Discusses the role of departments of family medicine in teaching preventive medicine through required clinical experiences, required nonclinical courses, electives, collaborative interdisciplinary clerkships, and interdisciplinary nonclinical courses. Offers examples of innovative programs at the Universities of Michigan, Wisconsin, Vermont,…

Reviews the rationale for including prevention in the clinical medicine clerkship. Summarizes current guidelines, presents examples of curricula in several medical schools, and proposes a future direction that stresses integrating teaching preventive medicine into internal medicine clerkships and across the entire four-year medical curriculum. (DB)

A survey of 142 U.S. and Canadian medical schools compared medical school curricula since 1991, especially in schools moving to the new interdisciplinary format. Thirty- five schools had retained preventive medicine teaching as a separate course; 25 schools integrated preventive medicine concepts into many courses; and 10 schools appeared to have…

A survey of 119 medical schools found that about one-quarter had no required environmental medicine (EM) content in the curriculum. Schools with EM content averaged seven hours of instruction. Sixty-eight percent had faculty with environmental and occupational medicine expertise, primarily in departments of medicine, preventive medicine, and…

A trained research assistant used a structured observation form to observe hospital attending rounds, measuring the use of population perspective (risk-factor assessment, prevention, epidemiology, social aspects of illness) during internal medicine case presentations. Results indicated this perspective was raised more frequently when a generalist…

To help prepare residents in preventive medicine and occupational medicine for their future management roles, the University of Arizona College of Medicine incorporated administrative training into its residency programs. Training focuses on seven skill areas seen as needed to meet the management demands of the physicians' future specialties.…

A survey of student affairs deans at 108 medical schools found most schools required hepatitis vaccination, evidence of immunity, or waiver refusing vaccination. Nearly all required health insurance, and usually offered a plan, but fewer offered disability insurance. Schools often held students responsible for costs of vaccination, serologic…

A study investigated whether medical residents' compliance with guidelines for health promotion and disease prevention improved after exposure to a revised curriculum over three years. Chart audits indicate that, although compliance increased during the first year, activities returned to baseline levels thereafter, despite continued exposure to…

Harvard Medical School's integration of a curriculum on health promotion and disease prevention is described. The case method was used for all teaching in the curriculum. Students worked together in small groups, addressing the issues raised by each case under the direction of faculty preceptors. (Author/MLW)

Ideas for integrating preventive medicine into the undergraduate medical curriculum include options for curricula in quantitative skills, clinical preventive medicine, primary care rotation, community health services, and independent continuing education. Recommendations are based on a guide assessing the effectiveness of 169 types of preventive…

Evaluation of the University of South Florida Medical School's new (1990) preventive health requirements for matriculants showed that expensive requirements had the lowest rate of compliance and inexpensive ones, the highest rates. Enforcement measures significantly improved compliance. Cost was seen as a major deterrent to compliance. (Author/DB)

Injuries are predictable and preventable. Prevention may be applied at bedside or in the community. Greater emphasis on injury control would radically alter the health care provider's role, and shift the direction of communication from the physician to the community and to the individual patient. Success with prevention strategies requires new…

A survey of 797 preventive medicine residency graduates found that improvements are needed in the curricula for health administration, environmental health, health education, and occupational medicine. Women found their training less adequate than men did in all areas except clinical preventive medicine. Graduates tended to practice ultimately in…

The profession of medicine has a central role to play in ushering in the new paradigm of a health care system that will invest its efforts in health promotion and disease prevention on the one hand and in treatment and rehabilitation of the sick and injured on the other. (MLW)

The Medical University of South Africa (Medunsa) was founded to address underrepresentation of blacks in health professions and inadequate health care in the homelands. It trains most allied health professionals in the country, emphasizing community service and preventive medicine. Medunsa and American health professions schools can learn from…