Developing an ICU Diary in the Pediatric ICU

Todd Fraser, MD, speaks with Jenny Tcharmtchi, BSN, RN, CCRN, about the article, "Family Experience in the PICU," published in Critical Connections, the Society of Critical Care Medicine's newsletter. Ms. Tcharmtchi... read more

Web-based ICU Communication Improves Patient Experience and Outcomes

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have developed a web-based program that uses team communication and engagement to improve patient experience and outcomes. The study enrolled 1,075 ICU patients and provided... read more

A part of patient care that I was not taught in medical school

A part of patient care that I was not taught in medical school

How physicians express condolences. Recently, I’ve been thinking about how physicians express condolences. This weekend, I attended calling hours to visit with the family of a recently deceased patient. As I drove back... read more

The "Quality Minute" – A New, Brief, and Structured Technique for Quality Improvement Education During the Morbidity and Mortality Conference

The "Quality Minute" – A New, Brief, and Structured Technique for Quality Improvement Education During the Morbidity and Mortality Conference

The Quality Minute is a brief, structured presentation designed to incorporate quality improvement (QI) education into the surgical morbidity and mortality (M&M) conference. The 6-slide, 5-minute structure makes it easy... read more

Data on 211 Million Referrals Shows How Doctors Really Work Together

Data on 211 Million Referrals Shows How Doctors Really Work Together

A peek into the hidden world of medicine reveals some surprising trends. Sometimes it involves the traditional sense of the word - a primary care physician referring a patient to a specialist (like a cardiologist or gastroenterologist)... read more

Boarding ICU patients: Are our rounding practices subpar?

Boarding ICU patients: Are our rounding practices subpar?

Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) patients "boarding" in ICUs other than the designated home unit have been shown to suffer increased rates of complications. We hypothesized that ICU rounding practices are different... read more

Nurses make me a better doctor

Nurses make me a better doctor

I firmly believe that the relationship between a nurse and physician should be one of collaboration without hierarchy. It takes a very special person to become a nurse. Without them, physicians cannot function. I thank all... read more

We're Bad at Death. Can We Talk?

We're Bad at Death. Can We Talk?

Despite growing recognition that more care isn't necessarily better care, particularly at the end of life, many Americans still receive an enormous dose of medicine in their final days. On average, patients make 29 visits... read more

New Telestroke Guidelines by American Telemedicine Association

New Telestroke Guidelines by American Telemedicine Association

These new telestroke guidelines were developed to assist practitioners in providing assessment, diagnosis, management, and/or remote consultative support to patients exhibiting symptoms and signs consistent with an acute... read more

What Is Permitted in Text Messaging About Protected Health Information?

What Is Permitted in Text Messaging About Protected Health Information?

This Viewpoint discusses the best use of texting clinical information, noting that neither Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act nor the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act offer... read more

Emory Healthcare leverages Philips eICU platform to save $4.6 million

Emory Healthcare leverages Philips eICU platform to save $4.6 million

Emory Healthcare used Philips' technology for an eICU program, resulting in massive savings, lowered readmission rates and more. Emory's story began in 2010 and 2011, when team members saw tele-ICUs based on platforms... read more

Many Factors Contribute to Nurses' Alarm Response Time

Many Factors Contribute to Nurses' Alarm Response Time

Multiple factors including nurses' experience and assignments determined how fast they responded when monitoring alarms were triggered in a children's hospital, a video analysis found. Nurses were more likely to... read more

Changing Mindsets to Enhance Treatment Effectiveness

Changing Mindsets to Enhance Treatment Effectiveness

This Viewpoint defines mindsets - frames of mind that orient beliefs or expectations - discusses how they can influence patients' perceptions about treatment and self-efficacy, and proposes ways physicians might shape... read more

Top 5 Skills Every Nurse Should Develop Quickly

Top 5 Skills Every Nurse Should Develop Quickly

What are the top five skills that every nurse should develop? Nope! Not those. I imagine many of you reading automatically think about the clinical skills it takes to become a professional nurse. While clinical skills are... read more