Roadmap for the treatment of heart failure patients after hospital discharge: an interdisciplinary consensus paper

Review article: Biomedical intelligence
Mueller C, Bally K, Buser M, Flammer AJ, Gaspoz JM, Mach F, Moschovitis G, Paul M, Zeller A, Heitlinger E, Fay B, Rosemann T
Swiss Med Wkly. 2020;150:w20159

Prescheduled follow-up visits, adherence to therapy and up-titration of heart failure medication are important aspects of reducing the mortality risk during the transition phase after hospital discharge.

Implementation of a multiprofessional, multicomponent delirium management guideline in two intensive care units, and its effect on patient outcomes and nurse workload: a pre-post design retrospective cohort study

Original article
Schubert M, Bettex D, Steiger P, Schürch R, Haller A, Bogdanovic J, Garcia Nuñez D, Schwarz U, Siegemund M
Swiss Med Wkly. 2020;150:w20185

Delirium is a frequent intensive care unit (ICU) complication, affecting 26% to 80% of ICU patients, often with serious consequences. For appropriate delirium management, early identification of relevant risk factors is crucial.

Describing adverse events in medical inpatients using the Global Trigger Tool

Original article
Grossmann N, Gratwohl F, Musy SN, Nielen NM, Simon M, Donzé J
Swiss Med Wkly. 2019;149:w20149

Improving patient safety in hospitals demands effective and reliable monitoring of adverse events (AEs). The most common method of assessing AEs is retrospective chart review; the Global Trigger Tool is a promising chart review method.

Achieving care: promoting alternatives to industrial healthcare

Review article: Biomedical intelligence
Fog Heen A, Montori VM
Swiss Med Wkly. 2019;149:w20115

So-called industrial healthcare provides patients, who may have poorly understood problems, with standardised care, rather than care particularised for that individual patient.

A Swiss database and biobank to better understand and manage congenital lung anomalies

Review article: Biomedical intelligence
Vidal I, Wildhaber BE, Moehrlen U, Regamey N, Trachsel D, Cholewa D, Barben J, Barazzone-Argiroffo C, Ruchonnet-Métrailler I
Swiss Med Wkly. 2019;149:w20081

Pooling data from patients with a rare disease, such as congenital lung anomaly, in a long-term observational cohort study represents an important step to a better understanding of the disease. A biobank is complementary to such a database.

Diagnostic diversity – an indicator of institutional and regional healthcare quality

Original article
Brutsche M, Rassouli F, Gallion H, Kalra S, Roger VL, Baty F
Swiss Med Wkly. 2018;148:w14691

The diagnostic diversity index can be seen as an indicator of diagnostic precision - the higher the degree of diversity, the better the diagnostic precision.

Early diagnosis and management of dementia in general practice – how do Swiss GPs meet the challenge?

Original article
Giezendanner S, Monsch AU, Kressig RW, Mueller Y, Streit S, Essig S, Zeller A, Bally K
Swiss Med Wkly. 2018;148:w14695

The Swiss National Dementia Strategy 2014 concluded that action was needed to improve care of dementia patients. Little is known about GPs’ attitudes to diagnosis, disclosure and management of individuals with dementia in Switzerland.

Quality and cost considerations in hyponatraemic patients needing hospitalisation

Original article
Althaus AE, Krapf R
Swiss Med Wkly. 2018;148:w14662

Hyponatraemia is the most common electrolyte disorder encountered in hospitalised patients and has an impact on outcome and survival. However, the risk factors are not yet sufficiently known.

Video analysis for the evaluation of vaginal births

Viewpoint
Hamza A
Swiss Med Wkly. 2018;148:w14658

Baseline characteristics and patterns of care in testicular cancer patients: first data from the Swiss Austrian German Testicular Cancer Cohort Study (SAG TCCS)

Original article
Rothermundt C, Thurneysen C, Cathomas R, Müller B, Mingrone W, Hirschi-Blickenstorfer A, Wehrhahn T, Ruf C, Rothschild S, Seifert B, Terbuch A, Grassmugg T, Woelky R, Fankhauser C, Kunit T, Fischer N, Inauen R, Kamradt J, Ziegler K, Haynes A, Jüni P, Gillessen S
Swiss Med Wkly. 2018;148:w14640

The majority of germ cell tumours can be cured by orchiectomy followed by active surveillance or systemic and/or local treatments. There are various guidelines for a structured follow-up including radiographic and clinical examinations.