Examines feasibility and effectiveness of implementing a directive education program called "Let Me Decide" to veterans living in Ontario. Discusses two methods used to evaluate implementation of the program. Reports that 97% of the veterans found the education process beneficial whether or not they completed the directives. (Author/JDM)

Purpose: Our objective in this study was to compare the quality of care provided under the Minnesota Senior Health Options (MSHO), a special program designed to serve dually eligible older persons, to care provided to controls who received fee-for-service Medicare and Medicaid managed care. Design and Methods: Two control groups were used; one was…

Residency educators are identifying approaches to measure resident competence. Portfolios are well suited since they require work already completed as part of patient care where competency must be demonstrated. This paper describes assessment of the reliability and validity of portfolios in a psychiatry residency program. This was a…

In this paper, the authors aim to (a) explore attitudes toward and preferences for living in the newly emerging place type of assisted living facilities in comparison to nursing homes, and (b) assess the possible impact of familiarity on those attitudes and preferences. Ninety-eight respondents (with a mean age of 62) were surveyed. Respondents…

This study used data from 1994 to 1999 from one large county in Pennsylvania to estimate the Medicaid expenditures of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and to compare these expenditures with those of other Medicaid-eligible children. On average, children diagnosed with ASD had expenditures 10 times those of other children.…

The Working Together (WT) project involved the design and delivery of an online learning resource for healthcare teams in long-term care (LTC) so that knowledge regarding interprofessional collaborative patient-centred practice (ICPCP) could be readily accessed and then transferred to the workplace. The purpose of this paper is to better…

The process of relaxation is a complex triarchic phenomenon that incorporates behavioral, cognitive, and physiological components. Existing literature is surveyed in order to determine the efficacy of treating various forms of depression with cognitive-behavioral relaxation strategies. Relaxation training has been shown to be effective in treating…

Currently, the extent of palliative care instruction varies considerably across and within the three major phases of the physician education and training process. This analysis of current educational efforts in palliative care is based on information obtained from a survey conducted of all United States medical schools, surveys conducted on United…

The purpose of this study was to identify relations between nurses' interaction styles and patient care interventions (PCI) that occurred after nurse-doctor interactions. A nonparticipant observer recorded interactions of 48 female registered nurses with physicians. Transcripts were coded and assigned to one of five theoretical nurse interaction…

This document contains witnesses' testimonies from the Congressional hearing held in New York to gain that state's perspective on health maintenance organizations (HMOs). The hearing was convened by Robert Blancato and prepared statements from Representatives Mario Biaggi and Thomas Manton are included. Chairman Biaggi's statement calls the…

An exploratory study using interviews of 150 postpartum patients was conducted to determine their perceptions of the touching they received during labor. Answers to the interview questions were analyzed in terms of overall perceptions, positive experiences, and negative experiences, and selected demographic variables were examined for differences…

This two-volume compilation classifies, describes, and critiques 159 clinical nursing instruments; 140 which measure psychosocial variables, 19 which measure physiological variables. Instruments are in various formats: paper and pencil tests, questionnaires, interview schedules, observation guides, rating scales, and mechanical devices such as…

The author contends that the professional standards review organization (PSRO), a national effort to assure high quality medical care, offers a challenge and an opportunity to the academic medical center. He discusses potential impact on role definition, criteria development, continuing medical education, curriculum evaluation, and attitudinal and…

Reports a 4-year experience in teaching evaluation of care at a 3-year medical school. Topics are introduction of patient care evaluation, impact of professional standards review organization (PSRO) legislation on program design, results (evaluation of quality assurance program), and future teaching of quality-cost evaluation. (JT)

Early clinical trials (observational or randomized) hasten the prompt evaluation of new operations. Early clinical surveillance facilitates the design and implementation of randomized clinical trials when they are necessary. Long-term surveillance of operations allows continuing evaluation when their use becomes widespread. (BB)