PubMed · 12206071
The source did not provide an abstract. Follow the original record for more information.
Explore connections, maps & timelines
A Moore. Changing minds.. https://doi.org/10.7748/ns.15.40.16.s36
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.
KEEP EXPLORING
PROBLEM: Compliance with UK regulations on junior doctors' working hours cannot be achieved by manipulating rotas that maintain existing tiers of cover and work practices. More radical solutions are needed. DESIGN: Audit of change. SETTING: Paediatric night rota in large children's hospital. KEY MEASURES FOR IMPROVEMENT: Compliance with regulations on working hours assessed by diary cards; workload assessed by staff attendance on wards; patient safety assessed through critical incident reports. STRATEGIES FOR CHANGE: Development of new staff roles, followed by change from a partial shift rota comprising 11 doctors and one senior nurse, to a full shift night team comprising three middle grade doctors and two senior nurses. EFFECTS OF CHANGE: Compliance with regulations on working hours increased from 33% to 77%. Workload changed little and was well within the capacity of the new night team. The effect on patient care and on medical staff requires further evaluation. LESSONS LEARNT: Reduction of junior doctors' working hours requires changes to roles, processes, and practices throughout the organisation.
STUDY DESIGN: Postal questionnaire survey. OBJECTIVES: To carry out a confidential postal survey of United Kingdom osteopaths in order to record and assess their use of the passive straight leg raising test in the diagnosis of, and choice of, manipulation for lumbar disc herniation. The study also sought to determine whether an association existed between osteopaths' manipulation of suspected lumbar disc herniation and their use of the straight leg raising test, the length of their working hours, and their use of manipulation for the treatment of other lumbar conditions. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The literature is not agreed on important aspects of the straight leg raising test, or on the use of spinal manipulation for suspected lumbar disc herniation. This is thought to be the first study to investigate opinion and practice in a large group of spinal manipulators, in this case United Kingdom osteopaths. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to all 1030 United Kingdom osteopaths registered with the General Osteopathic Council in January 2000. It comprised four sections: personal characteristics, professional characteristics, background to low back pain cases, details of straight leg raising test understanding and use within the diagnosis and treatment of lumbar disc herniation. RESULTS: A response rate of 44% was achieved. United Kingdom osteopaths' opinions of low back pain and lumbar disc herniation clinical presentations, details of straight leg raising test mode of action, procedure, and interpretation were in keeping with the literature. Fifty-four percent of respondents sometimes employed manipulation in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation, but most of the others described the practice as "dangerous." The literature is similarly divided on the practice. Chi-square and Cramer V analysis implied that respondents were not influenced in choosing manipulation for lumbar disc herniation by their use of the straight leg raising test (chi2 = 4.002, df = 3, Cramer V = 0.0959, P = 0.261, alpha 0.05, n = 435). A moderate association implied that the frequency of use of such manipulation for all lumbar conditions influenced the choice of that treatment for lumbar disc herniation (chi2 = 81.808, df = 4, Cramer V = 0.4302, P < 0.001, alpha = 0.05, n = 442). There was also a weak association suggesting that hours worked per week influenced the choice of manipulation for lumbar disc herniation (chi2 = 9.840, df = 3, Cramer V = 0.1499, P = 0.020, alpha = 0.05, n = 438). CONCLUSIONS: Respondents to this survey frequently treated low back pain and often employed the straight leg raising test in its diagnosis. Their recognition of the clinical presentation of lumbar disc herniation and their use and understanding of the straight leg raising test were in keeping with the literature. Respondents were divided nearly equally between those who would expect patient benefit from the use of manipulation for lumbar disc herniation and those who criticized the practice. There is a need for further research into the clinical reasoning employed for the manipulative treatment of lumbar disc herniation.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.