Individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) are disproportionately affected by disparities in the United States (U.S.) healthcare system due to medical miscommunications, misdiagnoses, and treatment errors. The purpose of this commentary is to provide an overarching social-ecological perspective on how to enhance patient-centered…

Noting the dependency of healthcare education on practice-based learning, Michael Begg, Rachel Ellaway, David Dewhurst, and Hamish Macleod suggest that creating a virtual clinical setting for students to interact with virtual patients can begin to address educational demands for clinical experience. They argue that virtual patient simulations that…

This article presents the authors' response to the invited commentaries on their paper (Wallace and Beange, 2008). On the point of "specialism", the authors emphasise a fundamental premise of their argument: the proposed "specialist" hospital-based service is inherently enmeshed within generic services at the hospital level,…

This commentary discusses whether a sufficient case has been made for specialism in hospital services as a viable alternative to existing generic services. The impact of developments in specialist care such as those outlined by Robyn A. Wallace and Helen Beange should be assessed as a means of reducing inequality. In particular, model services…

In this article, the author comments on the paper "On the need for a specialist service within the generic hospital setting" (Wallace & Beange, 2008), which raises critical issues regarding effective models of healthcare delivery for individuals with intellectual disability (ID), particularly within a hospital setting (but not…

Although the presence of intellectual disability (ID) per se is not usually regarded as a health problem, the biopsychosocial implications of cognitive impairment contribute to the vulnerability of adult patients with ID in any healthcare system. The adult patient with ID differs from a patient in the general population in terms of health…

Discusses the prevalence of cancer-related pain and identifies the barriers that undermine effective pain relief. Develops a model for social work intervention in terms of communication, assessment, problem solving, and psychological support for the patient. Emphasizes skills such as communication, assessment, problem solving, and psychological…

The established professional practice requiring informed consent for the disclosure of personal health information with its implied right to privacy suffered a serious setback with the first federal privacy initiative of the Bush administration. The new Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 (P.L. 104-191) privacy…

The authors' previous work with long-term family caregivers demonstrated the importance of conversational cues, the reliance on humor to convey sensitive information, and the ways in which the interviewer can follow up, with appropriate probes and nonverbal encouragement, to gain necessary insight into the caregiver situation. This article offers…

Discusses communication research in the health and social service professions. Comments on the quality of that research and provides suggestions for areas that are in need of study and for methods that could profitably be used. Includes an extensive bibliography. (PD)

In recent years, clinical and developmental psychologists have been practicing in health care settings, including public health programs and hospitals. Psychologists have struggled to develop an identity in the health care setting and a medical-psychological theory for practicing as a consultant with medical patients. Because consultation/liaison…

Cognitive, situational, legal, and attitudinal barriers to expanding the health care services offered by pharmacists are discussed. It is concluded that since pharmacists are the only health care professionals specializing in drugs and their proper use, the profession should maximize its contribution to society. (SF)

Discusses the barriers created when communication breaks down between physicians and poor patients, a failure generally resulting from inadequately shared information and a power asymmetry in the relationship. Suggests strategies for improving communication with poor patients, including improving listening and responding skills, avoiding jargon,…

Disputes that original data of Minuchin, Rosman and Baker (1978) support their assertions that some diabetic patients' physiological disturbance serves a function in their families. Concludes that their psychosomatic family model decontextualizes families, assigning to them characteristics more appropriately seen as reflections of the disease…