The Rational Clinical Examination  Does This Patient Have Volume Overload? The Rational Clinical Examination Benjamin Drum, Bryce La Course, Mark Kelly, et al JAMA Published Online: February 23, 2026 doi: 10.1001/jama.2026.0446 Key Points Question  Which physical examination, ultrasonographic techniques, and laboratory studies have the best evidence for determining volume overload in spontaneous...

#LIVES2025: Getting Your Research Published In ICU Wed, 29 Oct 2025 n an interesting and useful workshop at @ESICM LIVES 2025, Darren Taichman, Deputy Editor and Online Editor of New England Journal of Medicine and Executive Strategy Editor for the NEJM Group, shared insight on submitting a meaningful manuscript for publication that makes an impact. Writing a scientific paper is about more than just documenting your research; it's about making your ...

CLINICAL DECISIONS Simplify or Stratify? The Debate over Medical School Grading Systems Harleen Marwah, Abhinav Suri, Clarence H. Braddock III, et al N Engl J Med 2025;393:2268-2270 CASE VIGNETTE A Medical School Evaluating the Grading System Harleen Marwah, M.D. You have recently been named the dean in charge of preclinical curriculum for your medical school. There is debate among the faculty and students in your school regarding the approach to grad...

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...