April 30, 2025
Understanding charity care
Regulators and researchers are taking a look at hospitals' charity care. Physicians might want to, too.
New FDA commissioner sworn in
The FDA approved fitusiran, a new treatment for hemophilia, and tenecteplase to treat ischemic stroke, among other recent actions.
Hospital-onset resistant infection rate rose during pandemic, stayed elevated
Rates of community-onset antimicrobial-resistant infections were elevated at the peak of the pandemic but then returned to levels seen in 2018 to 2019, while hospital-onset infections, especially with some of the carbapenem-resistant bacteria, stayed significantly above baseline.
Initiation of naltrexone at discharge reduced heavy alcohol use at three months
Either oral or extended-release naltrexone at hospital discharge led to significant reductions in alcohol use at three months among patients with alcohol use disorder, with no statistically significant difference in effectiveness between the two formulations, according to results of a single-center trial.
Intervention reduced restraint use in older inpatients with cognitive impairment
Use of physical and chemical restraints decreased from 4.3% to 0.7% and from 7.6% to 2.3%, respectively, after implementation of an intervention that stressed systematic screening and assessment of mentation and individualized plans for delirium or dementia management.
Falls common after ICU stays, especially in first three months after discharge
A study of patients who had an ICU stay of four days or longer and no history of falls found that 61% fell at least once in the first year after discharge, with most falling at least twice and approximately one in four requiring medical attention.
Take a quiz about the April 23 issue!
Every week, ACP Hospitalist posts a question about the previous week's issue. See how well you remember what you've read compared to other readers.