No Ifs, Ands, or Buts: Leveraging Population Health to Focus on the Care of Patients Who Smoke.

We developed a multidisciplinary curriculum to improve our residents' proficiency with smoking cessation counseling and prescribing of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). The curriculum included a didactic portion, informational handouts, and a panel management component during which residents did telephone outreach and clinic in-reach to address high rates of smoking among patients. Residents rated their confidence with smoking cessation counseling and clinical knowledge before and after the intervention.

Discharges Against Medical Advice at a County Hospital: Provider Perceptions and Practice.

Background: Patients discharged against medical advice (AMA) have higher rates of readmission and mortality than patients who are conventionally discharged. Bioethicists have proposed best practice approaches for AMA discharges, but studies have revealed that some providers have misconceptions about their roles in these discharges.

Objective: This study assessed patient characteristics and provider practices for AMA discharges at a county hospital and provider perceptions and knowledge about AMA discharges.