A second-year clinical course composed of weekly observation sessions of interactions between patients and health care professionals in a variety of health care settings within a hospital is described. Weekly discussion sessions summarize the observations and introduce such topics as communication skills, patients' rights, patient relationships,…

To make medical care more available to high school students through increased contact among the physician and students, a project was developed to increase students' willingness to seek help. Results demonstrated that students are more likely to seek help when they believe the physician cares about and understands them. (JN)

Describes characteristics, employment setting, and professional practices of health service-provider psychologists. Discusses their current status in psychology, the distribution of health care practitioners, patterns of specialization in service delivery, and populations being served by these practitioners. (Author/MJL)

Explores the role of clinical librarians in providing information services to patients, as they accompany health professionals during daily patient care activities, and examines two projects evaluating clinical librarianship. (CWM)

The use of remote broadcasting equipment in the training of interview skills to third-year medical students is described. Equipment consists of a radio transmitter used by the instructor, and a small hearing-aid-like device worn by the interviewer. This technique allows immediate feedback to the student. (MLW)

Alternatives to long-stay patient back-ups include building more beds of all types, changes in placement policies, and continuing hospital care for older adults. Manitoba's policies have resulted in redistributing the health dollar towards the geriatric patient. (JAC)

The chronologic dimension of continuity of physician care (repeat visits to the same provider) is examined. This continuity is measured by the number of repeat visits to trainees under multiple time intervals of trainee exposure; part-time schedule is compared with full-time exposure. (MLW)

A system for evaluating clinical competency of residents was designed to test expert opinions as well as the skills of the practitioner. Four measures of clinical competency were included: data collection completeness; problem identification accuracy; interview skills; and patient and physician assessment. (Author/MH)

The MERL system, a four-component decision-making approach which evaluates media from a communications theory perspective, is useful to the health educator in evaluating media in a systematic and efficient manner. (Author/CMV)

The challenge of geriatric medicine in an era of limited resources is addressed. Focus is on containing the costs of health care in several neglected areas of geriatrics: stroke, long-term care, patient and family counseling, and death. (JMD)

The Supreme Court ruled that state statutes providing a former patient with access to medical records applies only to institutions receiving state legislative appropriations. The narrow focus of the case will allow challenges to the scope and validity of this ruling. (SF)

Rochester, New York, physicians and graduate medical students' use of laboratory tests as applied to asymptomatic patients was surveyed and their knowledge of four specific screening procedures was tested. The results reinforce the impression that laboratory ordering practices are dependent in part upon factors other than knowledge of test…

Identifies instances where different treatments are given men and women and women get inferior therapy. Also notes times when similar treatments are given men and women but in a way appropriate only for males. Discusses both sex between patients and therapists and "the possible imposition of sex role stereotypes on females by their therapists."…

At a symposium on academic integrity in dental education, participants responded to questions about a case in which a dental student requested that a patient delay treatment so the student could perform it later to fulfill a requirement. Responses concern the ethics of the student's behavior, faculty behavior, and the patient's role in making…

Studied discharge plans for 369 African American and white elderly patients and examined posthospital care options pursued by social workers, patients, and families. Discharge planning with African American patients and family members involved less pursuit of nursing home care and more pursuit of formal services in the home than planning with…