A multicenter, one-day prevalence, prospective, observational, double-blind study in 19 ICUs revealed that the decisionmaking capacity of ICU patients was widely overestimated by all clinicians as compared with a capacity score measured by the Mini-Mental Status Examination and the Aid to Capacity Evaluation.

An essential part of delivering critical preventive services to youth includes discussing confidentiality and private time (without a parent in the room) between adolescents and young adults and their healthcare provider to build trust and promote optimal health and well-being.

The Origins of Smallpox Vaccine Virus; No More Fun Helping Mommy Bake; Annual Influenza Vaccination of Physicians

Although different specialties address the problem of physician burnout, studies suggest the most effect is gained from organizational interventions.

The nonprofit hospital system Broward Health in Florida recently agreed to pay $70 million to settle allegations that it engaged in “improper financial relationships” under laws prohibiting kickbacks for patient referrals.

Conflicts between physicians and surrogate decision-makers involving the patient’s prognosis occur more than half the time, according to a recent study.

More hospitals are finding that the strategic use of physician assistants can improve quality and patient satisfaction without adding a financial burden. These physician extenders can reduce readmissions and improve ED efficiency, recent advocates say.

Tactical quality improvement teams have helped a Georgia hospital reduce complications and length of stay so much that the savings amounted to more than $12 million over one year.

Having the right set of ED physicians will reduce the need for specialist coverage, says Pascal Crosley, DO, vice president of CEP America and medical director at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, MD. The more experienced and skilled that the ED physicians are, the less often they will need to call in specialists, he says.

Getting physicians to critique their colleagues has always been a challenge, but in recent years challenged physicians have increasingly used expensive litigation and claims of antitrust violations to defend themselves. That has made some physicians even more reluctant to participate in peer review, but there are solutions.