Journal of general internal medicine
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Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is the most prevalent substance use disorder, but evidence-based medications to treat AUD (MAUD), including naltrexone and acamprosate, are substantially underutilized. Hospitalization provides an opportunity to start MAUD for patients who may not otherwise seek treatment. Addiction consultation services (ACSs) have been increasingly utilized to ensure appropriate treatment. There is little research examining the effect of an ACS on health outcomes among patients with AUD. ⋯ ACS was associated with a large increase in provision of new inpatient MAUD and new MAUD at discharge when compared to propensity-matched historical controls.
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Paid caregivers (e.g., home health aides) care for individuals living at home with functional impairment and serious illnesses (health conditions with high risk of mortality that impact function and quality of life). ⋯ Paid caregivers play a significant role in meeting the care needs of those with functional impairment and serious illness and high paid care hours are common among those with dementia in particular. Future work should explore how paid caregivers can collaborate with families and healthcare teams to improve the health and well-being of the seriously ill throughout the income spectrum.
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Bedside incision and drainage (I&D) of skin abscesses is a common medical procedure performed in a variety of medical settings. Yet, there is a paucity of published validated educational tools to teach and assess competency for this procedure. ⋯ An educational and evaluation tool for bedside I&D of skin abscesses was validated via the Delphi and Angoff methods.