic productivity, and promotion rates among academic hospitalists. Methods: We performed a cross‐sectional e‐mail survey of academic hospitalists at 17 U.S. medical centers. We used simple statistics to describe responses [...]

Background: In‐hospital cardiac arrest is rarely sudden and may be preventable if interventions are performed when patients are in the early stages of clinical deterioration. However, identifying high‐risk patients remains a significant challenge. Scoring tools based on vital signs and laboratory findings have yielded limited accuracy and require labor or technology to capture prospectively. We [...]

Background: It is well known that there are disparities in health care for minorities in the United States. Multiple studies have shown that differences exist in all aspects of care including prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, in particular, minorities are much less likely to receive the recommended screening tests for various cancers. With the diverse socioeconomic [...]

Background: Acetaminophen has been well known as an effective analgesic and antipyretic for more than a century. IV acetaminophen (IV APAP) is approved for the short‐term treatment of acute pain and fever in nearly 70 countries outside of the United States, and more than 300 million 1‐g doses have been distributed since its first approval [...]

Background: Acetaminophen has been well known as an effective analgesic and antipyretic for more than a century. IV acetaminophen (IV APAP) is approved for the short‐term treatment of acute pain and fever in nearly 70 countries outside of the United States and more than 300 million 1‐g doses have been distributed since its first approval [...]

Background: Community‐acquired pneumonia (CAP) is the most common infectious cause of death in the United States and has thus been the target of numerous quality initiatives. Early administration of guideline‐concordant antibiotics, influenza and pneumo‐coccal vaccination, and obtaining blood cultures have been shown to decrease mortality in CAP. However, the impact of their greater use on [...]

Background: Health care–associated infection (HAI) is a common and costly patient safety problem. As of October 2008, U.S. hospitals will no longer receive Medicare reimbursement for certain types of HAI, thereby heightening the need for effective infection prevention efforts. The mere existence of evidence‐based practices, however, does not equal the use of such practices because [...]