Four factors of clinical decision making identified by medical students include quality of care, cost, ethics, and legal concerns. This paper argues that physicians have two responsibilities in the clinical decision-making model: to be the primary advocate for quality health care and to ensure balance among the four factors, working in partnership…

A patient instructor (PI) program to improve dental students' data-gathering and interpersonal skills had each third-year student in 2 consecutive classes (n=60, n=72) interview 4 patient instructors during a rotation. Each PI portrayed one of six scenarios, assessed students on content knowledge and clinical and interview skills, and provided…

The Technological Innovations in Medical Education (TIME) model, designed to be controlled by a professor in the classroom, incorporates voice recognition technology and video dramatization to create a believable patient encounter. A field test finding was that the students became committed to the care and management of the simulated patient.…

Two charting strategies to help students organize patients' data are Weed's problem-oriented medical record and Russell's condition diagram. Students at the University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio were divided into study groups. The condition diagram group format may be helpful for students with lower academic achievement. (Author/MLW)

When planning and developing an ambulatory clerkship, careful attention must be paid to the desired outcomes from the experience, the appropriate site, and instructional model to use to best meet the objectives. The major differences between ambulatory and inpatient educational settings are explored. (Author/MLW)

Discussion of how to develop culturally based instructional materials highlights the development of a pilot series of videotape programs designed for elderly, non-reading Hispanic diabetes patients. Topics discussed include needs assessment; content analysis; learner analysis, including language, reading abilities, and ethnicity; production…

Discusses the role of adult children with serious mental illness as a source of support to their aging parents. Most mothers reported that their mentally-ill children provided at least some ongoing help with daily living tasks. The adult child's assistance related significantly to lower levels of maternal subjective burden. (RJM)

A University of Wisconsin program for pediatric residents included participation in a community-based alcohol and other drug abuse assessment and intervention program for adolescents, didactic sessions, role playing, and interview skills training. Participating students (n=25) showed significant gains in knowledge, use of screening techniques, and…

A study found that, among 181 dental students, belief in the right to refuse treatment to human-immunovirus (HIV)-positive patients was best predicted by nonprofessional attitudes, low optimism, low level of comfort with homosexuality, and gender. Knowledge of HIV, year in dental school, and fear of contagion were not reliable predictors.…

Raven's Progressive Matrices and the Simpson Adult Vocabulary Scale were administered to 400 Australian hospitalized adults without psychiatric or neurological impairment in 4 age groups from 30 to 69 years. Compared to pre-1964 data, the subjects did not show gains in intelligence quotient as did younger age groups. (SLD)

The Patient-Oriented Problem-Solving System, a cooperative learning model, was implemented in a second year immunology course at the Oregon Health Sciences University School of Dentistry, to correlate basic and clinical sciences information about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Student enthusiasm and learning were substantial. (MSE)

A study compared medical students' self-assessments of patient interview behavior with external ratings of actual interviews. Focus was on behaviors reflecting empathy. Results suggest the self-report questionnaire is not an adequate measure of actual interviewing skills. (MSE)

The use of interactive computer-based simulation of cases of chronic orofacial pain and temporomandibular joint disfunction patients for clinical dental education is described. Its application as a voluntary study aid in a third-year dental course is evaluated for effectiveness and for time factors in case completion. (MSE)

Common complaints about physicians are that they don't care enough about patients, don't know enough to practice the best medicine, and don't do enough to maintain the public's trust. The best way for graduate medical education (GME) to address these complaints is to improve the educational content of residency programs. (MSE)

Discusses one approach to achieving compassionate medical caregiving, the study of spirituality and medicine. Examines the relationship between spirituality and healing and describes studies indicating that patients want to have spiritual issues addressed by their physicians, and noting potential health benefits of spiritual beliefs. Outlines…