Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A Whaite.
Evaluation of programs to train health professionals to deal more effectively with substance misuse and the criteria and instruments which have been used in assessing the programs' effectiveness are reviewed. The shortcomings of many such evaluation efforts are discussed and directions for future efforts are suggested.
Alcohol- and drug-related problems are a major component of the work of health professionals. Most professionals are inadequately trained to handle the problems they will confront in this field. The need for training in aspects of substance abuse is widely accepted. This paper is a review of reports of such training programs in English-speaking countries. The programs have been reviewed in four categories: (1) courses for practitioners and teachers of health professionals, (2) courses for medical students, (3) courses for nurses and nursing students, and (4) courses for other health professionals. Many programs have achieved their objectives, but documentation for many of them is insufficient to provide guidance for future program development. In general, knowledge gain is easily demonstrated, but changes in attitudes and skills require special conditions in training.
The Australian Commonwealth Minister for Health called on the Australian Medical standards in Australia. Among the initial responses of the AMA was the organization of a National Seminar of Peer Review. Participants were asked to identify questions they would like to have answered about peer review and about aspects of a peer review system which they would perceive as necessary for its acceptability. Responses to these questions are analyzed and discussed. Implications for the introduction of peer review in Australia are examined, and strategies for gaining the commitment of the profession to the implementation of peer review are suggested.
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