A study examined the effectiveness of a method designed to increase active patient involvement in the health care context. Subjects, 38 patients visiting a three-physician dermatology practice one randomly selected morning, were asked to fill out a survey at the end of their visit. Half of the subjects were asked to read a "communication…

A study, to support the need for exploratory research, was designed to elicit a description of the medical chart located in its setting--the chart was looked "through" as a tool (as a means to an end to effect particular medical goals) and looked "at" itself as technology. This could provide a way to understand the relationship…

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…

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…

A content analysis examined the narratives of 3,868 patients at 6 health care institutions, who described critical incidents during hospitalization and ambulatory health care. Results indicated that from the patient perspective, assessments of quality have less to do with clinical and administrative quality, than with providers' communication…

The practice of comprehensive or total patient care at the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry student clinics is described. In response to current reviews the system is preparing for innovations designed to enhance the delivery of care and maximize the student educational experience. (MLW)

This paper focuses on three issues: (1) gender seems to structure life chances so that women and men end up with quite different fates in later life; (2) maintaining a sense of adequate masculinity seems to remain very important to men until the end of life, and most women also seem to need to experience themselves as feminine, but are less…

A survey was conducted to determine the patient's perception of treatment received from clinicians at the Texas Chiropractic College Clinic in Pasadena, Texas. A questionnaire designed to assess various aspects of the school's clinical and dispensary services was administered to 79 patients who had completed their treatment prescriptions. The…

Although death and the circumstances surrounding it are inevitable for all people, open discussions of this subject are considered morbid and thus taboo. The fear of death, however, greatly affects the care administered to dying patients in a health care setting by professionals, family, and friends. A mail survey was administered to 247…

In view of the dramatic increase in the number of women graduating from medical school in each of the past five years, this study explored patients' preferences for male versus female physicians. A questionnaire was designed to determine the patients' physician preferences in regard to each of the following areas: the sex of patient; the physician…

A multi-faceted Rasch measurement (MFRM) model was used to analyze a clinical skills assessment of 173 fourth-year medical students in a Midwestern medical school to investigate four types of rater errors: leniency, inconsistency, halo, and restriction of range. Each student performed six clinical tasks with six standardized patients (SPs), who…

The problems and usefulness of an evaluation plan used to evaluate the adult day care services at Parkside Human Services Corporation are examined in this report. After the initial agreed upon objectives of the evaluation are given, the basic problem of disagreement between practitioner and researcher on operation of the program during the…

Discusses accepted standards of care for suicidal patients from the perspectives of the law, malpractice insurance claims, the mental health professions, and the ideal. A review of decisions of professional liability provides guidelines for what the court considers to be adequate care, suggesting an acceptance of minimal standards. (JAC)

This paper describes the Winnebago County (Wisconsin) Community Options Program, begun in January, 1982, which provides for a comprehensive assessment of all elderly persons within the target area who are at risk of becoming institutionalized. The paper focuses on the planning activities for the first year of the pilot program including community…

Definitions are provided, fundamental goals and issues are described, and approaches to quality assurance are reviewed. These topics are oriented in terms of their relationship to dental education and comprehensive care. (MLW)