Discusses the scope of the surgeon's involvement in teaching disease prevention and health promotion to medical students, enumerates possible learning objectives, and describes seven examples of programs that have used innovative methods to include prevention teaching in surgery curricula. Examples include the universities of Kentucky, South…

The article proposes a change in medical paradigm from that of curative practice to one emphasizing primary health care (PHC). Discussed are origins and dilemmas of PHC; conflicting PHC values and practices; organizational changes and PHC; health care reform examples from Latin America; and implications for medical education. (DB)

Defines and examines a communication model for enhancing the provision and adoption of preventive practices in the primary care setting and discusses teaching that model in the medical school context. Methods for integrating communication skills for prevention into the medical school curriculum are discussed, using examples from Dartmouth (New…

Detailed recommendations for integrating preventive medicine into residency education and the continuum of medical care are outlined, with the goal of putting the patient's health rather than disease process into the forefront of primary care. Suggestions are based on a guide assessing the effectiveness of 169 types of preventive intervention.…

Reviews methods of teaching preventive medicine in pediatrics and highlights innovative programs. Methods of teaching prevention in pediatrics include patient interactions, self-directed learning, case-based learning, small-group learning, standardized patients, computer-assisted instruction, the Internet, student-centered learning, and lectures.…

A survey of American medical school preventive medicine curricula found more emphasis on teaching and evaluation of students in areas of clinical preventive services and quantitative methods and less emphasis on community services and health services organization and delivery. Written tests and unstructured observation were the most common methods…

Discussion of faculty development and integration of prevention into medical school curriculum considers sound educational models, role of the institution, faculty development activities (including program components, processes, needed expertise, and barriers to participation), and faculty rewards and recognition. (DB)

Discusses formats to teach preventive medicine in obstetrics and gynecology (including learning objectives, lectures/seminars, and rounds/office practice) and evaluation methods (oral examinations, computerized question banks, objective structured clinical examinations). Offers examples from specific programs at American medical schools, including…

Discussion of teaching preventive medicine through electives describes four prototypes of innovative programs: (1) population health, (2) international health, (3) American Medical Student Association opportunities, and (4) public health degree programs. These electives enable students to participate in preventive services through experiential…

Offers a four-part plan for developing a four-year curriculum in preventive medicine: (1) develop the desired objectives or competencies; (2) present the basics in years 1 and 2; (3) focus on health promotion/disease prevention and population health in years 3 and 4; and (4) develop a mechanism to evaluate and improve the curriculum. (DB)

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…

Discusses the importance of assessing medical students' competence in prevention knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Provides general guidance for programs interested in evaluating their prevention instructional efforts, and gives specific examples of possible methods for evaluating prevention education. Stresses the need to tailor assessment…

Discusses the importance of teaching preventive medicine and presents a set of core competencies in preventive medicine for undergraduate medical education recommended by a 1997 task force of medical educators. Also reviews the Medical School Objectives Project, which describes in broad terms the knowledge, attitudes and skills students must…

Suggested resources for planning and creating curricula in disease prevention and health promotion in medical schools are grouped into three categories: (1) national initiatives (such as the "Healthy People 2010" and "Put Prevention Into Practice" programs); (2) teaching immunization (including materials for physicians and nurses); and (3) key…

Discusses the role of public health (PH) professionals in preventing family and intimate violence including findings from PH research, such as the cycle of violence and need to include abuse issues across the lifespan into medical education. Proposes that incorporating PH principles into medical education can help forge an effective partnership…