Communication

This research investigated effects of audience generational composition, aging, and period on exposure to televised presidential campaign information from 1952 to 1980. A categorical regression cohort analysis, controlling for sex and education, revealed that cohort effects explained 40% of the variance in such television exposure. The hypothesis was supported that the cohort in midlife when television initially diffused used television

Patient reports of their communication experiences during cancer care could increase understanding of the communication process, stimulate improvements, inform interventions, and provide a basis for evaluating changes in communication practices.

Surgeons are increasingly performing procedures on awake patients. Communication during such procedures is complex and underexplored in the literature. Surgeons were recruited from the faculty of 2 hospitals to participate in an interview regarding their approaches to communication during awake procedures. Three researchers used the constant comparative method to transcribe, code, and review interviews until saturation was reached. Twenty-three surgeons described the advantages and disadvantages of awake procedures, their communication with the awake patient, their interactions with staff and with trainees, the environment of awake procedures, and how communication in this context is taught and learned. Surgeons recognized communication during awake procedures as important and reported varied strategies for ensuring patient comfort in this context. However, they also acknowledged challenges with multiparty communication during awake procedures, especially in balancing commitments to...

Medical students become ironically vulnerable patients. Despite their level ofeducation, awareness ofillness, and proximity to medical professionals and health institutions, unusual and largely unrecognized problems may interfere with medical student health care. The reasons for ...

Two time-studies and an interview study were carried out at a geriatric clinic. The aim was to elucidate how much time caregivers use for direct patient care in their contact with severely demented patients compared with non-demented patients as well as how they experience the care of demented patients in a task assignment care system. The analysis showed that more time was used to help non-demented patients than demented patients with the same ADL-performance. Five types of patient reactions to communicative attempts made by the caregivers were described: the patient seems to enjoy contact, he avoids contact, contact leads to aggression, he reacts only sporadically to contact and he does not show any reactions to it. The caregivers described negative reactions to demented patients with communication problems. Communication problems seem to be a threat to caregivers' commitment.

Medical students' interpersonal and communication skills are a fundamental dimension of their clinical competence and will be measured on the anticipated US Medical Licensure Examination (USMLE) standardized patient (SP) exam. We compared students' performance on measures of SP satisfaction on a third-year family medicine Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) with measures of SP satisfaction on a fourth-year Clinical Practice Examination (CPX). A total of 127 students completed both the clerkship OSCE and a CPX. The CPX was a pilot of the National Board of Medical Examiners Standardized Patient Exam. To assess students' interpersonal skills, both exams used modified versions of the American Board of Internal Medicine Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire. Students' scores were standardized, and correlations were calculated. A logistic regression model examined the ability of the OSCE to predict poor performance on the CPX. The correlation between the OSCE and...

Handoffs are an integral component of patient care, and the number of handoffs has increased as a result of duty hours restrictions for resident physicians. A structured handoff curriculum improves accuracy and has been shown to decrease medical errors. A standardized approach across all specialties is lacking in the published literature. The authors discuss the development and implementation of an institution-wide handoff curriculum for incoming first-year residents. An Innovation in Graduate Medical Education committee, including faculty from multiple specialties, identified an educational deficiency in handoffs and selected this as the target for the educational innovation. Meetings were held to develop and implement an extensive handoff curriculum for incoming first-year residents. The designed curriculum included large- and small-group sessions, and a specialty-specific observed simulated handoff experience. The authors analyzed participants' pre- and postsurveys using descriptive statistics. One hundred and twenty-four participants attended the formalized handoff training day. Following training, residents recognized that dedicated time for verbal exchange, templates for accessing and recording information, interactive handoffs giving priority to ill patients, and highlighting action items were most important for effective handoff. Both undergraduate and graduate medical education curricula need to develop formalized training and methods to assess competencies in handoffs. Training incoming residents is a logical starting place, but programs should be systematically disseminated across all specialties, from residents to faculty, in order to be effectively integrated into the culture of an institution.

Este artigo relata parte de uma pesquisa que visou compreender que interações ocorrem na atividade de resolução de problemas capazes de desenvolver nos alunos, do 4.º ano do ensino básico, a capacidade de comunicar. Utilizou-se uma metodologia qualitativa-interpretativa. A recolha de dados fez-se através de entrevistas, observação de aulas de resolução de problemas, registos dos alunos e notas de campo. A atividade de resolução de problemas permitiu que os alunos desenvolvessem a aptidão para explicitar oralmente o raciocínio utilizado e para representarem por escrito as ideias matemáticas, criando oportunidades para comunicarem entre si e com a professora na aula. A natureza e qualidade das interações comunicativas ocorridas variaram com a abordagem da resolução de problemas na sala de aula, tendo sido decisivas tanto as interações verticais, como as horizontais para os alunos se envolverem na atividade, criarem um espírito investigativo e desenvolverem a capacidade de comunicar.