Background: The University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) fails to meet the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) benchmarks for central line utilization rates and central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI). Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are central lines that are overused and misused at UCH. Overuse of PICC lines increases the risks of CLABSI and PICC-associated deep [...]

Background: Obtaining blood work through venipuncture is an important part of the diagnosis and management of hospitalized patients. Through formal and informal patient complaints, we found that patients admitted to the University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) report an excessive number of venipunctures for laboratory blood sampling. This results in overuse of resources, excess patient discomfort, [...]

Background: Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT) is an antibody-mediated pro-thrombotic disorder which occurs after exposure to heparin product. Diagnosis of HIT type II is rather challenging as affected individual often has other causes of thrombocytopenia and a delayed discontinuation of heparin in HIT type II is associated with a mortality rate of 20-30%. 4Ts score is a [...]

Background: CSD’s are an integral component of the inpatient admission process. However, despite their importance, CSD’s are not performed during all admissions. Residents physicians, who are at the forefront of the admission process, are rarely given formal education in the proper way to conduct a CSD, a topic seldom taught in medical schools or residency [...]

Background: Heart failure is a deadly epidemic with over 37 million people affected worldwide with a multitude of physical, psychological and financial implications on patients and the healthcare system. The progression of heart failure can be prevented by appropriate and persistent medication therapy however previous research has estimated forty to sixty percent of patients with [...]

Background: Family centered rounds (FCR) are used in pediatric hospital settings as a multidisciplinary method to communicate with families and involve them in medical decisions. This study is intended to evaluate how medical providers and families perceive family centered rounds and their effectiveness in providing care to patients. Methods: Participants include patient families, medical residents, [...]

Background: Hospital Medicine is a relatively new medical speciality that dedicates to the care of hospitalized patients and experienced an exponential growth in the United States (US) during the last years. Nowadays there are more than 50.000 american hospitalists according to the Society of Hospital Medicine. Outside the US it is still brand new and [...]

Background: Medication reconciliation is a critical component of the hospital admission process, however data has shown that greater than 50% of patients have at least 1 unintended discrepancy at admission. Of these discrepancies, 6% had the potential for severe harm as reported by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Unfortunately, effective strategies in the [...]

Background: Medication errors occur frequently at transitions of care and lead to significant patient harm. Robust medication reconciliation practices can mitigate these errors, but this process is complex and time-consuming. One of the conclusions of the first Multi-center Medication Reconciliation Quality Improvement Study (MARQUIS1) was that pharmacist team involvement in medication reconciliation is a key [...]

Background: COPD exacerbations are among the leading causes of hospital readmissions. According to the COPD Foundation, in 2013, 22% patients admitted for COPD exacerbation required readmission within 30 days of discharge. This represents a significant burden in terms of morbidity for these patients and increased cost to the healthcare system. The COPD readmission rate during [...]