The relationship of educational preparation to the problem- solving performance of 55 hospital employed baccalaureate and associate degree nurses working in Wyoming hospitals was studied. Participant data were collected that might correlate with problem-solving ability: age, years of experience in nursing, years of work experience in a…

This article describes how logic is used as the basis of medical diagnosis, i.e., the presence or absence of certain symptoms implies the presence or absence of certain diseases. This usage is then illustrated with a real example. (MP)

Informal observation suggested that dark-haired/light eyed females (target group) might have a liability to psychopathology. Questionnaire data obtained from eight large undergraduate classes during a four year period (1974-77) yielded consistently higher percentages of target group individuals reporting hospitalization of first-degree relatives…

Computer-based simulations of the patient-physician encounter have been used at the University of Wisconsin Medical School for five years. They have been used to permit students to gain clinical experience, as part of a series of structured teaching conferences, and in a medical testing program. Student and faculty response is favorable.…

A technique developed at SUNY at Stony Brook measures changes in second-year medical students' ability to recognize psychopathology following an educational program in psychobiology. It compares ratings of videotaped interviews by the students to the ratings of the interviews made by the faculty preceptors participating in the teaching program.…

An extensive written examination in pediatric clinical knowledge has been used to compare pediatric nurse practitioners with medical students and residents in pediatrics. Results of the study indicate that the PNPs were comparable in most areas except clinical pathology to the students and residents, sometimes even surpassing them. (LBH)

The scoring technique was used successfully to score the 1974 computerized patient management problems examination taken by pediatric candidates as part of the certification process required by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Problem types, strategies, and scoring details are described. (LBH)

A "Neurox" program entitled "Canine Neurological Diagnosis" developed at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine enables a student to obtain the results of 78 possible neurological tests or associated questions on a single case. A lesson and possible adaptations are described. (LBH)

Reviews the electronic instrumentation utilized in the medical measurement of oxygen concentration, blood oxygen, brain viability, and fluid balance. (SL)

The effectiveness of an educational program in decreasing utilization of the prothrombin time determination as a routine admission laboratory test by house staff physicians at a teaching hospital was studied. The results emphasize the need to measure the long-term outcome of educational programs aimed at modifying the clinical behavior of…

An inexpensive videotape testing system has been developed at the Department of Pediatrics and Department of Medical TV-Cinematography at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. The development and validation of a test using this system to assess observational skills important for accurate physical diagnosis are described. (LBH)

A survey of residents at five training hospitals concerning the variables affecting physicians' practice behavior in treating alcoholism supported the view that alcohol-related training and experience would influence practice behavior more than attitudes or knowledge. (MSE)

A group of patient-centered comprehensive-care clinics revised its treatment planning system to better accommodate patient needs for information while still serving student needs for instruction and support. (MSE)

The impact of pediatric residents on total patient charges generated in the outpatient pediatric practice of a university hospital was evaluated. Average charges for visits to residents were greater than for visits to faculty pediatricians. The difference was attributable to the higher number of hospital laboratory tests ordered by residents.…

Concern by the University of Washington School of Medicine that some students did not master the concepts of clinical reasoning led to a study of the class of 1981. Results suggest a significant problem with the acquisition and retention of clinical-reasoning skills in some medical students. (Author/MLW)