Objective: This study's aim was to determine how patients' and providers' characteristics affect hospital providers' decisions to screen pregnant and postpartum women for illicit substances. Methods: A retrospective design was used. Participants included all low-income women (N=1,100) who delivered at an urban teaching hospital over a 12-month…

The objective of this study is to assess whether children's needs are taken into consideration in female patients who are admitted to an adult psychiatric hospital. A retrospective case note audit of 100 female inpatients aged between 18 and 55 years over a 6-month period were randomly selected. The medical and nursing case notes of patients with…

Objective: The author examines one aspect of the psychopharmacology curriculum: the psychology of psychopharmacology. Method: Drawing from his experience teaching this subject to trainees at many different levels and from an emerging evidence base suggesting that psychosocial factors in the doctor-patient relationship may be crucial for medication…

Many studies of ADHD have shown that the problems associated with the disorder continue into adolescence and beyond for 10% to 60% of patients. The present study assesses several aspects of college adjustment, social skills, and self-esteem in a nonreferred sample of college students meeting criteria for a "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of…

This study sought to identify from the literature the type of preparation nurse practitioners receive and the practices they use in the care of terminally ill patients as well as to determine from a study of five practitioners in rural health clinics in Mississippi their perception of their training, their philosophy, and the strategies they use…

This journal supplement developed by the Migrant Clinicans Network (MCN) contains three articles related to domestic violence in the migrant population. "Domestic Violence Tips for Clinicians" suggests what to include in the patient's medical record, recommends routine screening, and offers guidelines for interviewing. It also lists what to look…

A prototype revised form of the Test of Spoken English (TSE) was compared with the current version of the same test, comparing interrater reliability, frequency of rater discrepancy at all score levels, component task adequacy, scoring efficacy, and other concurrent and construct validity evidence, including the oral proficiency interview…

Among the repertoire of clinical skills necessary for the professional development of medical students is the ability to create a positive doctor-patient relationship through effective communication skills. The purpose of this study was to create an instrument that reliably measures the relationship between physician and patient. The Relationship…

This study compared responses to three vignettes describing incidents between a male patient and a female nurse that involved the nurse being mildly assaulted, severely assaulted, or verbally abused (the control condition) by the patient. After reading each vignette, 32 of 42 female senior-year nursing students and 28 of 48 practicing nurses…

This study examined the attitudes of undergraduate and graduate nursing students (N=282) towards caring for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) patients. A 57-item Likert type AIDS attitude questionnaire focused on the following questions: (1) Is there a difference in the comfort level of juniors, seniors, or graduate students caring for…

A diagnostic-prescriptive teaching module on basic interviewing skills for first-year medical students is presented. The goal of the module is to help students refine interpersonal communications skills relative to the medical interview. The module provides information on the following skills: eliciting patient responses, interviewing techniques…

An investigation was conducted to assess parental and family characteristics of boys who displayed competence when exposed to a set of stressful circumstances expected to impair and/or retard their development. Participating children and families were involved in the University of Rochester Child and Family Study, a prospective developmental…

The skills of physicians in treating patient cases that involve medical-moral problems were studied with a total sample of 19 fourth-year medical students and residents. The focus was the manner in which residents become aware of the patient's moral concerns, talk about them, and communicate with the patient in order to reach some mutually…

This paper examines the hospital discharge decision making process for elderly patients, based on observations of the operations of a long term care agency, the California Multipurpose Senior Services Project. The analysis is divided into four components: actors, factors, processes, and strategy critique. The first section discusses the major…

A study identified the competencies performed by the patient representative, a relatively new member of the health care team. An ad hoc advisory committee was formulated, and a working committee was formed from volunteers and people recommended by the ad hoc committee. The working committee identified the competencies required of the patient…