Physicians as 'double agents.

The opportunities and stresses faced by today''s adolescent women have the potential to affect their health, either directly or through interaction with biologic and psychosocial events. Recently achieved entry into the world of endurance and competitive sports; smoking, drug, and alcohol use; the toxic shock syndrome; and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome threaten the health of young women today. Physicians who care for adolescent women in the 1980s and in the future will require special skills to do so successfully.     

Physicians in health care management: 1. Physicians as managers: roles and future challenges.

Physicians are increasingly expected to assume responsibility for the management of human and financial resources in health care, particularly in hospitals. Juggling their new management responsibilities with clinical care, teaching and research can lead to conflicting roles. However, their presence in management is crucial to shaping the future health care system. They bring to management positions important skills and values such as observation, problem-solving, analysis and ethical judgement. To improve their management skills physicians can benefit from management education programs such as those offered by the Physician-Manager Institute and several Canadian universities. To manage in the future environment they must increase their knowledge and skills in policy and political processes, financial strategies and management, human resources management, systems and program quality improvement and organizational design.