Abstract
A new required psychiatry course for first-year medical students linked the urgent need for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) education with the traditional goal of teaching the biopsychosocial model of illness. The course, “Human Behavior in Disease: AIDS as Paradigm,” used HIV/AIDS to demonstrate principles of all life-threatening diseases. Formal evaluations of the course’s impact indicated that it significantly reduced students’ prejudices and increased positive attitudes regarding AIDS patients. The students’ ratings of the course indicated that the AIDS paradigm was understood and valued. Our experience suggests that preclinical psychiatry courses can play an important role in the medical educational response to AIDS, while, at the same time, achieving their traditional curricular goals.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Wachter RM: The impact of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome on medical residency training. N EnglJ Med 1986; 314:177–180
Cooke M, Sande MA: The HIV epidemic and training in internal medicine: challenges and recommendations. N EngI J Med 1989; 321:1334–1338
Richardson JL, Lochner T, McGuigan K, et al: Physician attitudes and experience regarding the care of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and related disorders (ARC). Med Care 1987; 25:675–685
Link RN, Feingold AR, Charap MH, et al: Concerns of medical and pediatric house officers about acquiring AIDS from their patients. Am J Public Health 1988; 78:455–459
Kelly JA, St. Lawrence JS, Smith S, et al: Medical students’ attitudes toward AIDS and homosexual patients. I Med Educ 1987; 62:549–556
Feldman TB, Bell RA, Stephenson JJ, et al: A comparison of medical school faculty and student attitudes toward acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Acad Med, in press
Douglas CJ, Kalman CM, Kalman TP: Homophobia among physicians and nurses: an empirical study. Hosp Commun Psych 1985; 36:1309–1311
Goldman JD: An elective seminar to teach first-year students the social and medical aspects of AIDS. Med Educ 1987; 62:557–561
“Training for Health Care Providers to Address AIDS,” National Institute of Mental Health Contract 278-88-0013 (ES), 1988–1991. Milton Viederman, M.D., Project Director. Department of Psychiatry, Cornell University Medical College, New York City
Aoun H: When a house officer gets AIDS. N Engl J Med 1989; 321:693–696
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Polan, H.J., Auerbach, M.I. & Viederman, M. AIDS as a Paradigm of Human Behavior in Disease. Acad Psychiatry 14, 197–203 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03341355
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03341355