Presents assumptions and principles for education about death, dying, and bereavement developed by the Education Work Group of the International Work Group on Death, Dying, and Bereavement. Intended for professionals in health care and human services concerned with education in this area. (PVV)

This article describes the similarities between the components of interpersonal compatibility and the quality of a health educator's person-profession relationship. (MM)

A medical model is used to examine liability issues related to cardiac rehabilitation programs. Obtaining effective informed consent from patients, standardizing policies and procedures, and exercise prescription and monitoring are among the proposed elements of a risk management model for developing safe and legally defensible programs. (IAH)

Discusses opportunities for careers in health care field. Claims there are many good reasons for students to consider a health career including prestige, job security, and the chance to fulfill a personal desire to help other people. Concludes anyone considering a career in health could not have picked a better time to move into the field. (ABL)

Offers a brief look at articles in the field of nursing that deal with poetry therapy in healthcare training programs. Argues that all individuals in the field can benefit from an expansion of the imagination and of empathy which poetry can provide, and calls for more writing on the topic. (SR)

At the request of Senator William Roth, Jr., the General Accounting Office (GAO) reviewed Medicare and Medicaid fraud investigations that agency inspectors general referred to the Department of Justice for prosecution to identify characteristics of alleged fraud against the government and to determine actions taken against those caught defrauding…

Documented health hazards associated with Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS), especially for children, justify school smoking bans. Acknowledging that enforcement may be difficult, this article suggests several implementation strategies; stressing health benefits and positive steps to help smokers quit. (IAH)

Although health consequences of alcohol consumption with certain drugs are generally appreciated, diversity of interactions is not. In addition to central nervous system depression, combination of alcohol with other drugs may result in hypoglycemic reactions, cardiovascular complications, and other severe or unanticipated reactions. Personnel…

The care of individuals with dementia requires knowledge and competencies across a wide range of physical and psychosocial aspects of the disease. Yet the quality of care for persons with dementia suffers from staff shortages and inadequate training about the treatment and optimal care strategies for individuals with Alzheimer's disease. Attention…

The workshop reported in this document focused on professional and patient smoking education. First, high priority clinical opportunities for smoking intervention were identified. Second, topically-oriented small groups met to plan activities in each of the following priority areas: (1) initiation of smoking cessation/maintaining non-smoking…

Examines the debates between civil libertarian attorneys and psychiatric professionals. Focuses on the issues of deinstitutionalization, patients' rights, and institutional conditions. Discusses how coalitions can be formed and cites the deinstitutionalization of New York State's Willowbrook Hospital patients as an example of cooperation between…

The establishment of liability for practice, and the granting of a limited immunity from liability, are intended to have different effects on clinical practices. Establishing a limited immunity from personal liability for clinicians may lead to less protection of the constitutional rights of patients, whereas increasing malpractice liability for…

The four most common techniques for assessing continuing education needs in the health professions are quality assessment, critical incident techniques, surveys, and literature searches. Each method tends to reflect different needs, real or felt. (SK)

During the 1970s, increasing health care demands resulted in a greatly increased work force and a need for highly skilled workers. Wages and salaries of health personnel remained below and absences above national averages. (Author/SK)

Examines moments in the course of informal medical encounters between English health visitors and mothers in which motherhood and medicine collide. Within the conversations, motherhood, medicine, and morality are yoked to the interaction order that is inflected and influenced by the medical context of the encounters. The paper discusses motherhood…