Virtual Mentor. November 2006, Volume 8, Number 11: 703-793. Full Issue PDF

November 2006 Contents

Understanding the Illness-Poverty Relationship

Ethics Poll

How long have you had the same physician or physican group as your established source for primary care, i.e., your medical home?
Don't have a medical home
Less than 1 year
1 to 3 years
More than 3 years

Drug samples are often given to patients who have a medical need for the drug but are unable to pay for it. When a clinic has a limited supply of free samples, is it ethically justifiable to factor in patients' risky lifestyle choices or non-adherence to medical advice when making distribution decisions?
Yes
No

Emergency departments (EDs) provide 24-hour, 7-day access to care for urgent medical needs, e.g., traumatic injury, heart attack, appendicitis. A patient has an urgent medical need if postponing treatment for 2 hours or more will compromise his or her recovery. According to this definition, how often have you used an ED for NON-urgent medical care?
Never
1 to 3 times
3 to 5 times
More than 5 times

View results

From the Editor

Illness, poverty and the invisible patient
Justin List
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2006; 8:705-708.

Educating for Professionalism

Clinical Cases

Managing Chronic Conditions in Uninsured Patients
Commentary by Saul J. Weiner and Emily E. Anderson
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2006; 8:709-716.

Pediatric Primary Care in the ER: Is It Better than Waiting for an Appointment?
Commentary by Marc Gorelick
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2006; 8:717-722.

Clinical Awareness of Occupation-Related Toxic Exposure
Commentary by Leonardo Trasande
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2006; 8:723-728.

Journal Discussion

Social Epidemiology: How Socioeconomic Risk Factors Become Health Realities
Ken Fox
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2006; 8:737-743.

Socioeconomic Determinants of Health: The Facts Are In
Vanessa Yasmin Calderon
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2006; 8:744-747.

Medical Education

An Ambulatory Care Elective in a Resource-poor Community
Matthew Fitz
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2006; 8:735-736.

Clinical Pearl

Prostatitis: prevalence, Classification and Treatment
Sarah Maitre
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2006; 8:748-751.

Conley Essay Contest

Distributing Drug Samples in a Free Clinic: A Personal or Policy Decision?
Amanda J. Redig
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2006; 8:729-734.

Law, Policy, and Society

Health Law

Defining Hospitals' Obligation To Stabilize Patients under EMTALA
Lee Black
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2006; 8:752-755.

Policy Forum

Education and Education Policy as Social Determinants of Health
Barbara J. Low and M. David Low
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2006; 8:756-761.

Health Communication and Navigating the Health System
Andrea M. Garcia
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2006; 8:762-765.

Medicine and Society

Where You Live Matters to Your Health
Abigail Silva
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2006; 8:766-770.

Crowded Conditions: Coming to an ER Near You
Jessamy Taylor
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2006; 8:771-775.

Resources

Suggested Readings and Resources
PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2006; 8:776-791.

About the Contributors
Full Text | PDF
Virtual Mentor. 2006; 8:792-793.