A study assessed the usefulness of unannounced standardized patients to assess the skills of 284 physicians enrolled in a continuing medical education program in control of sexually transmitted diseases and human immunodeficiency virus. Significant discrepancies were found between physician-reported performance and actual performance, as found in…

A study assessed the effectiveness of a weekly outpatient clinic for staging and triage of newly identified human-immunodeficiency-virus (HIV)-infected patients on 21 medical residents' attitudes and knowledge regarding HIV patient care, as compared with 20 control students. Results indicated that the experience positively affected student…

A study investigated the effectiveness of and student perceptions of a medical school curriculum segment on universal precautions against blood-borne diseases and techniques of phlebotomy and intravenous insertion using universal precautions. Additional voluntary training was offered. Results indicate the training significantly improved student…

It is proposed that, contrary to existing views, medical expertise is not as much a matter of superior reasoning skills or in-depth knowledge of pathophysiological states as it is based on cognitive structures describing the features of prototypical or actual patients. Evidence supporting the theory is examined. (Author/MSE)

Current problems in health care delivery, including inadequate access to care and high costs, and potential solutions are examined. Additional emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention, increased biomedical research, the dissemination and implementation of findings, and better physician preparation to deal with the problems are…