Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Authors: Darren B. Taichman
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2014)

Editorials21 October 2014Whose Line Is It Anyway?Darren B. Taichman, MD, PhD, Executive Deputy EditorDarren B. Taichman, MD, PhD, Executive Deputy EditorFrom American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M14-2005 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail “The show where everything is made up, and the points don't matter.” That is how Drew Carey used to introduce the improvisational comedy television show Whose Line Is It Anyway? Players made everything up as they went along, and no one really kept score. If only medicine could be that way, but it is not.Our notes are scripted, our actions increasingly regimented according to clinical protocols and evidence-based guidelines, and you bet that everyone is keeping score: payers, administrators, patients, and physicians. That medical practice is less the “art” it used to be has been commonly, and perhaps appropriately, ...References1. Pronovost P, Needham D, Berenholtz S, Sinopoli D, Chu H, Cosgrove S; etal. An intervention to decrease catheter-related bloodstream infections in the ICU. N Engl J Med. 2006;355:2725-32. [PMID: 17192537] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Berenholtz SM, Lubomski LH, Weeks K, Goeschel CA, Marsteller JA, Pham JC, et al; On the CUSP: Stop BSI program. Eliminating central line-associated bloodstream infections: a national patient safety imperative. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2014;35:56-62. [PMID: 24334799] doi:10.1086/674384 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Berenholtz SM, Pham JC, Thompson DA, Needham DM, Lubomski LH, Hyzy RC; etal. Collaborative cohort study of an intervention to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia in the intensive care unit. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2011;32:305-14. [PMID: 21460481] doi:10.1086/658938 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Chopra V, O'Horo JC, Rogers MA, Maki DG, Safdar N. The risk of bloodstream infection associated with peripherally inserted central catheters compared with central venous catheters in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2013;34:908-18. [PMID: 23917904] doi:10.1086/671737 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Chopra V, Anand S, Hickner A, Buist M, Rogers MA, Saint S; etal. Risk of venous thromboembolism associated with peripherally inserted central catheters: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet. 2013;382:311-25. [PMID: 23697825] doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60592-9 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. O'Grady NP, Alexander M, Burns LA, Dellinger EP, Garland J, Heard SO, et al; Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC). Guidelines for the prevention of intravascular catheter-related infections. Clin Infect Dis. 2011;52:e162-93. [PMID: 21460264] doi:10.1093/cid/cir257 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. Chopra V, Govindan S, Kuhn L, Ratz D, Sweis RF, Melin N; etal. Do clinicians know which of their patients have central venous catheters? A multicenter observational study. Ann Intern Med. 2014;161:562-7. doi:10.7326/M14-0703 LinkGoogle Scholar8. Berenholtz SM, Pronovost PJ, Lipsett PA, Hobson D, Earsing K, Farley JE; etal. Eliminating catheter-related bloodstream infections in the intensive care unit. Crit Care Med. 2004;32:2014-20. [PMID: 15483409] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Vital signs: central line-associated blood stream infections—United States, 2001, 2008, and 2009. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2011;60:243-8. [PMID: 21368740] MedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Disclosures: The author has disclosed no conflicts of interest. The form can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterest Forms.do?msNum=M14-2005.Corresponding Author: Darren B. Taichman, MD, PhD, American College of Physicians, 190 N. Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106; e-mail, [email protected]org. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoDo Clinicians Know Which of Their Patients Have Central Venous Catheters? Vineet Chopra , Sushant Govindan , Latoya Kuhn , David Ratz , Randy F. Sweis , Natalie Melin , Rachel Thompson , Aaron Tolan , James Barron , and Sanjay Saint Do Clinicians Know Which of Their Patients Have Central Venous Catheters? Vineet Chopra , Sushant Govindan , Latoya Kuhn , David Ratz , Randy F. Sweis , Natalie Melin , Rachel Thompson , Aaron Tolan , James Barron , and Sanjay Saint Metrics 21 October 2014Volume 161, Issue 8Page: 607-608KeywordsDisclosureDrugsElectronic medical recordsFearPatientsPressure ulcersRashesSafetyThrombosis ePublished: 21 October 2014 Issue Published: 21 October 2014 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2014 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...