JAMA internal medicine
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JAMA internal medicine · Jul 2015
Clinical TrialPerformance of Wells Score for Deep Vein Thrombosis in the Inpatient Setting.
The Wells score to determine the pretest probability of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) was validated in outpatient settings, but it is unclear whether it applies to inpatients. ⋯ The Wells score performed only slightly better than chance for discrimination of risk for DVT in hospitalized patients. It had a higher failure rate and a lower efficiency in the inpatient setting compared with that reported in the outpatient literature. Therefore, the Wells score risk stratification is not sufficient to rule out DVT or influence management decisions in the inpatient setting.
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JAMA internal medicine · Jul 2015
Effectiveness of an Antimicrobial Stewardship Approach for Urinary Catheter-Associated Asymptomatic Bacteriuria.
Overtreatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) in patients with urinary catheters remains high. Health care professionals have difficulty differentiating cases of ASB from catheter-associated urinary tract infections. ⋯ A multifaceted intervention targeting health care professionals who diagnose and treat patients with urinary catheters reduced overtreatment of ASB compared with standard quality improvement methods. These improvements persisted during a low-intensity maintenance period. The impact was more pronounced in long-term care, an emerging domain for antimicrobial stewardship.
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JAMA internal medicine · Jul 2015
Use of Nondisclosure Agreements in Medical Malpractice Settlements by a Large Academic Health Care System.
Honesty and transparency are essential aspects of health care, including in physicians' and hospitals' responses to medical error. Biases and habits associated with medical malpractice litigation, however, may work at cross-purposes with compassion in clinical care and with efforts to improve patient safety. ⋯ An academic health system with a declared commitment to patient safety and transparency used nondisclosure clauses in most malpractice settlement agreements but with little standardization or consistency. The scope of nondisclosure was often broader than seemed needed to protect physicians and hospitals from disparagement by the plaintiff or to avoid publicizing settlement amounts that might attract other claimants. Some agreements prohibited reporting to regulatory agencies, a practice that the health system changed in response to our findings.