Hospital practice: an increasingly attractive career.
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Physicians and hospitals have developed new models for aligning their incentives and integrating their activities. These models serve numerous purposes, including unified contracting with managed care organizations, improved access to capital and patients, and strengthened competitive position. The more advanced models carry the added potential of providing comprehensive, community-based care with less duplication of services. The new models raise several important issues that providers need to consider before embarking on these strategies.
Anesthesia information management systems (AIMS) have uses that extend far beyond automatic anesthesia record-keeping. After initial experience with the development of monitoring technology, the Department of Anesthesiology at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, began the installation of the Arkive anesthesia information management system in 1987. The system was installed hospital-wide in 1992. AIMS played an integral role in determining the cost of pharmaceutical agents used during an anesthetic procedure. Clinicians targeted areas of high cost in which anesthetic practice could be modified. Establishment of an educational program followed by the institution of practice guidelines allowed for an annualized savings of more than $900,000 on drug costs with no effect on the quality of care provided. Future generations of AIMS need to be more fully integrated into hospital information management systems.
Institutions have adopted various organizational models to incorporate the role of acute care nurse practitioners (ACNP). This article provides a review of various professional practice models for ACNPs, their scope of practice, institutional credentialing, and typical funding mechanisms for these practitioners working in hospital-based acute care settings.
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in premature infants. Although the pathogenesis of NEC is unclear, prevention strategies have been developed based on clinical observations and epidemiologic and experimental data. Most current strategies have centered on feeding practices (eg, institution of feeds, advancement of feeds, composition of feeds, and standardization of feeding practices). Emerging strategies include amino acid supplementation, the use of platelet-activating factor(PAF) antagonists or PAF-acetylhydrolase administration, polyunsaturated fatty acid administration, epidermal growth factor administration, and the use of pre- and probiotics.
Medication reconciliation (MR) involves the accurate transfer of medication information across the continuum of care. The aim of this study was to measure nurses perceptions of patient safety, medication safety and current MR practice at transition points in a patient's hospital stay. Surveys were distributed to 111 nursing staff in three general medicine units at Capital Health District, Nova Scotia, in August 2005. A total of 39 nurses (35% response rate) completed the survey. "Teamwork within units" was the safety culture dimension with the highest positive response (98.1%), while the processes of handoffs and transitions received the lowest positive response (42.8%). Key areas identified for improvement relative to the current level of MR practice include institutional patient safety systems (e.g., low confidence in existing systems and procedures), inconsistent practices (e.g., wide variation in whether community pharmacists are contacted to verify medication profiles), lack of communication (e.g., between healthcare professionals) and staffing resources (e.g., MR is perceived as a very time-consuming process). Addressing these challenges prior to implementing a formalized MR program should help to ensure success of the project. The insights gained through the use of this survey may prove valuable to other Canadian healthcare organizations that are implementing MR services.
The environment of the health care system in the present and foreseeable future has been described as a revolution whose impetus comes from Wall Street. The new system of health care is characterized by mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures. For-profit conversions and mergers of religious and secular organizations were almost unheard of before the last decade. The challenges facing nursing leadership in these turbulent times are (1) dealing with the human dynamics associated with creating new organizational cultures, (2) shifting focus away from event-driven cost avoidance and protecting institutional assets, and (3) shifting focus toward stewardship of community resources and nursing practice beyond institutional boundaries.
BACKGROUND: Patients who present to medical practices without health insurance or with serious co-morbidities can become fiscal disasters to those who care for them. Their consumption of scarce resources has caused consternation among providers and institutions, especially as it concerns the amount and type of care they should receive. In fact, some providers may try to avoid caring for them altogether, or at least try to limit their institutional or practice exposure to them. DISCUSSION: We present a philosophical discourse, with emphasis on the writings of Immanuel Kant and G.F.W. Hegel, as to why physicians have the moral imperative to give such "outliers" considerate and thoughtful care. Outliers are defined and the ideals of morality, responsibility, good will, duty, and principle are applied to the care of patients whose financial means are meager and to those whose care is physiologically futile. Actions of moral worth, unconditional good will, and doing what is right are examined. SUMMARY: Outliers are a legitimate economic concern to individual practitioners and institutions, however this should not lead to an evasion of care. These patients should be identified early in their course of care, but such identification should be preceded by a well-planned recognition of this burden and appropriate staffing and funding should be secured. A thoughtful team approach by medical practices and their institutions, involving both clinicians and non-clinicians, should be pursued.
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
In a cooperative, private practice, multi-institutional impotence study, dynamic infusion cavernosometry and cavernosography (DICC) was performed on 743 patients to make an accurate diagnosis and/or identify candidates for penile revascularization. Maximum equilibrium intracorporeal pressure achieved following papaverine and phentolamine injection (Phase I) averaged 29.42 +/- 0.76 mm Hg, approximately one third of normal erection pressure. Corporeal pressure fall from 150 mm Hg over thirty seconds (cavernosometry) averaged 82.38 +/- 1.33 mm Hg (Phase II). The gradient between systolic and cavernosal artery pressure averaged 42.84 +/- 1.12 mm Hg on the right and 43.33 +/- 1.13 mm Hg on the left (Phase III). Cavernosography at 90 mm Hg erection pressure was performed in Phase IV. Of the 124 patients from one center who were reviewed in greater detail, pure cavernosal artery insufficiency (CAI) was found in 25 (20.2%), corporeal veno-occlusive dysfunction (CVOD) in 26 (21.0%), and 73 patients (58.9%) demonstrated combined CAI and CVOD. Diabetics (n = 69) achieved lower equilibrium intracorporeal pressures than nondiabetics, had similar CVOD, and worse CAI. Smokers (n = 365) and patients with Peyronie's disease (n = 32) had erectile dysfunction similar to those without these conditions. Patients impotent after trauma (n = 124) were younger, achieved higher intracorporeal pressures, and showed better corporeal veno-occlusive function than those without trauma. Complications of DICC were minimal and infrequent. After DICC, 169 patients underwent internal pudendal arteriography, 105 had arterial bypass surgery with or without penile venous ligation procedures, and 45 had venous surgery alone. Dynamic infusion cavernosometry and cavernosography is a useful erectile function study to evaluate impotence and can be performed easily in a private practice setting.
UNLABELLED: Ropivacaine might be superior to bupivcaine for epidural labour analgesia because it appears to induce less lower extremity motor blockade. The clinical relevance of this difference is not yet clear. METHODS: In a double-blind randomised trial bupivacaine and ropivacaine each at 0.125% with 1 microg/ml fentanyl were compared for epidural labour analgesia. This study was performed in two university hospitals. RESULTS: Sixty-three nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies at term were included. There were no differences between bupivacaine and ropivacaine as far as motor blockade, analgesic outcome, mode of delivery and neonatal outcome are concerned. However, the clinical management of epidural analgesia differed significantly between the two institutions involved. Parturients of one institution had their epidural catheter placed earlier, needed less top-up medication, and had more successful mobilisations, when compared to the other institution. CONCLUSIONS: Institutional clinical practice can be significantly different. Pharmacological differences between bupivacaine and ropivacaine at 0.125% with 1 microg/ml fentanyl seem to be less important than differences between institutions in terms of clinical practice.
BACKGROUND: There is a perception among many academic dermatologists that departments of dermatology face severe challenges with recruitment and retention of faculty. In an era when evidence points to a shortage of dermatologists and residency graduates have plentiful private practice offers in almost every geographic area, some fear that academic programs will face even steeper challenges attracting and keeping enough dermatologists on staff. METHODS: To compare the practice patterns of academic dermatologists with those of the dermatology workforce in other settings, data from the American Academy of Dermatology 2002 Practice Profile Survey were analyzed (1425 respondents, 35% response rate). RESULTS: The mean age of academic dermatologists (45.6 years) was younger than that of those in other practice settings (51.9 years solo practice, 49.0 years multispecialty group), and older age cohorts were significantly less likely to be working in academics (P < .001). Academic physicians were much more likely than those in solo practice or dermatology-only groups (62.2% vs 18.3%-39.4%) to report that their institution or practice was seeking new dermatologists. The average waiting time for new patient appointments varied from a low of 31.1 days in solo practices to a high of 55.9 days in academic practices. Academic dermatologists saw 32% to 41% fewer patients per week, but spent much more time (24.1 vs 5.5-8.6 h/wk) participating in research, hospital consults, medical writing, administrative activities, and teaching than dermatologists in any other setting. LIMITATIONS: Academic dermatologists reflected a relatively small proportion of survey respondents, and may not be representative of the nation's dermatology faculty (although the percentage of academics in the survey was similar to that in the overall workforce). Possible response biases could also have affected the survey results. CONCLUSIONS: The survey results identify a number of differences between the practice patterns of academic dermatologists and their colleagues in other settings, and suggest that academic departments of dermatology may be facing unique workforce challenges.
The effect upon patient satisfaction of a reorganization of a traditional medical clinic into a group practice model was examined in a controlled trial in which both patients and physicians were randomized. The group practice model, unlike the traditional clinic, provided decentralized registration, 5 days/week clinic coverage, and night/weekend phone coverage. Residents worked in small groups with an attending physician, a nurse practitioner, and a receptionist. This reorganization resulted in a substantial decrease in charges and utilization for patients in the experimental group. A panel of 302 patients was interviewed prior to the reorganization and 1 year later. Patients in the experimental groups perceived improvements in access to their physicians as well as decreases in clinic waiting time and decreases in the lag time between requesting and obtaining an appointment. General health perceptions and other satisfaction measures were unchanged. The authors conclude that a group practice organization can result in decreased patient charges without substantially altering patient satisfaction.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To know the effect that the presence of a general practitioner (GP) has on emergency department's effectiveness, efficiency and health care. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Prospective interventional study carried out in the emergency medicine unit fast track area (FTA), which is ideally opened from 8 am to 12 am, and staffed by 2 residents. INTERVENTION: 8 resident hours (from 4 pm to 12 am) were substituted by 8 GP hours. The study period was August 2002 (GP presence), and the control period, October 2002. From each period, 10 days and 100 patients were randomly selected. From each day, FTA census (P), percentage of revisits and patients leaving without being seen, elapsed time to FTA actual closing (OT), percentage of patients moved to the observation area, and percentage of admissions were recorded. From each patient, epidemiological and clinical characteristics, waiting time to be seen (WT), number of tests performed, elapsed time to treatment (TT), and length of stay (LOS) were collected along with the number of patients finally discharged without hospital specialist consultation and those discharged with no test ordered. To assess perceived care quality, a telephone survey was performed. Three effectiveness indexes were defined and determined: P/WT (E1), P/OT (E2), and perceived care quality/perceived WT (E3). Finally, fixed and variables costs (C) from both periods were calculated, and cost-effectiveness analysis for each effectiveness index and period performed. RESULTS: Periods showed no differences regarding daily census and patient characteristics. In the study period (GP presence), all time variables significantly improved: 20% reduction in WT, 25% in TT, 36% in LOS, and 17.5% in OT. A decrease in the number of tests ordered (41% less), in the percentage of patients moved to the observation area (78% less), and in the revisit rate (75% less) was also noted. Finally, E1 improved in 77% and E2 in 51%. Cost-effectiveness analysis clearly supported the study period, showing a decrease in C/E1 (55% less), in C/E2 (33% less), and in C/E3 (6% less). From the telephone survey, no differences between periods were detected except a perceived WT in the study period lower than that in the control period. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of a GP in a FTA leads to an improvement in the effectiveness and quality of care received by attended patients. In addition of these important features, this presence is also efficient. Therefore, it is an intervention that could be taken into account by administrators to better manage emergency departments.
A 3-year rotating programme for three general practitioners as clinica assistants involved in in-patient care is described in the three associated departments of medicine, geriatric medicine and psychiatry in a district general hospital. The appointments were for three sessions a week each. The effectiveness of such rotating appointments is analysed including both the service contribution to the hospital and the educational content from the general practioner's point of view and also the way in which such appointments fit in with the timetable of work in general practice. Such a rotating scheme is most successful in geriatric medicine and psychiatry. Involvement in in-patient care in general medicine proved more difficult. Future schemes might include only 6 months in general medicine, together with 6 months in another specialty.