August 2013


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Fixing patients and the planet

Started in April 2012 by 16 entities, the effort to reduce the health care industry's contribution to environmental degradation and spur sustainable change has grown to more than 700 hospitals.

Just don't do it

Leonard Feldman, MD, FACP, takes a look at non-evidence-based medicine.

Pearls from an ID doc

Expert also discusses Clostridium difficile, transesophageal echocardiography.

Satisfying patients—one or many at a time

Simple actions, like knocking before entering and introducing one's self, can go a long way.

Expel common myths about gastroparesis

Updated definition of gastroparesis came out in January.

What you should know about psychotropics

Expert discusses special considerations for patients with various medical conditions.

Do your clothes matter?

Some believe clothes can influence how a patient feels about a physician, while others believe communication style has far more sway.

Cases from The Ohio State University Medical Center

Hypereosinophilia causing cardiac and pulmonary disease, pulmonary embolism presenting as syncope, and other cases are discussed.

A different kind of bundle

St. Joseph Health Services of Rhode Island program has achieved high compliance with isolation attire and hand hygiene.

Where does the day go?

Time with patients is sacrificed for time spent documenting care and talking with other clinicians.

A new approach to inpatient admission status

Physicians, not the hospital or case managers, are responsible for making the correct determination.

Dungeons and doctors

A new way to teach students borrows heavily from a popular game.

Letter to the Editor

Two readers express concerns about pain management recommendations that appeared in our April cover article, and a story source responds.

Letter from the Editor

This month's issue includes stories on hospitals going green, wearing appropriate attire on the job, and conference coverage from Hospital Medicine 2013.

Recent Research

Reducing MRSA in the ICU, rivaroxaban in heart failure, warfarin bridging during cardiac device surgery, and more.

In the News

Alcohol misuse screening, hepatitis C follow-up testing, and more.