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.…

The total number of applicants for first-year programs in graduate medical education through the National Intern and Resident Matching Program in 1976 exceeded the number of positions offered for the second consecutive year. There were deficits in the number of openings offered in the primary care specialties and surfeits in medical and surgical…

When medical student and resident education at a hospital-operated pediatric primary care clinic was threatened by chronic financial deficits, the clinic was reorganized as a faculty-operated prepaid group practice independent of the hospital. The group practice is cost-effective, promotes efficiency, and has improved faculty-hospital relations.…

In three decades, the osteopathic profession has moved from primarily manipulative therapy to full-service health care, replacing primary care emphasis with specialization. The profession should return to its original mission of primary care, establish links with allopathic medicine, and support new national policy for primary health care.…

The authors discuss the care-cure dichotomy (baccaulaureate students were found to be care-oriented; the associate degree students were cure-oriented) and the problems these attitudes present. (Author/BP)

Relationships between faculty ratings and performance on components of the National Board of Medical Examiners Certifying Examination for Primary Care Physician's Assistants were investigated. Results show significant though modest correlation. One implication is that faculty members are able to make discrete judgements about students on more than…

After comparing the development of training programs for new health practitioners (NHPs) with that for "old health practitioners" (physicians) in the U.S., the author summarizes information describing the NHP training programs: the number of programs and their location, the curricula, and evidence of the impact of these practitioners on the health…

The planning and development of interdisciplinary education for health associates at Johns Hopkins University are described by Malcolm L. Peterson. (Includes training of an interdisciplinary team of practitioners by an interdisciplinary team of teachers.) Walter O. Spitzer compares Canadian and U.S. experience in such interdisciplinary education…

Psychiatry instruction was divided into three components: basic information taught in a self-instructional format; experiential content (e.g., counseling and interviewing skills) taught with instructor feedback; and training in psychiatric data collection and diagnosis integrated in the self-instructional unit. Course use at Utah and student…

A system of patient handling was devised at the University of Virginia. All unscheduled primary care patients as well as walk-in patients making their third visit were seen in the Attending Clinic to assure a proper disposition. Data on this system and its usefulness in maintaining continuity are presented. (Editor/LBH)

Medical educators must acquaint students with the advantages of assessing the patient's total needs and of utilizing a broad range of services to help the patient achieve his fullest health potential. A schema is described for implementing the comprehensive health care concept. (Author/LBH)

The academic medical center is being affected by changes in the national health care delivery system, including the rapid growth in prepaid health plans, the emerging surplus of physicians, and the continued escalation of health care costs. (Author/MLW)

Consultation rates of medical house staff physicians were examined to determine the factors that lead to the use of consultants. The factors that were studied were clinical experience and teaching in medical school, intensity of use of services, residency year, Alpha Omega Alpha membership, and future practice plans. (Author/MLW)

A self-report questionnaire of graduates of a family practice residency program obtained information on their practices, professional and emergency medicine experiences, and attitudes toward the practice of emergency medicine by family practioners. (Author/MLW)

In response to the perceived need for primary care physicians, two major changes in internal medicine training have occurred: (1) a third year of general training was required for internal medicine board certification and (2) many hospitals developed primary care internal medicine residencies with an increased emphasis on ambulatory training.…