Israel Medical Association Journal

Background: Internet use by patients as a source of information on health and disease is expanding rapidly with obvious effects on the doctor-patient relationship. Many of these effects remain undocumented or are poorly understood.

Objectives: To assess the use of the internet  for health information by patients in primary care in Israel and their perception of the effects of internet use on their relationship with their doctor.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a convenience sample of patients visiting 10 primary care clinics in central Israel using a questionnaire developed for this survey. The survey examined attitudes to using the internet for health-related information and attitudes to sharing this information with doctors. Associations between demographic variables, internet use and patient satisfaction with the doctor’s response were tested using the chi-square statistic and t-tests.

Results: Completed questionnaires were received from 138 patients; the response rate was 69%. Patients in the study sample had a high rate of internet access (87%), with many using the internet as a source of health information (41%) although most patients using the internet never share this information with their doctor (81%). Among those who share information with the doctor, most felt that this has a positive effect on the relationship (87%). Few patients reported being referred to websites by the doctor (28%).

Conclusions: Internet use is prevalent in this population, though physicians may be unaware of this. Future study may examine the effects of doctors who ask patients actively about their internet use and inform them of relevant health information sources online.

The cause for gender differences in the epidemiology, natural history and response to therapy in many diseases is unknown and has seldom been investigated in depth. Sex hormones are blamed for many of these changes, mostly without any scientific evidence. In this review I will describe some of the evidence for gender differences in gastrointestinal diseases. Gender medicine and its application for gastroenterology is a new field and one warranting research.
 

Background: During military escalations emergency departments provide treatment both to victims of conflict-related injuries and to routine admissions. This requires special deployment by the hospitals to optimize utilization of resources.

Objectives: To evaluate “routine” visits to the ED[1] during Operation Cast Lead in Israel in 2008–2009.

Methods: We obtained data regarding routine visits to the ED at Soroka University Medical Center throughout OCL[2]. The visits one month before and after OCL and the corresponding periods one year previous served as controls.

Results: The mean number of daily visits throughout the study period (126 days) was 506 ± 80.9, which was significantly lower during OCL (443.5 ± 82) compared with the reference periods (P < 0.001). Compared to the reference periods, during OCL the relative rates were higher among Bedouins, visitors from the region closest to the Gaza Strip (< 30 km), patients transported to the ED by ambulance and patients of employment age; the rates were lower among children. No difference in the different periods was found in the rate of women patients, distance of residence from Beer Sheva, rate of patients referred to the ED by a community physician, and hour of arrival. The overall in-hospital admission rate increased during OCL, mainly in the internal medicine and the obstetric departments. There was no change in the number of in-hospital births during OCL; however, the rate of preterm labors (32–36 weeks) decreased by 41% (P = 0.013).

Conclusions: Throughout OCL the number of routine ED visits decreased significantly compared to the control periods. This finding could help to optimize the utilization of hospital resources during similar periods.

Background: It is currently recommended that capillary glucose levels of non-critically ill hospitalized diabetic patients be maintained at between 140 and 180 mg/dl. Implementation of these recommendations and evaluation of their effectiveness require that data regarding the glucose control of these hospitalized patients be accessible.

Objective: To analyze glucose control and monitoring of all the diabetic patients hospitalized in the general medicine wards of our medical center.

Methods: Capillary glucose measurements of all diabetic patients hospitalized in our departments of medicine between June and December 2008 were recorded by a central computerized institutional glucometer. Median glucose values and frequency of daily glucose checks per patient were analyzed in the internal medicine wards.

Results: We evaluated 14,366 capillary measurements from 2475 patients; 43% were taken before breakfast and 25% before dinner. A median of one daily determination per patient was obtained. This number increased 1.4-fold in patients with hyperglycemia > 200 mg/dl and 2.5-fold in patients with hypoglycemia. Seventy-five percent of the recorded glucose values were within the recommended target range, with a median daily level of 161 mg/dl and median fasting glucose of 142 mg/dl. A significant variance was found between wards.

Conclusions: The frequency of capillary glucose measurements in diabetic patients hospitalized in general medicine wards was low; most capillary glucose values, however, were within the recommended target range. The optimal monitoring of glucose in these patients remains to be determined.

Background: Parallel to increased life expectancy, the number of very elderly patients hospitalized in internal medicine departments is growing rapidly, although clinical data on hospital care are lacking.

Objectives: To investigate the sociodemographic data, hospitalization characteristics and outcomes of nonagenarian patients, as these measures are necessary for evaluating prognostic information and predictors of mortality.

Methods: We reviewed the medical records of all patients aged ≥ 90 hospitalized in our institute's Department of Internal Medicine. The data comprised 482 admissions of 333 patients hospitalized over a one year period.

Results: Half of the study patients were residents of nursing institutions. A high rate of atrial fibrillation was documented (106 patients, 32%). Acute infectious diseases constituted the leading diagnosis (276/482 admissions, 57%), followed by acute coronary syndrome (17% of admissions). In-hospital mortality occurred in 74 patients (22%). Chronic therapy with statins or acetylsalicylic acid was inversely related to mortality (P < 0.05). The main predictors for in-hospital death of nonagenarians were pressure sores, older age, atrial fibrillation, malignant disease, and admission due to an acute infection, especially Clostridium difficile-associated diseases. In addition, mental decline, permanent urinary catheter, leukocytosis, renal failure and hypoalbuminemia predicted post-discharge mortality. Admission due to an infectious disease but not acute coronary syndrome was significantly correlated to in-hospital and post-discharge mortality (P < 0.001).

Conclusions: Hospitalized nonagenarians comprise a growing group with distinct characteristics and increasing significance in the daily practice of internal medicine departments. Comprehensive assessment of the elderly at admission together with identification of the above clinical and laboratory risk factors for mortality will help determine in-hospital management, discharge planning and rehabilitation programs.

Background: Tight glucose control has been shown to improve the outcome of patients with severe acute illnesses who are hospitalized in intensive care units and on intravenous insulin-based regimens.

Objectives: To clarify the attitudes of internists towards tight control of glucose levels in acutely ill patients hospitalized in general medical wards.

Methods: A questionnaire on intensive glucose control in acutely ill patients hospitalized in medical wards was mailed to each of the 100 heads of internal medicine departments in Israel.

Results: Fifty physicians responded. Of these, 80% considered tight glucose control to be a major treatment target, but only two-thirds had defined it as a goal in their ward. Furthermore, only about half had a defined protocol for such an intervention. Most physicians considered patients with acute coronary syndrome, stroke and infectious diseases as candidates for a tight glucose control protocol. The most frequently used modalities were multiple blood glucose measurements and repeated injections of short-acting subcutaneous insulin. The main reasons given for not having a defined protocol were lack of guidelines, no evidence of a clear benefit during hospitalization on a medical ward, and a shortage of adequately trained staff.

Conclusions: Inconsistencies in physicians’ attitudes and in treatment protocols regarding tight control of glucose levels in acutely ill patients hospitalized on a medical ward need to be addressed. Evaluation of the feasibility, effectiveness and side effects of a defined protocol is needed before any regimen can be approved by the heads of the internal medicine departments.