Comprehensive updates, advances, and best practices to optimize inpatient care

Update in Hospital Medicine will be held online this year, using live streaming, electronic Q&A, and other remote learning technologies.

OVERVIEW

This 4-day intensive program updates busy practitioners on current best practices in hospital medicine. The curriculum covers over 30 core topics, with an emphasis on practical management of common problems (See schedule):

Heart failure
Atrial fibrillation
Pregnancy
Acute coronary syndromes
Diabetes
Psychiatric disorders
ECG interpretation
Radiology interpretation
Laboratory interpretation
Bacteremia
UTI
Pneumonia
Obesity
Critical care
Skin and soft tissue infections
Stroke/TIA
C. difficile
End-stage renal disease
Acute kidney injury
HIV
Endocrinology

Health equity
GI bleed
Hematology
Allergy
Geriatrics
Delirium
Pain and palliative care
Alcohol withdrawal
Opioid use disorder
COPD
Preoperative evaluation
Dermatology
Electrolyte disorders
Syncope
Venous thromboembolism
Pancreatobiliary disease
Cirrhosis
Artificial intelligence
Antibiotics
Goals of care conversations
Trauma-informed care

Using a case-based format, lecturers distill recent evidence, guidelines, and expert opinion to offer “bottom line” recommendations. Faculty include both hospitalists and specialists, and rank among the best teachers at Harvard Medical School.

2024 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Comprehensive review of inpatient antibiotic therapy
Thrombolysis in acute stroke: are we going to need a bigger window?
New data on optimal treatment duration for skin and soft tissue infections
Treating acute and chronic pain in patients with substance use disorders
Less is more in the long run? DAPT vs. monotherapy in ACS
State-of-the-art management of systolic and diastolic heart failure
Oral fecal microbiota therapy: new first-line for C. difficile?
The jury is out: anticoagulation in silent atrial fibrillation with a low CHA2DS2-VASc
Differentiating skin infections and mimics in hospitalized patients
GLP-1 agonists for weight loss: hot takes for the hospitalist
Trauma-informed care in the hospital
Anti-racism in hospital medicine, from triage to care transitions
Covert hepatic encephalopathy: more common than you think
New kid on the block: cystatin C for GFR
Thrombolytics vs. DAPT for mild strokes: weighing the risks and benefits
Best practices in pharmacotherapy for agitated delirium
Injectable therapy for HIV
Harm reduction: reducing the risk of opiate overdose at discharge
Evolving strategies for hepatorenal syndrome: terlipressin
Eliminate drug-resistant infections with this one weird trick
Delirium: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
Best practices and risk mitigation surrounding patient-directed discharges
Do they really need admission? Identifying the low-risk PE patient
Should you switch anticoagulants in patients with breakthrough strokes?
The debate continues: cefepime vs. piperacillin-tazobactam for sepsis
Are DOACs the preferred anticoagulant in patients with cancer?
Evidence-based tools for risk stratification in syncope
Microdosing protocols for buprenorphine induction
Evidence-based strategies for serious illness conversations in the hospital
To DAPT or not to DAPT: antiplatelet therapy in stroke and TIA
HELLP me: managing medical complications in pregnant and postpartum patients
The never-ending story: steroids in sepsis
Are GLP-1 agonists and SGLT2 inhibitors kidney-saving medications?
Capacity assessment: can this patient make their own decisions?

2024 Course Highlights

This is the highlights list from the 2024 course.

ALLERGY/IMMUNOLOGY

What to do when there is no allergist
How to resolve inappropriate low-risk penicillin allergy labels
Updates in anaphylaxis management
Things we do for no reason: steroids for anaphylaxis?
Class action: sorting out the overlap between penicillin and cephalosporins

CARDIOVASCULAR

Less is more in the long run? DAPT vs. monotherapy in ACS
End of an era? Beta-blockers after acute MI
Coronary CTA: as good as cardiac catheterization?
How low should you go? Hemoglobin targets in acute coronary syndromes
State-of-the-art management of systolic and diastolic heart failure
Titration of GDMT: are we being too wimpy?
More data to support GLP-1 receptor agonists for obesity-related HFpEF
Overcoming diuretic resistance in heart failure
Reducing readmissions for heart failure: best practices in discharge planning
Updated guidelines on atrial fibrillation management
Avoiding common pitfalls of anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation
Rhythm control versus rate control for atrial fibrillation revisited
The jury is out: anticoagulation in silent atrial fibrillation with a low CHA2DS2-VASc
Drug-drug interactions: DOACs and diltiazem
Should you switch anticoagulants in patients with breakthrough strokes?

DERMATOLOGY

Cellulitis: antibiotic dilemmas and when to call dermatology
New data on optimal treatment duration for skin and soft tissue infections
DRESSed to kill: drug reactions and other can’t-miss dermatology diagnoses
Cutaneous findings of systemic disease
Differentiating skin infections and mimics in hospitalized patients
Cellulitis or venous stasis? Demystifying the swollen red leg
A cautionary tale: antibiotics with high risk of dermatologic reactions

DIAGNOSTICS

Can’t-miss ECG diagnoses
Radiology pearls: identifying subtle findings on CXR
Rapid-fire review of electrolyte, liver, and hematology cases
Contrast or no contrast? Choosing the right imaging protocols

ENDOCRINE

Dangers of SGLT2 inhibitors: euglycemic DKA and UTIs
GLP-1 agonists for weight loss: hot takes for the hospitalist
Challenging cases in inpatient insulin management
Continuous glucose monitoring in hospitalized patients with diabetes
New guidelines for the management of hyperglycemia in the hospital
Adrenal insufficiency: whom to treat and how to taper steroids
Pitfalls in managing thyroid disease in medically ill patients
Practical approach to adrenal incidentalomas
When to worry about pheochromocytoma

EQUITY

Anti-racism in hospital medicine, from triage to care transitions
Providing top-notch inpatient care to patients with obesity
Trauma-informed care in the hospital
Inequities in organ transplantation in the US
Race-based reference ranges: end of an error
Racial equity and pain management in the hospital
Improving patient outcomes with interpreter services

GASTROINTESTINAL

Covert hepatic encephalopathy: more common than you think
Evolving strategies for hepatorenal syndrome: terlipressin
New guidelines for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis management and prophylaxis
Managing the cirrhotic patient with bleeding and thrombosis
Updates on management of upper and lower GI bleeds
Optimal timing of endoscopy in upper GI bleeds
New risk scores to help manage patients with upper GI bleeds
Too soon? When to resume anticoagulation and antiplatelet agents after a GI bleed
Fluid resuscitation in acute pancreatitis: less is more
Optimal timing for intra-abdominal drainage in necrotizing pancreatitis
Urgent and non-urgent indications for ERCP
Current approaches to preventing post-ERCP pancreatitis

GERIATRICS

Preoperative frailty assessment in older adults
Delirium: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
Non-pharmacologic interventions for delirium prevention
Difficult cases in delirium management
Best practices in pharmacotherapy for agitated delirium
Greater caution with antipsychotics in dementia
Less is more: polypharmacy and deprescribing in older patients

HEMATOLOGY

Management of patients with bleeding and thrombosis
Diagnosis and management of hypercoagulable states
Pearls for the diagnosis and management of thrombocytopenia
Diagnostic approach to anemia in the hospital
Transfusion thresholds in the hospital: how low should you go?
Updated venous thromboembolism guidelines
Is it ever OK to stop anticoagulation in unprovoked venous thrombosis?
What’s in a name: should we use “provoked” vs. “unprovoked” VTE?
Do they really need admission? Identifying the low-risk PE patient
Are DOACs the preferred anticoagulant in patients with cancer?
More data on DOACs in patients with obesity and chronic kidney disease

INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Comprehensive review of inpatient antibiotic therapy
Short-course antibiotics for common infections
The debate continues: cefepime vs. piperacillin-tazobactam for sepsis
Piperacillin-tazobactam and acute kidney injury: overblown?
Injectable therapy for HIV
Who should we screen for HIV in the inpatient setting?
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, what’s the least “C-diffy” antibiotic of all?
Does vancomycin still work against C. difficile?
Oral fecal microbiota therapy: new first-line for C. difficile?
Fidaxomicin for C difficile: is it worth the expense?
Eliminate multidrug-resistant infections with this one weird trick
Controversies in the management of bacteremia
When should we consult ID for bacteremia?
Err on the side of caution: when to switch from IV to PO therapy in bacteremia
Breakthroughs in MRSA therapeutics
When should we cover for MRSA pneumonia?
New treatment options for complicated UTIs

PALLIATIVE CARE

Evidence-based strategies for serious illness conversations in the hospital
Which patients benefit most from palliative care?
Best practices for leading family meetings

PERIOPERATIVE MEDICINE

Updates on perioperative aspirin, statins, beta blockers, and ACE inhibitors
To hold or not to hold: understanding the latest on perioperative medication management
GLP-1 management in perioperative settings
The importance of frailty in assessing perioperative risk
Reducing pulmonary risk in perioperative patients
Perioperative anticoagulation: when should patients be bridged?

PREGNANCY

Best practices for hypertension management in pregnancy
Benefits, risks, and contraindications to radiologic studies in pregnant patients
HELLP me: managing medical complications in pregnant and postpartum patients
Periprocedural management of pregnant patients
Treatment guidelines for UTI in pregnancy

PSYCHIATRY

Pearls for managing patients with personality disorders in the hospital
Inpatient management of psychiatric medications
Diagnostic yield of neuroimaging for common psychiatric presentations
Capacity assessment: can this patient make their own decisions?
Best practices and risk mitigation for patient-directed discharges

PULMONARY/CRITICAL CARE

Tailored steroid therapy in acute COPD exacerbations
Practical applications of the 2023 GOLD guidelines
Short-course antibiotics in COPD exacerbations
Uses and limitations of cardioselective beta-blockade in COPD exacerbations
Current recommendations for supplemental and high-flow O2 in critical illness
New Surviving Sepsis guidelines
The never-ending story: steroids in sepsis

RENAL

New kid on the block: cystatin C for GFR
Preventing the progression of chronic kidney disease: another win for GLP-1 agonists
Are GLP-1 agonists and SGLT2 inhibitors kidney-saving medications?
Diagnostic approach to acute kidney injury
Is acute kidney injury a risk factor for dementia?
New data: early renal replacement therapy in acute kidney injury
Dialysis access: what the hospitalist needs to know
PICC and choose: IV access in ESRD patients
Ironing it out: managing anemia in ESRD
Blood pressure management in end-stage renal disease
Updates on hyperkalemia and hyperphosphatemia management

STROKE

Approach to imaging in acute stroke syndromes
Updates on AHA/ASA guidelines for stroke management
To DAPT or not to DAPT: antiplatelet therapy in stroke and TIA
Thrombolysis in acute stroke: are we going to need a bigger window?
New agents for thrombolysis in acute stroke
Thrombolytics vs. DAPT for mild strokes: weighing the risks and benefits
Thrombectomy for acute stroke: is it underused?
Telestroke: an idea whose time has come?
Staying cryptocurrent on cryptogenic stroke
Avoiding hemorrhagic transformation in stroke: when is it safe to start anticoagulation?
Should you switch anticoagulants in patients with breakthrough strokes?