JAMA Insights  How to Communicate Medical Numbers Brian J. Zikmund-Fisher, Alistair Thorpe, Angela Fagerlin JAMA 2025;334;(16):1474-1475 doi:10.1001/jama.2025.13655 Health care professionals often use numbers to guide decisions, monitor patient health, and communicate information. Although nonnumeric conversations may be recommended for some situations (eg, many cancer screening decisions),1 providing numerical information...

JAMA Insights  Recurrent Clostridioides difficile Infections Joffrey van Prehn, Ed J. Kuijper, Erik R. Dubberke JAMA Published Online: October 20, 2025 doi: 10.1001/jama.2025.18089 Clostridioides difficile is a gram-positive spore-forming anaerobic bacterium that can produce toxins. After ingestion of C difficile spores, which can be found in health care institutions and homes of healthy people, the intestines can bec...

JAMA Insights  March 5, 2025 Cardiac CT Calcium Score Peter Glynn, Sadiya S. Khan, Philip Greenland JAMA. 2025;333(16):1447-1448. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.0610 What Is Coronary Artery Calcium and the Cardiac Computed Tomography Calcium Score? Coronary artery plaque can consist of calcified and/or noncalcified material. Computed tomography (CT) can detect and measure coronary artery calcium (CAC) levels in calcified plaque,...

Viewpoint  Less Is More June 9, 2025 The Impact of Definitions of Disease on Overdiagnosis Kari A. O. Tikkinen, Alex L. E. Halme, Gordon H. Guyatt, et al JAMA Intern Med. Published online June 9, 2025. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.1727 The concept and definition of disease influences both clinical practice and public health. The World Health Organization has defined health but failed to define disease. ...

Viewpoint  May 27, 2025 Optimizing Safety for Patients Transferred From Intensive Care Units to General Medical Wards: A SIMPLER Approach Donald A. Redelmeier, Barbara Haas, William K. Silverstein JAMA Intern Med. Published online May 27, 2025. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.1497 Most patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) survive.1 A patient, of course, does not return to health instantly even when vasopressors, ventilators, ...

Viewpoint  May 5, 2025 Nitrites for Urinary Tract Infection—Time to Say Goodbye? Jackson J. Stewart, Joan L. Robinson, Justin Z. Chen JAMA Intern Med. Published online May 5, 2025. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.0973 The urinary nitrite test is a long-standing component of the dipstick portion of the urinalysis, but it is time to question its relevance in distinguishing urinary tract infection (UTI) from asymptomatic bacteriuria, and thus in ...

JAMA Insights  Communicating Medicine April 16, 2025 Communicating With Patients About Surgery Lauren J. Taylor, Emily B. Rivet, Muneera R. Kapadia JAMA. Published online April 16, 2025. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.2195 Surgeons face specific challenges when talking to patients and families about surgery. Surgical problems often involve rapid decision-making with limited time for deliberation and require proficiency...

Medical News  March 28, 2025 7 Takeaways for Primary Care Clinicians From the Updated Acute Coronary Syndromes Guideline Linda Rodgers JAMA. 2025;333(16):1375-1376. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.2931 The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) have published a new guideline for managing patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS), the first update since 3 related guidelines were released from 2013 to 2015. That ...

Teachable Moment  Less Is More October 21, 2024 The Harm of Inappropriate Central Line Blood Cultures in Clinical Practice Alexandra N. Fuher, Heather Young, Mark E. Mikkelsen JAMA Intern Med. Published online October 21, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.5344 A57-year-old man with end-stage kidney disease who was receiving hemodialysis through a tunneled central venous catheter presented to the emergency department with severe hyperkal...

Basics of Volumetric Capnography ‑ Part 2: Single Beath CO2 Analysis Anatomical dead space, alveolar dead space, and CO2 elimination: Learn how they can give you an insight into the patient's lung condition. Single breath CO2 analysis: insight into the patient‘s lung condition The volumetric capnogram can also be divided into three areas: Area X ‑ CO2 elimination Area Y ‑ Alveolar dead space Area Z ‑ Anatomical dead space The size of the areas, ...