Background: Provider etiquette behaviors at the bedside may be important determinants of patient satisfaction. However, the degree to which providers are able to assess their own etiquette-based behaviors and the degree to which these self-assessed behaviors are related to patient satisfaction remains unknown. Methods: We surveyed hospitalists from 4 hospitals in a single health care […]

Background: Studies have reported an association of physician burnout with lower patient satisfaction and poor quality of health care. Hospitalists play a large role in inpatient care, however, to the best of our knowledge only one study has examined the association of hospitalist burnout on patient satisfaction but found no significant association. Therefore, the objective […]

Background: Patients are frequently ordered to fast while hospitalized. Though these “nil per os” (NPO) orders are often placed for sound clinical reasons (e.g. small bowel obstruction), they are also frequently placed in preparation for imaging studies or procedures to reduce the theoretical risk of aspiration. There is often a great deal of confusion among […]

Case Presentation: A 69‐year‐old man with a history of hypertension presented to an outside hospital emergency department (ED) with nonradiating substernal chest pressure that woke him at 2 am. He had experienced such pain before and attributed it to reflux. When the pain remained unchanged hours after omeprazole, he presented to the ED. There, he […]

Case Presentation: A 33‐year‐old woman presented to the emergency department after a syncopal episode. She endorsed dizziness on standing and palpitations prior to the event. Her review of systems was notable for the following: 2 months of progressive fatigue, cold intolerance, constipation, exertional dyspnea, and excessive somnolence. Her exam revealed orthostatic tachycardia, thyromegaly, and an […]

Background: The insurance authorization process for Inpatient Rehab Facility (IRF) and Skilled Nursing Facility placement is lengthy. It takes several days for insurance companies to make decisions regarding patient disposition. This creates increased length of stay (LOS) for otherwise medically stable patients. Several factors contribute to delays and include the lack of weekend authorization staff […]

Case Presentation: A 59‐year‐old Asian woman with a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus was brought to ED for confusion. She had multiple episodes of vomiting and diarrhea for 1 day. The Accu‐Chek on finger stick was 31, and the patient was given one ampoule of D50 intravenously. Vitals in the emergency department included blood […]

Background: The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey is an instrument used to evaluate patient experience and satisfaction during patients’ hospital stay. One of the areas assessed by the survey is education about medications. The survey asks patients how often they were educated about the purpose and possible side effects of […]