Health education programs in U.S. medical schools

To examine the status of teaching programs on health education in undergraduate medical education, the author in 1990-91 surveyed representatives of all 126 U.S. medical schools. Of the 97 institutions that responded, 63 (65%) offered instruction in patient education and 72 (74%) offered instruction in community health promotion. The responses indicated that a number of departments participated in instruction and that diverse methods of instruction and evaluation were used. Opinions of the representatives regarding the importance and adequacy of instruction in health education were quite favorable. The author concludes that more information is needed to determine the effectiveness of the instructional programs and their impact on the quality of medical care.