The required first-year clerkship in family and community medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School is discussed. The goals and objectives and the teaching methods used to implement the program are described. It is suggested that community medicine clerkships belong in the first year of the curriculum. (Author/MLW)

Data from a study of the organization and governance of academic health centers is highlighted. Top administrators in academic health centers were surveyed to assemble information on the structural components and hierarchial relationships, the processes by which decisions are made, the way conflicts are resolved, and the future of institutions.…

Economic trends in health care delivery and medical education in the United States are examined. It is noted that the market for physician services is being more extensively socialized due to insurance practices and it is suggested that there is a trend toward desocializing medical education and transferring a greater share of the cost to the…

Describes a project at Fort Riley, Kansas, combining military, community and private resources and stressing parent education and problems of isolation and self-concept. (SS)

Efforts of the Health Resources and Services Administration to combat and ultimately prevent domestic violence are discussed. In collaboration with states and communities, the agency has programs to strengthen the health care infrastructure, support direct community-based service delivery, and educate health care providers. A comprehensive…

Reports results of a working group convened by the American Association of Dental Schools to examine establishment of dental education programs with significant affiliations with community-based clinical care settings. Identifies factors and conditions believed to be critical to successful program linkages, including goals and objectives, support…

The School Health Intensity Rating Scale assesses student health in school and classifies information according to intensity of need. The paper discusses the background of the need for such a scale, describes development and testing of the scale, and examines the school nurse's role. (SM)

The Appalachian Regional Commission's 1996 Conference, "Building Blocks for Using Telecommunications and Information Technology," held in Binghamton, New York, focused on the role of telecommunications in Appalachia in education and training, telemedicine, business, and government. Highlights conference presentations on special…

This study followed children retrospectively from kindergarten through 12th grade to examine incidence of abnormal school vision screening tests and rates of follow-up by specialists. School vision screening provided first indication of abnormal visual acuity in 76% of the children. Results support the notion that school vision screening is…

The area health education centers (AHEC) program was established in West Virginia in 1972 as a centralized consortium linking undergraduate and graduate medical and health professions training in Charleston. In 1987 the reorganized AHEC began developing rural community-based consortia that integrate rural primary care residencies with state-funded…

Outlines some of the issues and practices currently shared by higher education and health care industries, including public dissent, declining government support, shifting of the distribution of expenses, applicability of revenue-based budgeting, debate over cost and quality, merger trends, changing traditions, concern for development of a…

A study in the Queen's University (Canada) medical school's family residency program found that in 70,805 patient encounters with residents, 65.1% were with women patients. While mean number of patients seen by male and female residents did not differ, proportions of women patients seen (58.6% for male residents, 68.4% for females) did vary. Male…

Discusses the disparity in research funding for Alzheimer's Disease (AD), the future of health-care policy and the need for reform. Provides an annotated bibliography of sources related to AD, long-term care, and health policy. The types of documents covered include journals, government documents, and grey literature (material not readily…

The National Cancer Institute created the Appalachia Leadership Initiative on Cancer, composed of four similar projects that focus on increasing screening for cervical and breast cancer among low-income, older women. The program relies on community coalitions that develop innovative grass roots methods to spread the message about the importance of…

Disenchantment with and heavy spending on health care has made policymakers more interested in health care research. The federal Agency for Health Care and Policy Research, university consortia for health-services research, and establishment of a national database are elements in a new focus on quality of care. (MSE)