The recommended best clinical management of common pathologies encountered in the practice of internal medicine in a hospital setting evolves with time. This selective review covers recent studies that may significantly contribute to the decision process at several stages of such management. The areas that are addressed are those of screening, namely for coronary heart disease in diabetic patients, and those of therapeutic choices, such as for severe pneumonia, hypertension as well as coronary heart disease and anemia in patients with renal failure. The presurgical evaluation of lung cancer, the level of glucose control to be achieved in the intensive care unit, and novel methods of teaching medicine are also discussed.