Since the family physician coordinates and follows family referrals to the social services, the University of Nevada School of Medicine's curriculum for the community health course emphasizes community resources. The course's case method selected for the class session on community agencies is described. (MLW)

A university-affiliated family medicine residency program, with its emphasis on psychosocial factors of health, was used to observe the behavior of health care providers. Information obtained through chart reviews was used to develop a family practice residency curriculum in occupational medicine. (MLW)

Use of a videotape technique to evaluate medical students' ability to observe psychopathology after a psychobiology system course is reported. Performance on this audiovisual examination was found not to be related significantly to any of the other methods of evaluation used in the course or in other courses during the first two years of medical…

Health education in the provision of pharmacy service plays an increasingly important role and deserves treatment within pharmacy curricula. This paper specifically addresses the area of educating patients about drugs, drug use, and health in general. Appended are a course outline and a course reading list. (MLW)

The primary objective of a training program based within an internal medicine department at the University of Texas Medical Branch was to increase the interviewing skills of medicine residents, especially regarding the psychosocial aspects of patients. The program, evaluation methods, and results are described. (JMD)

The Department of Medicine at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital fosters general internal medicine in a graduate training program with a "medical firm" system of medical care. The firm system consists of four medical teams that care for distinct patient populations, closely integrating outpatient and inpatient care. (Author/JMD)

The effectiveness of continuing medical education (CME) is reviewed in terms of physician competence, physician performance, and patient health status. Although half the studies published since l960 reported some improvement following CME, methodological shortcomings prevent concluding that the improvements were caused by CME. (Author/MH)

Describes a number of teaching strategies to prepare nursing students to care for their hospitalized patients with alcohol-related problems but not in an alcoholism treatment unit, using a supportive-educational framework for the nurse-alcoholic patient relationship. A group of recovering alcoholics identified positive nursing actions as helpful.…

Four factors of clinical decision making identified by medical students include quality of care, cost, ethics, and legal concerns. This paper argues that physicians have two responsibilities in the clinical decision-making model: to be the primary advocate for quality health care and to ensure balance among the four factors, working in partnership…

A patient instructor (PI) program to improve dental students' data-gathering and interpersonal skills had each third-year student in 2 consecutive classes (n=60, n=72) interview 4 patient instructors during a rotation. Each PI portrayed one of six scenarios, assessed students on content knowledge and clinical and interview skills, and provided…

The Technological Innovations in Medical Education (TIME) model, designed to be controlled by a professor in the classroom, incorporates voice recognition technology and video dramatization to create a believable patient encounter. A field test finding was that the students became committed to the care and management of the simulated patient.…

Two charting strategies to help students organize patients' data are Weed's problem-oriented medical record and Russell's condition diagram. Students at the University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio were divided into study groups. The condition diagram group format may be helpful for students with lower academic achievement. (Author/MLW)

When planning and developing an ambulatory clerkship, careful attention must be paid to the desired outcomes from the experience, the appropriate site, and instructional model to use to best meet the objectives. The major differences between ambulatory and inpatient educational settings are explored. (Author/MLW)

Discussion of how to develop culturally based instructional materials highlights the development of a pilot series of videotape programs designed for elderly, non-reading Hispanic diabetes patients. Topics discussed include needs assessment; content analysis; learner analysis, including language, reading abilities, and ethnicity; production…

Discusses the role of adult children with serious mental illness as a source of support to their aging parents. Most mothers reported that their mentally-ill children provided at least some ongoing help with daily living tasks. The adult child's assistance related significantly to lower levels of maternal subjective burden. (RJM)