Reconsidering the family history in primary care.

Objective: The purpose of this paper is to review the role of the family history in predictive genetic testing, describe how family history taking is practiced in adult primary care, identify the current barriers to appropriate application of the family history, and outline the requirements for a new family history tool for primary care.

Design: We reviewed current perspectives on the family history, identifying key references in the medical literature and web-based family history tools through discussions with multiple content experts in clinical genetics, family medicine, and internal medicine. We conducted a Medline query using the search terms family history and primary care to identify references from the past 10 years.

The summer assistantship in patient education: a preclinical preceptorship.

Objectives: The Swimmer Assistantship in Patient Education was developed to teach principles and techniques of brief preventive health counseling and patient education to medical students who have finished their first year.

Description: Students complete an intensive training program and are then placed in family practice settings to educate and counsel patients full-time for 5 to 7 weeks.

Evaluation: Students evaluated the program after completion each year A survey of participants was conducted in fall 2000.

Primary care education: measuring instruction to improve quality.

The authors describe a validated instrument to measure instructional quality, using responses from first- and third-year medical students to assess ambulatory training sites.