A study investigated changes in medical students' attitudes toward homosexuality following midyear freshman exposure to a panel presentation and after psychiatry clerkship. Group attitudes of three consecutive medical school classes were consistent, beginning and largely remaining in the "low-grade homophobic" category. An ongoing forum to explore…

The practice of requiring that children with disabilities undergo public medical examinations attended by numerous professional and student personnel is challenged. These discriminatory practices are attributed to uninformed attitudes of members of the medical establishment, and the implications for patients' quality of life are noted. (JDD)

Considers Directive to Physician, Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare Decisions, and Medical Ethics Decision Form. Notes importance of process individuals go through in defining what quality of life means to them. Sees current struggle being individual articulation of one's wishes based on personal definition of quality of life set forth in…

The concurrent validities of 3 short forms of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) were compared for their prediction of full-scale IQ for 145 male and 159 female psychiatric inpatients. Results support previous research showing better predictive accuracy for L. C. Ward's (1990) seven-subtest short form than the others. (SLD)

Design of a modified senior clinical program for a University of Texas dental student with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is described. The modifications required identification of sufficient HIV-positive comprehensive-care patients, often outside the dental school clinic, to provide the student with a broad base of clinical experiences.…

Use of the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test in Australia was studied by comparing it with existing research, scores on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), and other attainment tests. Subjects were 142 children aged 7-11 years. The suitability of the instrument in Australia is discussed. (SLD)

The use of patient encounter recordkeeping systems in four medical programs at three universities (Case Western Reserve University, Ohio; University of Colorado; and University of Rochester, New York) is described and compared. Uses for curriculum evaluation and development, psychometric uses, and administrative issues are discussed. (MSE)

This article presents guidelines developed by the American Association of Diabetes Educators concerning adaptive diabetes education for visually impaired persons (ADEVIP). The article discusses definitions, values, and assumptions; recommended professional educational background; role delineation; and process and content of ADEVIP. (DB)

The continuous method of scoring a performance test composed of standardized patients was compared with a derivative method that assigned each of the 131 examinees (medical residents) a dichotomous score, and use of Angoff's method with these scoring methods was studied. Both methods produce reasonable means and distributions of scores. (SLD)

A study investigated the perspectives of 31 British adults with intellectual disabilities and 104 carers on their experiences, expectations, and opinions of a primary health care project designed for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Results found that the majority of the individuals with intellectual disabilities were satisfied with the…

Knowledge about the inheritance of breast cancer and attitudes about genetic testing for breast-ovarian cancer susceptibility in women at increased risk were studied in Caucasian and African-American women (N=407). Participants had at least one first-degree relative with cancer. Differences in knowledge and attitudes toward risk may be attributed…

The overall effectiveness of patient education and counseling on preventive health behaviors was examined across published clinical trials, 1971-1994. The effectiveness of various approaches for modifying specific types of behaviors among patients without diagnosed disease was assessed. Multiple regression models indicated differences among…

Examines the extent to which inpatient and nonpatient samples of adolescents differ from each other with regard to prevalence and co-occurrence of emotional and behavioral problems and negative perceptions of family, school, and peers. Results reveal that co-occurrence in itself did not appear to be the distinguishing factor between the clinical…

The relationship between medical services and the education of a child with a disability is examined using a case study of a young boy with numerous disabilities. The perspectives of the parents, educators, and physicians are explained. Recommendations are given for more effective communication among families, medical professionals, and educators.…

Discusses results of a needs analysis undertaken on the Southern Illinois University-Carbondale campus to determine the language and communication problems that exist between staff of the student health program and their international patients. Results show that students and staff agree on several problem communication areas including medical…