Compared the effectiveness of pelvic examination training given to medical students by a laywoman who served as both teacher and patient with training by an attending physician with a laywoman serving only as the patient. Found that the laywoman-trained students demonstrated better interpersonal skills than did physician-trained students. No…

A three-hour, two-stage workshop for staff nurses on providing education and psychological support to 148 patients who had abdominal surgery. After the workshop the patients used fewer sedatives or antiemetics, fewer hypnotics, and were discharged from the hospital on the average half a day sooner. (Author/BJV)

Evaluation of professional performance in health promotion as well as the patient encounter itself should be placed in the broader context of the health care system as it occurs in the world. Integrating medical and non-medical aspects of care is a prerequisite to a good relationship with the patient. (Author/EMK)

This letter comments on other articles in this issue regarding clinical health promotion as the link between health promotion and patient education. Three criticisms are discussed: (1) the health illness continuum and the power of professional groups; (2) the theory practice gap; (3) the victim-blaming trap. (EMK)

Explores the relationships between the physician's ability to recognize mental illness, the communication style, the subsequent treatment, and the patient's recovery. Two databases are used: (1) videotaped consultations by GPs; (2) a 1-year follow-up study of patients whose complaints were considered "mainly psychosocial." Positive, negative and…

Describes parallel persuasive processes between social or political activism and personal self-advocacy in a study of AIDS activism and communication patterns between people with HIV or AIDS and health care personnel. Encourages greater patient education about the illness and treatment options. Promotes a more assertive stance toward health care,…

Using retrospective, self-report data collected from women recently diagnosed with breast cancer (N=179), examines the influence of age differences in the treatment decision-making process. Findings indicate that older women were less likely than their younger counterparts to have desired participation in therapy selection or sought out medical…

The Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 (DATA-2000) allows qualified physicians to treat opioid-dependent patients with schedule III-V medications, such as buprenorphine, in practices separate from licensed, accredited opioid treatment programs. Physicians may attain this qualification by completing 8-hours of training in treating opioid…

Background: Surgical treatment for advanced laryngeal cancer involves complete removal of the larynx ("laryngectomy") and initial total loss of voice. Post-laryngectomy rehabilitation involves implementation of different means of "voicing" for these patients wherever possible. There is little information about laryngectomees'…

Objectives: To examine methods used to evaluate the clinical competence and proficiency of students in medicine and allied health professions. To identify factors that would be valuable to educators in athletic training and other medical and allied health professions in the development and use of clinical assessment methods. Data Sources: We…

Context: Challenges to the identification of hereditary cancer in primary care may be more pronounced in rural Appalachia, a medically underserved region. Purpose: To examine primary care physicians' identification of hereditary cancers. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was mailed to family physicians in the midwestern and southeastern United…

Brain imaging studies have demonstrated that psychotherapy alters brain structure and function. Learning and memory, both implicit and explicit, play central roles in this process through the creation of new genetic material that leads to increased synaptic efficiency through the creation of new neuronal connections. Although there is substantial…

Aims: The aims of the present study were to explore the perceptions of general practitioners (GPs) in the provision of health care services for people with intellectual disabilities and to analyse GPs' priorities in the delivery of health care services to this group of people in Taiwan. Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional design and was…

Hospice care is available for 6 months before death but the length of use varies widely, suggesting that there are different perspectives on the appropriate timing for this transition. This qualitative study explored hospice professionals' views on the appropriate timing for and communication about hospice. Ethnography of team meetings informed…

Context: Low salaries and difficult work conditions are perceived as a major barrier to the recruitment of primary care physicians to rural settings. Purpose: To examine rural-urban differences in physician work effort, physician characteristics, and practice characteristics, and to determine whether, after adjusting for any observed differences,…