Even when patient-staff interactions are relatively brief, as in outpatient settings, high levels of relational coordination among interdependent workgroups contribute to positive outcomes for both staff and patients, and low levels tend to have the opposite effect. Clinical leaders can increase the expectation of positive outcomes for both staff and their patients by implementing interventions to strengthen relational coordination.

The development of a 225-item sexual history questionnaire is reported. The frequency, desire for, and disgust for a wide range of sexual behaviors, including anomalous behavior, were examined. Twenty-four scales were derived from factor analysis of the items. The scales were represented by modest unitary factors but were relatively free of bias from age, education, intelligence, social desirability, and defensiveness. The scales generally discriminated clinically relevant groups from control subjects and therefore meet a clinical need in the assessment of anomalous sexual behavior. The instrument also appears to be useful in examining hypotheses for research. Among these observations was the continuity between exhibitionism and heterosexual pedophilia and the apparent bisexuality of some homosexual males. The scale allows for the assessment of the preferences of sexually inexperienced males as well.

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This workinprogress paper describes the work Northwestern University's School of Engineering is doing to implement change in how firstyear students are advised. Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, McCormick, wanted to provide consistent advising to the incoming class, opportunities for students to feel a sense of belonging within the school, and help to students develop the skills required to become selfreliant, resilient, and successful University graduates. The McCormick Administration decided to build an advising model based on a learnercentered concept sometimes called the AdvisingasTeaching paradigm.Traditionally, FirstYear students at Northwestern University were assigned to a faculty adviser, in a department based on their stated intended major. Undeclared students were randomly assigned to a faculty member. This advising model gave incoming students a home department, but not necessarily the department undeclared students wanted. In addition, students that changed majors, or were exploring majors, often needed to find their own connections with faculty in other departments. Lastly, in addition to helping students new to the university, higher education, and Engineering, faculty were tasked with teaching, building and managing research programs, advising graduate students, publishing and making progress towards promotion and tenure.While the advisertraining gave faculty the tools to help students build a schedule, many faculty had little time to actually engage and advise undergraduate students. Many faculty were not fully engaging students . Faculty advising across McCormick departments led to uneven advising for FirstYear students.Under the new model, McCormick Advisers are tasked with academic advising and teaching. This 55/45 split in duties means the Advisers are more focused on the task of advising incoming classes. In exchange, McCormick Advisers advise each class through its first year. McCormick Advisers are also colocated in a suite. This office arrangement, along with a narrow focus, are able to collaborate on advising and mentoring students.Outcomes of the model should come in the form of increased student satisfaction with academic advising, increased awareness of and participation in academic programs such as Study Abroad, Exchange and CoOps Programs, and the Engineering School. The success of the advising change will be measured in multiple ways. Students will participate in both summative and formative assessment activities throughout the academic year. This assessment will be conducted by Student Affairs as part of the FirstYear Seminar. Additional assessment will be conducted by the Engineering School. Students will be given an opportunity to participate in an Advising Survey. In past years, sophomore and senior students were surveyed. Starting this year, all students will be given an advising survey. The University will continue its satisfaction survey as well. This paper will explore the intended and unintended consequences of changing...

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An eight-item, self-administered questionnaire for the ascertainment of peripheral neuropathies was validated with 19 persons who had neuropathy confirmed by neurologists' examinations and electrodiagnostic studies, and with 37 persons without known neuropathy. The results from cases and neurology clinic controls suggested a two-stage screening definition for cases of peripheral neuropathy: the classification as cases of all persons who required help getting out of a chair one or more days/week and, among those not requiring help, who had a symptom score of zero or more based on the formula Si = -2.6 + 0.8 (frequency of cramps in arms or legs) + 0.5 (frequency of paresthesias in arms, hands, legs, or feet). This case definition resulted in a sensitivity of 76.5% and a specificity of 93.3% when applied to the original data from which it was developed. The statistical technique of cross-validation suggested an upward bias in these estimates of sensitivity and specificity of 12% and 20%, respectively. The model had a specificity of 100% when tested independently with medical office controls. The authors discuss the use of the questionnaire in cross-sectional epidemiologic studies.