To Protect Infants From Seasonal Flu,Vaccinate Mothers in Pregnancy. During the 2009–2010 H1N1 flu pandemic, several groups were noted to develop more severe disease than others; pregnant women and infants were two of these groups. Numerous studies have demonstrated the heightened risk to pregnant women from both seasonal flu and the recent H1N1 and...
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Perceiving the need to learn languages other than English in order to provide high-quality care for certain patient populations, HMS students organized the Harvard Medical Language Initiative, which provides instruction in Mandarin, Portuguese and Spanish.
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We were only a few minutes into rounds that morning in the intensive care unit when a nurse urgently interjected: “Mrs. D is unresponsive.” The overnight resident on call had admitted her a few hours earlier, and we had just begun discussing the key elements of her presentation with our team of residents, interns,...
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This was not going to be easy. Rodolfo had returned to the community clinic in South L.A. where I work. He wanted another signature to extend his disability for a few more months. The problem? He was too healthy. Photo courtesy of Ellen Rothman Ellen Rothman Rodolfo had first come to see me six...
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In March of this year I had been a mental health associate at McLean Hospital for about 18 months. I was working the evening shift at the Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorders Program, a locked inpatient unit. From the start, it seemed like it was going to be a peaceful night. The census was low,...
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During the last flu season, demand for flu shots rose and fell like a seesaw with supply in the opposite seat, requiring quick strategic shifts among health care providers. Ironically, as in past years, acceptance of flu vaccination among health care workers was relatively low.
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Each July marks a special time for residency programs, heralding the transition of medical students into their new roles as interns, and of interns into their new roles as residents, leading teams of budding physicians. This dynamic, tumultuous and anxiety-filled period offers a unique opportunity for reflection, since residents like me are surrounded by...
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