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Purpose The National Collaborative for Improving the Clinical Learning Environment offers guidance to health care leaders for engaging new clinicians in efforts to eliminate health care disparities. Summary To address health care disparities that are pervasive across the United States, individuals at all levels of the health care system need to commit to ensuring equity in care. Engaging new clinicians is a key element of any systems-based approach, as new clinicians will shape the future of health care delivery. Clinical learning environments, or the hospitals, medical centers, and ambulatory care clinics where new clinicians train, have an important role in this process. Efforts may include training in cultural humility and cultural competency, education about the organization's vulnerable populations, and continuous interprofessional experiential learning through comprehensive, systems-based QI efforts focused on eliminating health care disparities. Conclusion By preparing and supporting new clinicians to engage in systems-based QI efforts to eliminate health care disparities, clinical learning environments are instilling skills and supporting behaviors that clinicians can build throughout their careers—and helping pave the road towards equity throughout the US health care system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Completion of the Human Papillomavirus ( HPV) vaccine series is a national priority. This study not only identified correlates of intent to complete the vaccine series and actual series completion, but also tested the efficacy of a DVD intervention to promote series completion. Women's beliefs that all 3 doses reduced cancer risk predicted intent and completion. Intention predicted completion, as did the belief that having a friend accompany the woman would promote completion. Beyond these effects, women assigned to the intervention were 2.44 times more likely than women in the usual care group to complete the series. Thus, in controlled analyses, a theory-grounded DVD intervention successfully promoted HPV series completion in a community setting. This method of intervention has high translational potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the history of the Irish American family and the rise in significance of Irish American historiography as a field of study. It criticizes several literary works including "How the Irish Invented Slang," by Danny Cassidy, "Forgetting Ireland," by Bridget Connelly, and "The Family Silver," by Sharon O'Brien. It argues that these authors have not written the family history of Irish immigrants that influenced by anthropology or the social sciences. It suggests that the interaction of genealogy and history wherein lie the puzzles of self and family should be covered.

This article presents a study seeking to address concerns that a multiresistant strain of pneumococcal bacteria has surfaced in the U.S. and is not covered by the 7-valent conjugate vaccine approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The vaccine had a significant impact on stopping pneumococcal infections in children reducing the disease by 69 to 91 percent. Additionally, the vaccine decreased rates of acute otitis media (AOM) in children by 20 percent. The study looked to see if the bacteria had changed following the introduction of the vaccine and found that it has. The strain is an otopathogen and it is resistant to all FDA approved antibiotics for the treatment of AOM in children.

Treatment guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Heart Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend only oral penicillin V or intramuscular benzathine penicillin G as the treatments of choice for group A β-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis. Practitioners prescribe amoxicillin most frequently for children. Ten-day treatment courses with first-generation oral cephalosporins or erythromycin are recommended as suitable alternatives in patients who are allergic to penicillin. Yet oral cephalosporins are used as drugs of choice for many patients with group A β-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis. This review examines the evidence in order to help the practitioner choose the optimal antibiotic treatment for their patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shows that white blood cell (WBC) count testing can aid physicians in avoiding antibiotic prescribing when managing children with upper respiratory infections (URI) and nonspecific febrile illnesses. Flow diagram of patient diagnoses and physician action; Initiative launched to slow the emergence of antibiotic resistance among respiratory bacteria in the U.S.

Discusses the status of Irish-American studies in the higher education. Reasons of students for enrolling in the Irish-American history classes; Challenges in teaching Irish-American history; Recommended readings; Web sites containing Irish-American history.

Focuses on the regulations of the Section 636 of the Internal Revenue Code in the United States. Addition of Section 636 to the Code to treat production payments; Effects of the regulations of the section on oil and gas partnerships; Issuance of a series of rulings by the Internal Revenue Service with respect to carried interest arrangements.