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.

Determining the cause of upper extremity complaints in the workplace.

Occupational musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremity have been termed cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs) and are considered to result from repetitive job function. Determination of work-relatedness of CTDs has far-reaching consequences. The physician equipped with objective, scientific knowledge is less likely to encourage disability or stress the workers' compensation system.

Unusually aggressive transmission of tuberculosis in a factory.

A case of pulmonary tuberculosis in a factory worker was studied to identify infected contacts and to gauge the degree of transmission. Initial findings suggested far more extensive transmission than anticipated, and the study was expanded. Of all factory workers tested, 33% were infected with the tubercule bacillus in spite of massive air volume-to-contact ratio.