Changes in residents' attitudes and achievement after distance learning via two-way interactive video.

Background And Objectives: Training family practice residents in communities remote from academic medical centers has been difficult because of the lack of available local subspecialists and the concomitant need for subspecialists to travel to each of the remote training sites. To alleviate these problems, the Area Health Education Centers Program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences sought to deliver high-quality presentations to family practice residents at remote locations, using two-way interactive video. The study 1) assessed the differences in attitudes of residents before and after a series of presentations and 2) evaluated the differences in achievement of residents based on who received the information by two-way interactive video or with the instructor on-site.

Esophagogastroduodenoscopy training in family practice residency program.

Background And Objectives: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is a procedure that has been gaining interest among family physicians. To determine the extent of EGD training at family practice residences, we surveyed all US family practice residency directors.

Methods: In late 1994, we mailed a questionnaire to the residency directors of all ACGME-accredited family practice residency programs.

Esophageal foreign body: a case presentation.

A case report is presented of a 10-month-old child with a 1-month history of respiratory symptoms, followed by 3 to 4 days of fever, progressing to poor feeding, vomiting, and weight loss. The child is cared for by his mentally disabled young parents. A chest radiograph revealed a metallic foreign body obstructing the proximal esophagus.

Relation between passive tobacco smoke exposure and the development of bacterial meningitis in children.

Background: The adverse effects of passive smoking have received wide attention in recent years. Although a number of childhood illnesses are known to be affected by exposure to tobacco smoke, to date the medical literature is silent about the effect of tobacco smoke on the development of bacterial meningitis in children. The purpose of this study was to learn whether any such association exists.

Pregnancy care in family practice: medical student perspectives on specialty and residency selection.

Background And Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of pregnancy care within family practice on medical students' choices of family practice as a career and to determine the effect the degree of emphasis on pregnancy care has on students' choices of specific residency programs.

Methods: Eight hundred and ten randomly selected student members of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and 805 randomly chosen members of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) were sent an 11-item survey that asked how their career (specialty) and specific residency program choice would be affected if family practice residencies included more (or less) training in pregnancy and delivery management.

Results: Fifty-one percent of AAFP members and 37% of AMSA members would be less likely to enter family practice if pregnancy care was eliminated from the specialty.