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Biomedical subjects

D C Walsh

Publications and source records attributed to D C Walsh.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Current policies regarding smoking in the workplace.

This paper briefly reviews the evolution of worksite smoking policies and programs, beginning with the goals and objectives from which they have sprung. Workplace smoking deterrents are shown to involve three different types of strategies: 1) legalistic approaches use policies and rules to restrict or foreclose smoking on the job; 2) economic strategies create incentives and disincentives, often through the employee health benefit plan; and 3) educational programs seek to motivate smokers to quit and to supply them with information and skill that may facilitate that process. The three types of intervention are combined in a broad public health approach that some companies are now developing. Research is needed on the efficacy of a range of possible approaches and attention should be paid to the ethical and policy issues of tensions and contradictions between health goals and cost containment.

Health Promotion↗
PubMed1986

Divided loyalties in medicine: the ambivalence of occupational medical practice.

This paper develops two divergent views of occupational medicine. The first holds that the field has a major contribution to make in the prevention of disease and the stabilization of health care costs. The second sees in it all the worst characteristics of contemporary medical practice. Consideration of the special difficulties of occupational physicians raises fundamental questions about the divided loyalties and moral conflicts that will increasingly beset the general practice of medicine as bureaucratic forms and controls continue to proliferate.

Codes of Ethics↗
PubMed1985

Employee drinking patterns and accidental injury: a study of four New England states.

The relationship between alcohol use and accidental injury was examined in an anonymous telephone survey of 1740 randomly sampled employed adults (49% men) residing in four New England states in 1982 and 1983. Respondents reported 383 accidents requiring medical attention during the year prior to the interview, 34 involving hospitalization. Of the accidents, 41% occurred at work, 32% during recreational and other activities, 19% at home and 8% in traffic incidents. Respondents were stratified by self-reported levels of alcohol consumption and were compared on accident rates. Drinking at work was also examined for an association with accident involvement. Logistic regression analyses controlled for variability associated with age, sex, marital status, occupation and drug use. Drinking at work was not significantly or independently associated with job accidents but an average daily intake of 5+ drinks elevated the relative risk, compared with abstainers, as follows: 1.7 for any accidental injury, 3.8 for injuries requiring hospitalization and 2.0 for job-based accidental injuries. The relative risks associated with the use of other psychoactive drugs were 1.7 for work accidents and 2.4 for accident-associated hospitalizations. Of the respondents, 13% reported having ever had a drug or alcohol problem and 2% reported a current problem. Fourteen percent reported that there were counselors at their jobs to help with such problems. Of those who had ever experienced a problem, 11% had sought help from outside programs and only 4% had sought help at work.

Accidents, Occupational↗
PubMed1985

Where to refer employees for treatment of drinking problems. The limited lessons from empirical research.

Although employee assistance programs appear to be spreading rapidly, much remains to be discovered about how they should proceed. A critical review of the literature undergirding these programs reveals wide gaps in knowledge about the relative efficacy of a variety of alternative strategies. In particular, empirical data on the question of where to refer employees for treatment of drinking problems are urgently needed. As medical scientists with ties to industry, occupational health professionals can play a decisive role in the articulation of central research questions and in the design and implementation of key studies that will begin to yield the blueprint for an efficient and effective system of care for alcohol problems.

Alcoholism↗