The authors examined the administrative preparation needs of a sample of 46 graduates of a clinical nurse specialist program who were surveyed 3 to 5 years after graduation. The study focused on current administrative responsibilities, administrative content in the graduate curriculum, and respondents' future goals for involvement in…

A study investigated the performance of 6 successive medical school classes on 80 standardized-patient case examinations, looking for effects of student or standardized-patient gender on scores. Results showed no interaction of any practical consequence. Cases with gender-related concern (e.g., breast problems) also did not differentiate between…

A study investigated whether the more efficiently graded extended-matching questions were equivalent to short-answer questions in evaluating medical students' (n=98) ability to elicit physical findings and generate diagnoses and treatment plans, using standardized-patient examinations. The differences found in the two question types did not favor…

A study documented the number of x-rays acquired during screening and subsequent treatment of patients for a state dental hygiene licensing examination for 109 candidates. Results indicate that patient exposure guidelines attempt to minimize radiographic exposure but that some exposures should be reevaluated for need and effect on patients. (MSE)

A nurse educator specializing in diabetes recounts her own experience with vision loss resulting from diabetic retinopathy, considers the roles of rehabilitation specialists and diabetes educators, and urges the two professional groups to work together more closely. (DB)

Examines historical context, generalizability, methodological strengths and limitations of construct of "expressed emotion" (EE), designed to explore impact of family and social environment on vulnerability to relapse of schizophrenic patients, and Camberwell Family Interview, as well as nature and effects of treatment intervention programs…

Physicians (n=34) assessed their elderly patients during 2-year period and 193 elderly patients were interviewed. Found that patients with socioemotional concerns were significantly more anxious, more depressed, and more introspective; and they perceived themselves to be sicker than other patients. Findings have implications for use of social…

Reports on development of adult sickle cell support group and provides description of psychosocial factors most prevalent in patients' lives (anxiety about death, disruption of social support network, disability, dependence on pain medication, conflicts with health care providers). Notes that support group enhanced participants' knowledge about…

Information on the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) was obtained for psychometric properties, gender differences, and relation to depression for 291 psychiatric patients with a subsample of 251 who completed the Beck Depression Inventory. Two demonstrated BAI factors are discussed, as are male-female differences and correlation with depression. (SLD)

One month test-retest reliability of the Revised Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R) was examined in 88 methadone-maintained males, along with effects of increased information about patients on PCL-R scores and diagnostic derivations. Test-retest reliabilities are quite good. Other findings also confirm potential utility of the PCL-R for research. (SLD)

The director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute (North Carolina) is committed to making better use of patient information for medical research, and is building a database from the institute's clinical trials. His approach is to provide biomedical researchers with daily involvement in medicine rather than management. (MSE)

Health-care practitioners generally lack counseling skills. Article introduces general principles of counseling, emphasizing client-centeredness, cooperative role relations, unconstrained interaction, and goal-oriented proceeding are emphasized. Methods to be used in health care to promote physical activity are related to counselor skill and…

Proposes that pharmacy schools incorporate formal assessments of self-reported empathy in the admissions process to assess personal qualities necessary for patient counseling and other aspects of pharmaceutical care. Comparison of two approaches to measuring self-reported empathy (forced-choice format, direct self-ratings) found the first more…

Evaluates a short-term, problem-focused Individual Psychological Support (IPS intervention in a study with cancer patients (N=527). Results show that a majority of responding patients stated that their problems were addressed to a great extent, that the number of contacts was adequate, and the IPS came at the right time. (Author/MKA)

Evaluates two training programs for asthmatic children, aged 7-14. The first group consisted of patients and their parents who participated in a five-day standardized family-oriented clinical asthma training program followed by monthly training sessions. The second group omitted these follow-up interventions. Results indicate that the first group…