The statements and actions of students in a first-year medical class regarding human dissection are examined. It is suggested that medical students formulate basic rules for behavior and attitudes toward patients from their experience in the dissection room. (Author/MLW)

Discusses these changes in mental health care: patient needs and service utilization; purchasers of care; changing attitudes toward health care; relief or palliation of symptoms; performing life tasks and meeting role requirements; security, protection, and sustenance; and personal potential, satisfaction, and happiness. Concludes changes will…

Surveys of allied health personnel provided data regarding their self-confidence in counseling patients about health promotion, as well as their beliefs that patients will follow their recommendations. Respondents displayed highest self-efficacy in the areas of blood pressure and smoking. Confidence was lowest in illicit drug use and mental health…

Examined the relationship of individual and composite measures of child competence with family background and adult ratings of psychopathology. Children scoring high on a composite competence index were rated by parents and teachers as showing fewer problems. Composite measures related more strongly to parent and teacher ratings than did single…

Compared persons 65 years of age or older (N=177) to younger adults (n=997) with respect to compliance with 20 recommended health-seeking behaviors. Overall, the elderly group reported greater compliance with these behaviors, attributed more importance to their value, but perceived themselves as having less control over their future health.…

Summarizes many of the issues relevant to patient education programs concerning psychological preparation for stressful medical procedures. Individual differences among patients and their differential responses to types of intervention are emphasized, and descriptions of information provision, skills training, relaxation training/desensitization,…

Venipuncture is the single most commonly performed procedure that causes pain to the patient, and its mastery is a highly visible milestone both in physical skills and personal manner. A training program at Georgetown University Hospital is described. (MLW)

Presents multidisciplinary model of health promotion for the chronically ill that highlights the importance of self-care education and the contributions of social workers, health educators, and other community health professionals in the development and delivery of such a program. (Author/ABB)

Presents results from two studies of how lower-back-pain patients communicate to health care providers. Suggests specific directions for future research. (MS)

Forty hospital pharmacists participated in a 2 week pilot of a postgraduate clinical pharmacy clerkship, using different hospital services as teaching sites at the University of Illinois and Cook County hospitals in Chicago. The clerkship experience broadened participants' conceptions of the depth and scope of the clinical pharmacist's role.…

Pharmacy students and pharmacists surveyed on ethical dilemmas in pharmacy practice indicated a high degree of concern over patient welfare. The major area of disagreements was on economic concerns. The ethical dilemmas in pharmacy practice survey is appended. (Author/MLW)

Assessed the contribution of active participant modeling in coping skills training in children (N=38) highly fearful of dentists. Results provided evidence for the greater efficacy of active practice relative to symbolic modeling for the learning and utilization of coping strategies to reduce stress during aversive procedures. (LLL)

Discusses communication research in the health and social service professions. Comments on the quality of that research and provides suggestions for areas that are in need of study and for methods that could profitably be used. Includes an extensive bibliography. (PD)

A program designed to help first-year medical students understand basic medical ethical issues and view these issues as a essential component of their knowledge base in clinical medicine is described. (Author/MLW)

Some of the differences between in-hospital and ambulatory medicine and their implications for the teaching and practice of ambulatory care are explored. The availability of time, the role of patient cooperation, and the decision-making process differ in the two settings. (MLW)