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Biomedical subjects

R J Pearson

Publications and source records attributed to R J Pearson.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

Early intervention in low back disability among coal miners in West Virginia: negative findings.

A major issue in the field of workers' compensation is cost containment, not only of medical costs, but of extended disability costs as well. For a 9-month period in 1985 to 1986, the West Virginia Workers' Compensation Fund tested an early intervention case management approach begun within 2 weeks after injury and found it not to be cost effective. In a controlled study of 284 reported back injuries among underground coal miners, medical costs increased with the case management intervention, although only to the extent of the added costs of the intervention, and disability costs and time lost from work did not decrease. Permanent partial disability awards, litigation rates, number of hospitalizations, and return to work were similar between both the experimental and control groups. Regression analyses of 25 factors identified factors most highly predictive of disability and medical costs, but in predicting extended disability, although the factors were 100% sensitive, they were only 43.6% specific. The case management approach was insufficient to prevent extended disability or to lower medical costs.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed1979

Significance of retrospective studies.

Examples of retrospective studies are presented to demonstrate some facets of such studies, both good and bad, pointing out the need for good controls. Also important are a clear idea of the question to be answered, and careful planning around that answer as the study progresses.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Epidemiology course for medical students focuses on proposal writing.

Teaching epidemiology to medical students is often seen as a difficult, if not impossible, task. After experimenting with several other approaches, faculty at the West Virginia University School of Medicine have developed a course centered around the production of a research proposal using National Institutes of Health criteria and format. The course content, while comprehensive, emphasizes the clinical uses of epidemiology. Lectures are combined with self-study and individualized teaching to assist the students as they explore their chosen topic. This problem-solving approach to teaching and learning epidemiology in medical school has proved both effective and more acceptable to students, as evidenced by the quality of their research proposals, National Medical Examination Board Scores, student evaluations, and improved faculty-student interaction.

Education, Medical, Undergraduate↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The preventive medicine physician: a national study.

Following the 1980 Graduate Medical Education National Advisory Committee report, postal questionnaires were sent to a random sample of physicians self-designated as preventive medicine specialists primarily in an effort to verify the committee's assumption that preventive medicine is not a clinical specialty. The questionnaires represented each of the preventive medicine subspecialties: general preventive medicine, public health, occupational medicine, and aerospace medicine. After three reminders, 419 out of 942 (44%) responded. Seventy percent of the physicians who responded engage in clinical activities for at least part of their workweek. Preventive medicine is practiced in a wide variety of settings. For the majority of preventive medicine physicians, prevention plays an important role in their practice. They perceive that they practice medicine differently from their colleagues who are not preventive medicine specialists because of their prevention focus. Many of these physicians have made career changes, and some have made many such changes, as board certification in one of the subspecialties does not preclude practice in another subspecialty. The specialty appears to allow considerable flexibility. The preventive medicine physician is prepared to incorporate prevention into clinical practice and seems well equipped to integrate community and individual clinical approaches.

Aerospace Medicine↗