The long spine board does not reduce lateral motion during transport--a randomized healthy volunteer crossover trial.

OBJECTIVE: For thirty years, emergency medical services agencies have emphasized limiting spinal motion during transport of the trauma patient to the emergency department. The long spine board (LSB) has been the mainstay of spinal motion restriction practices, despite the paucity of data to support its use. The purpose of this study was to determine reduction in lateral motion afforded by the LSB in comparison to the stretcher mattress alone. METHODS: This was a randomized controlled crossover trial where healthy volunteer subjects were randomly assigned to either LSB or stretcher mattress only. All subjects were fitted with a rigid cervical collar, secured to the assigned device (including foam head blocks), and driven on a closed course with prescribed turns at a low speed (<20 mph). Upon completion, the subjects were then secured to the other device and the course was repeated. Each subject was fitted with 3 graduated-paper disks (head, chest, hip). Lasers were affixed to a scaffold attached to the stretcher bridging over the patient and aimed at the center of the concentric graduations on the disks. During transport, the degree of lateral movement was recorded during each turn. Significance was determined by t test. RESULTS: In both groups, the head demonstrated the least motion with 0.46±0.4-cm mattress and 0.97±0.7-cm LSB (P≤ .0001). The chest and hip had lateral movement with chest 1.22±0.9-cm mattress and 2.22±1.4-cm LSB (P≤ .0001), and the hip 1.20±0.9-cm mattress and 1.88±1.2-cm LSB (P≤ .0001), respectively. In addition, lateral movement had a significant direct correlation with body mass index. CONCLUSION: The stretcher mattress significantly reduced lateral movement during transport.

Validation of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey for Estimating Burnout in Dental Students.

The aim of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) as a tool for assessing the prevalence and level of burnout in dental students in Spanish universities. The survey was adapted from English to Spanish. A sample of 533 dental students from 15 Spanish universities and a control group of 188 medical students self-administered the survey online, using the Google Drive service. The test-retest reliability or reproducibility showed an Intraclass Correlation Coefficient of 0.95. The internal consistency of the survey was 0.922. Testing the construct validity showed two components with an eigenvalue greater than 1.5, which explained 51.2% of the total variance. Factor I (36.6% of the variance) comprised the items that estimated emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Factor II (14.6% of the variance) contained the items that estimated personal accomplishment. The cut-off point for the existence of burnout achieved a sensitivity of 92.2%, a specificity of 92.1%, and an area under the curve of 0.96. Comparison of the total dental students sample and the control group of medical students showed significantly higher burnout levels for the dental students (50.3% vs. 40.4%). In this study, the MBI-HSS was found to be viable, valid, and reliable for measuring burnout in dental students. Since the study also found that the dental students suffered from high levels of this syndrome, these results suggest the need for preventive burnout control programs.

Determining college performance of allied health students.

BACKGROUND: The need to find methods to reduce attrition rates in allied health programs has caught the attention of legislators and administrators of higher education institutions. METHODS: A quantitative method design was used to investigate academic achievement in college as a function of high school achievement, high school performance, aptitude, and proactive measures taken by students. College transcripts and a survey were used to collect data. Eighty-six participants volunteered for the study. The data were analyzed with multiple linear regressions. RESULTS: Academic achievement was found to be a function of the independent variables examined. Together, the variables accounted for 37% of the total variance in academic achievement among the respondents, as measured by college grade point average. The findings suggest that dual enrollment programs play an integral part in academic achievement and may help facilitate the transition of high school students into the radiologic sciences. The findings may assist educators working with students in public schools and in higher education, especially students seeking to enter the radiologic sciences as a profession. CONCLUSION: Dual enrollment programs may be 1 avenue to help reduce attrition rates in allied health programs, especially in radiologic technology programs.