Association Between Enteral Feeding, Weight Status, and Mortality in a Medical Intensive Care Unit.

Background: Clinical practice guidelines recommend enteral nutrition for most patients receiving mechanical ventilation. However, recently published evidence on the effect of enteral nutrition on mortality, particularly for patients who are well nourished, is conflicting.

Objectives: To examine the association between enteral feeding and hospital mortality in critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation and to determine if body mass index mediates this relationship.

Characteristics and Outcomes of Adult Inpatients With Malnutrition.

Background: The diagnosis of malnutrition remains controversial. Furthermore, it is unknown if physician diagnosis of malnutrition impacts outcomes. We sought to compare outcomes of patients with physician diagnosed malnutrition to patients recognized as malnourished by registered dietitians (RDs), but not physicians, and to describe the impact of each of 6 criteria on the diagnosis of malnutrition.

Impact of universal gowning and gloving on health care worker clothing contamination.

Objective: To determine whether gowning and gloving for all patient care reduces contamination of healthcare worker (HCW) clothing, compared to usual practice.

Design: Cross-sectional surveys.

Setting: Five study sites were recruited from intensive care units (ICUs) randomized to the intervention arm of the Benefits of Universal Gown and Glove (BUGG) study.

Using the AUDIT-PC to predict alcohol withdrawal in hospitalized patients.

Background: Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) occurs when alcohol-dependent individuals abruptly reduce or stop drinking. Hospitalized alcohol-dependent patients are at risk. Hospitals need a validated screening tool to assess withdrawal risk, but no validated tools are currently available.

Early data from Project Engage: a program to identify and transition medically hospitalized patients into addictions treatment.

Background: Patients with untreated substance use disorders (SUDs) are at risk for frequent emergency department visits and repeated hospitalizations. Project Engage, a US pilot program at Wilmington Hospital in Delaware, was conducted to facilitate entry of these patients to SUD treatment after discharge. Patients identified as having hazardous or harmful alcohol consumption based on results of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Primary Care (AUDIT-PC), administered to all patients at admission, received bedside assessment with motivational interviewing and facilitated referral to treatment by a patient engagement specialist (PES).