Systems-based Practice

Burnout: System Responsibilities, Individual Safeguards

The responsibility for coping with burnout has mainly been placed on the individual physician. Now, it is better understood that institutional strategies are needed to address the burnout situation. Researchers are finding that healthcare systems changes must accompany—and take precedence…

Cancer Care: What’s Fixable Now

Cancer care in the US has been described as a system in crisis, failing in its mission to be patient-centered, accessible, coordinated, and evidence-based. While many of the causes of this crisis are systemic, expensive to fix, and not easily…

Controlled Substances Series: Arkansas Licensed Within Last 2 Years

While concerns about the opioid epidemic are paramount, many other controlled substances are being misused and abused. This course describes the best practices and special considerations necessary for prescribing any controlled dangerous substance. Medication reconciliation and the dangers of polypharmacy,…

Intermittent Auscultation Safety

A shift in the care of low-risk pregnant women has occurred. Moving away from a high-interventional approach towards a low-interventional approach has started, but universal adoption by providers and hospitals is lagging. Intermittent Auscultation (IA) should be included in the…

EFM Case Study #22: Intermittent Auscultation Risks

After decades of rigorous comparison in 13 randomized controlled trials, continuous electronic fetal monitoring (CEFM) shows no clinical benefit over intermittent auscultation (IA) but it remains the primary method of fetal surveillance during labor. There is a current disconnect between…

EFM Case Study #21: Failure to Monitor

Prolonged periods of uninterpretable or absent fetal heart rate data (FHR) or uterine contraction (UC) data on the EFM strip can lead to legal complications. Failing to maintain a continuous EFM strip can imply that the perinatal team was inattentive…

Medical Marijuana Issues in Louisiana: An Overview

Cannabis is one of the world’s oldest cultivated plants, yet federal and state laws have greatly hindered the research and study of cannabis and its products. The goal of this activity is to provide an overview of the current issues,…

Preterm Birth: Treatment Benefits

Preterm birth (PTB) is one of the most challenging issues in perinatal medicine today. The preterm birth rate in the United States is one of the worst among all developed countries and it is on the rise. Failing to monitor…

Dismissing a Patient

A patient can end his or her relationship with a physician instantaneously, but physicians do not have the same option. Their professional responsibility to an established patient requires them to continue to provide care to the best of their ability….

Metabolic Surgery for Obese Type 2 Diabetics

Not so long ago, bariatric or obesity surgery was considered experimental and not covered by health insurance. Now, numerous high-quality randomized controlled studies have shown that metabolic surgery has powerful antidiabetic effects for obese Type 2 Diabetic (T2D) patients. In…