Recent studies of the validity of student ratings of teaching leave much to be desired. Five of these studies are evaluated on the basis of adequacy of design, validity, and generalizability; and one of the studies is used as a model for further inquiry in this area. It is then argued that student evaluations of teaching can provide useful information relevant to the improvement of instruction. However, in order to use such evaluations, improved methods of data collection and analysis are needed. A primary improvement would be in the area of generalizability. A plan for expanding the use of student evaluations from personal utility to general applicability is outlined.

Achievement↗

PubMed1974

Letter: 'Misleading' studies in Journal.

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Education, Medical↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Premature conclusions in the diagnosis of iron-deficiency anemia: cause and effect.

Case records of patients with iron-deficiency anemia were audited using a computer-based algorithm. In 24 of 35 cases, the diagnostic conclusion seemed unjustified and characteristic of premature closure, one of four recurring errors in diagnostic reasoning described previously. Premature closure appeared to originate from subjects at all levels of training, to be easily and unquestioningly accepted by other physicians, and to inappropriately condition diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. Heuristics and biases described by Tversky and Kahneman are considered as contributory factors and patient care and teaching implications are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A short form for clinical assessment of quality of life among hypertensive patients.

Recently, medical research studies and clinical trials have included quality-of-life assessments, which measure the biomedical, behavioral, and social dimensions of living as a major therapeutic end point. Monitoring the quality of life in routine clinical practice also has the potential to aid clinicians to evaluate the impact of new therapies on the health status of their patients. However, because quality-of-life assessment techniques are quite lengthy and often require the aid of a trained interviewer, the research format is not practical for the typical clinical setting. This study describes the formulation, construction, and testing of an abbreviated quality-of-life questionnaire suitable for the clinical assessment of hypertensive patients. The initial formulation was based on analyses of data from a large-scale clinical trial (626 hypertensive male patients). Using the data at baseline for this group, items were selected such that the variance, internal consistency, and concurrent validity of the response scales were maintained by a reduced subset of items. The sensitivity of the reduced subsets was evaluated using treatment data and found to be as sensitive to treatment differentials as the original research instrument was. A subsequent field test of 87 volunteer subjects indicated that the new shortened version had the qualities of stable internal consistency and test-retest reliability over two successive trials. The questionnaire was self-administered and required less than 10 minutes to complete. It was given as an adjunct to the history and physical exam.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗