This week, Amol, general internal medicine resident at the University of Toronto, and Fahad, staff internist at St. Michael’s hospital in Toronto, discuss 3 papers:
Where do physicians die? What is the intensity of the care they receive at the end of life? Fahad discusses 2 papers that attempted to answer these questions. The first examined U.S. census data and found that compared to the general public physicians are less likely to die in health care facilities. The second study had similar findings, including that physicians get less intense treatments and are more likely to die in hospices. Fahad and Amol ponder possible reasons behind these trends.
A randomized control trial found that frozen and fresh fecal samples had the same effectiveness in treating patients with recurrent C. difficile infections. While fresh samples must be transplanted within 24 hours, frozen samples can be kept up to 30 days. Is a fecal bank the solution to recurrent C. difficile infections?
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The Papers
1. Physicians dying in hospitals: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2482317
2. Physician end of care intensity: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2482318
3. Fecal transplant: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2481003
Good Stuff
1. Alcohol consumption in Canada: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/nearly-80-per-cent-of-canadians-drink-alcohol-but-not-all-know-risks-report/article28535533/
Music Credits (Creative Commons)
In your Robotic Heart – Nicolai Heidlas https://soundcloud.com/nicolai-heidlas/in-your-robotic-heart
Drive – Nicolai Heidlas https://soundcloud.com/nicolai-heidlas/drive-fresh-upbeat-pop-background-music
Vintage Dream – Nicolai Heidlas https://soundcloud.com/nicolai-heidlas/vintage-dream-loungejazzy-background-music
All tracks have been modified for the purposes of this podcast.
