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Joel A DeLisa

Publications and source records attributed to Joel A DeLisa.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Physicians with disabilities and the physician workforce: a need to reassess our policies.

People with disabilities make up about 20% of the population, yet only a tiny fraction of matriculants to medical school have disabilities. Attempts to define core technical standards and competencies have not kept pace with technological changes, diverse specialization, and changing practice options. This has resulted in the inappropriate exclusion of some people with disabilities. Medical schools determine how any qualified applicant, regardless of physical or cognitive ability, can be effectively accommodated and counseled in achieving the most appropriate medical career. A serious effort to redefine the technical standards and core competencies of the 21st century medical education at the undergraduate and graduate levels would likely resolve many of the troubling questions regarding medical students with disabilities. We have made some recommendations to organized medicine for constructing an agenda to address these issues.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed2004

Improving resident research in physical medicine and rehabilitation: impact of a structured training program.

OBJECTIVE: This study describes a research training program that implemented several processes and structures with the aim of increasing the quality and quantity of resident research in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Another aim of the program was to address the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Practice-Based Learning and Improvement competency. DESIGN: Educational program. RESULTS: Data on resident research activity for 11 years before the implementation of the research program were compared with 4 years of data after implementation. There were statistically significant increases in both the total number of publications (P = 0.03) and the number of empirical, data-based publications after implementation of the program (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this study suggest that a structured research training program may have a salutary effect on increasing the quality and quantity of resident research.

Curriculum↗
PubMed2003

Low back pain.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Evidence-Based Medicine↗
PubMed2003

Spinal cord injury computer-assisted instruction for medical students.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if a computer-assisted instruction program would improve fourth-year medical students' knowledge base related to spinal cord injury, as determined by pretest and posttest scores. DESIGN: A multimedia computer-assisted instruction program was developed and offered on a volunteer basis to an entire class of fourth-year medical students (n = 168). Effectiveness of the instructional content was evaluated with pretests and posttests, and overall user satisfaction with the module was assessed with the courseware evaluation. RESULTS: The responses yielded 83 sets of completed pretest and posttest pairs and 80 sets of fully completed courseware evaluations. Mean posttest score was significantly higher than the mean pretest score (pretest, 6.65 +/- 1.44, vs. posttest, 7.36 +/- 1.38; df = 82, t = -4.74, P < 0.001). Courseware evaluations yielded positive ratings in all areas, including applicability and usability. CONCLUSIONS: The significantly increased posttest scores suggest that the students left the program with an expanded knowledge base in the content areas of spinal cord injury medicine covered in the computer-assisted instruction program.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed2002

Gabapentin in the treatment of neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, crossover trial.

BACKGROUND: Neuropathic pain is a common complaint after traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Gabapentin, a synthetic structural analogue of GABA, has been shown to have beneficial effects in the treatment of neuropathic pain in other diagnostic groups; however, no standardized clinical trial has been performed to evaluate its efficacy after SCI. DESIGN: A 10-week, prospective, randomized, double-blind, crossover, and placebo-controlled clinical trial. OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of gabapentin in the treatment of SCI-related neuropathic pain. METHODS: Seven subjects with neuropathic pain, who were more than 30 days post-SCI, completed the study. Two groups received a 4-week course of gabapentin and placebo in a randomized crossover design with a 2-week washout period. The Neuropathic Pain Scale was used to record daily pain levels. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. RESULTS: Gabapentin has some beneficial effects on certain types of neuropathic pain. There was a significant decrease of "unpleasant feeling" and a trend toward a decrease in both the "pain intensity" and "burning sensation" at the fourth week of gabapentin treatment compared with those on the placebo. No significant difference was found among other pain descriptors during the gabapentin and placebo treatment, although this may have been limited by the small sample size and low maximum dosage of gabapentin. CONCLUSIONS: Gabapentin reduces certain types of neuropathic pain in the SCI population. Future studies with larger sample sizes, higher dosages, and quicker titration will help further determine the efficacy of gabapentin in the treatment of SCI-related neuropathic pain.

Acetates↗
PubMed2002

Central post-stroke pain syndrome: yet another use for gabapentin?

Although gabapentin was originally developed for treating partial seizures, it has been used mainly to treat various peripheral neuropathic pain conditions; however, there is very limited experience with gabapentin for the treatment of pain conditions of the central nervous system like central post-stroke pain syndrome. We report the case of a 45-yr old man with central post-stroke pain syndrome who failed to respond to a variety of oral analgesics, but within 2 wk of the inception of gabapentin therapy, his average pain was significantly reduced and his level of function improved. We conclude that gabapentin may be an effective medication for the treatment of central post-stroke pain syndrome.

Acetates↗