Original Article

Therapeutic Error Calls Among Older Adults Reported to a Regional Poison Control Center in Alabama

Objectives: Although Americans aged 65 years and older account for only 13.0% of the population, they consume one-third of all prescription medications each year. Increased life expectancy, age-related deterioration in health, and polypharmacy lead to a significant risk of potential medication errors. National Poison Data System studies have evaluated the…

Original Article

Clinical Management of ADHD in a Family Medicine Residency Program: Comparison with AAP Guidelines

Objectives: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurobehavioral disorder. Research has shown that even with the growing incidence of children diagnosed as having ADHD, physicians may find providing optimal care to these patients challenging. Our objective was to contrast existing clinical management of ADHD in a family medicine setting…

Invited Commentary

Commentary on “Therapeutic Error Calls Among Older Adults Reported to a Regional Poison Control Center in Alabama”

The study by Willis et al in this issue of the Southern Medical Journal reviewed subjects aged 65 years or older who contacted their regional poison control center regarding a potential drug-induced problem.1 This retrospective study gathered information on those calls that were coded as unintentional therapeutic errors. The outcomes…

Original Article

Making of a Successful Early Mobilization Program for a Medical Intensive Care Unit

Objectives: To provide a guideline for intensive care unit (ICU) early mobilization program development and implementation and to describe the patient characteristics and endpoints for those who participated in our hospital’s early mobilization program. Methods: An ICU early mobilization program was developed with five guiding principles: analgesia/sedation optimization, sedation minimization,…

Original Article

Improving Interdisciplinary Provider Communication Through a Unified Paging System

Objectives: Interdisciplinary communication at a Veterans Affairs (VA) academic teaching hospital is largely dependent on alphanumeric paging, which has limitations as a result of one-way communication and lack of reliable physician identification. Adverse patient outcomes related to difficulty contacting the correct consulting provider in a timely manner have been reported….

Original Article

Predictor of 90-Day Readmission Rate for Hepatic Encephalopathy

Objectives: The purpose of our study was to identify clinical parameters associated with readmissions within 90 days in patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE). Methods: We reviewed electronic medical records of patients admitted between January 1, 2010 and September 30, 2013 at University Medical Center, Lubbock, Texas. Inclusion criteria were admission…

Review Article

PPACA and Low-Income People Living with HIV: 2014 Qualified Health Plan Enrollment in a Medicaid Nonexpansion State

: People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) often are uninsured or underinsured, and they may benefit from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PL 111-148) and its improved access to medical care. Safety net programs, such as AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAP) funded…

Review Article

Scorpion Envenomation in Pregnancy

Scorpion envenomation affects more than 1 million people every year and represents an important public health problem worldwide. The effects of envenomation range from localized pain and paresthesias to overactivation of the sympathetic nervous system, leading to neurotoxicity and even death. Of the individuals affected by scorpion envenomation, certain populations,…

Original Article

Was This Readmission Preventable? Qualitative Study of Patient and Provider Perceptions of Readmissions

Objectives: Readmissions are a costly, burdensome, and potentially preventable occurrence in the healthcare system. With the renewed national focus on the cost and quality of health care, readmissions have become a major target for improvement; however, in general, the viewpoints of patients and healthcare providers have not been considered in…

Original Article

Positive Predictive Value of a Single Assessment of Estimated GFR in the Diagnosis of Chronic Kidney Disease

Objectives: The positive predictive value (PPV) of a single assessment of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in the diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is not known. Our objective was to determine the PPV of a single assessment of eGFR among adults with at least one eGFR

Original Article

Cardiovascular Health Status in Baby Boomers with Diabetes Mellitus

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the cardiovascular health status of baby boomers with diabetes mellitus (DM) in comparison to the same-age population with DM 10 years previously. Methods: The study was conducted in baby boomers with DM using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination…

Invited Commentary

Commentary on “Predictor of 90-Day Readmission Rate for Hepatic Encephalopathy”

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is associated with serious mortality and morbidity, including recurrent hospitalization. Readmission rates have always been a serious topic because they have a direct impact on patients’ well-being and the quality of medical management. They are assuming increasing importance in today’s healthcare environment, where statistical tools (eg, Crimson,…

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