A study found that a combination of small-group instruction and large-group lectures was more effective than lectures alone in preparing medical students to respond to patients' emotional concerns. The small group instruction consisted of interviews with elderly nursing home residents serving as simulated patients, and structured practice and…

A four-session training component linking a pediatric residency program with a school- and home-based early handicap intervention program was found to be effective in introducing residents to issues concerning intervention with handicapped infants. (MSE)

Addresses the impact of patients' beliefs about health care on their decisions to follow medical advice and to undertake different actions to prevent illness. Concludes that among other things, doctors need to become more willing to modify their treatment plans according to patient needs. (VLC)

A group of first-year medical students who demonstrated inadequate interviewing skills in a test with proven reliability and validity were identified. The usefulness of individualized tutorials as a means of helping them improve their skills was assessed. (Author/MLW)

A program is described that relates behavioral science research to cancer care, encourages frank discussion and objective analysis of oncology practice, and attempts to dispell the myth that cancer patients are not medically manageable. A wide range of teaching methods are used. (MSE)

General curriculum emphases on behavioral science in the first- and second-year dental curriculum culminate in a course on doctor-patient relationships, preparatory to clinic activity. The course includes discussion and essay quizzes about videotape recordings of typical doctor-patient encounters. Topics and issues included are outlined. (MSE)

As part of a iatrosedation program, a computer-assisted system was developed to enhance evaluation and feedback processes central to course design. Computer-controlled audio and video playback devices and computer technology are used to record and play back physician-patient interviews and print a record of the interview evaluation session. (MSE)

The relationship between performance on a simulated patient and a real patient presenting a similar clinical problem is examined. Ten residents in family and internal medicine interviewed and examined four actual and four simulated patients and correctly identified 67 percent as real or simulated. (Author/MLW)

A patient interaction course designed to provide an introductory experience to the gross anatomy laboratory and to the interview and physical examination settings is described. The patient interaction course is composed of a series of four experiences: anatomy laboratory sessions, interviews, physical examinations, and small group discussions.…

A program devoted to discussion of a patient and the patient's problems, given to incoming medical students at the State University of New York at Buffalo as part of a three-day orientation, is described. The exercise gives the student immediate exposure to medical-school-level information. (Author/MLW)

An exercise was devised at the Middlesex Hospital Medical School, London, to facilitate medical students' ability to discuss death and dying with cancer patients. Students begin with a written situation to problem-solve and then move into pairs and groups to reach a consensus and discuss the problem. A videotaped simulation is also used. (JMD)

Argues that services and systems are needed to support medical students and faculty as they learn about domestic violence, particularly to help individuals deal with their own and others' personal attitudes, feelings, and reactions to patients who have suffered abuse. Complex issues to be considered in preparing medical students and faculty are…

First-year college students completed surveys to determine their current tobacco use levels and the advice they had previously received from physicians regarding tobacco products. Results indicated that nearly 20% of the students were currently smoking and that health care providers were not fully using opportunities to educate young adults about…

Five physicians were tape recorded during their initial interviews with 52 adult patients to quantify behaviors in physicians' initial interviewing style. Patients were asked to complete the Medical Interview Satisfaction Scale. Silences or reaction time latencies, reciprocity, and reflective use of interruptions were significantly correlated with…

Standardized patient case problems were administered to approximately 280 final year medical students. Results indicate that performance on a given component of clinical competence shows less consistency when measured on different cases than does performance on different components measured on the same case. (TJH)