Experiences with a combined residency in internal and preventive medicine.

Background: The importance of integrating preventive medicine training into other residency programs was reinforced recently by the residency review committee for preventive medicine. Griffin Hospital in Derby CT has offered a 4-year integrated internal medicine and preventive medicine residency program since 1997. This article reports the outcomes of that program.

Vaccinations in pneumonia (VIP): pneumococcal and influenza vaccination patterns among patients hospitalized for pneumonia.

Background: Although the CDC ACIP (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) recommends that appropriate inpatients receive pneumococcal and influenza vaccines, adult vaccination rates for these remain low. We therefore examined perihospitalization vaccination rates for high-risk pneumonia inpatients.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of all pneumonia patients admitted to one community hospital from 6/1/95 to 5/31/96.

The diagnostic accuracy of Kernig's sign, Brudzinski's sign, and nuchal rigidity in adults with suspected meningitis.

To determine the diagnostic accuracy of Kernig's sign, Brudzinski's sign, and nuchal rigidity for meningitis, 297 adults with suspected meningitis were prospectively evaluated for the presence of these meningeal signs before lumbar puncture was done. Kernig's sign (sensitivity, 5%; likelihood ratio for a positive test result [LR(+)], 0.97), Brudzinski's sign (sensitivity, 5%; LR(+), 0.