To illustrate the types of factors that must be considered in evaluating public documents, this paper analyzes a number of possible outcomes resulting from one type of document, the patient package insert (PPI) designed to provide consumers of prescription drugs with information about the drugs. It first outlines the intended sequence for a PPI:…

An "Introduction to Patient Care" course uses readings, group presentations, site visits, small-group seminars, and specifically-stated objectives to cover: U.S. health problems, physicians and healers, humanistic values, the sick role, and physician-patient relationship. Students are directed toward a scientific analysis of the art of…

Simulated patients were trained to present a series of clinical problems in an undergraduate program of reproductive medicine. They were used in a variety of approaches and served to highlight communication skills and to force attention on the recognition, assessment, and management of patient problems. (Author/LBH)

Emotional aspects of ending the physician-patient relationship should be illustrated in clinical teaching courses. Teaching opportunities include examination of this relationship and professional development, unresolved doctor-patient conflicts, role underevaluation, patient gifts, and referral procedures. (Author/LBH)

A professor in the Division of Learning Resources, School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, San Francisco, discusses the importance of dentists' considering individual patient characteristics and of individualizing their instruction of patients in preventive therapy. (MF)

Indicates that a female patient's trust in, receptivity to, and communication apprehension regarding her physician constitute significant predictors of her (1) likelihood of discussing health care issues, (2) knowledge of gynecological health needs, and (3) feelings toward the gynecologist during examination. Finds that the physician's gender does…

The Pediatrics Residency Program of the Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, instituted a microcomputer-assisted information management system that provides the means for documenting the resident's patient contacts and learning experiences. Its role in meeting requirements of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in…

Reviews the positive effects of patient education, including the physician patient relationship, improvements in health status, and cost effectiveness. The status of hospital libraries in Nigeria is described, and suggestions for the implementation of patient education programs are made. (5 references) (CLB)

A new approach to the assessment of physicians' performance in practice using undetected standardized (simulated) patients is discussed. Case-specific performance criteria were established for seven standardized patients and then the patients were introduced into the practices of family physicians. (Authors/MLW)

Over a period of two semesters, each of the students in the family medicine course at the SUNY Buffalo School of Medicine was asked to come to the Family Medicine Center to be videotaped while interviewing a simulated patient. This pilot project is discussed. (Author/MLW)

The main objective of the general internal medicine program at the University of California, Los Angeles, Center for the Health Sciences, was to prepare physicians to have humanistic attitudes and skills in dealing with patients. A patient satisfaction survey was used to evaluate the program. (MLW)

Traces the major events in the past 25 years influencing the development of hospital-based patient health education programs. (HD)

Slang terms for hospital patients fall into four categories, three characterizing types of patients who claim more attention for their conditions than is warranted, and one made up of positive or neutral descriptive terms. The slang serves social as well as expressive functions, promoting group rapport while maintaining individual distance. (MSE)

A study of medical outpatients indicates high incidence of probable emotional disorder, limited physician diagnosis or record of these problems, limited patient knowledge of diagnosis or management plan, and little inquiry by physicians about personal problems. The results form the basis for a psychiatric education program. (Author/MSE)

A study of the consequences of medical student involvement in health care examines patient perception of the student role. Approximately one-third of the community health center patients surveyed viewed the student doctors as subordinate to faculty physicians and these persons were less likely to evaluate their interaction with the students in a…