Rural background and specialty choice of family medicine are each significant predictors of practice in a nonmetropolitan area. The utilization of the medical school selection process to address the maldistribution problem is examined, and a predictive model is described. (MLW)

Analysis of the University of Michigan's eight-year-old medical service plan looks at its revenue and expenses, impact on medical school programs of education, research, and patient care, and the environment influencing chairman and faculty recruitment and retention. A survey identified factors important in the plan's success. (Author/MSE)

Results of a study concerning 21 children undergoing pediatric-based assessment indicate that the majority of recommendations evolving from the combined, interdisciplinary assessment are implemented and approved by parents and school personnel. Study results support pediatric-based assessments for school problems and demonstrate the advantages of…

At the Rockford School of Medicine, clinical teachers of primary care medicine have developed a curriculum and goals to guide learning and to be used as a reference point for self-assessment and group assessment of teaching. In addition, other desirable teacher behaviors and concerns have been identified to be discussed at group meetings. (JMD)

A biopsychosocial model used in an attempt to integrate physical, psychological, and social data into a matrix that facilitates clinical problem solving is described. The purpose of the training was to expand the resident's understanding of the emotional aspects of patients' problems and his/her own difficulties in using such understanding. (MLW)

Medical academic centers must adjust to a period of little or no real economic growth and make changes for continuing progress. Areas affected by the economic slowdown include policies regarding faculty private practice, the relationship between teaching hospitals and academic health centers, the production of primary care physicians, and the…

Medical student instructional costs were determined for a required third-year primary care clerkship based in an ambulatory care setting. Included in the analysis were labor costs of faculty and other personnel, space, materials, and university overhead. Implications of the high costs generated by such clerkships are discussed. (Author/JMD)

Perceptions of students who would have elected a preceptorship rotation had it not been required were compared with those of students who participated only to fulfill the requirement. Both groups perceived an increase in knowledge of primary care practices and confidence in relevant clinical skills. (Author/LBH)

The implementation of a continuity of a care clinic in a highly subspecialized Veterans Administration internal medicine training program for postgraduate medical students is described, with focus on resolving problems created by the idiosyncratic administrative features and resource limitations of the hospital. (Author/JMD)

A study examined four "bimodal" medical schools (University of Washington, University of North Carolina, University of California/San Francisco, University of California/San Diego), ranked highly in both production of primary care physicians and receipt of National Institutes of Health research grants. The study examined institutional…

The profession of medicine has a central role to play in ushering in the new paradigm of a health care system that will invest its efforts in health promotion and disease prevention on the one hand and in treatment and rehabilitation of the sick and injured on the other. (MLW)

Discusses the effects of trends in health care services, including an emphasis on primary health care and patient involvement, on the information needs of health care professionals and managers. A proposed information network that would provide point of use access to sources of health care information is described. (three references) (CLB)

The effectiveness of health care for high risk adolescents was studied. Seven funded clinics were compared to three non-funded clinics. Funded clinics detected and treated a wider range of medical and behavioral problems than the others. Males must be encouraged to seek these services. Specific interventions for adolescent patients are needed. (VM)

The Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science surveyed its students (n=44) and those of the University of California at Los Angeles medical school (n=402) to determine whether its initial classes are pursuing primary care careers consistent with the institution's mission. Results suggest student characteristics are at least as influential…

A survey of 63 general medical residents found most accepted the psychosocial role of the primary care physician, found it most appropriate in ambulatory care settings, felt ambivalent about their ability to perform it, and assigned it secondary priority in patient care. More attention by training programs to ambulatory care and psychosocial…