September 2010


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A lot to remember

Checklists can be an effective and efficient way to improve care, if the process is handled correctly.

Don't forget the lungs

Hospitalists familiar with preop cardiovascular evaluation may be less comfortable with pulmonary evaluations, which can also be crucial to reducing risk for surgical patients.

Assisted suicide

The prescribing of lethal medication remains highly controversial as clinicians struggle to balance the autonomy of terminally ill patients and the commitment to do no harm.

Six letters that can help with difficult decisions

Two physicians describe their mnemonic for determine patients' decision-making capacity.

Reducing readmissions by empowering patients

St. Joseph Hospital in Whatcom County, Wash., reduced unnecessary readmissions by improving patient self-management after hospital discharge.

A case of attribution error

Our columnists discuss the case of a 71-year-old obese woman whose mental status deteriorated rapidly while in the hospital.

Letter from the Editor

This issue offers expert advice on using checklists, clinical pearls on preop pulmonary evaluation, and guidance for ethically challenging situations.

Hospital medicine in Chile

The international hospitalist movement continues to grow, especially in South America.

Cuba is just across the water, but medically, a different world

A physician discusses his experiences in Cuba.

Diagnosing a freak of nature

Our patient's presenting symptoms made us sure he was experiencing an aortic dissection. But our diagnostic CT scan showed that we were in for a much bigger surprise.

Bringing health to low-income patients in the clinic and media

Columnist Erin N. Marcus, FACP, has a passion for health communication.

The laziest, shadiest colleague

Taking call as the AMO, or admitting medical officer, was one of the most heinous call experiences for upper-level residents.

Encephalopathy

Most patients who are admitted to the hospital with the symptom of mental status alteration actually have encephalopathy as the cause.

Noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation

Both NPPV and CPAP are useful under a number of conditions.

Conditions with the most rapidly increasing hospital inpatient costs, 2001-2007

From 2001 to 2007, inflation-adjusted hospital costs rose by 24.6% to $343 billion.

Test yourself: Pulmonary medicine

These cases and commentary, which address pulmonary medicine, are excerpted from ACP's Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program (MKSAP15).

In the news

AHA recommendations on decreasing drug errors, and more.