Faculty Evaluations by Medicine Residents Using Known versus Anonymous Systems.

Purpose: This study examined the extent to which faculty evaluation results differed, based on whether residents were required to submit ratings anonymously or not.

Method: We used a retrospective analysis of existing records representing Internal Medicine residents' evaluation of 51 faculty members in an anonymous and known (non-anonymous) rater system on an inpatient medicine service.

Results: Mean scores for 48 of 51 individuals were lower for anonymous than non-anonymous evaluations.

Education does pay off: pneumococcal vaccine screening and administration in hospitalized adult patients with pneumonia.

Streptococcus pneumoniae-associated infections are an important cause of hospitalization and mortality in high-risk and elderly patients. Even in the setting of appropriate therapy, the case fatality rate of invasive pneumococcal disease in the elderly may approach 40%. Since approximately 40,000 people die annually from pneumococcal-associated disease, it represents a substantial target for vaccine-preventable, bacterial fatalities.