August 2011
The hospital of the future
ACP Hospitalist interviewed experts in technology development, health care design and hospital administration to learn about upcoming changes in hospital operations and design.
Next-gen computers programmed to listen, advise and diagnose
Will computers someday replace physicians as diagnosticians?.
Tablet computers in the hospital
Doctors are snapping up the new gadgets, but not all of them are impressed.
The white coat of the future
A newly developed fabric repels and kills bacteria that land on it.
Ensure comprehension to increase adherence
Roughly 80 million Americans navigate health care's complexities with limited health literacy skills.
Priming to diagnose an atypical case, avoid representativeness error
Physicians are all taught to recognize disorders based on the classical case. The atypical case is harder to pin down.
It takes a hospital to reduce pressure ulcers
Fairview Southdale Hospital, a 352-bed acute care hospital in Edina, Minn., reduced pressure ulcer rates from 0.35 to 0.16 per 1,000 patient-days.
Learning from the best
Interviewing personnel at “best” and “worst” hospitals yielded some interesting findings.
Letter from the Editor
This issue takes a look forward at the hospital of the future.
Hospitalist founded nonprofit for Bolivian street children
Nine months spent in South America after medical school leads to a lifelong commitment to service.
Computerized provider order entry systems and patient safety
Computerized provider order entry has a promising, yet unproven, future as a tool for improving overall patient care and safety.
Don't look now, but you are surrounded
It is somewhat unsettling to consider that we are outnumbered by microbes in our own skin by a factor of about ten cells to one.
Placing priority on pressure ulcers
Current emphasis on public reporting of quality scores has helped make accurate documentation and effective management of pressure ulcers crucial health care considerations.
MKSAP quiz on wounds
These cases and commentary, which address wounds, are excerpted from ACP's Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program (MKSAP15).
New C. diff drug and MRSA test
Details on approval of a new drug for Clostridium difficile, a new test for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and more.
Recent Research
Acid suppression benefits and harms, updated guidelines on uncomplicated UTIs, and more.
In the News
Preventing bloodstream infections, management of unstable angina and non-ST-elevation MI, and more.