Haemoglobin thresholds for transfusion: how are we doing in the era of Choosing Wisely? A retrospective cohort study.

Introduction:  Clinical practice guidelines and the Choosing Wisely initiative launched in 2012 recommend a haemoglobin (Hb) threshold of 70-80 g/lfor red blood cell (RBC) transfusions in stable hospitalised patients. Data on transfusion practices and their trends in medical inpatients are limited. To address this gap, we investigated transfusion practices and their trends in general internal medicine and other clinics.

Management of acute non-specific low back pain in the emergency department: do emergency physicians follow the guidelines? Results of a cross-sectional survey.

Objectives: Clinical guidelines for acute non-specific low back pain (LBP) recommend avoiding imaging studies or invasive treatments and to advise patients to stay active. The aim of this study was to evaluate the management of acute non-specific LBP in the emergency departments (ED).

Setting: We invited all department chiefs of Swiss EDs and their physician staff to participate in a web-based survey using two clinical case vignettes of patients with acute non-specific LBP presenting to an ED.