A listening group developed an operational definition of the closure phase based on audiotaped data from 22 office visits. A full communication analysis on the closure phase of the visit is presented. Interruptions to closure, including unfinished business, were studied. Doctors' communication skills needed to improve closure effectiveness are…

As residency training programs attempt to integrate new educational programs, teachers may find residents less interested in learning about the psychosocial aspects of patient care than in the biomedical aspects. These attitudes may present barriers to implementing a curriculum designed to teach psychosocial skills. (MLW)

A study measured the effects of a medical college faculty development course in medical interviewing on attitudes toward learner-centered learning. Even though the learner-centered approach was not explicitly taught, participants (n=29) developed favorable attitudes approaching those of the facilitators, and the attitudes were sustained six…

Attitudes of 120 residents from three teaching hospitals about psychosocial aspects of patient care and the feasibility of teaching psychosocial skills to residents were compared to those of 86 practicing internists, 42 psychiatrists, 29 academic general internists, and 63 surgeons. The newly developed scale was seen as useful in evaluating…