Positive impact of a master of science in applied anatomy program on USMLE Step 1 performance.

In this retrospective study of medical student data from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, we examined the impact of the Master of Science in Applied Anatomy (MS) program on medical student performance on the United States Medical Licensing Examination(®) (USMLE(®)) Step 1 and Step 2. From 2002 to 2010, 1,142 students matriculated as either students in the medical curriculum (MD group; 1,087 students) or MD students who also participated in the MS program (MD/MS group; 55 students). In addition, students were grouped as in either the Western Reserve Curriculum (2002-2005; WR1) or the Western Reserve 2 Curriculum (2006-2010; WR2).

Readability of Patient-oriented Online Dermatology Resources.

Background: Supplemental educational reading material is of no value to patients if it is not read and comprehended.

Objective: Using standardized research tools, online patient education materials were comparatively assessed for readability and length in words to identify the strengths and weaknesses of widely utilized sources.

Methods: Three sources of patient-education material on the internet (WebMD.

Cancer risk assessment: examining the family physician's role.

Background: Cancer risk assessment begins in the primary care clinician's office. Essential components of that process include: 1) documentation of personal and family cancer information; 2) identification of families at increased risk for cancer; 3) modification of cancer screening recommendations according to degree of risk; 4) referral of high-risk individuals to cancer genetics clinics. The purpose of this study was to examine these 4 components of primary care cancer risk assessment using data abstracted from patient records at an academic family medicine center.

Effect of communications training on medical student performance.

Context: Although physicians' communication skills have been found to be related to clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction, teaching of communication skills has not been fully integrated into many medical school curricula or adequately evaluated with large-scale controlled trials.

Objective: To determine whether communications training for medical students improves specific competencies known to affect outcomes of care.

Design And Setting: A communications curriculum instituted in 2000-2001 at 3 US medical schools was evaluated with objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs).

A comparison of ambulatory services for patients with managed care and fee-for-service insurance.

Objectives: To determine whether family physicians provide different ambulatory care to patients with health insurance from managed care organization (MCO) versus fee-for-service (FFS) plans.

Study Design: Multimethod cross-sectional observational study.

Patients And Methods: A total of 4454 patients made office visits to 138 family physicians in northeastern Ohio.