Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to M F Bosworth.
Contrast sensitivity vision testing is the new technology in visual screening. Easy to administer and quick to perform, contrast sensitivity vision testing appears to be cost-effective for use by family physicians. It is a more sensitive indicator of ocular disease than traditional Snellen acuity testing and may detect ocular pathology at an early stage when Snellen acuity is still normal.
Differentiating between anorexia (loss of appetite) and weight loss (documented loss of pounds) can be difficult, but the same causes and treatments apply to both. Gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders, cardiopulmonary disease, the presence of a neoplasm or infection, and use of certain drugs are possible medical causes. Inadequate nutritional intake can result from the inability to obtain and prepare foods, dietary restrictions, intolerance to certain foods, and poor oral and dental health. Social factors that can greatly reduce an elderly person's interest in food include loneliness, depression, isolation, and self-consciousness because of hearing and visual impairments. Some problems, such as alcohol abuse or inappropriate use of certain medications, may be revealed only with difficulty, and some of the problems mentioned may overlap. Although the physician may find assessment of anorexia or weight loss in the elderly a challenge, it usually responds well to corrective measures.
Alcoholism is often difficult to recognize in the elderly. Information about alcoholic behavior cannot always be accurately extrapolated to older drinkers. Consequences of alcohol abuse and responses to treatment may be quite different in young and elderly alcoholics. Treatment must focus on such day-to-day problems as loneliness, loss of independence and declining health. Gentle persistence is required in guiding the patient to an awareness of the problem.
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Family practice has shown increasing interest in clarifying what constitutes effective teaching skills. This investigation enlists the support of family practice residents to further clarify which teaching behaviors and skills most significantly contribute to their medical education. Family practice residents in all 24 programs in Ohio were surveyed to determine their perceptions of the effectiveness of 38 separate clinical teaching behaviors. A rank order listing of these behaviors is presented to aid in organized faculty development programs, as well as to provide guidelines individual faculty can follow to improve family practice resident education. Factor analysis of the residents' responses indicate that clinical competence, providing constructive feedback to residents, and demonstrating a positive attitude toward teaching residents are perceived as necessary attributes of the most effective clinical teachers.