Investigators have suggested that faculty attitudes toward diagnostic testing may encourage inappropriate laboratory use. Those attitudes were determined from case simulations prepared by the faculty for senior medical student examinations. Faculty indifference to tests with limited usefulness may be perceived by students as permission for their…

Some of the differences between in-hospital and ambulatory medicine and their implications for the teaching and practice of ambulatory care are explored. The availability of time, the role of patient cooperation, and the decision-making process differ in the two settings. (MLW)

Against the background of the problems associated with teaching the pelvic examination and the success reported in the literature for using "simulated patients," the uniformly positive student and faculty assessment of the acceptability of using partners as subjects for teaching this examination suggests strongly that this approach is…

A formal education plan with two admission steps is outlined. Animal agriculture and the basic sciences are combined in a two-year middle stage. The medical education (third stage) that specifically addresses pathology and the clinical sciences encompasses three years. (Author/LBH)

The Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) is designed to measure health status in terms of sickness-related changes in behavior. Its content incorporates the perspectives of clinicians, patients, and the apparently healthy, and consists of 235 items. Its reliability and validity were supported in a study with both experienced physicians and residents.…

Development of an instructional materials center and self-instructional materials on clinical dental procedures is described. The center is located near students' operatories and the student-tested programs were developed cost-effectively and relatively quickly. (MSE)

Studied the incidence of bias related to race and socioeconomic status which could confound the diagnosis of alcoholism. Graduate psychology students made a diagnosis based on videotapes. Results indicated lower socioeconomic class individuals were more often diagnosed correctly for alcoholism, and Blacks were diagnosed alcoholic more often than…

Identifies 14 cognitive components of the diagnostic thinking process in clinical problem solving. Analyzes the differences between medical students, hospital house officers, and hospital registrars in London, England, on the relative use of such thinking processes. Suggests that diagnostic thinking processes cannot be incorporated into medical…

A survey of dental schools revealed little standardization of student requirements for dental radiography in the United States. There was a high degree of variability as to what constituted a full radiographic survey, which has implications concerning the maximum limits to patient exposure to radiation. (Author/MLW)

Teaching physical evaluation of dental patients has become an important aspect in an undergraduate dental curriculum. The evolution, objectives, and content of a practical, in-house method of teaching clinical physical evaluation using a seminar-participation format is presented. (Author/MLW)

A logically constructed format for the recording of the patient's personality profile is proposed. The term "personality" is used in a broad sense and refers to data that should be part of the patient's clinical record in any clinical situation and that describe the patient's general vulnerability. (Author/MLW)

The use of a special cadaver is discussed that could be used during the first-year gross anatomy course to supplement the usual dissection of pelvic viscera. Pelvic anatomy is emphasized from the perineal approach as used in a typical pelvic exam. (MLW)

To provide objective evaluation of students' physical diaonosis skills, nonphysician patient instructors (PIs) with stable positive findings were trained by physicians to function in the multiple roles of patient, teacher, and evaluator. Medical students examine the PIs and are evaluated by them on their technique and diagnosis ability.…

Pharmacists have a unique role to play in providing basic life-support since they are the health professionals who are most available and who enjoy the greatest contact with the public. Training procedures are described. (LBH)

Edited videotapes are a useful adjunct in the teaching of child psychiatry to medical students at every level of clinical skill. The authors have developed a systematic model of sorting techniques so that an interview with a child patient can be edited for multiple purposes. (LBH)