Tag: study
How Well Do Leapfrog Safe Practices Scores Correlate with Hospital Compare Ratings and Penalties
Hospital quality scores are publicly available, but the extent to which they reflect patient safety remains controversial. This study compared measures from the Leapfrog Group, which incorporates mandatory publicly reported... read more
Data Authorship as an Incentive to Data Sharing
Data from well-designed and well-executed research not only are useful for the original purpose and secondary analyses by the original researchers but also can be repurposed for a variety of applications, including independent... read more
Gastric Acid Suppression and Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection
This meta-analysis examines the association between recurrent Clostridium difficile infection and use of gastric acid suppressant medications. Meta-analyses of observational studies suggest that patients who receive gastric... read more
Placebo Plus Usual Treatment Achieves Clinically Significant Back Pain Relief
A placebo of a pill added to treatment as usual for chronic low back pain resulted in clinically significant improvements in patients who were informed about the placebo beforehand, according to a new study from Portugal. All... read more
Utility and diagnostic accuracy of bedside lung ultrasonography during MET activations for respiratory deterioration
We investigated the feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of lung ultrasonography during medical emergency team (MET) activations for respiratory deterioration. The ultrasound exam was completed in 49/50 (98%) patients enrolled... read more
Addition of vitamin B12 to exercise training improves cycle ergometer endurance in advanced COPD patients
Vitamin B12 is essential in the homocysteine, mitochondrial, muscle and hematopoietic metabolisms, and its effects on exercise tolerance and kinetics adjustments of oxygen consumption (V'O2p) in rest-to-exercise transition... read more
Perceived safety and value of inpatient "very important person" services
Providing care to "very important person" (VIP) patients can pose unique moral and value-based challenges for providers. No studies have examined VIP services in the inpatient setting. Through a multi-institutional... read more
Vitamin C and the Ethics of Borrowing data
I was recently amazed to be engaged in a Twitter kerfuffle which generated more than 10,000 Impressions within 24 hours. Passions were running high, libellous comments were being broadcast, and old friendships seemed to be... read more
A patient and family initiated rapid response system
Rapid response teams (RRTs) help in delivering safe, timely care. Typically they are activated by clinicians using specific parameters. Allowing patients and families to activate RRTs is a novel intervention. 240 patients/family... read more
Quantifying the Mortality Impact of Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders in the ICU
Do-not-resuscitate status is an independent risk factor for ICU mortality. This may reflect severity of illness not captured by other clinical factors, but the perceptions of the treating team related to do-not-resuscitate... read more
Perceptions of the Appropriateness of Care in California Adult ICUs
Increased demand for expensive intensive care unit (ICU) services may contribute to rising health-care costs. A focus on appropriate use may offer a clinically meaningful way of finding the balance. Thirty-eight percent of... read more
Doctor Turns Up Possible Treatment For Deadly Sepsis
It is hard not to get excited about news of a potentially effective treatment for sepsis, a condition that leads to multiple organ failure and kills more people in the hospital than any other disease. The study, from Eastern... read more
Management of COPD exacerbations: a European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society guideline
This document provides clinical recommendations for treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation. This recommendation places a high value on improving clinical outcomes and a lower value on the burden... read more
The Current State of Glycaemic Control Practice
Study involving intensivists from 90 ICUs in northwest Europe confirms significant variability in glycaemic control practices. The study confirmed that there are still controversies over what constitutes optimal glucose management... read more
Priority Levels in Intensive Care at an Academic Public Hospital
This prospective study of medical records determined the proportion of medical ICU patients in each priority group within a tertiary care academic public hospital. Critical care services can be life-saving, but many patients... read more
Why physician mindfulness could improve patient care and prevent health care disparities
Most recently, we hypothesized that mindfulness might have even further benefits for patients, in terms of reducing racial and ethnic inequalities in care. Studies have shown health care providers hold implicit racial and... read more
Efficacy of Oral Risperidone, Haloperidol, or Placebo for Symptoms of Delirium Among Patients in Palliative Care
In patients receiving palliative care, individualized management of delirium precipitants and supportive strategies result in lower scores and shorter duration of target distressing delirium symptoms than when risperidone... read more
