Computer-based virtual patients (VPs) are an emerging medium for medical education that addresses barriers faced by geriatrics educators. Research has shown VPs to be as effective in changing knowledge and behavior as more traditional forms of teaching. This paper presents a descriptive study of the development of the University of Iowa's…

Geriatric patients are at increased risk for complications from delirium or falls during hospitalization. Medical education, however, generally places little emphasis on the hazards of hospitalization for older inpatients. Geriatricians conducted a faculty development workshop for hospitalists about the hazards of hospitalization for geriatric…

Several forms of eye movement dysfunction (EMD) are regarded as promising candidate endophenotypes of schizophrenia. Discrepancies in individual study results have led to inconsistent conclusions regarding particular aspects of EMD in relatives of schizophrenia patients. To quantitatively evaluate and compare the candidacy of smooth pursuit,…

A randomly selected nationally representative sample of 508 practicing pediatricians was surveyed in order to identify factors associated with physician delivery of primary prevention to parents about sexual risk reduction (SRR). A full 86% (n=435) reported that provision of SRR guidance is equally or more important than other guidance provided to…

The purpose of this project was to develop a bidimensional measure of mindfulness to assess its two key components: present-moment awareness and acceptance. The development and psychometric validation of the Philadelphia Mindfulness Scale is described, and data are reported from expert raters, two nonclinical samples (n = 204 and 559), and three…

This article explores the predictive ability of empathy (measured by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index), emotional separation (measured by the Maintenance of Emotional Separation Scale), occupational stress (measured by the Work-Related Strain Inventory), and social support (measured by the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support) on…

This consumer education document is intended to provide a complete description of Medicare's Prospective Payment System (PPS) for hospitals from the consumer's point of view and to provide basic information on how consumers can protect their rights to appropriate hospital care under Medicare. The first section describes the PPS and also explains…

A conceptual framework that health communication educators can follow to effectively employ the medium of closed-circuit television (CCTV) in assisting patient education activities is outlined in this paper. The argument is posed that the patient population is not a homogeneous group; therefore, those involved in designing pedagogical strategies…

A study was conducted to evaluate the traditional method (physician, nurse) versus a systems approach method of providing health education. The objectives included the following: identify cost-effective and feasible ways of delivering patient education; guarantee an important resource for the professional in fulfilling his/her patient education…

Patient education helps individuals accept and maintain the responsibility for their own health. The article recounts the history of patient education, discusses its key concepts, explains its importance, gives a model for the seventies, outlines patient rights, and considers issues of cost. Instructional methods and settings are described. (AJ)

The purpose of the course described here was to provide an opportunity for health education students to examine the role of patient education in the health care delivery system. (DS)

Despite evidence of increased interest among medical students in entering family practice, concern for the needs of the chronically ill and aged still seems to be largely absent in medical schools and students have negative attitudes toward them. Restructuring of medical education is necessary to promote more concern. (LBH)

The psychiatry rotation at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal is given to groups of McGill University medical students in the third year. It exposes students to clinical psychiatry through outpatient and emergency experiences and also to psychosocial aspects of medicine through interviews with ordinary patients and their families. (LBH)

Departments of family medicine in U.S. medical schools were surveyed regarding the ongoing contact between preclinical students and either patients or physicians. Evaluation of programs providing clinical exposure to preclnical students is needed to determine their impact on patient care and student learning. (Author/MLW)

Studied two pediatric surgery populations (N=66) to determine differences in retention of preparatory information. Results showed that children exposed to a hospital-relevant film retained more information than those children not prepared regardless of age, IQ, previous experience, sex, and time of film preparation. (LLL)