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PubMed1991

AIDS in California family medicine. Changing experiences, knowledge, and geographic distribution.

Information regarding practice patterns specific to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was obtained in 1988 from 1774 family physicians in California using a mail survey. Data were analyzed across the following county groupings: Los Angeles County, other counties in standard metropolitan statistical areas, and counties outside standard metropolitan statistical areas. Comparisons were made with the data from a telephone survey conducted in 1986. Differences over time were analyzed. By 1988, the percentage of physicians treating or referring patients for possible AIDS had more than doubled in counties outside standard metropolitan statistical areas. The percentage of physicians reporting one or more diagnosed cases of AIDS had tripled, a finding that suggests the importance of AIDS in family medicine is increasing at a rapid rate. In addition, survey results indicate that a majority of those surveyed still lack the AIDS-related knowledge and competency necessary to effectively deal with AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1996

Descriptive epidemiology of marine anemia in seapen-reared salmon in southern British Columbia.

Marine anemia, also known as plasmacytoid leukemia, is a recently described disease of farmed Pacific salmon in British Columbia. Most of what is known about the disease has been generated through laboratory studies or field investigations of severely affected farms. The goals of this study were to determine the range of the spatial and temporal distribution of naturally occurring marine anemia, identify potential risk factors, and provide an initial description of the impact of the disease on commercial salmon farms in British Columbia. Data were obtained from mail surveys, farm visits, and reviews of clinical and laboratory records. An attempt was made to evaluate negative, as well as mildly, moderately, and severely affected sites. The results showed marine anemia to be widely distributed throughout the major salmon farming regions in British Columbia. The disease was most commonly diagnosed in August and September, when water temperatures were at their seasonal peaks. A wide variety of lineage's and fish sources were associated with the disease. The average mortality rate attributed to marine anemia was 6% (range 2.5% to 11%). The peak occurrence of the disease was associated with a peak in the occurrence of other infectious and inflammatory diseases. The broad demographic distribution of marine anemia, coupled with its endemic nature, indicated that the disease is unlikely to be due to the recent introduction of a new pathogen and that causal factors are widespread in southern British Columbia. It is concluded that the significance of diagnosing marine anemia is not that it is predictive of an impending epidemic of mortality, but that it is an indicator of the general pattern of disease on a farm.

Anemia↗
PubMed2004

Laparoscopic training and practice in gynecologic oncology among Society of Gynecologic Oncologists members and fellows-in-training.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the proportion of Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO) members performing laparoscopic procedures and to determine SGO members' and fellows' opinions regarding indications for and the adequacy of training in laparoscopy. METHODS: Surveys were mailed to SGO members and fellows-in-training in December 2002. Anonymous responses were collected by mail or through a Web site. The survey was mailed twice and was estimated to take 5 min to complete. The data were analyzed using frequency distributions and nonparametric tests. RESULTS: Three hundred thirty-six SGO members (45%) and fifty-seven fellows (49%) responded. Among SGO members, 272 (84%) currently performed laparoscopic surgeries. Reasons cited for performing laparoscopy were decreased length of hospital stay (74%), improved patient quality of life (57%), patient preference (48%), improved cosmesis (46%), and better visualization (18%). Among those who did not perform laparoscopy, 50% cited increased operating time as their main reason. When asked to indicate the laparoscopic procedure most commonly performed in their practice, 69% reported diagnosis of an adnexal mass; 11%, prophylactic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomies; and 10%, laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy and lymph node staging for uterine cancer. Only 3% of SGO respondents performed more than 50% of their procedures laparoscopically, and all respondents reported converting from laparoscopy to laparotomy less than 25% of the time. Most respondents had limited laparoscopic training during their fellowships: 39% received none, and 46% received limited (less than five procedures per month) training. Nevertheless, 78% of SGO respondents rated their laparoscopic skills as either very good or good. Among fellows, only 25% believed they were receiving very good or good laparoscopic training. Eighty percent of SGO respondents believe that at least six procedures per month were necessary for adequate training, yet only 33% of fellows performed that many procedures. CONCLUSIONS: Most SGO respondents used laparoscopy for selective indications, and most developed their laparoscopic skills after their fellowship training. SGO respondents believed laparoscopic instruction is an important part of training, but most fellows perceived their laparoscopic training as inadequate.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Media impact of the SESPAS (Spanish Public Health Association) 2000 report]].

OBJECTIVE: To measure the mediatic effect of different communication strategies used in public health advocacy. More specifically, to compare the effectiveness of the World Wide Web as a tool to attract the attention of journalists, with other more traditional formulas. METHODS: For the Spanish Public Health Association (SESPAS) Report 2000, two types of media strategies to communicate the report contents were programmed: a) traditional and passive strategies, centred in approaching journalists through press releases and press conferences around the SESPAS meeting (November 15-20 1999); b) interactive strategies, since August 15 to December 30, focused towards attracting health journalists to the non-embargoed, full text SESPAS report launched in a web site. To facilitate the web page use, we wrote a letter, in the first week of August, to all the members of the Spanish Health Communicators Association giving them the URL and the website map. In parallel, a monitoring system of the media impact was established from August to December 99, covering 250 magazines and 70 newspapers, in order to locate and recover all the stories about the SESPAS report for further analysis. RESULTS: Sixty-six stories were recovered; they were published in 32 press media from 24 provinces with an advertising value of 18,243,873 Ptas. As a whole, smaller circulation rate papers published more stories than larger ones. During five months, the SESPAS report was present in the press agenda, even though stories were not distributed homogeneously over time. Information concentrated around three moments: the first one, a week after our summer mailing; the second one, in the occasion of the publication of a story about the increase in traffic accidents in El País, and the third one during the SESPAS meeting. There were significant differences among those stories published from the traditional strategies of communication and those published from the interactive ones, the latter being more diverse, with more contributions of the journalists and tackling a wider range of issues. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of traditional and alternative communication strategies was a effective option. Unlike previous experiences in this occasion, with the network aid, the presence of SESPAS in media was not punctual around the Congress, but maintained during five months. The results and the obtained experience of this research can be useful for future public health advocacy interventions in Spain.

Health Promotion↗
PubMed1996

Women in oral and maxillofacial surgery: factors affecting career choices, attitudes, and practice characteristics.

PURPOSE: This study analyzed the factors that attract women to the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery, their attitudes toward various aspects of the specialty, current practice patterns, and biases that may have been or are still being encountered. METHODS: Surveys were mailed to practicing female oral and maxillofacial surgeons, to oral and maxillofacial surgery residency programs to be distributed to their female residents, and to male and female dental students. RESULTS: A total of 107 surveys were sent to practicing female surgeons and 105 to oral and maxillofacial surgery programs. There was a return rate of 71% and 70%, respectively. Practicing female oral and maxillofacial surgeons tended to be young, Caucasian, and married. Fifty-nine percent were boarded, and 47% owned their own practices. Four of 76 had interrupted their residencies, and 18 had interrupted their practices at some point. More than 64% of practicing female oral and maxillofacial surgeons believed that there was a bias against women in this field. Female residents showed an overwhelming satisfaction with their career choice, but nearly half of them alluded to the need for dedication, a restriction of social life, or a concern for entering an male-dominated field. For students, the time commitment during residency and while in practice, and compromised family and social life, were the most commonly mentioned deterrents to entering oral and maxillofacial surgery, and lifestyle and the excitement of the field were its major attractions. CONCLUSION: Despite some biases in the field, women are practicing oral and maxillofacial surgery full time and are combining their career with full family lives. Among dental students, the time commitment and social compromise are the largest deterrents to entering the specialty of oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Exchanging digital video of laryngeal examinations.

Laryngeal examinations, especially stroboscopic examinations, are increasingly recorded using digital video formats on computer media, rather than using analog formats on videotape. It would be useful to share these examinations with other medical professionals in formats that would facilitate reliable and high-quality playback on a personal computer by the recipients. Unfortunately, a personal computer is not well designed for reliable presentation of artifact-free video. It is particularly important that laryngeal video play without artifacts of motion or color because these are often the characteristics of greatest clinical interest. With proper tools and procedures, and with reasonable compromises in image resolution and the duration of the examination, digital video of laryngeal examinations can be reliably exchanged. However, the tools, procedures, and formats for recording, converting to another digital format ("transcoding"), communicating, copying, and playing digital video with a personal computer are not familiar to most medical professionals. Some understanding of digital video and the tools available is required of those wanting to exchange digital video. Best results are achieved by recording to a digital format best suited for recording (such as MJPEG or DV),judiciously selecting a segment of the recording for sharing, and converting to a format suited to distribution (such as MPEG1 or MPEG2) using a medium suited to the situation (such as e-mail attachment, CD-ROM, a "clip" within a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, or DVD-Video). If digital video is sent to a colleague, some guidance on playing files and using a PC media player is helpful.

Analog-Digital Conversion↗
PubMed2000

Personal and professional beliefs and practices regarding herbal medicine among the full time faculty of the newark-based schools of the university of medicine and dentistry of new jersey.

Background: The use of alternative and herbal medicine is increasing among the general population in the United States. The use of herbal medicine by health care professionals has not been documented. Health care professionals tend to base personal and professional practices on scientific research and facts. This population interacts with the public and with health care students. Therefore, personal and professional practices will impact these audiences. Methods: A survey was distributed to all faculty members of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey via interoffice mail. A total of 904 surveys were sent. Statistical analyses included descriptive analysis of personal and professional practice regarding herbal medicine and chi(2) analysis of the relationship between personal and professional practices regarding herbal medicine. Significance was set at alpha <.05. Results: The overall response rate was 51%. Approximately one-third (29.6%, n = 134) of the population reported personal use of herbal medicine, 22.1% (n = 42) of the population who provide patient care recommend herbal medicine, 9.4% (n = 36) of those involved in teaching include herbal medicine in coursework, and 1.1% of the population were involved in research on herbs. Respondents who use herbal medicine were more likely to recommend herbs to patients (p <.0001); likewise, users of herbal medicine were more likely to teach students about herbal medicine (p =.001). Conclusions: The results support the hypothesis that personal beliefs and practices do impact professional practices within the clinical and academic settings of the university.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1998

Cutting seton versus two-stage seton fistulotomy in the surgical management of high anal fistula.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical results obtained with the cutting seton and the two-stage seton fistulotomy (TSSF) in the surgical management of high anal fistula. METHODS: The case records of 59 patients with high anal fistula of cryptoglandular origin treated with cutting seton (n = 12) or TSSF (n = 47) over a 5-year period were retrospectively reviewed. There was no difference between the groups in age, sex distribution, or estimated percentage of anal sphincter involved by the fistula. Follow-up was by a mailed questionnaire inquiring about fistula recurrence, incontinence, and degree of satisfaction. Mean follow-up was similar in both groups (27 months for cutting seton versus 33 months for TSSF). Comparisons were made by Student t and chi 2 tests, as required. RESULTS: There were no differences in the rate of fistula recurrence between the groups treated with cutting seton or TSSF (one of 12 versus four of 47), difficulty holding gas (six of 12 versus 25 of 47), underwear staining (six of 12 versus 18 of 47), stool incontinence (three of 12 versus 12 of 27), overall incontinence (eight of 12 versus 31 of 47) and mean incontinence score (4.9 versus 4.2). The fistula healing time and degree of satisfaction with the operation were not significantly different between the groups. One-half of the patients treated by TSSF had the seton removed under general or epidural anaesthesia. CONCLUSION: Both techniques are equally effective in eradicating the fistula, and both are associated with a similar rate of incontinence.

Colectomy↗
PubMed2003

Sexual and gender-related harassment in medical education and research training: results from a Swedish survey.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to establish the level of perceived sexual and gender-related harassment in undergraduate and doctoral studies, in which environment the events occurred, which categories of persons had committed the harassment, and other aspects of sexual harassment at the Faculty of Medicine, Gothenburg University. METHODS: A questionnaire was distributed to all registered male and female undergraduate students (n= 605) and doctoral students (n=743) by mail to their home addresses. RESULTS: The response rate was 62% (840/1348). Of the total study population, 59% (495/840) of respondents reported at least one experience of derogatory jokes and comments, 54% (454/840) of respondents reported at least one experience of gender-related discrimination, and 22% (187/840) of respondents reported at least one incident of sexual harassment. More severe types of sexual harassment were reported by 9% (79/840) of respondents. Women, and especially undergraduate women, were more often exposed to all kinds of harassment than were men. Lecturers/professors, doctors and co-students were the categories most often identified as the harassers. The harassment mostly occurred during lectures, clinical work and coffee breaks. The most common types of self-perceived mistreatment were derogatory jokes and comments. CONCLUSION: This survey shows that sexual harassment happens to both men and women, although it is more commonly experienced by female undergraduate and doctoral students, and that it occurs in both the university and hospital environments. Universities should develop action plans to prevent such events. Students and teachers should be well informed about appropriate measures to take in situations where harassment is known or suspected to occur.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The perceived importance of paramedic skills and the emphasis they receive during EMS education programs.

OBJECTIVE: The National Standard Curriculum for paramedics is currently being revised. There is little scientific evidence of what does and what does not work in prehospital care, and of whether the National Standard Curriculum prepares paramedics for the field. To provide some basis for the current revisions to the National Standard Curriculum, the authors determined which prehospital skills are perceived by paramedics to be the most important, and whether the emphasis placed on those skills during initial and continuing education programs corresponds with the perceived importance. METHODS: Surveys listing 21 paramedic skills were mailed to the directors of 41 EMS agencies who agreed to participate in the study. The directors distributed the surveys to 1,364 paramedics affiliated with their organizations. The participants were asked to rate the importance of each skill, and the emphasis placed on each skill during their initial and continuing education. Skills were ranked on a scale of 0 to 4, with 0 representing no importance or emphasis, and 4 representing the most possible importance or emphasis. RESULTS: Six-hundred of the 1,364 (44%) surveys were returned. Respondents had a mean of 9.9 +/- 5.6 years of EMS experience, and 5.4 +/- 4.0 years of experience as paramedics. The three skills ranked highest in importance were: 1) endotracheal intubation; 2) defibrillation; and 3) assessment. Importance in prehospital care was ranked equal to or higher than emphasis in both initial and continuing education for all skills except splinting and urinary catheterization, which received higher rankings for emphasis in initial education. Emphasis in initial education equaled or exceeded the emphasis in continuing education for all skills except intraosseous infusion. CONCLUSION: The perceived importance of most prehospital skills is very high, and exceeds the emphasis placed on those skills during both initial and continuing education programs. These findings have implications for medical directors, EMS instructors, and persons involved with the revision of the National Standard Curriculum.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed2000

ASHP national survey of pharmacy practice in acute care settings: dispensing and administration--1999.

Results of the 1999 ASHP national survey of pharmacy practice in acute care settings that pertain to drug dispensing and administration practices are presented. Pharmacy directors at 1050 general and children's medical-surgical hospitals in the United States were surveyed by mail. The response rate was 51%. About three-fourths of respondents described their inpatient pharmacy's distribution system as centralized. Of those with centralized distribution, 77.4% indicated that their system was not automated. Decentralized pharmacists were used in 29.4% of the hospitals surveyed; an average of 58.9% of their time was spent on clinical, as opposed to distributive, activities. About 67% of directors reported pharmacy computer access to hospital laboratory data, 38% reported access to automated medication-dispensing-unit data, and 19% reported computer access to hospital outpatient affiliates. Only 13% of hospitals had an electronic medication order-entry system; another 27% reported they were in the process of developing such a system. Decentralized medication storage and distribution devices were used in 49.2% of hospitals, while 7.3% used bedside information systems for medication management. Machine-readable coding was used for inpatient pharmacy dispensing by 8.2% of hospitals. Ninety percent reported a formal, systemwide committee responsible for data collection, review, and evaluation of medication errors. Virtually all respondents (98.7%) reported that their staff initiated manual reports. Only two thirds tracked these reports and reported trends to the staff. Fewer than 15% reported that staff were penalized for making or contributing to an error. Pharmacists are making a significant contribution to the safety of medication distribution and administration. The increased use of technology to improve efficiency and reduce costs will require that pharmacists continue to focus on the impact of changes on the safety of the medication-use system.

Ambulatory Care↗
PubMed2006

Prevalence of percutaneous exposure incidents amongst dentists in Queensland.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous exposure incidents (PEI) represent an important occupational health issue in dentistry, and one that can incur severe consequences from blood-borne infections. Given the importance of this topic, we considered it necessary to investigate the distribution and cause of PEI among Queensland dentists. METHODS: In 2004, a self-reporting questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of 400 dentists on the register of the Queensland Branch of the Australian Dental Association. RESULTS: A total of 285 questionnaires (73.1 per cent) were completed and returned. Of the respondents, 73.3 per cent were male and 26.7 per cent female, with a mean age of 45.2 years (SD = 11.9 years). Most were general dentists (89.1 per cent) with the remainder being specialists (10.9 per cent). More than three-quarters (78.5 per cent) reported damaging their gloves at least once during a clinical procedure in the previous 12-month period. Roughly one-quarter (27.7 per cent) had experienced at least one 'sharps' or needlestick injury in the previous 12 months, 16.1 per cent of which involved a contaminated instrument that had been previously used on a patient. The most common devices to cause 'sharps' injury in the previous 12 months were needles (14.4 per cent) and burs (10.2 per cent). CONCLUSIONS: Although PEI clearly remains a major occupational health problem for Queensland dentists, the prevalence of needlestick injuries appears to be lower than other studies from developed countries. The identification of needlestick injuries as a common cause of PEI again stresses the importance of preventive strategies with respect to potential blood-borne infections. Further research is now needed to more carefully identify effective measures for reducing PEI among dental personnel.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Randomised trial of three approaches for marketing smoking cessation programmes to Australian general practitioners.

OBJECTIVE: To compare three approaches for marketing a quit smoking intervention kit to general practitioners. DESIGN: Randomised trial of (a) personal delivery and presentation by an educational facilitator with a follow up visit six weeks later; (b) delivery to the receptionist by a friendly volunteer courier with a follow up phone call six weeks later, or (c) postal delivery with a follow up letter six weeks later. SETTING: Melbourne, Australia. SUBJECTS: 264 randomly selected general practitioners. DATA COLLECTION: A research assistant visited each doctor four months after delivery and measured use of components of the kit. A questionnaire measuring perceptions of aspects of the kit and its delivery was completed by doctors. Costs of each approach were calculated. RESULTS: Doctors receiving the educational facilitator approach were significantly more likely than those receiving the other two approaches to have seen the kit, to rate the method of delivery as engendering motivation to try the kit, to have used one of the "intensive intervention" components from the kit, to report that they found the kit less complicated, and to report greater knowledge of how to use the kit. There were no significant differences in use of "minimal intervention" components of the kit, ratings of overall acceptability of delivery, perceptions of cultural and structural barriers to using the kit, and ratings of the overall acceptability of the kit. The cost of the educational facilitator approach ($A142/doctor) was 24 times that of the mailed approach. The volunteer courier approach ($A14) was twice the cost of the mailed approach. CONCLUSION: Educational facilitators and volunteer couriers do not seem to be cost effective strategies for distributing smoking interventions.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of 4 years of clinical pharmacist anticoagulation case management in a rural, private physician office.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate patient outcomes after 4 years of anticoagulation case management by a pharmacist and to document patient and provider satisfaction with the service. SETTING: Rural, private physician office in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. PRACTICE DESCRIPTION: Clinical pharmacist anticoagulation clinic. PRACTICE INNOVATION: Under a protocol reviewed annually, a clinical pharmacist faculty member from the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy provides on-site, point-of-care anticoagulation dose adjustment and monitoring 1 day per week. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data on anticoagulation outcomes from 1998 to 2002 were obtained through retrospective review of medical charts of patients served by the clinic. A survey of patient satisfaction with the clinic was mailed to all currently active patients enrolled in the anticoagulation clinic, and a second satisfaction survey was distributed to providers and ancillary staff of the physician office. RESULTS: Eighty patients met the criteria for evaluation of therapeutic outcomes. The mean +/- standard deviation percentage of international normalized ratios in the therapeutic range ("percent therapeutic") for the anticoagulation clinic population was 57.5 +/- 17.4. The percent therapeutic for patients who had been on warfarin before enrolling in the pharmacist case management anticoagulation clinic (defined as the usual medical care group) was 37.6%, compared with 57.8% for those patients receiving care in the pharmacist case management anticoagulation clinic (P < .001). In nearly all instances, responses to the surveys indicated that patient and provider satisfaction with the anticoagulation service was extremely high. CONCLUSION: A clinical pharmacist can provide anticoagulation case management services safely and effectively in a private physician office, and the service is highly valued by both patients and providers. We believe case management is an optimal method for systematically monitoring outpatient anticoagulation therapies and is preferable to usual medical care.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Describing and predicting the possession of assistive devices among persons with multiple sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: This study describes the types of assistive devices in the possession of persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) and identifies factors that best predicted the probability of possessing these devices. METHOD: A secondary analysis using frequency distributions and logistic regression of existing cross-sectional data was completed. Data were from an anonymous mail survey of members of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada (Atlantic Division) (N = 906). RESULTS: Mobility aids and grab bars were the most commonly reported assistive devices. Seeing an occupational therapist, not working, having a progressive type of MS, having more activity limitations and more symptoms, and having MS for a longer period were found to increase the probability of possessing assistive devices. CONCLUSION: The descriptive results of this study are similar to studies of assistive technology use by older adults and persons with other chronic conditions. Type of MS and seeing an occupational therapist were the two strongest predictors of possessing assistive devices among respondents.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Use of physician extenders in surgical pathology practice.

CONTEXT: Use of a variety of nonphysician personnel for surgical pathology gross examination is generally known to be increasing, although detailed information regarding nonphysician use is currently unavailable. OBJECTIVE: To measure and describe the use of nonphysician personnel for surgical pathology gross examination in order to gain a better understanding of the current surgical pathology workforce. DESIGN: A voluntary, mailed questionnaire containing items related to the use of multiple nonphysician personnel types in surgical pathology was distributed to (1) a cross-sectional sample (n = 968) of US pathologists and (2) a purposive sample of pathologist directors of surgical and/or anatomic pathology (n = 77) located at teaching institutions. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, the chi2 test, and 1-way analysis of variance. Staffing ratios were calculated for multiple nonphysician personnel types. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 22% (n = 225). Of the US sample, 56% of respondents reported using nonphysician laboratory personnel to perform gross examinations, compared with 91% of the directors' sample. The most frequently reported personnel type for both samples was pathologists' assistants, but multiple other personnel types were used as well. Significant associations existed between certain practice types and personnel types used, as well as differences in the scope of responsibilities between personnel types. Calculated staffing ratios were variable across personnel types and were highest for pathologists' assistants. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a variety of nonphysician laboratory personnel for surgical pathology gross examination is common, particularly in academic pathology practice. Further studies are needed to examine the impact of physician extenders on laboratory efficiency and quality of care.

Pathology, Surgical↗
PubMed1998

The effects of managed care on the retail distribution of pharmaceuticals.

The growth of managed care has resulted in substantial changes in the retail channel of distribution for pharmaceuticals. Community pharmacies' numbers and profit margins have declined, and marketshare has shifted to mail-service pharmacies as MCOs and pharmacy benefit managers have dictated reimbursement terms. Community pharmacies have consolidated to increase negotiating power and efficiency and have become more involved in direct patient care. The success of both MCOs and community pharmacies may depend on their ability to provide cooperative services that improve patients' health outcomes.

Cooperative Behavior↗
PubMed2004

Frequency and assortment of self-report occupational complaints among Iranian ophthalmologists: a preliminary survey.

BACKGROUND: Ophthalmology is unique in that its practitioners are exposed to a host of ergonomic (eg, indirect ophthalmoscopy), ergo-ophthalmologic (laser), infectious (adenovirus), and allergic (topical anesthetics) hazards. The purpose of this study is to provide a preliminary occupational health profile of Iranian ophthalmologists. METHODS: A comprehensive list of occupation-related entities was incorporated into a questionnaire, which was distributed among 350 ophthalmologist participants of the Annual Iranian Congress of Ophthalmology (November 2000, Tehran) and was mailed twice to the 1050 nation's registered ophthalmologists. Independent Samples t and chi-square tests were used to assess the relationships. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-two questionnaires were returned. The mean career time was 15.7 (range, 1-40) years. Twenty (12.3%) of the participants were women. The reported prevalences were as follows: history of infectious conjunctivitis, 49.4%; contact dermatitis, 43.2%; back pain, 80%; chronic headache, 54.9%; and laser or operating microscope-related visual disturbances, 15%. Psychological indispositions were reported by two thirds. Age and career time were inversely related to contact dermatitis, chronic headache, and stress-related problems (P < .05). Visual complaints were more prevalent in vitreoretina surgeons (P < .004). Psychosocial disorders were significantly more reported by women (P = .026; odds ratio = 4.4). Only 3% of participants reported to have none of the listed problems. CONCLUSION: Our preliminary survey disclosed a high prevalence of diverse complaints from back and neck pain, contact dermatitis, visual disturbances, and infectious conjunctivitis to stress-related and psychosocial disorders among the participants. Younger age, being a woman, and vitreoretina practice were the complaints correlates. Due to the low response rate, uncertainty over the representativeness and coverage of the sample, and lack of control groups, the findings have to be interpreted conservatively.

Female↗