Information technology poses a threat to confidentiality of medical records. The number of parties claiming a need to know is increasing, but unrestricted access can lead to improper disclosure. Making health records semipublic may affect when and how people choose to obtain medical services. (SK)

Explores issues related to "right to die." Makes case for counselors to assist clients and families with concerns related to refusal or withdrawal of medical treatment in cases of terminal illness or in cases where quality of life is severely impaired such as permanent comatose state. Presents historical, ethical, and legal perspectives.…

This annual guide to income tax for parents of children with disabilities covers organizing records; avoiding audits; deducting medical expenses; and considering the impact of recent changes in medical expenses, Social Security numbers for children, child care, earned income credit, and deduction for dependents. (DB)

This paper outlines the principles of the rehabilitation process; describes the role of rehabilitation medicine with reference to services in the Saint George district of southern Sydney (Australia); and discusses the problem of the transition of patients to adult services. (Author/JDD)

This very brief comment on Herzog and Money (1993) concerning Klinefelter syndrome claims that the use of an antiandrogen with an individual whose endocrine status is already compromised by low levels of testosterone is inappropriate. (DB)

Reviews "An Artist in the University Medical Center" (M. Lesser, New Orleans: Tulane University Press, 1989), in which the artist captures the human side of the complex Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans (Louisiana). The interplay of drawings, etchings, watercolors, and prose conveys traditions of nurturing in the hospital. (SLD)

For both schools and hospitals, measure of quality is in tailoring service delivery (or responding) to individual need. To succeed, work process must be designed and managed for responding. Hospitals may appear to operate more systemically than schools because an invisible standard underlies all medical treatments. Perhaps a single framework or…

Comparison of the hospitalization experiences of 36 people with mental retardation under a managed care program model with those not enrolled (n=50) found that patients in the care coordination group had shorter hospital stays, fewer readmissions, and were less severely ill upon admission. Costs of care coordination were partially offset by…

Explores the healing processes at work in poetry therapy by examining two healing traditions that were contemporary in Athens of the fifth century B.C.: the tragic drama and the Asclepian healing procedure. Suggests that poetry therapy unites the powerful healing forces inherent in these ancient Greek practices, which accounts for some of its…

Uses conversation analysis to examine how doctors' and patients' practices of gaze and body orientation organize interaction such that doctors routinely initiate the sequence wherein patients disclose their chief complaint. Finds doctors use gaze/body orientation to communicate they are preparing but not yet ready to deal with complaints--while…

Study explores distinctions between chemically dependent suicide attempters, chemically dependent nonsuicidal adolescents, and high school students with no history of chemical dependency (N=250). Results reveal that there were significant differences between the chemically dependent groups. It was also found that the majority of suicidal gestures…

Review of the literature on psychopharmacology and mental retardation from 1990-1999 found most studies had major methodological flaws. Also, most drug administrations were not based in science, were not evaluated appropriately, and generally did not follow best practices for treatment of persons with mental retardation. A table lists the studies…

A randomized controlled trial (N=188 patients) of the effectiveness of counseling as part of primary care compared to routine advice from general practitioners was conducted with three practices. Measures were compared at four and eight months follow-up. General practitioners participated in action learning sessions with counselors. Results are…

Reports on the third Dead Sea Conference, stressing the importance of the human self-healing potential. Integrative theoretical models, integrative techniques, and workshops presented at the conference are reviewed. Presentations on cancer and immunology are reviewed. A need remains for education, counseling, and research integrating these…

The consequences of the trend toward salaried physicians working for a company has significant implications for all stakeholders in health care including organizational development, career development, human resource, education, research, and consulting professionals who interface with this industry on a regular basis. (Author/JOW)