Efficacy of a patient-educational booklet for neck-pain patients with workers' compensation: a randomized controlled trial.

Study Design: A randomized controlled trial of an educational booklet for patients with first-time neck pain.

Objective: To assess the clinical impact of a novel educational book on patients' functional outcomes and beliefs about neck pain.

Summary Of Background Data: Previous research has shown that a novel education booklet (The Back Book) had a positive impact on patients with low back pain' beliefs and clinical outcomes.

Epidemiology of work-related upper extremity disorders: understanding prevalence and outcomes to impact provider performances using a practice management reporting tool.

In 2001, the number of repeated trauma cases accounted for 4% of total workplace injuries and 65% of all occupational illnesses, with work-related upper extremity disorders accounting for most cases. Because chronic disability leads to the highest cost, systematic evaluation of this growing occupational condition is needed. This article sheds light on work-related upper extremity disorders by understanding the prevalence and pattern for these diagnoses, their impact on outcomes influenced by age, gender and geography on metrics such as utilization, duration, disability status, and costs.

The effects of splinting on outcomes for epicondylitis.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of splinting on outcomes for injured workers with epicondylitis.

Design: Retrospective cohort study using propensity score methodology to statistically control for all observed pretreatment differences between patients with and without splints.

Setting: Nationwide network of 253 occupational medicine clinics.

Evaluation of the impact of a low back pain educational intervention on physicians' practice patterns and patients' outcomes.

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of an educational intervention on physicians' management of low back pain patients. The study universe composed of 64 providers employed by a large occupational health group, with 4411 LBP cases pretraining and 4665 cases posttraining selected from the organization's database. The control group had 151 providers with 8478 pretraining and 8876 posttraining cases.