The reliability of a 13-item questionnaire designed to assess the humanistic behaviors of internal medicine residents and the reliability of nurses as raters of those behaviors were examined. Residents were evaluated by nurses on two general medicine services and on cardiology and hematology-oncology services. (Author/MLW)

In a survey, 1,851 registered nurses evaluated 232 internists' humanistic qualities, communication skills, and selected aspects of their clinical skills. Their ratings corresponded moderately with peer physician evaluations and had a common structure but were lower for several humanistic qualities. A reliable assessment required 11-15 nurses'…

Data from a 1976 survey indicate: continued emphasis on education in ambulatory care, without coordinated primary care training efforts; leveling-off of interest in HMO's; no significant change in the number of affiliated programs for training nurse practitioners or physician's assistants; and marked increases in internal medicine and pediatrics…

The humanistic qualities of 70 University of Michigan first-year internal medicine residents were rated in 1987-88 and 1988-89 by patients, attending physicians, supervisors, and nurses. Results indicate that all four groups had different view of the humanistic attributes of residents in patient interactions. (Author/MSE)