Family medicine
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Providers'attitudes about HIV/AIDS are an important dimension in the delivery of quality care to persons with HIV/AIDS. It is believed that education can alter attitudes, but there is a needfor a user-friendly instrument to measure the effect that HIV/AIDS educational programs have on attitudes. ⋯ This Q-sort instrument is a reliable method for measuring physician attitudes toward HIV/AIDS patients. Further studies can test its use for evaluating the effect of educational programs on changing provider attitudes.
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Although physician clinical precepting has been extensively studied, little information exists about the teaching styles of behavioral science faculty. This study investigated group characteristics associated with two styles of teaching--authoritative and collaborative--used by behavioral science faculty in a family practice residency training program. ⋯ Behavioral science faculty should consider that group characteristics of teachers, residents, and patients may influence teaching style.
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When patients fail to appear for scheduled appointments, the flow of patient care is interrupted, and clinic productivity declines. This study investigated the impact of failed appointments on a clinic by measuring time and money lost after taking into account same-day treatment patients (walk-ins). ⋯ Failed appointments pose financial as well as administrative problems for residency practices. Proactive reminder systems are needed to promote patient attendance.
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Several studies have shown that the percentage of women represented in senior academic positions at US medical schools is lower than the percentage of men in senior positions. Similarly, the percentage of minority faculty members represented in senior academic positions is lower than that of their majority counterparts. This study assessed whether these findings were also present in departments of family medicine and identified any factors related to the institution or department that favored academic success for women and minorities. ⋯ While women and underrepresented minorities are more common to the faculty workforce in family medicine, members of both of these groups are not well represented in senior faculty ranks.