A structured course for teaching interviewing is described which focuses on the interaction between the patient and the practitioner. The course focuses on relationship, communication, and feelings, and theoretical material is described behaviorally in checklist form. Different methods are used to help students apply skills in clinical situations.…

Results of a survey support the statement that pediatricians have a negative attitude toward the pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) in South Carolina, generally due to the physicians' feelings that the PNP is not competent at child illness management. Implications for pediatric residencies are discussed. (LBH)

An extensive written examination in pediatric clinical knowledge has been used to compare pediatric nurse practitioners with medical students and residents in pediatrics. Results of the study indicate that the PNPs were comparable in most areas except clinical pathology to the students and residents, sometimes even surpassing them. (LBH)

The impact of pediatric residents on total patient charges generated in the outpatient pediatric practice of a university hospital was evaluated. Average charges for visits to residents were greater than for visits to faculty pediatricians. The difference was attributable to the higher number of hospital laboratory tests ordered by residents.…

History-taking and physical examination techniques specific to clinical evaluation of the pediatric patient can be taught to medical students through a combination of audiovisual materials and limited bedside teaching. This combination of instruction was found to be as effective as and more efficient than a preceptor-type model. (Author/MLW)

A program was devised at the Iowa College of Medicine to solicit volunteer mothers and their toddlers to help teach well-baby examinations. Peers were used to review the adequacy of the examination relative to specific anatomic-procedural items; the mothers evaluated the affectual aspect of the mother-student, child-student relationship. (LBH)

Questionnaire assessment indicates that respondents were favorable to CPMPs, that there was little distraction caused by the equipment, logic or semantics of the problems, and that CPMPs were an acceptable examination technique. Practice time, instructional clarity, and revised problems were recommended. (LBH)

This Well Baby Clinic was designed to augment residency teaching program in evaluation of physical and emotional growth, in family counseling, and to gain data on response to varying immunizations. (IR)

A computerized patient record-keeping system in a pediatric residency program revealed limitations in residents' patient experiences and imbalances in their workload and curriculum and has been used by the faculty to correct them. The system uses eight interactive programs in the BASIC language. (MSE)

A study to evaluate the effect of a resident-staffed continuity clinic providing immediate subspecialty consulting rather than referral is reported. The study compared pediatric and nonpediatric clinics. A reduction in pediatric subspecialty visits occurred where general pediatricians could be expected to have substantial expertise. (MSE)

Identifies the special characteristics needed by hospices caring for terminally ill children, based on a feasibility study for a pediatric hospital. Concludes that the needs of terminally ill children and their families are not being met currently and that the hospice is as appropriate for children as for adults. (Author)

An elective course in pediatric pharmacy was designed to give students more in-depth knowledge of drug therapy for infants and children. Student input was used in designing the course, and course objectives, format, and content were evaluated by students to be relevant. (Author/MSE)

A program at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine that involves medical students in a school health program is described. Students showed a perception of two major problems facing school nurses: inability to obtain communication with physicians, and limits imposed by community practice and school policy on nurses. (MLW)

The Clinical Skills Assessment Form, a 12-item rating scale used for assessing the clinical skills of pediatric candidates during their final clinical examination, is described. The structure, reliability, and concurrent validity of the scale are analyzed. Further research using the scale is outlined. (Author/AL)

A test was used to assess the degree to which pediatricians and nurses specializing in perinatal care believe in a just world in which good is rewarded and evil is punished. Results indicate that the cause of some perinatal problems are more likely to be attributed to parents by health providers with a greater belief in a just world. (JMD)