Background: More than two million people are evaluated for syncope each year in the United States, and approximately 30-40% of these patients are hospitalized for further costly investigation. Total annual cost of syncope related hospital evaluation is estimated to be over 2 billion dollars. The most common cause of syncope is reflex mediated. It does [...]

Background: Addressing the needs of the geriatric population is critical, as “baby boomers” comprise a larger proportion of hospitalized patients. Hospitalists increasingly care for these complex geriatric patients. The “BEERS Criteria” are evidence-based guidelines that encourage medication safety by describing potentially inappropriate and harmful medications (PIMS) among geriatric patients. BEERS guidelines recommend that with a [...]

Background: Female physicians are a high-risk group for unintentional weaning, with poor access to lactation stations as one of the reported reasons. Less than half of female physicians are breastfeeding at 6 months, and only 29% are exclusively breastfeeding at 6 months. Often female physicians are pumping in their office, while less than 20% are [...]

Background: The US has a heavy burden of deaths from opioid overdoses, and New Mexico is not excepted from this. Treatment options for opioid use disorder (OUD) are buprenorphine/naloxone (“Suboxone”), methadone, naltrexone, counseling, and/or behavioral therapy. Long-acting oral opioids like Suboxone, are the most effective methods for treating opioid withdrawal and OUD. They are often [...]

Background: Sexual harassment and gender discrimination are common in medical practice. Hospital medicine is a relatively young and evolving specialty and less is known about their prevalence in this field. This study aims to evaluate the experiences of academic hospitalists regarding this topic. Methods: An anonymous Qualtrics Survey was emailed to hospitalists in the participating [...]

Background: The social determinants of health (SDOH) are variable factors, including living conditions, employment environments, and social circumstances that influence peoples’ health and can cause health disparities in communities (WHO, 2019). Physicians recognize the importance of SDOH and understand that social factors impact the health outcomes of their patients; however, they may be hesitant to [...]

Background: Academic children’s hospitals are increasingly partnering with community hospitals to provide inpatient neonatal and pediatric care in the patient’s own community. Although some academic hospitals are hesitant to form these partnerships due to concern for decreasing incoming transfers, few studies report the true effect of such collaboration. Our strategy involved such a partnership that [...]

Background: Since 2017, women have made up over 50% of medical school matriculates and nearly 50% of resident physicians in the United States. (1,2) However, only 35% of active physicians and 16% of department chairs are women – a number that has remained stagnant and demonstrates the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions in medicine. [...]

Background: Medicare observation stays are increasing nationally. Beneficiaries frequently hospitalized under observation, as well as those needing post-acute care skilled nursing facility coverage, may face increased financial burdens from these services. Patients living in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods have increased risk of inpatient 30-day re-admissions. It is not known whether neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage increases 30-day [...]

Background: It is estimated that 20% of patients who encounter the ED suffer from Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) . Hospitalists encounter many Alcohol Withdrawal admissions and are often tasked with providing short counseling sessions on AUD due to time restraints. Furthermore, up to 50% of of patents admitted for Alcohol withdrawal will be readmitted for [...]