February 2008

It was an unusually quiet Sunday afternoon when I stepped into Mr. P's hospital room. He was a 59-year-old man who had presented to the emergency room earlier with complaints of fever and cough and been admitted with a presumptive diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia.

Ever since the Institute of Medicine released the report To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Heath System and focused attention on the quality of healthcare in the United States, many have cited the need for the healthcare industry to emulate the airline industry's safety practices and adopt similar standards.

MDNG had the privilege of speaking with Ali Farhat, MD, Director, Division of Hospitalist Medicine, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI, regarding how best to establish an ideal patientâ€"hospitalist relationship.