April 2011


Illustration by David Cutler

The July effect: Real or urban myth?

At teaching hospitals, the learning process restarts each summer. Does hospital quality dip at this crucial point?.

Want to know why a patient's readmitted? Ask him.

Physicians, hospital administrators and even politicians are eagerly searching for ways to reduce hospital readmissions. But one closely involved party isn't typically consulted: the patient.

Keeping an eye—and ear—out for sleep apnea

Ignoring sleep apnea is done at the patient's peril.

Use caution when seeking medical information online

Quick access to electronic information can be a big help to busy physicians and harried medical students alike, but both groups need to be very careful about which Internet resources they choose to consult.

ACP issues guideline on glucose management for hospitalized patients

ACP's director of clinical policy discusses a new guideline for intensive insulin therapy.

Getting patients on the move in the ICU

Two academic tertiary care medical centers begin mobilization early in mechanically ventilated ICU patients.

Attribution error results from a positive stereotype

Doctors are more likely to make attribution errors when patients fit a negative stereotype. This case involves a patient who was doing everything “right.”.

Teach ophthalmoscopic skills by simulation

Learn how to create an inexpensive model for ophthalmoscopic examination simulation.

Letter from the Editor

This issue examines the “July effect,” readmission prevention, blood glucose management, and more.

Stair wars

I came to an agreement with the medical students on service with me: We would spend our week “elevator-free.”.

The chief thing

It starts with someone tapping you on the shoulder and looking from side to side during your second year of residency. “Psst!” they say. “I need to talk to you in confidence.”.

Future genomics research aims to be clinical

A recently released blueprint provides a glimpse into the next decade of genomics research.

Weighing in on BMI

A patient's body mass index can have a profound effect on the complexity of care and the risks of complications, morbidity and mortality.

Techniques for motivating learners to gain and retain knowledge

One of the unique aspects of education in the hospital setting is the nature of those being coached.

Cholesterol embolism syndrome

An aging population requiring invasive vascular imaging and procedures is at increased risk for this syndrome. Learn how to recognize it.

Test yourself: Insulin management

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

Sterile pads and central line trays recalled, mobile radiology app approved

Details on a recall of sterile and non-sterile alcohol prep pads, alcohol swabs, and alcohol swabsticks, and more.

Journal watch: Recent studies of note

Bedside tool to predict in-hospital death after stroke, and more.

In the News

Hospitalist-neurosurgery comanagement, and more.