Harm to Patients in Hospital Calls for Transparency
When unexpected events happen in the hospital, resulting in harm to a patient, having early and transparent conversations with patients and families is the key to getting to the best resolution, panelists said in a session at SHM Converge 2023.
This process—especially the conversations with the families—is difficult, but having a system in place for handling it can make it more manageable, said Elizabeth Schulwolf, MD, MBA, FHM, chief medical officer at Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas, Austin; and Marsha Nichols, JD, a risk-management specialist at two Austin-area hospitals.
“They are mostly unex...
Source: The Hospitalist - November 14, 2023 Category: Hospital Management Authors: Lisa Casinger Tags: Patient Care Patient Safety Source Type: research
Experts Offer Tips to Thrive, Not Just Survive, in Hospital Medicine
When it comes to job satisfaction, many hospitalists might find themselves in a kind of in-between posture: Their jobs are, well, mostly fine.
Dr. Pierce
But Read Pierce, MD, chief of hospital medicine at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas, Austin, and Patrick Kneeland, MD, SFHM, vice president of medical affairs at Dispatch Health in Denver, Colo., say they should aspire to more.
Rather than saying, “I’m okay, but I don’t necessarily love my job,” Dr. Pierce told an audience at SHM Converge 2023, they could be saying, “I actually really like what I do.”
“That is still possible, though it may no...
Source: The Hospitalist - November 14, 2023 Category: Hospital Management Authors: Lisa Casinger Tags: Career Mental Health Source Type: research
Research is Possible —and Vital—as a Hospitalist
When you’re in the middle of yet another impossibly busy week, making time for research in hospital medicine might seem next to impossible.
But it is possible—and enormously important for the health of the field, a panel of experts said in a session at SHM Converge 2023.
Dr. Collins
“We think that we can do research as hospitalists, and it’s not a myth and it is within reach for us,” said Will Collins, MD, clinical assistant professor of medicine at Stanford University in Stanford, Calif.
Sure enough, there are challenges. Hospitalists are often seen as “clinicians first,” he said, the people who get the wo...
Source: The Hospitalist - November 14, 2023 Category: Hospital Management Authors: Lisa Casinger Tags: Career Hospital Medicine SHM Converge Source Type: research
My Journey
A startling diagnosis
All of a sudden, I was sitting on the other side of the table from another physician, not a patient. I was not discussing my cholesterol levels, blood pressure, or anemia, but instead reviewing the implications of stage 4 ovarian cancer.
I was born and brought up in Bangalore, India, and faced many challenges as an immigrant both before and after I finished my residency and finally settled down with my family in Atlanta.
In the summer of 2018, while working a regular hospitalist shift—balancing work, home, and two small children—I started to notice random abdominal pain and bloating accompanied by...
Source: The Hospitalist - November 1, 2023 Category: Hospital Management Authors: Lisa Casinger Tags: Essay Source Type: research
Gratitude is Good for Us
As our discussion about discharge ended, Ms. Jones, stooped, her thin grey hair pulled back, and moved slowly toward her husband’s hospital bed. Gently, she stroked his head and said, “We will find a way through this; won’t we, Henry?” His fragility and his cancer diagnosis couldn’t dampen the 60 years of love that warmed the room; he opened his eyes and smiled.
Before leaving the room, I said, “I am so privileged to do this work and to be involved in your care at this important time. Thank you.” A wave of emotion flowed through my body as I walked out of the room and I thought to myself, “It is a privilege...
Source: The Hospitalist - November 1, 2023 Category: Hospital Management Authors: Lisa Casinger Tags: Essay Hospital Medicine Mental Health Source Type: research
Lessons for All Hospitalists from PHM 2023
Dr. Kumar
In August 2023, the Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) community celebrated 20 years of hosting the Pediatric Hospital Medicine Conference. The milestone was marked by highlighting the field’s past, present, and future through plenaries.
Drs. Mary Ottolini and Ken Roberts covered the past in their plenary. They discussed how the field of PHM has grown, highlighting key milestones along the way, like the creation of a section within the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the first PHM Conference, the inaugural PHM fellow, and the American Board of Pediatrics’ recognition of PHM as a pediatric subspecialty.
...
Source: The Hospitalist - November 1, 2023 Category: Hospital Management Authors: Ronda Whitaker Tags: Pediatrics PHM Coverage Source Type: research
Meet SHM ’s 2023 DEI Scholarship Winner: Cedric Mutebi
Cedric Mutebi and his mom Lucy.
The Society of Hospital Medicine bestowed its second annual Hospital Medicine Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion scholarship earlier this year to Cedric Mutebi, a fourth-year medical student at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit.
Thanks to a fund made possible by Keystone sponsor Vituity, the $25,000 scholarship is for eligible medical students underrepresented in medicine who demonstrated an interest in a career in hospital medicine and a commitment to practicing in an underserved community.
Mr. Mutebi’s list of accomplishments is already impressive. He holds an honors de...
Source: The Hospitalist - November 1, 2023 Category: Hospital Management Authors: Ronda Whitaker Tags: Diversity in Medicine People in HM SHM Converge Source Type: research
Secrets of Satisfied EHR Users
A report released earlier this year by KLAS Research identified more than 3,000 “highly satisfied” users of their hospital’s electronic health record (EHR), which has also been shown to be a contributor to job stress, dissatisfaction, and burnout for some clinicians.1,2 The report that teased out these highly satisfied clinicians, using survey data from December 2021 to December 2022 among 400,000 end users of the EHR in different countries, also highlighted several key traits distinguishing satisfied EHR users from those who are not.
Ms. Beyer
“We measured physicians, advanced practice clinicians, nurses, and al...
Source: The Hospitalist - November 1, 2023 Category: Hospital Management Authors: Ronda Whitaker Tags: Business of Medicine Coding Practice Management Quality Improvement Technology Source Type: research
In Service to Their Patients and Their Country
Caring. Effective. Dutiful. Supportive. Serving. Protective. Leading. Responsible. These words easily describe a hospitalist or a soldier—and sometimes both. In honor of Veteran’s Day, we talked with four SHM members, working hospitalists, who also have served, or currently serve, in the military. While their paths differ, their commitment to their patients and their country is the same.
Jon Sweet, MD, FACP (@jonmsweet)
Dr. Sweet
Chair of medicine and senior vice president, Carilion Clinic, professor, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in Roanoke, Va., former major, United States Air Force
Dr. Sweet began his ...
Source: The Hospitalist - November 1, 2023 Category: Hospital Management Authors: Ronda Whitaker Tags: Career People in HM Source Type: research
Next-generation Web-based Tools for Clinical Teachers
Dr. Fish
Presenters: Cody Clary, MD, and Emily Hopkins, MD
In this impactful PHM 2023 session, Drs. Clary and Hopkins introduced web-based resources that they’ve used as effective teaching tools in their practice. Both presenters demonstrated their passion for education with examples of how they’ve used these tools during their recent pediatric hospital medicine fellowships and early careers where they are both currently working on their master’s degrees in medical education.
Web 2.0 tools were introduced as platforms that allow the user to read or write web content, including many forms of social media. Drs. Clary ...
Source: The Hospitalist - November 1, 2023 Category: Hospital Management Authors: Ronda Whitaker Tags: Pediatrics PHM Coverage Technology Source Type: research
Making a Fortune in Pediatrics
Dr. King
Presenters: Lisa Herrmann, MD, MEd, Tony Tarchichi, MD, and Matthew Molloy, MD, MPH
Drs. Herrmann, Tarchichi, and Molloy discussed their approach to financial health at PHM 2023, a concept important to anyone caring for children, as 76% of medical school graduates have an average debt of $200,000 and start retirement savings 10 years after peers. This is especially crucial for anyone in pediatrics as we rank second to last in medical specialty pay and have an average net worth of less than $500,000. Components of financial health include protecting yourself, mitigating debt, budgeting, and saving for the future.
...
Source: The Hospitalist - November 1, 2023 Category: Hospital Management Authors: Ronda Whitaker Tags: Business of Medicine Career Pediatrics PHM Coverage Source Type: research
A Prescription for Function: Expanding your Toolbox for Somatic Symptom Disorders
Dr. McIntosh
Presenters: Catherine Sullivan, MD, and Christina Giudice, MSN, APRN, CPNP-PC
Dr. Sullivan and Ms. Giudice presented on Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders (SSRD) and best care practices for patients with these complex disorders at PHM 2023. The presenters opened with the 2019 National Guidelines for Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders and provided definitions for specific diagnoses along this spectrum of disorders. The guidelines highlight that patients experience real physical symptoms that interfere with function as a result of underlying psychological stressors combined with persistent and maladaptive...
Source: The Hospitalist - November 1, 2023 Category: Hospital Management Authors: Ronda Whitaker Tags: Mental Health Pediatrics PHM Coverage Source Type: research
Lifting the Shade on Pediatric Acute Care Delirium —an Underrecognized Problem
Dr. Hadley
Presenters: Nicholas Beam, MD, Jeri Kessenich, MD, Jillian Bybee, MD, and Brett Leingang, MD
Delirium is underrecognized in the pediatric acute care spaces, both in the intensive care unit and on the general medical floors. Studies have reported that the incidence of pediatric delirium is 20% to 65% of pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patients and 10% to 40% of all hospitalized children.1 Delirium is defined in the DSM-5 as a disturbance in attention and alertness, with an abrupt change from baseline, which fluctuates, is not explained by pre-existing neurocognitive disorders, and has evidence of a cause.2 ...
Source: The Hospitalist - November 1, 2023 Category: Hospital Management Authors: Ronda Whitaker Tags: Clinical Guidelines Pediatrics PHM Coverage Source Type: research
The Art of Lifelong LEARNing: How to Model Empathy in Difficult Situations
Dr. Tran
Presenters: Sarah Gustafson, MD, Lee Engelbreth, MD, and Mallory Logsdon, DO
This PHM 2023 session focused on modeling empathy in difficult clinical situations. The presenters introduced a framework called LEARN to guide medical professionals in effectively demonstrating empathy when dealing with patients and families. LEARN stands for Listen, Empathize, Acknowledge, Respect, and Next Steps.
The session opened with a discussion on the concept of the art of medicine and the challenge of understanding what makes certain patient interactions more successful than others. The presenters drew parallels between art and ...
Source: The Hospitalist - November 1, 2023 Category: Hospital Management Authors: Ronda Whitaker Tags: Education Patient Care Pediatrics PHM Coverage Source Type: research
Finding Beauty in Our Patients ’ Lives
Awe as a path to greater resilience for hospitalists
With her grey hair pulled back and wearing her Sunday best, Ms. W. gracefully rose from the chair and approached the hospital bed where her ailing husband rested. She stroked his forehead while he lay silent. I stood as respectfully as possible in the corner of the room, witnessing their love.
“We have had tough times, moving here without a penny from Mississippi, the murder of our son, and your stroke,” she said to him. “God will show us the way as he has before; isn’t that right Henry?” She gave him a gentle kiss. He briefly opened his eyes and smiled.
I fel...
Source: The Hospitalist - October 4, 2023 Category: Hospital Management Authors: Lisa Casinger Tags: Essay Source Type: research
