June 15, 2022
Treating alcohol withdrawal (and its cause)
Hospitalists should not only adequately address acute alcohol withdrawal but also consider working with patients to treat their alcohol use disorder after discharge, experts said.
Pneumocystis pneumonia in an HIV-negative patient
A patient with primary hyperparathyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis, and inclusion-body myositis presented with fatigue, nausea, and vomiting.
SHM selected new Choosing Wisely recommendations with patient input
The latest advice from the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) on avoiding low-value care includes recommendations against waking patients at night for routine care and against routinely prescribing venous thromboembolism prophylaxis to all inpatients.
Higher hospitalist workload associated with slightly longer length of stay
A patient load of 16 patients, compared to 13, was associated with a small, but statistically significant, increase in length of stay. However, there was no association between workload and ED visits or readmissions in the single-center observational study.
Cystatin C improves accuracy in calculations of Black patients' kidney function
Equations to estimate glomerular filtration rate more accurately predict risk of kidney failure and mortality in Black patients if they include both creatinine and cystatin C, but not race, according to a new retrospective study.
Study finds low adherence to price transparency mandate across U.S. hospitals
As of Jan. 1, 2021, a federal rule requires hospitals to disclose five types of standard charges for all services and to provide a consumer-friendly display for at least 300 services. Six to nine months after it went into effect, more than half of hospitals had met neither requirement.