Five issues that are likely to shape health care delivery and allied health occupations education in the near future are discussed, including (1) access to health care and reform of care; (2) development of new technology; (3) changing demographics in the United States; (4) competition among professions; and (5) a growing multidisciplinary…

Demographic information relevant to planning for optometric education is examined from three perspectives: changes in the national population, changes within the health professions in general, and changes within optometry. (MSE)

To prepare for the significant professional, technological, and demographic changes ahead, allied dental education should develop teams of dental professionals that are cost effective, efficient, and highly productive. Team leaders must be educated to acknowledge each member's unique role and affirm the importance of mutuality and reciprocity in…

Six trends affecting dental hygiene practice are discussed: demographic changes; disease pattern changes; higher societal expectations; financing and delivery system changes; technological advancement; and regulatory and legislative trends. It is argued that, though the trends reflect positively on dental hygiene, practitioners need to increase…

The report synthesizes and summarizes trends in the numbers and characteristics of persons who have applied to selected health professions schools (i.e., allopathic medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine) from 1977 to 1987. It is based primarily on data made available by the professional associations of the schools and…

Eight broad and significant trends in the health care environment are examined, including trends in demography, the economy, epidemiology, patterns of finance and delivery, science and technology, values, and higher education governance and institutional planning. Strategic accommodation of the changes is seen as necessary as the profession moves…