January 2011
Making nice
Most hospitalists have both good and bad stories about their interactions with outpatient physicians.
On the alert for a quiet killer
Patients developing sepsis may go undiagnosed because the early symptoms can be subtle or suggest other disorders.
M&M conferences get swept up in QI trend
M##amp;M conferences now increasingly focus on the underlying causes of errors and what can be learned from them.
When hospitalists stay longer, patients leave sooner
A study indicates that fragmentation of care negatively affects length of stay. The lead author talks about his findings.
Spreading the word about glucose control
SSM St. Mary's Health Center, a 525-bed teaching hospital in St. Louis, Mo., implements a comprehensive program to improve glucose control.
When you look, but don't see the diagnosis
Gradual yet significant change in a woman's appearance, first noticed by a daughter she hadn't seen for a year, leads to the diagnosis of a common yet frequently missed ailment.
Letter from the Editor
This issue includes stories on PCP-hospitalist relationships, morbidity and mortality conferences, sepsis, and more.
The fantasy hospitalist league
What if there were a fantasy league for hospitalists?
Rejection
It was another lonely Saturday night, with only a pint of Rocky Road to keep me company.
Sepsis: SIRS due to an infection
The current definition of sepsis is not well known by most physicians. Many think a diagnosis requires positive blood cultures and is associated with an extremely grim prognosis, but this is no longer so.
Test yourself: Sepsis
These cases and commentary, which address sepsis, are excerpted from ACP's Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program (MKSAP15).
New injectable antibiotic approved, infusers recalled
Details on the approval of ceftaroline fosamil, and more.
Journal watch: Recent studies of note
Oral low-dose steroids for COPD exacerbations, and more.
In the News
Communicating cancer diagnoses, guidance on prescribing clopidogrel, and more.