Practice patterns of osteopathic physicians providing end-of-life care: a survey-based study.

Context: In 1996, the American Medical Association drafted and organized the Education for Physicians on End-of-Life Care (EPEC) curriculum. Leadership in the osteopathic medical profession has similarly recognized the goals of EPEC-resulting in the development of Osteopathic-EPEC, which incorporates the core tenets of osteopathic medicine.

Objective: To assess the impact of EPEC training and the integration of osteopathic principles and practice in end-of-life care provided by osteopathic physicians (DOs).

Privacy and patient-clergy access: perspectives of patients admitted to hospital.

Background: For patients admitted to hospital both pastoral care and privacy or confidentiality are important. Rules related to each have come into conflict recently in the US. Federal laws and other rules protect confidentiality in ways that countermand hospitals' methods for facilitating access to pastoral care.

Sexuality in older adults: behaviours and preferences.

Background: while much has been written about adult sexuality, relatively little is available about the sexuality of older people. Available literature often does not discuss specific sexual behaviours and includes predominantly married, better-educated, mostly young old.

Objective: the purpose of this study was to assess a sample of lower-income older adults, about whom there is limited information, to describe a full range of sexual behaviours and to identify the degree to which they are satisfied with their sexual activities.