Examines how patient race, rating of physical and emotional health, expression of physical, emotional, and social-problem symptoms, and physician perceptions of patients' physical health, emotional health, and social problems influence psychotropic prescribing in patients with chronic illness. Emphasizes the importance of training primary-care…

Computer-assisted learning can be an effective medium for undergraduate nursing education, especially through the use of graphics and self-assessment exercises. It also has benefits for patient care and education. (SK)

Health education, health promotion, and prevention are defined. The use of planning models in health education, meta-analysis, the quality of the intervention as a determinant of effectiveness, and the relevance of systematic implementation to the target population are discussed. Recommendations to increase the effectiveness of interventions are…

Cholesterol measurements of 328 volunteers were taken before and after continuing medical education interventions (lectures and information dissemination to physicians, patient education). Although 50% reduced their serum cholesterol, the only practice change was an increase in physicians giving dietary instructions. (SK)

Shows how evaluators can handle conflict and create, restore, and maintain conditions for an ongoing negotiation process using the example of a vocational rehabilitation project for psychiatric patients in which a conflict developed between management and therapists. (SLD)

Family practitioners (n=474) accompanied by their patients were trained in injection techniques to treat osteoarthritis. Pre- and postsession assessments showed that physicians felt comfortable with the new technique, skill acquisition occurred in a supportive setting for physicians and patients, and many patients experienced significant health…

Reports the results of a consensus meeting convened to provide guidelines for clinicians and make recommendations for researchers regarding disruptive vocalization (DV). Suggests that DV arises largely in persons with cognitive impairment and generally reflects an underlying need or discomfort. Managing DV involves appropriate identification of…

Standardized patients are subjects who accurately and consistently simulate presentation of medical cases as a method of assessing physician performance. This method is direct, valid, reliable, and feasible when focused on the patient-doctor interaction. (SK)

This study of 67 chronically mentally ill outpatients examined subjective Quality of Life Scores from A. Lehman's Quality of Life Interview. Results suggest a model of life satisfaction in which instrumental and affiliative needs comprise significant portions of life satisfaction. Implications for other quality of life and life satisfaction…

The meaning of low scores on some Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) scales was examined by comparing therapists' descriptors of 669 mental health patients with high, normal, or low scores on each scale. Results show that for most scales both high and low scores provide potentially important information. (SLD)

The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (OCI), a new self-report measure for determining the diagnosis and severity of obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD), was validated with 141 patients with OCD, 58 with social phobia, 44 with posttraumatic stress disorder, and 194 nonpatients. The OCI exhibited satisfactory reliability and validity with all four…

Tested the metric properties of a Spanish version of the Assessment of Growth Hormone Deficiency in Adults (AGHDA) questionnaire through Rasch analysis with a sample of 356 adult patients in Spain. Results suggest that the Spanish AGHDA could be a useful complement of the clinical evaluation of growth hormone deficiency patients at group and…

Examines the difficulties experienced by diabetic patients in learning about their illness. Diabetic people (N=138) were questioned by means of a closed answer questionnaire. Results reveal that patients easily acquired manual skills, yet numerous learning difficulties were associated with the skills required to solve problems and make decisions,…

Immigrant/refugee adults studying English as a second language (n=19) described how their language proficiency affects their communication with health care providers and with their children's schools. Ways to address their needs in English instruction were derived. (SK)

Studied how student attitudes toward different types of patients and the medical profession change during clinical rotations. Responses of 88 third-year medical students show that students became less idealistic toward the elderly and people with chronic pain and less idealistic toward the profession. (SLD)