title: The top 10 infectious disease pitfalls that hospitalists can avoid.
abstract: Infectious diseases are commonly encountered by hospitalists in their day-to-day care of patients. Challenges involved in caring for patients with infectious diseases include choosing the correct antibiotic, treating patients with a penicillin allergy, interpreting blood cultures, and caring for patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The evidence-based pearls in this article will help hospitalists avoid common pitfalls in the recognition and treatment of such disorders and guide their decision about when to consult an infectious diseases specialist.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Internal Medicine, Veterans Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California 90073, USA. neil.paige@va.gov
authors.forename: Neil M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Paige
authors.forename: Sondra S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Vazirani
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Graber
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000379:methods*; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D020878:Device Removal; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005260:Female; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D015658:HIV Infections; D020445:Hospitalists; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents