Results obtained from a study designed to assess the effectiveness of teaching with heart sound simulation in improving skill in clinical ausculation suggest the usefulness of further study, particularly that involving comparison techniques. (JT)

Discusses how clinical diagnosis is taught to third year medical students, focusing on the software developed and used. At present, the system utilizes menu presentation on an IBM PC, with keyboard responses. (JN)

Differences between fad bulimia and clinical bulimia are presented using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) criteria, personality assessment measures, and responses to counseling. (Author)

Guidelines developed for educational institutions by the American Association of Dental Schools (AADS) as curriculum development aids are presented. The need for the dentist to be properly trained in the physical evaluation of patients is emphasized. (MLW)

Medical students in a course that included instruction in patient interviewing participated in an experiment devised to alert them to sources of bias that might influence their judgments and management of patients. Suggestions are made for incorporating such sensitization experiments in the medical curriculum. (Author/LBH)

In a survey of pre-clinical students' views on being told their diagnosis and prognosis in the hypothetical case of cancer, high agreement in the proportion wanting to be or not to be told was found between the responses of students and a sample of cancer patients reported by Kelly and Friesen. (Author/LBH)

Advances have been made in testing optometrists' clinical skills, particularly with the use of simulation techniques. Further research into these techniques will probably receive the most attention, although a shift in research emphasis from correlational studies of test validity and reliability to test development studies is needed. (MSE)

An effective evaluation of the acutely ill female implies a thorough examination that integrates skills representing three learning domains. This process should include: a thorough medical history, a physical examination, good patient-physician rapport, and development of an efficacious management plan. A University of Iowa simulation approach is…

The sword-tailed horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) has developed its own defense against bacteria surrounding it. This defense system, under the name "Limulus test," now provides medicine and hygiene with a valuable means of detecting bacterial endotoxins at extremely low levels. (Author/JN)

Three aspects of clinical research career decision-making were explored: the timing of the decision to enter a research career, the relationship between research success and the timing of the decision, and the impact of two disincentives to enter research careers. (Author/MLW)

The results of two Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) surveys of ophthalmology teaching are reported. The results indicate that currently assigned time for teaching ophthalmology is limited and gradually declining. A main concern is that students learn proper diagnosis to avoid inappropriate referral. (Author/MLW)

A technique for simulating the papulosquamous skin diseases, using a computer, has been developed and tested with medical students and dermatologists to determine whether this type of simulation is suitable for training students in dermatological diagnosis. The results indicate that it appears to be feasible for training students in differential…

Videotapes recorded ward rounds at the pediatric teaching hospital affiliated with McGill University. The study revealed a variety of educational problems that provided the basis for a workshop on clinical teaching. The usefulness and practicality of the method as a tool for improving teacher effectiveness in a clinical setting was demonstrated.…

A study involving 83 college students, 83 community residents, and 103 patients was conducted to establish cutoff scores on the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IPP) (L. Horowitz and others, 1988) for judging clinically significant improvement in interpersonal functioning. The IPP could distinguish among students, patients, and an asymptomatic…

A program at an inner-city community health center involving 20 family practice residents provided an educational intervention concerning the use of laboratory tests based on quality of care, not cost containment. During the program, the use of thyroid stimulating hormone test declined, while complete blood counts ordered did not. (MSE)