Case Presentation: A 58‐year‐old man with a medical history significant for hypertension presented with bilateral arm weakness and numbness. The symptoms started when he was flying in a 2‐seated plane at an altitude of 25,000 feet in an unpressurized aircraft, with support of supplemental oxygen. Numbness resolved after rapid descent with persistent weakness. He had […]

Background: The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) is the academic professional home for more than 16,000 hospitalists around the world [1]. The SHM Quality Improvement (QI) Special Interest Group (SIG), which currently has 813 members including residents and medical students, known as QI enthusiasts, uses an online platform, Hospital Medicine Exchange (HMX), to share project […]

Case Presentation: A 57‐year‐old man with a history of tonsillar lymphoma and adrenal insufficiency (on home prednisone 10 mg and fludrocortisone) was transferred from an outside hospital for syncope. Patient had been hospitalized 3 times since February 2012 with prior workup negative for cardiac and neurocardiogenic etiology. In the past, patient had experienced dizziness and […]

Background: Quality improvement and patient safety (QI/PS) is a major focus for hospitalists in both their day-to-day clinical care. In addition, many hospitalists have educational and administrative QI/PS duties, and salary support for them is highly sought after. As part of an ongoing effort to help identify opportunities to further support members of the Society […]

Case Presentation: A 62‐year‐old woman presented with the acute onset of severe abdominal pain of approximately 6 hours duration. Earlier that day, she had undergone a colonoscopy, during which one 18‐mm sessile polyp was removed. She tolerated the procedure well and there were no reported complications. She felt well after the procedure and returned home, […]

Background: The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM)’s Quality Improvement Special Interest Group’s (QI SIG) mission is “to create and maintain a community that promotes quality improvement by connecting quality improvement enthusiasts to each other and the resources necessary to develop and hone quality improvement skills.” The QI Initiative subgroup of QI SIG was charged with […]