Short stay in general intensive care units: is it always necessary?

Background: There are challenges ahead of short-term hospitalization of low-risk patients hospitalized only for monitoring of severe disease who may die soon after admission. The purpose of this study was to suggest strategies forthe management of ICU stay lengths and to ensure optimal use of ICU resources.

Methods: The study was conducted retrospectively on 246 patients admitted to 9 general ICUs in Tehran, from September 2011 to March 2012.

Defining a competency framework: the first step toward competency-based medical education.

Despite the existence of a large variety of competency frameworks for medical graduates, there is no agreement on a single set of outcomes. Different countries have attempted to define their own set of competencies to respond to their local situations. This article reports the process of developing medical graduates' competency framework as the first step in the curriculum reform in Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS).