August 23, 2023
Look over your hedges
Hedging, or using words in conversation that make meaning fuzzier, is unavoidable, but the resulting misunderstandings with patients and families can be reduced, experts say.
Friction
The forces of physics can explain clinical and other functions of the hospital.
Interdisciplinary rounds include more nurse communication when attendings present
Attendings spent more time talking with nurses and were more likely to initiate a conversation about nurse concerns during interdisciplinary rounds compared to residents, interns, and medical students, observers found.
First-line antibiotic options for CAP on the wards show similar mortality rates
A large retrospective study of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) found similar inpatient mortality with a beta-lactam plus a macrolide, a beta-lactam plus doxycycline, or a respiratory fluoroquinolone. A beta-lactam alone appeared less effective.
Elevated risk of hospitalization, death after COVID-19 dwindles by six months
A hospitalization for COVID-19 carries higher mortality risk than one for flu for only 90 days, one study found, while another showed that veterans who had COVID-19 actually had lower mortality risk than matched uninfected peers in the subsequent six months to two years.
AHA issues interim advice on temperature management after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
The science advisory from the American Heart Association (AHA) considers existing and recent evidence on patients who are unresponsive after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and is meant to provide guidance to clinicians until upcoming new guidelines are published.