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Biomedical subjects

Lesley Day

Publications and source records attributed to Lesley Day.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Injury in Australian veterinarians.

BACKGROUND: There are a number of risk factors for traumatic injury in veterinary practice but there is little information on the prevalence of injuries or the factors associated with injury in this profession. AIMS: To identify the prevalence of injuries sustained by veterinarians and the groups most at risk for different types of injury. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of Australian veterinarians. Subjects were asked whether they had ever had a significant work-related injury, a less serious acute work injury in the last 12 months, a work-related chronic musculoskeletal problem or dog or cat bites. The prevalence of injuries by gender, practice type and decade of graduation were reported and multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the risk of each type of injury. RESULTS: Of 2800 veterinarians, over half (51%) reported a significant work-related injury during their career while 26% of practitioners reported having at least one injury in the previous 12 months. Chronic work-related musculoskeletal problems were reported by 49% of respondents. Dog and cat bites were also very common. After adjusting for graduation year and university, males were more likely than females to have experienced cat or dog bites or have a chronic or significant injury, and large animal veterinarians were most likely to have chronic or significant injuries. CONCLUSIONS: A high injury prevalence was found among Australian veterinarians with large animal practitioners at highest risk. This is the largest study of Australian veterinarians to have been reported and has shown that injuries are common and serious in the profession.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2006

Motorcycle deployment and rider characteristics on Victorian farms.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the motorcycle fleet and rider characteristics on Victorian farms. DESIGN: Cross-sectional postal survey. SETTING: Victorian agricultural industries. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1382 randomly selected farmers in 2001. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Farm motorcycle characteristics, use and maintenance schedule; motorcycle rider characteristics, respondent demographics and property characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 70% of farms had motorcycles, with an average of 1.7 per property. A total of 49% were four-wheel, and 44% were two-wheel. The average engine size and age were 255 cc and 8.8 years, respectively. The milk cattle sector owned the largest share of the motorcycle fleet and cereal/grain farms the smallest share. Four-wheel motorcycles were often used across the entire spectrum of agricultural tasks. Two-wheel motorcycle use was concentrated more on mustering and transport. A total of 61% of farms performed motorcycle maintenance every 1-6 months. Fifteen per cent of riders were under 15 years of age, and the majority (71%) rode four-wheel motorcycles. A total of 29% of all riders had received some form of motorcycle training. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides useful information on state-level patterns of farm motorcycle use, as well as the key safety behaviours of rider training and motorcycle maintenance. This information might serve as baseline data for future monitoring and surveillance, and might assist with planning of prevention programs.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2004

An Australian experience with tractor rollover protective structure rebate programs: process, impact and outcome evaluation.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the tractor rollover protective structure rebate program carried out by the Victorian Workcover Authority (Vic., Australia) in 1997-1998. The program was described using existing documents and records. Quantitative and qualitative information on tangible and intangible benefits were gathered through interviews with program applicants and other key informants. Information on the applicants and their tractors was obtained by analyzing the rebate application data. A cost-benefit analysis was conducted. The proportion of unprotected tractors was reduced from approximately 24%-7%. The program cost 7,886,067 Australian dollars ($AUD), which based on the projected prevention of 20 deaths over 10 years, equates to $AUD 290,668 per life saved. The lifetime cost per rollover death was estimated at $AUD 694,879 and $AUD 1,407,991 for the human capital and willingness to pay models, respectively. The success of the program is attributable to a range of factors, including legislative changes, publicity and awareness raising, and the financial incentive of the rebate. Benefits appear to outweigh any costs.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed2002

Randomised factorial trial of falls prevention among older people living in their own homes.

OBJECTIVE: To test the effectiveness of, and explore interactions between, three interventions to prevent falls among older people. DESIGN: A randomised controlled trial with a full factorial design. SETTING: Urban community in Melbourne, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: 1090 aged 70 years and over and living at home. Most were Australian born and rated their health as good to excellent; just over half lived alone. INTERVENTIONS: Three interventions (group based exercise, home hazard management, and vision improvement) delivered to eight groups defined by the presence or absence of each intervention. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Time to first fall ascertained by an 18 month falls calendar and analysed with survival analysis techniques. Changes to targeted risk factors were assessed by using measures of quadriceps strength, balance, vision, and number of hazards in the home. RESULTS: The rate ratio for exercise was 0.82 (95% confidence interval 0.70 to 0.97, P=0.02), and a significant effect (P<0.05) was observed for the combinations of interventions that involved exercise. Balance measures improved significantly among the exercise group. Neither home hazard management nor treatment of poor vision showed a significant effect. The strongest effect was observed for all three interventions combined (rate ratio 0.67 (0.51 to 0.88, P=0.004)), producing an estimated 14.0% reduction in the annual fall rate. The number of people needed to be treated to prevent one fall a year ranged from 32 for home hazard management to 7 for all three interventions combined. CONCLUSIONS: Group based exercise was the most potent single intervention tested, and the reduction in falls among this group seems to have been associated with improved balance. Falls were further reduced by the addition of home hazard management or reduced vision management, or both of these. Cost effectiveness is yet to be examined. These findings are most applicable to Australian born adults aged 70-84 years living at home who rate their health as good.

Accidental Falls↗