Background: Readmissions within 30 days of discharge is used as a quality metric for the care of hospitalized patients. However, its prognostic value for patient outcomes has not been examined. We hypothesized that patients who get readmitted within 30 days of their index admission discharge may have higher short and long-term mortality. Methods: Using administrative [...]

Background: Atrial fibrillation leads to increased risk of systemic embolism (SE) and stroke. To decrease the occurrence of stroke/SE, anticoagulation is routinely prescribed. Recently, non-vitamin K anticoagulants like apixaban and rivaroxaban have become more popular and are preferred over warfarin. We here compare the efficacy and safety of apixaban with warfarin. Methods: Eligible participants were [...]

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a very common condition which usually requires anticoagulation (AC). There are very clear indications of when to initiate AC but recommendations regarding bridging during elective surgery are not very clear. We here tried to answer this important question by calculating the risk of bleeding and stroke/systemic embolism (SE). Methods: We [...]

Background: Antipsychotics are frequently used in the hospital setting for managing both acute and chronic psychiatric disorders. However, antipsychotics have been associated with higher rates of mortality due to their cardiovascular risk factors, such as QT prolongation. This study aimed to determine the association between cumulative dose of antipsychotics (first and second-generation) and QT prolongation, [...]

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) and its vasoocclusive sequela are significant causes of morbidity and mortality as well as acute care utilization throughout the United States, with an estimated 92,880 hospital admissions totaling $759 million in aggregate annual costs in 2014. There is a need within health care systems to identify strategies for achieving higher [...]

Background: Rapid Response System (RRS) was designed as a safety tool for early detection and intervention of a deteriorating patient on a general floor in a hospital and Modified Early Warning System (MEWS) scores can be used to identify these patients. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) has been described as an independent risk factor for long [...]

Background: The number of hospitalized patients varies significantly throughout the year. Fine prediction of the number of hospitalized patients is essential to provide adequate staffing and quality care. We aimed to identify the factors affecting the number of hospitalized patients and develop a prediction model. Methods: Daily number of hospitalized patients on the medical floor [...]

Background: Interdisciplinary team-based care is a promising concept in hospital medicine in which healthcare team members representing multiple disciplines collaborate to develop patient care plans. Multiple published studies showed that team based care is associated with decreased length of stay (LOS).1,2Patient-Centered Approach to Health (PATH) team was a redesign of the Structured Interdisciplinary Bedside Rounding [...]

Background: Sepsis is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients . Early and appropriate therapy has been shown to improve outcomes, making early diagnosis and intervention critical . However, recognition and treatment of sepsis remains a challenge . In order to understand how to best deliver sepsis treatment in different hospitals within [...]

Background: Education is one of the determinants of health as described by the WHO, and it is one of the primary determinants of Socio-Economic Class (SEC), a higher level of education is associated with a higher level of SEC. Few researchers have addressed the link between the level of education and cardiovascular disease. However, there [...]