Determining if the prognostic nutritional index can predict outcomes in community acquired bacterial pneumonia.

Background: The Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) uses albumin levels and total lymphocyte count to predict the relationship between immune-nutritional state and prognosis in a variety of diseases, however it has not been studied in community acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP). We conducted a historical cohort study to determine if there was an association between PNI and clinical outcomes in patients with CABP.

Methods: We reviewed 204 adult patients with confirmed CABP, and calculated admission PNI and Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR).

Using the Electronic Medical Record to Address Code Status Documentation: A Quality Improvement Project.

Code status (CS) is often overlooked while admitting patients to the hospital. This is important for patients with end-stage disease. This quality improvement project investigated whether a CS pop-up alert in the electronic medical record, combined with provider education, improved addressing CS.

A data management approach to quality assurance using colorectal carcinoma reports from two institutions as a model.

We used data management software to compare pathology report data concerning regional lymph node sampling for colorectal carcinoma from 2 institutions using different dissection methods. Data were retrieved from 2 disparate anatomic pathology information systems for all cases of colorectal carcinoma in 2003 involving the ascending and descending colon. Initial sorting of the data included overall lymph node recovery to assess differences between the dissection methods at the 2 institutions.