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Introduction: Hospital quality improvement and hospital performance are commonly evaluated using parameters such as average length of stay (LOS), patient safety measures and rates of hospital readmission. Thirty-day readmission (30-DR) rates are widely used as a quality indicator and a quantifiable metric for hospitals since patients are often readmitted for the exacerbation of conditions from index admission. The quality of patient education and postdischarge care can influence readmission rates. We report the 30-DR rates of patients with asthma using a national dataset for the year 2013., Objectives: The aim of our study was to assess the 30- day readmission (30-DR) rate as well as, the causes and predictors of readmissions., Study Designs/methods: Using the Nationwide Readmission Database (NRD) (2013), we identified primary discharge diagnoses of asthma by using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code '493'. Categorical and continuous variables were assessed by a χ 2 test and a Student's t-test, respectively. The independent predictors of unplanned 30-DR were detected by multivariate analysis. We used sampling weights, which are provided in the NRD, to generate the national estimates., Results: There were 130 490 (weighted N=311 173) inpatient asthma admissions during 2013. The overall 30-DR for asthma was 11.9%. The associated factors for 30-DR were age 45-84 years (40.32% vs 29.05%; p<0.001), enrolment in Medicare (49.33% vs 30.61% p<0.001), extended LOS (mean, 4.40±0.06 vs 3.25±0.04 days; p<0.001), higher mean cost (US$8593.91 vs US$6741.31; p<0.001) and higher disposition against medical advice (DAMA) (4.14% vs 1.51%; p<0.001). The factors that increased the chance of 30-DR were advanced age (≥45-64 vs ≤17 years; OR 4.61, 95% CI 4.04 to 5.27, p<0.0001), male sex (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.26, p<0.0001), a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.18, p<0.0001), DAMA (OR 2.32, 95% CI 2.08 to 2.59, p<0.0001), non-compliance with medication (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.46, p<0.0001), post-traumatic stress disorder (OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.22 to 1.79, p<0.0001), alcohol use (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.27 to 1.65, p<0.0001), gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.27, p<0.0001), obstructive sleep apnoea (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.18, p<0.0042) and hypertension (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.17, p<0.0001)., Conclusions: We found that the overall 30-DR rate for asthma was 11.9% all-cause readmission. Major causes of 30-DR were asthma exacerbation (36.74%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (11.47%), respiratory failure (6.46%), non-specific pneumonia (6.19%), septicaemia (3.61%) and congestive heart failure (3.32%). One-fourth of the revisits occurred in the first week, while half of the revisits took place in the first 2 weeks. Education regarding illness and the importance of medicine compliance could play a significant role in preventing asthma-related readmission., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

AbstractOver the past two decades, the majority of medical schools in the USA have embarked upon curricular initiatives to enhance the teaching of ambulatory or office-based primary care. Identifying characteristics of these primary care experiences that make for the most effective learning is a top priority in medical education research. In this paper we examine what is known about the influence of variability in the structure of primary care experiences on student learning outcomes. We examine the questions of how rotations are scheduled, who does the teaching and where the teaching takes place. Given the variability in curricula across the 125 accredited medical schools in the USA and the absence of agreed-upon objectives, outcomes or assessment measures for primary care education, it is not surprising that the current literature has fallen short in providing definitive answers. There is much debate about the benefits of community vs. campus sites, longitudinal vs. block experiences, and the influence of specialty training of the preceptor, but little in the current literature to guide and substantiate a programme's choice. What can be concluded with relative confidence is that clinics currently offer more active student experiences than do private offices, that students may be more satisfied with rural experiences than with urban or suburban experiences, and that longitudinal and block experiences have different learning advantages. Research in primary care medical education will benefit from the current movement towards a cross-institutional consensus on educational objectives and outcome measures and on the general application of a more rigorous research methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Austria and the United States have very different healthcare systems with Austria following a social insurance model and the United States following an out of pocket model however;gross domestic product on healthcare expenditures. There is a current gap in literature on how the United States and Austrian healthcare systems comparatively impact patient outcomes, especially when considering the mediating effects of societal norms such as exercise and mental self-care habits. The information presented could benefit the United States healthcare system if they adopted Austria's model, which expands access, and the Austrian healthcare system regulators could look to American standards of communication and care coordination to improve their healthcare system overall.

The first official general medicine was established in the United States, and society of general medicine established in 1947. After that the European and American countries began to study of general medicine and construct system. In 1966, the commonwealth launched the first global residency training program in general medicine.At present, many countries have formed a perfect general practitioner training system. In 1988, the concept of general medicine was introduced into China. In 1989, the Chinese Medical Association established the General Medicine Education Committee, marked the beginning of general medical education in China. In 1993, General Medicine Branch of Chinese Medical Association was set up, was a symbol of the birth of general medicine in China. Compared with some European and American countries, China's general medicine was a late starter, and the training of general practitioners has experienced the development of diversification, at present, it is in line with the international training mode.

Objective: To determine how colleges and schools of pharmacy interpreted the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education's (ACPE's) Standards 2007 definitions for core advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs), and how they differentiated community and institutional practice activities for introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs) and APPEs., Methods: A cross-sectional, qualitative, thematic analysis was done of survey data obtained from experiential education directors in US colleges and schools of pharmacy. Open-ended responses to invited descriptions of the 4 core APPEs were analyzed using grounded theory to determine common themes. Type of college or school of pharmacy (private vs public) and size of program were compared., Results: Seventy-one schools (72%) with active APPE programs at the time of the survey responded. Lack of strong frequent themes describing specific activities for the acute care/general medicine core APPE indicated that most respondents agreed on the setting (hospital or inpatient) but the student experience remained highly variable. Themes were relatively consistent between public and private institutions, but there were differences across programs of varying size., Conclusion: Inconsistencies existed in how colleges and schools of pharmacy defined the core APPEs as required by ACPE. More specific descriptions of core APPEs would help to standardize the core practice experiences across institutions and provide an opportunity for quality benchmarking.