Impact of a bedside procedure service on general medicine inpatients: A firm-based trial.
BACKGROUND
Procedure services may improve the training of bedside procedures. However, little is known about how procedure services may affect the demand for and success of procedures performed on general medicine inpatients.


OBJECTIVE
Determine whether a procedure service affects the number and success of 4 bedside procedures (paracentesis, thoracentesis, lumbar puncture, and central venous catheterization) attempted on general medicine inpatients.


METHODS
Prospective cohort study.


METHODS
Large public teaching hospital.


METHODS
Nineteen hundred and forty-one consecutive admissions to the general medicine service.


METHODS
A bedside procedure service was offered to physicians from 1 of 3 firms for 4 weeks. This service then crossed over to physicians from the other 2 firms for another 4 weeks.


METHODS
Data on all procedure attempts were collected daily from physicians. We examined whether the number of attempts and the proportion of successful attempts differed based on whether firms were offered the beside procedure service.


RESULTS
The number of procedure attempts was 48% higher in firms offered the service (90 versus 61 per 1000 admissions; RR 1.48, 95% CI 1.06-2.10; P = .030). More than 85% of the observed increase was a result of procedures with therapeutic indications. There were no differences between firms in the proportions of successful attempts or major complications.


CONCLUSIONS
The availability of a procedure service may increase the overall demand for bedside procedures. Further studies should refine the indications for and anticipated benefits from these commonly performed invasive procedures.
Lucas
Brian P
BP
Department of Medicine, John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, and Rush Medical College, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA. brian_lucas@rush.edu
Asbury
Joseph K
JK
Wang
Yue
Y
Lee
Kuenok
K
Kumapley
Rudolf
R
Mba
Benjamin
B
Borkowsky
Shane
S
Asmar
Abdo
A
D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002641:Chicago; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003657:Decision Making; D006300:Health Services Misuse; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D019152:Paracentesis / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010865:Pilot Projects; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D013129:Spinal Puncture / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*