American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation
-
Am J Phys Med Rehabil · Aug 2014
A description of neck motor performance, neck pain, fatigue, and mental effort while driving in a sample with chronic whiplash-associated disorders.
Individuals with chronic whiplash-associated disorders (WADs) often note driving as a difficult task. This study's aims were to (1) compare, while driving, neck motor performance, mental effort, and fatigue in individuals with chronic WAD against healthy controls and (2) investigate the relationships of these variables and neck pain to self-reported driving difficulty in the WAD group. ⋯ Individuals with chronic WAD do not seem to have impaired neck motor performance while driving yet use greater mental effort. Neck pain, fatigue, and maximum head rotation velocity could be potential contributors to self-reported driving difficulty in this group.
-
Am J Phys Med Rehabil · Aug 2014
Interventional pain management skills competency in pain medicine fellows: a method for development and assessment.
The purposes of this project were to propose an educational module to instruct pain medicine fellows in the appropriate performance of interventional pain management techniques and to verify procedural competency through objective evaluation methodology. Eight board-certified pain medicine physicians spanning two fellowship programs trained seven fellows using a standardized competency-based module. Assessment tools address the basic competencies outlined by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (American Board of Anesthesiology Pain Medicine Content Outline). ⋯ Support for the assessment module is demonstrated by appropriate performance of interventional procedures, with improvement noted from 3-mo to 9-mo testing, successful completion of chart-stimulated oral examinations, proper performance of relevant physical examination maneuvers, and completion of program-specific medical knowledge written tests. The fellows were evaluated via patient surveys and 360-degree global rating scales, maintained procedure logs, and completed two patient-care reports; these were reviewed by program directors to ensure adequate completion. The standardized educational module and evaluation methodology presented provide a potential framework for the definition of baseline competency in the clinical skill area of interventional pain management.