Background: Delirium is a problem that can be dangerous for patients and costly for hospitals. Despite its high prevalence, the identification and treatment can often be delayed because of its ability to mimic other illnesses. According to a 2006 Cochrane Systemic Review, delirium may affect 60% of frail elderly people in the hospital, and among […]

Background: In medical care for older patients, the presence of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) is associated with increased adverse outcomes [1, 2]. A wide range of medications with anticholinergic properties affects cognitive states of older patients have been regarded as PIMs [1, 3]. We purposed to assess clinical impact of anticholinergic cognitive burden on clinical […]

Case Presentation: A 65‐year‐old white man with a history of coronary artery disease was admitted with acute coronary syndrome. He underwent a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with placement of an everolimus drug‐eluting stent and was discharged on dual antiplatelet therapy with both aspirin and clopidogrel. He returned 6 days later with a skin rash. He […]

Background: Hospital readmissions are an important marker of healthcare quality, reflecting worse patient outcomes and resulting in millions of dollars of penalties annually. Medication nonadherence is an important driver of hospital readmissions, with one significant factor being difficulty obtaining medications after discharge. The difficulty could be due to copays, availability, or transportation to a local […]

Case Presentation: A 43‐year‐old woman presented with acute pleuritic chest pain and shortness of breath. She had no medical history or medications besides day 6 of 7 of nitrofurantoin for UTI. She had had a 4‐hour flight earlier in the day and noted dyspnea when using stairs at home. She went to sleep and woke […]

Background: The hospital discharge process is challenging and opportune for human error. Medication discrepancies continue to be a patient-safety problem, exacerbated with the multiple sources of discharge medication documentation. Medication discrepancies may lead to medication errors and may contribute to adverse drug events with potential subsequent healthcare utilization and cost. Discharge medications can be listed […]

Background: Patient out-of-pocket costs are a critical consideration when providing care as they can represent a substantial portion of a patient’s income and when they are exceedingly high can become a barrier to care. We sought to better understand Physician interaction with and reaction to out-of-pocket costs at the trainee level. Methods: A nineteen-question survey […]