Browse Primary Care/Hospitalist Articles by Topic

Post-ICU Stress Symptoms Associated with Increased Acute Care Service Utilization

Over the past two decades, advances in critical care have resulted in more patients surviving to hospital discharge, but these successes are attenuated by several sequelae of critical illness, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).¹ Risk factors for and the health care ramifications of these disorders are poorly understood. Given this, Davydow and colleagues aimed to investigate whether PTSD symptoms in the acute (< 1 month) ICU hospitalization period and PTSD and depressive symptoms at 3 months post-ICU were risk factors for future hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits.

Nasal Screening for MRSA: The New Basis for De-escalation of Empiric Antibiotics?

Although nasal screening for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a widely accepted method for infection control, the relationship between nasal carriage and development of MRSA lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) is not well studied. Tilahun and colleagues sought to determine the association between MRSA nasal swab results and MRSA LRTI in a medical ICU. In this single-site, retrospective cohort study, 165 patients were diagnosed with pneumonia and had both nasal swabbing and culturing of respiratory specimens within 24 hours of admission.

Inpatient and Outpatient Care Providers: Why Can’t We Just Work Together?

Many problems occur after a patient is discharged that are a direct result of poor coordination of care between hospitalists and primary care providers (PCPs). These issues include, but are not limited to, missed test results, medication errors, inadequate follow up, and harm to the patient. PCPs are frequently unaware that their patient was hospitalized and they often do not receive a copy of the discharge summary. The authors of this paper did a qualitative study to analyze the barriers and solutions to care coordination between hospitalists and PCPs in North Carolina.

Help young women transition to adult healthcare

Young women ages 18 to 25 represent a heterogeneous population transitioning from adolescence into adulthood who might present with unique issues and challenges, including a potential gap in healthcare after pediatric healthcare. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology has just released a committee opinion to help providers structure preventive healthcare visits to screen for health issues and counsel patients about a variety of health topics, including reproductive health.

Counsel women on how to cope with menopause’s vasomotor symptoms

New research indicates that frequent vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause could last more than seven years for many women.

How to get the message across to young men about using condoms consistently and correctly

When used consistently and correctly, latex condoms are effective at preventing sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

Research eyes effect of body weight and BMI impact on emergency contraception

Results of a new statistical analysis of clinical data suggest a significant drop in the efficacy of levonorgestrel emergency contraceptive pills with increasing body weight.

Intrauterine device and implant are effective beyond use approved by the FDA

An initial analysis of data conducted by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that hormonal intrauterine devices and contraceptive implants remain highly effective one year beyond their approved duration of use.

Options Expand for Women: FDA Approves a New Intrauterine Device

A new option in intrauterine contraception has been approved: the LILETTA intrauterine device.

Influenza, 2014-2015 — Something Old, Something New

As of early January, influenza activity had reached epidemic proportions in large parts of the United States, with many of those being affected despite prior vaccination.¹ The occurrence of infection in vaccinated individuals is not unexpected since influenza vaccine efficacy is usually only approximately 60%. There is, however, an additional problem during this influenza season because of an unanticipated mismatch between the components of the 2014-2015 vaccine, which are identical to the 2013-2014 vaccine composition, and the dominating circulating virus type. Thus, current trivalent influenza vaccines contain hemagglutinin (HA) derived from an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)-like virus, an A/Texas/50/2012 (H3N2)-like virus, and a B/Massachusetts/2/2012-like (Yamagata lineage) virus. Quadrivalent influenza vaccines contain these antigens as well as a B/Brisbane/60/2008-like (Victoria lineage) virus.