ABSTRACT
The attitude of doctors towards the profession influences to a large extent a number of aspects of clinical competence. Their attitude towards the patient is particularly important as it determines the quality of communication. There is reason to believe that a certain number of practising clinicians have not acquired the appropriate attitude to their patients and the skills in communicating that this entails in spite of specific undergraduate education programmes. This would warrant more and different attention to this subject by medical schools than is actually the case. The recently introduced scale of attitudes between doctor-centred, disease-oriented and patient-centred, problem-oriented could provide a basis for studying, teaching and evaluating individual attitudes of students.
Subject(s)
Education, Medical , Physician-Patient Relations , Clinical Competence , Communication , Curriculum , HumansABSTRACT
The scientific explosion of the second half of this century has led in the medical field to a process of specialization and sub-specialization, with heavy emphasis on knowledge and technical skills and neglect of the traditional humane and interpersonal aspects of the practice of medicine. An important part of clinical competence of the physician is thereby threatened. Therefore faculties should be encouraged to devise ways of teaching the formation of the right attitude as an integral part of the curriculum and include the testing of attitude in their evaluation of final competence of the student.
Subject(s)
Attitude of Health Personnel , Physicians/psychology , Clinical Competence , HumansABSTRACT
An attitude scale was devised to discriminate between the extremes of doctor-centred, disease-oriented as opposed to patient-centred, problem-oriented (the DP scale). Four groups of subjects (214 in all) were tested with a Likert-type questionnaire based on this scale. Significant differences in attitude between the groups were found. Educational implications are discussed.
Subject(s)
Attitude of Health Personnel , Physicians , Psychological Tests , Female , Humans , Male , Medical Staff, Hospital , Physician-Patient Relations , Physicians, Family , Students, MedicalABSTRACT
Pulse wave transmission times and pulse wave velocities in central aorta and peripheral arteries were measured in a group of 85 healthy children and adolescents between the ages of 1 and 21 years. A new external plethysmograph is described which gives reliable tracings of external pulsations. A method is given to calculate real pulse wave transmission time from the aortic valves to the groin.
