New Important Specialty : Hospital Medicine

1. Dr Anwer G Almosewi
20-8-2015

2. The definition of hospitalist
 The Society of Hospital Medicine has adopted the
following official definition of "hospitalist."
 Hospitalists are physicians whose primary
professional focus is the general medical care of
hospitalized patients. Their activities include
patient care, teaching, research, and leadership
related to Hospital Medicine.
 http://hospitalmedicine.ucsd.edu/people/about.shtml

3.  The term "hospitalist" refers to physicians whose
practice emphasizes providing care for hospitalized
patients. The term was first used in a New England
Journal of Medicine article in August of 1996
 http://hospitalmedicine.ucsd.edu/people/about.shtml

4.  By focusing his or her practice on the care of
hospitalized patient, a hospitalist can gain a great deal
of experience in the unique aspects of a patient's needs
during the hospital stay.
 Hospitalists typically spend most or all of their work
day in the hospital, and thus can be more readily
available to a patient than a doctor who spends much
the day outside the hospital in an office or clinic
setting.

5.  The hospitalists play a significant role in training and
mentoring residents

6. Examples of hospitalist-led quality improvement
programs in UCSD
 Improving glycemic control and reducing hypoglycemia
 Optimizing prevention of hospital-acquired venous
thromboembolism
 Improving care of community-acquired pneumonia
 Implementing a system to reconcile medications across the
spectrum of care
 Standardizing the discharge process and communication
processes
 Implementing an effective perioperative beta-blockade
protocol
 http://hospitalmedicine.ucsd.edu/people/about.shtml