50 Studies Every Hospitalist Should Know

Abstract This volume in the “50 Studies Every Doctor Should Know” series explores the 50 most important studies relevant for hospital medicine. By reviewing and critically analyzing published evidence, this book highlights the role of hospitalists in navigating diagnostic challenges, developing treatment options, and prioritizing patient safety. Beyond clinical considerations of subspecialties of internal medicine and other relevant fields, the volume also addresses hospital systems and operations and administrative pressures that hospitalists face in their practice. The 50 studies included in this book were chosen to equip hospitalists in understanding the underpinnings of hospital-based clinical practice and applying that evidence to an individual patient’s care. Each chapter focuses upon a single study, beginning with a quote about the primary study’s relevance. It then describes the study in detail, including high-yield flow charts, tables, and bullet points of important results and findings. The chapter authors then critically appraise the study by noting limitations, referencing other relevant studies, and listing pertinent guidelines. The final section of each chapter is a clinical case in which the study is applied to a relevant hospital-based scenario, in which evidence-based knowledge is applied to make a medical decision. This book is a valuable resource for hospital-based clinicians, helping trainees and established hospitalists alike learn not just about the 50 individual studies but also how to critically appraise new evidence.