Noteworthy topics affecting hospital medicine – end-of-life care, antibiotic stewardship and patient experience – as well as recent SHM organizational and member successes are included in this edition of media highlights.
End-of-life care, an important focus area for hospital medicine and SHM’s Center for Hospital Innovation and Improvement, appeared in Vox and KevinMD. In both blog posts, hospitalists explained the impact of end-of-life care on both patients and themselves as clinicians through firsthand interactions. The prevalence of end-of-life care content in healthcare media is timely, as SHM recently partnered with the Hastings Center to develop training tools for hospitalists to navigate end-of-life care discussions.
As SHM prepares for its “Fight the Resistance” campaign in support of antibiotic stewardship next month, an article in Medscape highlighted the dangers of antibiotic resistance and its threats to the safety and efficacy of surgical procedures and immunosuppressive chemotherapy. Antibiotic resistance continues to appear frequently in healthcare media, providing SHM with an opportunity to join an active, relevant conversation.
In U.S. News & World Report, an article highlighted possible improvements in the patient experience in a feature on the “patient wish list,” a combination of items compiled by Johns Hopkins Medicine that former patients considered extremely important in ensuring a more positive experience during their hospital stays.
SHM and its members received recent mentions in medical news outlets, including a Journal of Hospital Medicine study reviewing the impact of pharmacist follow-up on readmissions in Pharmacist Today, SHM member and Master of Hospital Medicine Dr. David Meltzer’s induction into the National Association of Medicine in University of Chicago School of Medicine news and SHM’s recognition as a Choosing Wisely role model in an Oregon Medical Association announcement concerning their 2015 Choosing Wisely challenge.
Media Highlights: October 8 – 22, 2015
I’m a doctor. Preparing you for death is as much a part of my job as saving lives.
“It wasn’t until just before graduation that we talked about what to do when a patient is dying. A single three-hour seminar with a group of specialists from the palliative care service; at least it was mandatory. The presenters were young physicians, and they seemed kind and thoughtful. But I wondered why anyone would devote their medical career to end-of-life care. My classmates and I had spent years of medical school sharpening our history-taking skills, learning to recognize heart murmurs, memorizing the drugs used to treat high blood pressure, diabetes, even cancer.” –Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider
October 19, 2015
Vox
http://www.vox.com/2015/10/19/9554583/doctor-good-death
A patient’s death drove this physician to tears
I am a hospitalist and the patients in my care come and go, making it difficult to really form relationships like the ones primary care physicians have with their panel of patients. But this patient was different. I saw her once many years ago when she was gravely ill, and we managed to pull her through and she survived. Because of that we never forgot her, and she remembers me. Now she is dying.
October 21, 2015
Kevin, M.D.
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2015/10/a-patients-death-drove-this-physician-to-tears.html
Antibiotic Resistance Predicted to Take Big Toll in Surgery
The safety and efficacy of surgical procedures and immunosuppressive chemotherapy may be threatened by increasing antibiotic resistance, according to a new analysis. In both settings, patients commonly receive antibiotic prophylaxis, but the drugs are losing efficacy. Aude Teillant, MS, from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, New Jersey, and colleagues published the results of their literature review and modeling study online October 15 in the Lancet Infectious Diseases.
October 19, 2015
Medscape
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/852844
The Patient Wish List
Since undergoing a double-lung transplant at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in December 2011, Podge Reed, Jr., has had four medical admissions, two surgical admissions, eight outpatient procedures requiring anesthesia, more than 100 outpatient appointments and 700 labs and other tests. He’s amassed enough experiences with the health care system to write a book. So far, though, he’s mostly kept it to two letters, totaling 12 pages, to our patient relations office, detailing opportunities for improvement. Health care professionals need to be attuned to the subtle things that can color a patient’s experience.
October 15, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/patient-advice/articles/2015/10/15/the-patient-wish-list
Pharmacist intervention can help reduce readmissions
Pharmacist-led intervention with three outreach phone calls can reduce readmissions and emergency department visits, according to a report in the Journal of Hospital Medicine. The study found that 39% of patients who received a single post-discharge call at the end of a 30-day period were readmitted within 30 days.
October 22, 2015
Pharmacy Today (featuring research from the Journal of Hospital Medicine)
http://www.pharmacist.com/pharmacist-intervention-can-help-reduce-readmissions
Profs. Melissa Gilliam and David Meltzer elected to National Academy of Medicine
The National Academy of Medicine on Oct. 19 announced that Profs. Melissa Gilliam and David Meltzer have been elected to membership in the Academy. Election is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine. It recognizes individuals who have made major contributions and demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. Meltzer is a professor in medicine, economics and the Harris School of Public Policy. He also serves as director of the Center for Health and the Social Sciences, chair of the Committee on Clinical and Translational Science, and director of the UChicago’s Health Lab.
October 19, 2015
UChicago News Online
Announcing the Winning Submissions for the OMA Choosing Wisely® in Oregon Challenge
The Oregon Medical Association is pleased to announce the winners of the highly competitive Choosing Wisely in Oregon Challenge. Seven organizations from around the state received awards (of up to $2,000) for either current or planned work in a medical setting that incorporates the Choosing Wisely recommendations and materials. The Choosing Wisely Oregon Challenge was inspired by the Society of Hospital Medicine Choosing Wisely Case Study Competition and the Teaching Value & Choosing Wisely Challenge.
(Media Highlights Note: this announcement was dated March, 2015, but just appeared in our media monitoring in October)
March 30, 2015
Oregon Medical Association
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