The 26th Forum for Behavioral Science in Family Medicine
September 15-18, 2005

Theme: Consider a proposal that reflects this year's theme of
"Making the Difference in Family Medicine Today and Tomorrow" in:
· Educational process/content such as the physician-patient encounter, physician-behavioral scientist collaboration, behavioral medicine curricula, teaching strategies, curriculum planning and evaluation, and other effective educational tools.
· Detecting and managing clinical issues including priorities and skill development for family medicine practitioners with a focus on problems that challenge integration of best practices (e.g., domestic violence, chronic pain, AIDS, panic disorder).
· Other germane core and future ideas in family medicine, e.g., resident health and stress; role development of family medicine faculty; research in clinical, organizational, and educational topics.

Format:
· Seminar (1½ hrs) Transmit knowledge using lecture and/or panel presentation methods plus audience discussion and question and answer period.
· Workshop (2 hrs) Present and practice skills in a specific area. Single or alternative approaches may be examined. Attendees participate in a project or task, frequently in small groups. While most workshops are 2 hours, a 3-hour workshop will be considered if justified.
· Networking Breakfast (1 hr) This is an informal opportunity to share experiences and explore ideas. Presenters provide a 10-15 minute topic overview, and discussion ensues during the meal. Presenters also provide summary and follow-up steps. Handouts are encouraged, but no audiovisual equipment is available.

Collaboration: We encourage presentations by family physician/behavioral scientist teams. Fellows and residents can be also effective co-presenters.

Fees and registration: Our budget prevents us from waiving or discounting registration fees for any presenters. ALL PRESENTERS MUST REGISTER. There is a one-day registration rate and a reduced rate for residents, fellows, and medical students.

Tuition scholarships: A few tuition scholarships may become available for some residents. Please contact Forum organizers for more information.

Examples of a well-organized abstract:

BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL MATERNITY CARE ROUNDS: IMPLEMENTATION AND PRACTICE
Paul Koch, MD, ScM; Alan Wolkenstein, MSW, CSW
Participants will learn about the successful implementation of a multi-disciplinary, case-based biopsychosocial maternity care (BPS-MCR) rounds in a family practice residency inpatient setting. We developed BPS-MCR at our residency to fill a void in the maternity care provided on our maternity wards. Our goal was to improve the residents' self-efficacy for integration of the biopsychosocial aspects of the processes of pregnancy and birth with the medically driven protocols for delivery of maternity care. The residents pick cases for discussion from the women/families whom they have cared for during the month-long rotation. Problem solving, sharing, and self-disclosure and peer support has been remarkable, as the residents attempt to describe their struggles to care for patients with high acuity of concerns.
Pitfalls, main themes and educational pearls identified during the process will be discussed. The successful collaboration between a faculty family physician and a behavioral scientist will be demonstrated, emphasized and discussed.
Goals and Objectives: The participants will be able to identify the faculty and resident resources necessary for the successful implementation of BPS-MCR, describe important aspects of the dynamics between the co-facilitators of the rounds, and the key structural elements.

USING DRAMA-BASED LEARNING TO ENHANCE COMMUNICATION WITH PATIENTS AND COLLEAGUES
Andrew Stewart, PhD
The physician's ability to listen empathically is the pillar upon which a successful therapeutic relationship is built. There are numerous methods for teaching techniques that advance the physician's ability to listen, identify with, and respond appropriately to their patient, although many seem somewhat static and distant from actual experience. Creative drama has been used since ancient times to explore and mirror the human condition. Through its spontaneity and emotional intensity, dramatic activity can focus attention, heighten awareness, and dynamically convey ideas beyond more rigid, traditional teaching tools. In a drama-based learning activity developed by the author, attendees will create dramatic vignettes that explore the healer-patient relationship. The goal of participation is to develop attendees' ability to identify and respond appropriately to feelings that influence patients' response to health-related information, thereby enhancing communication and interpersonal skills at the core of the therapeutic relationship. Skills acquired can easily be adapted to addressing other conditions and situations in healthcare, for example, organizational conflict resolution.
Goals: Workshop participants will: 1) Enhance their understanding of the role of play, creativity, and emotional attunement in relationships with patients and colleagues; 2) Become more aware of feeling states in themselves, patients, and colleagues that influence their ability to effectively convey, and patients' response to, health-promoting information and interventions, for example, healthful lifestyle change; and 3) Acquire a set of skills, namely, improvisation, character and script development, and emotive techniques, that may be used to facilitate creative problem-solving in clinical practice.
Objectives: Workshop participants will: 1) Be able to describe and actively demonstrate empathic listening skills; 2) Be able to identify and describe the impact of feeling states (e.g., fear, anger) in both patients and themselves that influence their ability to effectively facilitate healthful lifestyle change; and 3) Be able to adapt the skills acquired in this workshop to addressing other conditions and situations in healthcare, for example, organizational conflict resolution.