Knowledge-translation interventions and interprofessional education and collaboration interventions all aim at improving health care processes and outcomes. Knowledge-translation interventions attempt to increase evidence-based practice by a single professional group and thus may fail to take into account barriers from difficulties in…

Within academic medical centers, psychiatry, pediatrics, and certain other specialties of internal medicine carry a disproportionate responsibility for teaching but are least able to support teaching and research through clinical income. This article reviews the educational, research and clinical missions of an academic psychiatry department and…

Self-regulation in medicine depends on accurate self-assessment. The purpose of the present study was to examine the discrepancy between self and peer assessments for a group of specialist physicians from internal medicine (IM), pediatrics, and psychiatry clinical domains (i.e., patient management, clinical assessment, professional development,…

A study in a medical center investigated the feasibility of primary care practices combining internal medicine and pediatrics residencies. Equally divided among children and adults, the patients had sought specialists and were highly satisfied. The physicians had appeal particularly to young upper-middle class patients. (Author/MSE)

A comparison of patient (n=181) and tutor (n=31) evaluations of medical student (n=41) behavior in an internal medicine clerkship revealed difficulties with patient evaluation of students. The process is time consuming and introduces tension between students and patients, and patients are poor discriminators. (Author/MSE)

An innovative internal medicine clerkship provides a one-month ambulatory care component followed by two months of traditional inpatient experience. Assessment of the changes in student ability to diagnose in a variety of brief cases found knowledge gains in the shorter ambulatory care segment were double those in the longer segment. (MSE)

A study of 187 internists, evaluated by peers they recommended, found the highest rating was for integrity, and lowest was for psychosocial aspects of patient care. Peer raters' response rate and analysis of the ratings suggest this rating process is acceptable to physicians and that it is feasible to obtain reliable, multidimensional peer…

A three-hour, two-stage workshop for staff nurses on providing education and psychological support to 148 patients who had abdominal surgery. After the workshop the patients used fewer sedatives or antiemetics, fewer hypnotics, and were discharged from the hospital on the average half a day sooner. (Author/BJV)

A study investigated the construct validity of three methods for assessing clinical performances of internal medicine clerks: a clinical evaluation form completed by faculty and residents, an objective structured clinical examination, and the National Board of Medical Examiners medicine subject test. Results suggest a significant but…

The University of Cincinnati Department of Internal Medicine instituted a peer review moonlighting committee of residents to design departmental guidelines, document work activities, identify discrepancies, and initiate control policies. Results suggest such a program may help establish mutually acceptable work activity guidelines while…

Although generalist physicians have traditionally been defined by their specialties (family, internal, pediatric medicine), this approach may not recognize specific competencies and training needed. A new definition based on functional requirements of generalist practice and the central role of the generalist in comprehensive care is proposed.…

Objectives: To assess the incidents of patient-initiated assault (PIA) against clinical clerks during the first six months of clinical clerkship. To characterise the assaults with respect to service, location, clerk gender, patient gender. To examine the students' perceptions of the reporting process for PIA. Methods: A brief email survey was sent…

Analysis of the internal medicine clinical rotations of 43 University of Michigan medical students revealed that students saw many kinds of medical problems but few instances of each and that there were wide gaps in exposure to some typical ambulatory care problems. Student skill gains did not correlate with problem types encountered. (MSE)

A study investigated whether internal medicine training program directors found feedback on their students' test performance helpful in understanding where their residents ranked nationally. Results suggest that directors have learned to rank their own candidates against a common standard but may have lowered the standards they used. (MSE)

A summary of what is generally thought to be taught well in internal medicine and what is taught less effectively is presented. The roles of medical students are considered in that context. Teaching contributions, evaluation of teaching, problems on clerkships, and opportunities for change are discussed. (MLW)