Hospitalized patients' health-related social needs: A comparison of screenings conducted by hospital staff and research staff.

New policies require hospitals to identify and address patients' health-related social needs (HRSN) yet provide minimal guidance on how screening should be conducted. This observational study occurred at a large academic hospital serving a diverse population. Hospital and research staff independently screened newly admitted medical patients for six HRSNs using an instrument designed by a quality improvement team.

Characteristics and Outcomes of Palliative Continuous Intravenous Inotrope Support Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Heart Failure.

Background: Continuous intravenous inotropic support (CIIS) can improve symptoms and functional status for patients with stage D heart failure (HF), but characteristics and outcomes of large cohorts treated with CIIS as a palliative therapy have not been described.

Methods And Results: We identified Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) beneficiaries with diagnostic codes for HF in 2016 to 2017. After excluding beneficiaries who received advanced HF surgical therapies 2014 to 2018 and prior CIIS, we included remaining beneficiaries who initiated CIIS from 2016 to 2017.

Mapping the Landscape of Technical Standards: A Nationwide Review of Medical Schools.

Purpose: As a requirement for accreditation, medical schools must have technical standards to outline essential abilities for admission, progression, and graduation. In the absence of national guidance, the AMA published recommendations in 2021 for schools to use "functional" technical standards language (focused on achieving outcomes), as opposed to "organic" (focused on body functions). This study benchmarks the extent to which U.

Pediatric Skin Care Regimens on TikTok.

Background And Objectives: A recent trend in video-based online content features girls as young as 7 years demonstrating multistep skin care regimens, which may be affecting pediatric skin care practices. We aimed to conduct a systematic analysis of TikTok videos featuring skin care regimens with content creators aged 18 years or younger.

Methods: Two investigators each created a new TikTok account, reporting themselves to be 13 years old.

"The Forgotten Minority": Perpetuation of Ableism in Medical Education.

Background: Accounting for approximately 1 in 4 community-dwelling adults in the United States (US), people with disabilities (PWD) experience significant disparities in health care quality, access, and outcomes. At the same time, US physicians have reported feeling unprepared to care for PWD and have revealed significant negative bias about this population.

Objective: To understand how physicians are trained to care for PWD in US medical schools.

Is 70% Achievable? Hospital-Level Variation in Rates of Cardiac Rehabilitation Use Among Medicare Beneficiaries.

Background: Despite national goals to enroll 70% of cardiac rehabilitation (CR)-eligible patients, enrollment remains low.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate how the treating hospital influences CR enrollment nationally.

Methods: We included Fee-for-Service Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥66 years who were hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass grafting, percutaneous coronary intervention, or heart valve repair/replacement.

A Prospective Study to Assess the Relationship Between Nontechnical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) and Patient Outcomes.

Background: Effective technical and nontechnical skills are necessary for surgeons to provide optimal patient care. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between Nontechnical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) and postoperative outcomes among general surgery patients.

Method: This prospective observational study was conducted at a single, large, urban, academic hospital in the USA from February to September 2022.

Can you know before you go? Information about disability accommodations on US hospital websites.

Background: People with disability (PWD) face challenges accessing healthcare. Websites are a public-facing resource that can help PWD determine if a hospital can accommodate their needs, yet few studies have described whether hospital websites contain adequate accommodation information.

Objective: To characterize the extent to which information about disability accommodations is available on US hospital websites.

Malnutrition in hospitalized adults in the United States, 2016-2019.

Background: Malnutrition in hospitalized patients is associated increased length of stay, cost, readmission, and death. No recent studies have examined trends in prevalence or outcomes of hospitalized patients with a diagnosis of malnutrition.

Objectives: To study the prevalence of malnutrition diagnostic codes and associated hospital outcomes in the United States between 2016 and 2019.

Interhospital Transfer of Patients With Acute Respiratory Failure in the United States: A Scoping Review.

Objectives: Interhospital transfer of patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) is relevant in the current landscape of critical care delivery. However, current transfer practices for patients with ARF are highly variable, poorly formalized, and lack evidence. We aim to synthesize the existing evidence, identify knowledge gaps, and highlight persisting questions related to interhospital transfer of patients with ARF.

Health Status in Heart Failure and Cancer: Analysis of the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey 2016-2020.

Background: People with heart failure (HF) and cancer experience impaired physical and mental health status. However, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has not been directly compared between these conditions in a contemporary population of older people.

Objectives: The authors sought to compare HRQOL in people with HF vs those with lung, colorectal, breast, and prostate cancers.

Electrocardiogram changes as predictors for new imaging findings in repeat transthoracic echocardiography.

To determine if electrocardiogram (EKG) findings may be a useful tool to predict changes in repeat transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE). We evaluated patients who underwent TTE during hospitalization and their EKGs, and whether findings differed between studies. Of 229 hospitalized patients who underwent repeat TTE, 183 (80%) were abnormal.

Diagnosis and Management of Cardiovascular Risk in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury: A Narrative Review.

More than 16 000 Americans experience spinal cord injury (SCI), resulting in chronic disability and other secondary sequelae, each year. Improvements in acute medical management have increased life expectancy. Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in this population, and seems to occur earlier in individuals with SCI compared with the general population.

"I Just Wanted Nothing More Than to Get in a Real Shower": Patient Experience of the Inpatient Wait for a Heart Transplant.

Background: Patients waiting for heart transplant may be hospitalized for weeks to months before undergoing transplantation. This high-stress period is further complicated by restrictions of daily privileges including diet, rooming, access to the outdoors, and hygiene (eg, limited in ability to shower). However, there is a paucity of research on the experience of this waiting period.

Association Between End-Stage Liver Disease and Incident Heart Failure in an Integrated Health System.

Background: End-stage liver disease (ESLD) and heart failure (HF) often coexist and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. However, the true incidence of HF among patients with ESLD remains understudied.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the association between ESLD and incident HF in a real-world clinical cohort.

Promoting Participation in Pulmonary Rehabilitation after Hospitalization for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Strategies of Top-performing Systems: A Qualitative Study.

Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) after hospitalization for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is recommended by guidelines; however, few patients participate, and rates vary between hospitals. To identify contextual factors and strategies that may promote participation in PR after hospitalization for COPD. Using a positive-deviance approach, we calculated hospital-specific rates of PR after hospitalization for COPD among a cohort of Medicare beneficiaries.

Cost Implications of Insurance Associated Disparities in Post-Acute Traumatic Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation.

Post-acute care after spinal cord injury (SCI) or traumatic brain injury (TBI) influences neurological function regained. Inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) have more intensive care and result in lower mortality and better functional outcomes compared with skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). This study sought to quantify inpatient rehabilitation access by insurance and estimate the cost implications.

'I Am Not The Doctor For You': Physicians' Attitudes About Caring For People With Disabilities.

People with disabilities face barriers when attempting to gain access to health care settings. Using qualitative analysis of three physician focus groups, we identified physical, communication, knowledge, structural, and attitudinal barriers to care for people with disabilities. Physicians reported feeling overwhelmed by the demands of practicing medicine in general and the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 specifically; in particular, they felt that they were inadequately reimbursed for accommodations.

Death among patients hospitalized with symptomatic COVID-19: Implications for high-risk patients.

Background: We aimed to examine the role played by the COVID-19 infection in patients' death and to determine the proportion of patients for whom it was a major contributor to death.

Methods: We included patients ≥50 years old who were hospitalized with COVID-19 infection and died between March 1, 2020 and September 30, 2020 in a tertiary medical center. We considered COVID-19 infection to be a major cause for death if the patient had well-controlled medical conditions and death was improbable without coronavirus infection, and a minor cause for death if the patient had serious illnesses and had an indication for palliative care.

Blood Pressure and Glycemic Control Among Ambulatory US Adults With Heart Failure: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001 to 2018.

Background: Multisociety guidelines recommend a goal systolic blood pressure (BP) <130 mm Hg and a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) <8% in patients with heart failure (HF), regardless of ejection fraction. Few studies have described BP and glycemic control in ambulatory patients with HF and racial and ethnic disparities in this subset of the population.

Methods: We evaluated prevalence of uncontrolled BP and HbA1c in non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic White, and Mexican American adults aged ≥20 years with self-reported HF (National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys: 2001-2018).

Etiology, Treatments, and Outcomes of Patients With Severe Community-Acquired Pneumonia in a Large U.S. Sample.

Objectives: Compare the clinical practice and outcomes in severe community-acquired pneumonia (sCAP) patients to those in non-sCAP patients using guideline-defined criteria for sCAP.

Design: Retrospective observational cohort study.

Setting: One hundred seventy-seven U.