Background: Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders (SSRD) is an umbrella term for a wide variety of disorders commonly encountered in the inpatient pediatric setting, including conversion disorder, amplified pain syndrome, and psychogenic non-epileptiform seizures. These patients can be high utilizers of medical resources. The hospitalist is often charged with ruling out a medical diagnosis and [...]

Background: Hospitalization in older adults with cognitive impairment is a seminal event that often leads to iatrogenic complications and exacerbation of behavioral disturbances that require a higher level of observation to ensure the patient’s safety. Our study aimed to determine whether an innovative model, using Patient Engagement Specialists (PES) improves care for hospitalized older adults [...]

Background: Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders (SSRD) is an umbrella term for a wide variety of disorders commonly encountered in the inpatient pediatric setting, including conversion disorder, amplified pain syndrome, and psychogenic non-epileptiform seizures. These patients can be high utilizers of medical resources. The hospitalist is often charged with ruling out a medical diagnosis and [...]

Background: Hospitalization in older adults with cognitive impairment is a seminal event that often leads to iatrogenic complications and exacerbation of behavioral disturbances that require a higher level of observation to ensure the patient’s safety. Our study aimed to determine whether an innovative model, using Patient Engagement Specialists (PES) improves care for hospitalized older adults [...]

Background: Hospitalists nationwide are faced with complex patient and family behaviors that interfere with medical care. In the acute inpatient setting, few resources are available for physicians to address maladaptive behaviors and many physicians report significant discomfort managing these disruptive behaviors. We implemented a Nurse Practitioner-Led Psychiatric Consult Service to provide education and recommendations for [...]

Background: The direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) apixaban and rivaroxaban are increasingly prescribed due to convenient oral formulation without the need for routine laboratory monitoring and are now commonly regarded as first line anticoagulants in most cases of venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, the optimal choice of subsequent anticoagulant in instances of first line DOAC failure is [...]

Background: Moral distress, the inability to act in accordance with one’s ethical beliefs due to hierarchical or institutional constraints, has been associated with burnout and poorer well-being.  Significant moral distress amongst American physician trainees might occur when they feel obligated to provide treatments at the end of life that they believe to be futile or [...]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic introduced significant stressors on the healthcare workforce and psychological distress is on the rise. The objective of this study was to evaluate a Hospitalist Morale Index (HMI) as a measure of well-being during the pandemic in comparison to other measures of morale, quality of life, and burnout. Methods: The HMI is [...]

Background: Most cases of pneumonia in older people are aspiration pneumonia,[1] and the prognosis among patients hospitalized for aspiration pneumonia is very poor.[2] After being hospitalized for aspiration pneumonia, a certain number of patients become unable to take orally, and some chronic conditions are reported to be negatively associated with the retrievement of oral intake.[3] [...]

Background: There is a significant gap in the knowledge of magnitude and durability of B cell response in the setting of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection and continued vaccination schedules including booster vaccination. Our study explores the magnitude and change in B cell response measured as anti-spike AUC (Area under the curve) among healthcare workers (HCWs) over [...]