Spectrum of diseases for resident education in internal medicine.

We examined the spectrum of diseases to which medical residents were exposed in a fully integrated residency program comprised of a voluntary and a municipal acute-care hospital. Although circulatory disorders and diseases of the respiratory and nervous systems accounted for the majority of cases, a broad spectrum of diseases was present for residents' training at both institutions. These observations must be considered within the context of the changing nature of medical practice in the United States, with a marked shift from inpatient to outpatient and office medical care.