The general objectives of a group practice plan affiliated with a teaching medical center is to provide continuing comprehensive care through a team approach, using training and experience of personnel in both institutions. (IR)

Outlines the development of a Caregiver Strain Index (CSI) with spouses, family, friends, and neighbors who provided care to recently hospitalized hip surgery and heart patients over 65. Results indicate that the CSI is a brief, easily administered instrument which identifies strain within the sample of informal care providers. (Author/JAC)

Studied weight-gain 127 primary anorexics by examining the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and the Rorschach for indices that may predict improvement. Results showed that cognitive-focusing skills, measured by the Wechsler, account for roughly half of the variance and were good predictors of weight gain. (WAS)

A method of informally interviewing parents of children who have died or are seriously ill--before a small group of medical students in pediatric rotations--helps to sensitize students to parent attitudes, needs, and grief patterns, and gives a longitudinal perspective of the physician's role and the disease process. (MSE)

The need for teaching doctors how to counsel and impart coping skills techniques to their patients is discussed. The cognitive-experiential underpinnings of a course in medical counseling given to last preclinical-year medical students in the University of Queensland is outlined. (MLW)

The way a medical student perceives the sexual attitudes of physicians in general may affect what is learned from medical school sex education and the manner in which such learning is applied later with patients. Student, physician, and student projections of physician and patient knowledge and attitudes were studied. (Author/MSE)

Uses the concept of collusion to explain the formation and persistence of patient-caretaker dyads which may help explain the role of family dynamics in cases of chronic pain. Suggests the caretaking role may be extreme and contibute to the maintenance of a chronic pain role. (Author/JAC)

Differences in approach to three hypothetical dental moral dilemmas were found among dental students, but the differences were strongest in the early years of dental education, before significant patient contact. Freshmen rated principled reasons higher than older students. Further research into causes and actual behavior is recommended. (MSE)

Found statistically significant differences across the three relationships for the importance of communication skills such as listening, routine information exchange, management of conflict, small group communication, etc. This study allows speech communication instructors to articulate the competencies needed by nurses across relationships. (PD)

Participants indicated perceived effectiveness and expected satisfaction for two programs of communication-skills training: Interpersonal Process Recall and Human Relations Training. Although both programs were positively evaluated by the premedical students, anxious and defensive students perceived the Interpersonal Process Recall program as more…

Patients high in alientation and distrust may be poor compliers. Because only the somatic concern dimension predicted outcome, a single scale that measures this characteristic may be sufficient for effective identification of the potential good v poor responders to conservative treatment of low back pain. (Author)

To prepare diabetic patients and their families to assume some responsibility for their own health care, an individualized and comprehensive educational program was developed, based on data collected with a diabetes educational profile. It was found that integrating qualitative and quantitative techniques improved results. (CT)

Two studies of a visual-motor tracking task purported to effectively discriminate subtypes of minimal brain dysfunction are presented. Subjects were psychiatric inpatients, hyperactive males, and normal controls. The tracking task was found to be a useful measure of stimulant drug action but not of specific hyperkinetic defects. (Author/SJL)

Graduates of a dental school course in stress management were asked about the relevance of the course content in their professional practices. Main pressures are patient, business, and staff management, time pressures, and idealism. Technical aspects of dental practice were not identified as stressful. (MSE)

Describes methods used in a project at George Washington University's Rehabilitation Research and Training Center to predict and classify a family's involvement in a patient's rehabilitation program. As family attitudes can enhance or damage a program's effectiveness, early identification of uncooperative families is necessary so that intervention…