A study compared the 1984-88 test performances of United States osteopathic medical school graduates and Canadian medical school graduates with those of U.S. and foreign medical school graduates during the same period. Findings, limitations, and implications for recruitment and training of internal medicine specialists are discussed. (Author/MSE)

An innovative internal medicine clerkship provides a one-month ambulatory care component followed by two months of traditional inpatient experience. Assessment of the changes in student ability to diagnose in a variety of brief cases found knowledge gains in the shorter ambulatory care segment were double those in the longer segment. (MSE)

Many active athletes do not consume enough zinc or iron, which are important for oxygen activation, electron transport, and injury healing. Subclinical deficiencies may impair performance and impair healing times. People who exercise regularly need counseling about the importance of adequate dietary intake of iron and zinc. (SM)

Reviews a range of developments in methodology for studying digestive physiology including comparative anatomy, fistulas and canals, imaging, electromyography, and tracers. Exercises for gathering firsthand data on the use of tracers, analyzing secondhand data on tracers, and interpretation of comparative anatomy of bird stomachs are given as…

Examined both qualitatively and quantitatively the diachronic evolution of referential behavior in medical written-English discourse within a social constructivist perspective. Analyzed a corpus of 162 medical articles published in 34 British and American medical journals between 1810 and 1995. (Author/VWL)

Examines some medical classification systems with a long history--notably the "International Classification of Diseases (ICD)." States that this classification scheme retains many traces of its own administrative and organizational past in its current form. Suggests that ICD, like other large-scale classification systems, performs so…

Discusses the importance of teaching preventive medicine and presents a set of core competencies in preventive medicine for undergraduate medical education recommended by a 1997 task force of medical educators. Also reviews the Medical School Objectives Project, which describes in broad terms the knowledge, attitudes and skills students must…

Suggested resources for planning and creating curricula in disease prevention and health promotion in medical schools are grouped into three categories: (1) national initiatives (such as the "Healthy People 2010" and "Put Prevention Into Practice" programs); (2) teaching immunization (including materials for physicians and nurses); and (3) key…

Two groups of college students were given different types information to read regarding stimulant medicines for attention deficit hyperactive disorder. No differences were found between the gender of participants and their perceptions of the medications based on reading materials. Type of information did influence their views of the efficacy and…

Reviews measures of dental health in children and the evidence on child dental health. Although children's dental health has improved over the past two decades, many poor children do not receive necessary dental health services, and reasons for this failure are summarized. (SLD)

Australian older adults were trained to act as advocates and role models to inform peers on effective use of medicines. Trainees reported difficulties experienced by older learners when training is too concentrated. Many noted increased self-esteem and personal growth as a result of their involvement. (SK)

A study of 187 internists, evaluated by peers they recommended, found the highest rating was for integrity, and lowest was for psychosocial aspects of patient care. Peer raters' response rate and analysis of the ratings suggest this rating process is acceptable to physicians and that it is feasible to obtain reliable, multidimensional peer…

Professional boxers provided information about their careers and training practices and completed neuropsychological testing. Test performance did not relate to age, boxing record, career length, or knockout history. The amount of sparring inversely related to performance on several of the tests, with impairment in the areas of attention,…

It can be intellectually stimulating for students to examine images of the medical profession as depicted in popular song lyrics. Reflection on medical metaphors allows students to assemble a more reasoned perspective on professional health care reality. A variety of medical imagery is detailed that can be adapted for classroom instruction. A…

Outlines the classical digital library model, which is derived from traditional practices of library and information science professionals, as an alternative to the database retrieval model. Reports preliminary results from an evaluation study of library and information professionals and endusers involved with primary care medicine. (AEF)