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Biomedical subjects

E L Baker

Publications and source records attributed to E L Baker.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Partnership for front-line success: a call for a national action agenda on workforce development.

Despite more than a decade of dialogue on the critical needs and challenges in public health workforce development, progress remains slow in implementing recommended actions. A life-long learning system for public health remains elusive. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry in collaboration with other partners in federal, state, local agencies, associations and academia is preparing a national action agenda to address front-line preparedness. Four areas of convergence have emerged regarding: (1) the use of basic and crosscutting public health competencies to develop practice-focused curricula; (2) a framework for certification and credentialing; (3) the need to establish a strong science base for workforce issues; and (4) the acceleration of the use of technology-supported learning in public health.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.↗
PubMed1999

Do proficiency test results correlate with the work performance of screeners who screen Papanicolaou smears?

We rescreened Papanicolaou smear slides from 40,245 women, which had been examined by 81 cytology screeners, scored the screeners' work performance, and compared these scores with the results of the screeners' performance on glass slide and computer-based proficiency tests. All diagnoses (i.e., from the proficiency tests, the original slides, and the rescreened slides) were classified in the 4 diagnostic categories specified in the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments. The rescreening scores were standardized to account for different distributions of abnormalities in the proficiency tests and rescreened slides. We compared a standardized score with the proficiency test scores. Of the cases, 91% were categorized as normal, benign, or reactive changes when rescreened, and 98% of these agreed with the original diagnosis. Sixteen percent of low-grade and 15% of high-grade intraepithelial lesions were classified as normal. The rank correlation between the rescreening scores and both proficiency tests was 0.24 using a scoring scheme for cytotechnologists. The correlation between the rescreening and proficiency testing scores indicates that performance on a 10-slide test gives some indication of the true performance of screeners. The computer-based test shows promise as an alternative to the glass slide test but needs further development and validation.

False Negative Reactions↗
PubMed1999

Full-time employees of U.S. local health departments, 1992-1993.

This article describes a study to assess the most recent data on full-time U.S. local health department (LHD) staff positions. The authors used data from the National Association of County and City Health Officials' 1992-1993 national survey of LHDs. The study concludes that nurses, environmental specialists, sanitarians, and administrators constitute the core of the public health workforce in smaller and mid-sized LHDs. Numerous vacancies in these core occupations signal a weakness in the front lines of public health and vulnerability in its ability to respond to urgent health threats. To address these problems, a renewed commitment to recruiting, retraining, and retaining the local public health worker is urgently needed.

Administrative Personnel↗
PubMed1998

Technical report: Initial experiences with an experimental solid-state universal digital X-ray image detector.

This paper presents a brief technical evaluation and first review of clinical experiences with an experimental direct digital X-ray image detector designed to support both dynamic and snap-shot imaging. Derivatives of this type of image detector can potentially fulfil the majority of the fluoroscopic and radiographic imaging requirements of clinical radiology departments, and initial results suggest that imaging systems using the new technology will provide a high quality dose-efficient solution to the search for a universal digital X-ray image detector.

Cecum↗
PubMed1997

Expanding the specialty of occupational and environmental medicine: the role of the chief health officer. The Sappington Lecture.

Passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1971 represented a major milestone for occupational and environmental medicine. Creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) flowed directly from the legislation, and the specialty of occupational medicine entered a new era. As the 25th anniversaries of OSHA and NIOSH are celebrated, consideration of the future of the specialty of occupational and environmental medicine seems timely. In this lecture, an expanded role for the specialty is proposed, based on an analysis of the forces shaping the practice of public health and the opportunities that these forces present. This analysis suggests considering the concept of a "Chief Health Officer" serving the broad health needs of the workplace.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗
PubMed1996

Information and surveillance systems and community health: building the public health information infrastructure.

The scope and purpose of public health injury and disease surveillance systems will expand in response to the increasing information needs of communities and health organizations. Public health leaders must focus on the entire information infrastructure. Surveillance and information systems need to evolve to include targeting and evaluating community-wide prevention programs. Standards governing exchange as well as data content will become central to these new systems and the emerging health information infrastructure. Future surveillance systems will face challenges in forming partnerships with managed care organizations, in developing new information tools, and in training the public health workforce.

Humans↗
PubMed1996

Prevention and the reforming U.S. health care system: changing roles and responsibilities for public health.

This review presents historical and cost-effectiveness perspectives of prevention in health care; discusses the nature, extent, and determinants of health system change, particularly the transition to managed care with large integrated health care corporations; and identifies implications for public health agencies and opportunities for prevention within the reforming health system.

Cause of Death↗
PubMed1995

CDC's Information Network for Public Health Officials (INPHO): a framework for integrated public health information and practice.

To strengthen the public health infrastructure, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiated the Information Network for Public Health Officials (INPHO). CDC INPHO has three goals: (1) to make communication among public health practitioners throughout the United States easy, (2) to make information accessible, and (3) to make secure data exchange as swift and smooth as contemporary technology will allow. Based on a systems approach to supporting the core functions of public health, CDC INPHO achieves its goals by creating a flexible and user-responsive infrastructure of open communications and information exchange.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.↗
PubMed1994

A review of recent research on health effects of human occupational exposure to organic solvents. A critical review.

The health impact of workplace solvent exposure remains an issue of substantial interest and concern to occupational health professionals. As a result of research performed in the 1970s and 1980s, policies and programs were developed throughout the world to control excessive exposure to solvents. To an extent, these programs have been responsible for reduction of the occurrence of solvent-associated encephalopathy and other health effects. In this review of research performed since 1985, particular attention is given to issues of reversibility of neurotoxicity following exposure cessation. Furthermore, health effects involving other organ systems, particularly reproductive, renal, and hepatic disorders, are discussed. Future research directions are discussed. Finally, the practical implications of these recent research findings are described with a focus on the management of prevention programs at the work site.

Central Nervous System↗
PubMed1993

Use of hypnosis following training in a psychiatry residency and psychology internship program: a brief communication.

Despite growing numbers of internships and residencies offering training in hypnotherapy, no systematic attempt has been made to assess hypnotherapy beliefs and use among former trainees in these settings. This study investigated posttraining hypnotherapy use and effectiveness beliefs in a sample of 77 former psychiatry residents and psychology interns. Over 50% of the study sample had sought additional hypnotherapy training beyond the standard lectures and seminars, and almost 30% had attended external hypnotherapy workshops or presentations. Beliefs in hypnotherapy effectiveness were high, but use of hypnotherapy in clinical practice was very low. Former residents and interns who had received supervised training with patients, who had attended hypnosis workshops, and who had a colleague using hypnotherapy were more likely to use hypnotherapy following training.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Lead exposure from conventional and cottage lead smelting in Jamaica.

A survey was conducted to determine the distribution and determinants of environmental and blood lead levels near a conventional and several cottage lead smelters and to assess the relationship between environmental and blood lead levels in a tropical, developing-country setting. Fifty-eight households were studied in the Red Pond community, the site of the established smelter and several backyard smelters, and 21 households were studied in the adjacent, upwind Ebony Vale community in Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica. Households were investigated, using questionnaires, soil and housedust lead measurements, and blood lead (PbB) measurements from 372 residents. Soil lead levels in Red Pond exceeded 500 parts per million (ppm) at 24% of households (maximum--18,600 ppm), compared to 0% in Ebony Vale (maximum 150 ppm). Geometric mean PbB in Red Pond, where 44% of children less than 6 years of age had PbB levels greater than or equal to 25 micrograms per deciliter (micrograms/dL), was more than twice that Ebony Vale in all age groups (p less than 0.0005). Within Red Pond, proximity to backyard smelters and to the conventional smelter were independent predictors of soil lead (p less than 0.05). Soil lead was the strongest predictor of PbB among Red Pond subjects under 12 years of age. The blood lead--soil lead relationship in children differed from that reported in developed countries; blood lead levels were higher than expected for the household-specific soil lead levels that were observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Child↗