http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a new report, Making Health Care Safer II, which identifies the top 10, evidence-based patient safety strategies available to clinicians. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-patient-safety-strategies-ahrq.html Health Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:47:48 EST news281879262 Patients with pneumonia may spend fewer days in the hospital if they are given steroids along with antibiotics and supportive care. That's the finding of a Mayo Clinic analysis of eight randomized-controlled clinical trials involving more than 1,100 patients. The results appear in the March issue of the Journal of Hospital Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-steroids-shorten-hospital-pneumonia-patients.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:00:01 EST news281274204 A drug commonly prescribed to help patients sleep in hospitals has been associated with an increased risk of falls, according to a study published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-inpatient-drug-quadrupled-fall.html Health Mon, 19 Nov 2012 00:00:01 EST news272473835 Unprofessional behavior among hospitalists is rare, but those who do behave poorly share common features, according to research published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-main-unprofessional-behavior-hospitalists.html Other Tue, 12 Jun 2012 09:57:17 EST news258713829 Seriously injured trauma patients transported to hospitals by helicopter are 16 percent more likely to survive than similarly injured patients brought in by ground ambulance, new Johns Hopkins research shows. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-trauma-patients-helicopter-costly-effective.html Health Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:47:54 EST news253878469 The pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is a precious resource. With limited number of beds and resource-intensive services, it is a key component of patient flow. A new study published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine reveals that while a large PICU observed for the study delivered critical care services most of the time, periods of non-critical care services represented a barrier to access for new patients. At times when a bed was needed for a new patient, the PICU had beds being used for patients who could have been in other settings. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-beds-pediatric-intensive-efficiently.html Other Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:11:01 EST news253796779 Discussing and documenting patients' preferences for care at the end of life does not cause them any harm, contrary to recent claims. A new study published today in the Journal of Hospital Medicine found that patients who talk with their physicians about end-of-life care and have an advance directive in their medical record have similar survival rates as patients who do not have these discussions and documents. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-end-of-life-discussions-affect-survival.html Health Wed, 28 Sep 2011 03:36:35 EST news236399775 Too many admissions at a hospital at one time can put patients at risk. A new study published today in the Journal of Hospital Medicine suggests that "smoothing" occupancy over the course of a week could help hospitals reduce crowding and protect patients from crowded conditions. The strategy involves controlling the entry of patients, when possible, to achieve more even levels of occupancy instead of the peaks and troughs that are commonly encountered. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-admissions-crowding-children-hospitals.html Health Tue, 24 May 2011 04:04:30 EST news225428652