The clinical and prognostic importance of positive blood cultures in adults.

Background: Bloodstream infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in adults. Bloodstream infections should be reassessed periodically because of increased antibiotic resistance, more patients receiving immunomodulatory therapy, improved antiretroviral therapy, and acquisition of infection in health care settings other than hospitals.

Methods: We conducted retrospective assessment by infectious disease physicians of hospitalized adults with positive blood cultures at 3 academic medical centers.

Can computerized cost data substitute for chart review?

Identification of alternatives to manual chart review might improve efficiency in quality improvement work. This study at a large community teaching hospital in central New Jersey considered whether selected charges from a patient-level costs database could identify compliance with Sixth Scope of Work indicators in congestive heart failure (CHF). Charges resulting from specific tests, from test outcomes, and from prescribed treatments were identified from among 75 randomly chosen patients with CHF.