This response to the Institute of Medicine's 1995 report concerning the present status and future needs of dental education raises five concerns regarding the report's implementation such as the possibility of dentistry becoming a medical speciality, the exclusion of the private sector from the educational decision process, and the assumption that…

Explores the following policy approaches to drug use by pregnant women: (1) criminal prosecution of the mother; (2) allegations of child neglect against the mother with interruption of custody; and (3) drug treatment. Discusses whether each reduces drug use during pregnancy or improves maternal and infant health and well-being. (JS)

Discussed are technological advances applying computer techniques for image acquisition and processing, including digital radiography, computed tomography, and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. Several diagrams and pictures showing the use of each technique are presented. (YP)

Discussed is a radionuclide imaging technique, including the gamma camera, image analysis computer, radiopharmaceuticals, and positron emission tomography. Several pictures showing the use of this technique are presented. (YP)

Described are applications of computers in the field of medicine, including patient monitoring, patient treatment, patient imaging, patient therapy, and rehabilitation. (YP)

Described is the role of the medical physicist in five areas of medical application, including radiotherapy, nuclear medicine, diagnostic radiology, environmental radioactivity, and dosimetry and personal monitoring. The management contribution of the medical physicist is discussed. Provided are two examples of new techniques influencing radiation…

This article discusses the role that university health centers and schools of public health can play in bolstering a community's capacity to solve its own health and human service problems, reviewing specific strategies and models that institutions can implement in partnership with local communities. (MDM)

Presents survey data on low-income elderly people. Examined sociocultural and quality-of-life variables as they affected use of health care and transportation services. More than half of respondents did not receive medical care despite reporting multiple symptoms. Most participants relied upon public transportation to obtain health services. (RJM)

A survey of 127 hospice physicians attempted to identify appropriate performance objectives for medical training in care of the terminally ill. The 39 objectives identified covered physician attitudes, knowledge, and skills. Thirty-four of the objectives were validated. The list of objectives with their ratings is included. (MSE)

This paper reports on experiences and concerns of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania as a participating primary care site in a Medicaid managed care program (HealthPASS). Discussed are the modification of existing activities to meet increased care demands and administrative demands, and characteristics of HealthPASS that have impeded…

Describes a school reintegration program aimed at overcoming the numerous psychological, physical, environmental, and family-based deterrents to school reentry for chronically ill children. The program uses a systems approach to children's mental health with an emphasis on multiple aspects of the child's environment (i.e., family, medical…

Recently states have increasingly turned to managed care arrangements to finance and deliver health services to Medicaid beneficiaries. As this trend continues, states should carefully monitor changes in program costs and quality and implications for delivery of pediatric services and health outcomes for children. (SLD)

A survey of 468 practicing family physicians, general internists, and pediatricians examined relationships between educational debt and specialty choice, practice location choice, and types of patients treated. Results indicate that the high costs of medical training promoted rural work and care for poor patients by prompting generalists to commit…

A discussion of changes in medical school organization to meet new financial challenges looks at the traditional medical school management model and proposes an alternative, the service line management matrix model. In this model, each institutional mission (teaching, research, patient care) must be managed for its cost-effectiveness. Roles of…

Suggestions for working with students with attention deficit disorders (ADD) include: seek medical evaluation; discuss treatment options with the physician and school; communicate with the child's teachers; provide feedback, praise, and consequences; help the child develop social skills; understand when ADD with hyperactivity is disabling; know…