From the sidelines, a third-year medical student watches intently, even though this is not her patient. I was that medical student, and the patient was my grandmother. Despite the best efforts of the medical team treating her, she did not respond to treatment and subsequently died from pneumococcal pneumonia and its complications. Even when we can treat infections with our army of antibiotics, a patient's other medical problems can ultimately cause us to lose the battle. Our patients need an edge to ensure success.
Vaccines can make a difference.
As internists, we provide the majority of primary care for adults in America. We have experienced first-hand, at the bedside, the needless suffering and loss of life that pneumonia and influenza inflict on the elderly. Understanding the barriers to immunization can help internists overcome them. This is a lofty goal, but one that is clearly worthy of internal medicine's best efforts. Understanding the barriers to immunization can help internists overcome them.