Changes in the allocation of healthcare resources have raised issues related to the efficacy and outcomes of medical therapy and how such factors may be measured. The questions associated with the quality of life and functional capability of patients with chronic health conditions have been of special interest. Endocrine disorders have the potential for disrupting the general health and well-being of affected individuals and their families; thus they warrant serious attention. This symposium was convened in November 1997 at Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, to bring together medical, behavioral, and social scientists. The meeting fostered the presentation and discussion of the most current clinical research on the effects of various therapies on a wide range of endocrine disorders from diabetes to adrenal insufficiency and growth hormone deficiency. The participants, all noted national and international experts in their fields, focused their attention on both the biomedical value and effectiveness of treatment, as well as on the impact such treatments have on psychological states such as mood and cognition. Many presentations specifically emphasized the quality of life (QOL) indicators that now regu­ larly appear in many research protocols and reports. The pioneering work of two clinical researchers was a major highlight of the meeting and an Award of Recognition was presented to Robert Blizzard, M. D. , and John Money, Ph. D. , for their innovative and insightful work in pediatric endocrinology and psychosexual development.

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1. Outcome Research in Pediatric Psychoendocrinology and Sexology.- I. Treatment of Growth Hormone Deficiency: Efficacy, Innovation and Quality of Life.- 2. Growth Hormone Replacement in Adults: The First 10 Years.- 3. Quality of Life in Children and Adults with Growth Hormone Deficiency.- 4. Treatment of Childhood Growth Hormone Deficiency: Efficacy and Innovation.- 5. Quality of Life Among Adults with Childhood Onset Growth Hormone Deficiency: A Comparison with Siblings.- 6. Quality of Life in Adults with Growth Hormone Deficiency Diagnosed During Childhood (An Invited Contribution).- II. Treatment of Turner Syndrome: Efficacy, Innovation and Quality of Life.- 7. The Impact of Growth Hormone Therapy on Turner Syndrome.- 8. Phenotype-Karyotype Relationships in Turner Syndrome.- 9. Standards of Care Needed to Optimize Outcomes for Turner Syndrome.- III. Treatment of Short, Non-Growth Hormone Deficiency: Efficacy, Innovation and Quality of Life.- 10. The Non-Growth Hormone-Deficient Child: Does Therapy with Growth Hormone Produce Benefit?.- 11. Impact of Short Stature on Quality of Life: Where Is the Evidence?.- 12. Mediators of Psychological Adjustment in Children and Adolescents with Short Stature (An Invited Contribution).- 13. Turner Syndrome: Psychological Functioning Rated Parents and by the Girls Themselves (An Invited Contribution).- IV. Treatment of Diabetes: Efficacy, Innovation and Quality of Life.- 14. Evaluating Quality of Life in Diabetes: Methods and Findings.- 15. Effective Utilization of Self-Monitored Blood Glucose Data: Cognitive and Behavioral Prerequisites.- 16. Influence of Type 1 Diabetes on Childhood Growth and Development.- 17. Glycosylated Hemoglobin: A Myopic View of Diabetes Care?.- V. Treatment of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia: Efficacy, Innovation and Quality of Life.- 18. Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia Due to 21-Hydroxylase Deficiency (Salt-Losing Form and Simple Virilizing Form): Long-Term Results of Treatment.- 19. Psychological Outcome in Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia.- 20. Psychosexual Quality of Life in Adult Intersexuality: The Example of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) (An Invited Contribution).- 21. Male Fertility in Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (An Invited Contribution).- VI. Treatment of Congenital Hypothyroidism: Efficacy, Innovation and Quality of Life.- 22. Growth and Development of Hypothyroid Infants.- 23. Neurobehavioral Consequences of Congenital Hypothyroidism Identified by Newborn Screening.- Author Index.