In the News

Hospitalists falling short on PICC use and knowledge, national survey says

Hospitalists across the U.S. vary widely in their use and knowledge of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs), a recent survey found.

July effect seen for high-risk heart attack patients

High-risk heart attack patients have similar death rates in teaching-intensive and non-teaching-intensive hospitals in July but lower death rates in teaching hospitals in May, a study found.

Hand hygiene, chlorhexidine baths may be sufficient for preventing MRSA in ICU

When hand hygiene and unit-wide chlorhexidine bathing are performed faithfully in ICUs, universal screening and isolation measures may not be necessary to reduce acquisition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a new study suggests.

Counseling before HIV testing didn't reduce later infection rates

Providing counseling about risk reduction at the time of HIV testing did not reduce patients' risk of later acquiring a sexually transmitted infection, according to a recent study.

And the winner is …

ACP HospitalistWeekly has tallied the voting from its latest cartoon contest, where readers are invited to match wits against their peers to provide the most original and amusing caption.