This study analyzes videotaped conversations between various family members of a child with cerebral palsy and medical professionals. The conversations are examined for information elaboration and condensation, information negotiation, as well as methodological benefits. The medical interviews elicited new information in various contexts and…

A program developed by the nursing department at Fernald State School (Massachusetts) prepares nurses to develop prehospital admission teaching programs for mentally retarded persons. Two case studies indicate that the program's emphasis on an interdisciplinary team approach is successful. (CB)

A study found that a combination of small-group instruction and large-group lectures was more effective than lectures alone in preparing medical students to respond to patients' emotional concerns. The small group instruction consisted of interviews with elderly nursing home residents serving as simulated patients, and structured practice and…

A four-session training component linking a pediatric residency program with a school- and home-based early handicap intervention program was found to be effective in introducing residents to issues concerning intervention with handicapped infants. (MSE)

The variables affecting ratings of the importance of biopsychosocial versus biomedical assessments are examined. It was hypothesized that students would perceive the relative importance of biomedical and biopsychosocial assessments differentially based on the diagnoses of the patients and the students' level of training. (MLW)

A group of first-year medical students who demonstrated inadequate interviewing skills in a test with proven reliability and validity were identified. The usefulness of individualized tutorials as a means of helping them improve their skills was assessed. (Author/MLW)

Discusses an experiment conducted with three classes of nursing students at Catania University Polyclinic (Italy) that attempted to find meaningful contexts for use in English as second language teaching curriculum (for nurses). By practicing dialogs typical of nurse-patient interactions in a hospital context, student nurses learned to interact…

A school nurse recorded the characteristics of elementary school children who visited her office over a six-month period. Observations showed that: (1) health-seeking behavior is a learned process; (2) no differences were apparent in how often boys or girls visited the office; and (3) recurrent health problems contributed to visit frequency.…

Adjustment of patients with a serious medical condition to psychological stress accompanying their disorder was investigated. Long-term hemodialysis patients (N=22) and 24 patients in recovery stages of minor medical problems were experimental and control subjects. A significant relationship was found between denial and external locus of control…

With data from mother-infant pairs during the puerperium as an example, three possibilities for using the medical record review are discussed: (1) as a means of specifying objectives for patient care and trainee competence; (2) for assessing trainee progress and teaching program effectiveness; and (3) for assessing the effects of medical science…

Author outlines in detail how to improve health care in nursing homes by involving nurses, doctors, patients and their families in a teamwork approach to the patients' condition and care. (PD)

Reviews the results of a shift in the circumstances of the deinstitutionalized mentally ill from care in state hospitals to legal prosecution. Discusses the reasons for this shift and describes a San Francisco program that attempts to deal with the problem. (JAC)

A project is described that aims: (1) to give undergraduate pharmacy students an understanding of the complexities of communicating medication information to patients, and (2) to teach skills in the design, analysis, and evaluation of written patient medication information. Materials students developed were evaluated by fellow students (MSE)

A program is described that relates behavioral science research to cancer care, encourages frank discussion and objective analysis of oncology practice, and attempts to dispell the myth that cancer patients are not medically manageable. A wide range of teaching methods are used. (MSE)

An assessment of the demographic, health status, and health care use characteristics of the patients at hospital- and community-based health care centers at one family practice residency location is used to examine the effects these differences may have on resident training. It was found that neither site is clearly preferable for training. (MSE)