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Alfred O Berg

Publications and source records attributed to Alfred O Berg.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Screening for colorectal cancer in adults at average risk: a summary of the evidence for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

PURPOSE: To assess the effectiveness of different colorectal cancer screening tests for adults at average risk. DATA SOURCES: Recent systematic reviews; Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, 2nd edition; and focused searches of MEDLINE from 1966 through September 2001. The authors also conducted hand searches, reviewed bibliographies, and consulted context experts to ensure completeness. STUDY SELECTION: When available, the most recent high-quality systematic review was used to identify relevant articles. This review was then supplemented with a MEDLINE search for more recent articles. DATA EXTRACTION: One reviewer abstracted information from the final set of studies into evidence tables, and a second reviewer checked the tables for accuracy. Discrepancies were resolved by consensus. DATA SYNTHESIS: For average-risk adults older than 50 years of age, evidence from multiple well-conducted randomized trials supported the effectiveness of fecal occult blood testing in reducing colorectal cancer incidence and mortality rates compared with no screening. Data from well-conducted case-control studies supported the effectiveness of sigmoidoscopy and possibly colonoscopy in reducing colon cancer incidence and mortality rates. A nonrandomized, controlled trial examining colorectal cancer mortality rates and randomized trials examining diagnostic yield supported the use of fecal occult blood testing plus sigmoidoscopy. The effectiveness of barium enema is unclear. Data are insufficient to support a definitive determination of the most effective screening strategy. CONCLUSIONS: Colorectal cancer screening reduces death from colorectal cancer and can decrease the incidence of disease through removal of adenomatous polyps. Several available screening options seem to be effective, but the single best screening approach cannot be determined because data are insufficient.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A workforce analysis informing medical school expansion, admissions, support for primary care, curriculum, and research.

PURPOSE: This case study describes the findings of a physician workforce analysis and how an institution is using these findings to address the decreasing proportion of medical students choosing primary care careers. METHODS: A University of Washington School of Medicine committee commissioned an analysis of the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile. The analysis examined physician-to-population ratios, rural-urban geographic distribution, physician demographics, and physician graduation from the university or one of its affiliated residency programs for graduates of allopathic medical schools and residencies at the county level in the 5 states in the WWAMI partnership (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho). RESULTS: The analysis found that in 2005, the 5 WWAMI states ranked at the bottom of US states in the number of publicly supported medical school and residency slots per capita. Although physician-to-population ratios were comparable to those in the rest of the country, the 5 WWAMI states imported most of their physicians, including family physicians, approximately 70% of whom came from other medical schools or residency programs. Family physicians were the only specialty distributed across the population gradient from urban to isolated rural areas. The workforce analysis is informing planning for medical school expansion, admissions, support for primary care, curriculum, and research at an institution with a clear mission that includes training the health workforce for its region. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis has wide potential applicability, but it has special relevance for primary care and has been particularly useful in making the case for supporting primary care education in the WWAMI region.

Biomedical Research↗