April 20, 2022
The road ahead for hospital medicine
During his plenary at SHM Converge 2022, Robert M. Wachter, MD, MACP, shared his thoughts on the future of hospital medicine, including changes in patient complexity and hospital finance, the catch-22 of hospital at home, and the potential impacts of technology.
Syphilis cases from Thomas Jefferson University
Four cases highlight the varied complications and presentations of syphilis.
Patient deterioration alerts didn't improve mortality or length of stay in trials
According to a new systematic review, pre-post studies have found benefits from using health information technology for early detection of inpatient deterioration, but randomized controlled trials have shown no significant changes from such interventions.
Nurse-led mobile EKG monitoring in the hospital appears cost-effective after initial stroke
An Australian study found that mobile EKG monitoring was associated with marginally higher costs and more quality-adjusted life-years over a 20-year time horizon than 24-hour Holter monitoring during an index hospitalization for stroke.
Care bundle did not reduce CRBSIs in hemodialysis patients
A stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized trial of 37 renal centers in Australia found a similar rate of catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSIs) before and after implementation of a care bundle focused on catheter insertion, maintenance, and removal.
Dementia associated with increased risk of death or readmission after discharge
A study of recently hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries found that patients with a dementia diagnosis had increased 30-day risk of death or readmission, particularly if they were discharged to the community rather than to nursing facilities.