Daily Professional Activities Research Articles

Percepción del personal médico de atención primaria de salud acerca de sus funciones, formación y conocimientos en materia de salud laboral

To evaluate the perception of primary health care medical staff (PHCMS) have on their functions in occupational risk prevention (ORP), as well as their knowledge and skills on the subject of occupational health (OH).Descriptive cross-sectional study.Health Department 20 of Alicante province, Spain.All PHCMS (N=104), with a participation of 80% (N=83).The participants self-completed a questionnaire specifically developed for the study. Sixteen questions were established and covered functions in ORP and skills for developing them, as well as the amount and usefulness of training received on the subject of OH.The PHCMS did not perceive that they had functions as regards ORP (median [Me], 2; interquartile range [IR], 1-3). To a greater extent they considered themselves capable of identifying whether an illness seen in their clinic was of work origin or not (Me, 3; IR, 3-4). Training in OH as a medical student and in their medical internship (MIR) was identified as of minor importance (55.4% and 60%, respectively, of those surveyed scored a value of 1 in the questionnaire). The PHCMS obviously considered that better training in OH would help them in their daily professional activity. High scores were obtained for this (response options greater than or equal to 4) in more than 70% of the interviewees.Training in OH must be encouraged so that PHCMS are seen to be health personnel with functions in ORP and are able to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills in OH for their routine medical practice.

Poweract and Organizational Work: Gérard Mendel's Socio-psychoanalysis

One of the principal merits of Gérard Mendel's socio-psychoanalysis lies in the fact that it strives to understand how organizational reality influences individual psychic reality, including in its unconscious dimension. A collective practice, it aims to study how actors, in the framework of their daily professional activity, and organized into specific groups (homogeneous in terms of profession), reflect by themselves on the forces that impact their personality. The working hypothesis of socio-psychoanalysis is that the hold of organizations on individuals is such that the latter have very little power over their acts of work; whence the negative psychological effects with their harmful socio-economic consequences. For Mendel, it seems necessary to intervene right from the beginning of the socio-psychoanalytic process in the dimension of the organization of work. The intervention methodology adopted is that of an institutional system whose function is to counter, as much as possible, the pathogenic effects of the organization of work by neutralizing the hierarchical, technical, social and organizational divisions that run through it, in order to trigger a `movement of appropriation of the act' (poweract). Thus, when the conditions are in place for individuals to exercise real power over their productive acts, then pleasure, creativity, motivation, participation and a sense of responsibility may all develop in them. In so doing, the system endeavours not only to act on the concrete reality of work, but also to enable certain psychosocial changes in the personality.

Treatment, diagnosis—or just testing the water?

Treatment, diagnosis—or just testing the water?

A cardiologia no século XXI: o uso do PDA é indispensável?

The current advance of medicine and the need to continuously keep pace with new medical developments have led to the use of technologies compatible with these discoveries. Medical doctors can be classifi ed into three categories with regards to their ability to use such technologies.The fi rst group includes physicians who acquired the knowledge mainly based on previous personal experience. However, medical literature lacks suffi cient reports about this because of limitations in technology and also because the access to information was either the privilege of only a few professionals or it was diffi cult to attain. The second group, in which I am included, consists of those professionals who considered computers mainly as time-saving devices to perform repeated tasks. And, fi nally, the third group includes physicians who, at a very early stage of their basic medical education, or often before that, were already familiar with a certain level of updated medical technology. Another aspect in this transition to technology use refers to the access to medical reference information, which in the past would be available only at university libraries or on personal computers (which often had poor connections). The best examples of such advances are PDAs (personal digital assistants), also known as handheld computers, palms, palm tops, palm pilots, pocket pcs, etc.The PDAs are small, compact, light-weight, wireless devices that can be conveniently carried in a pocket or purse. They help the clinician access medical information from any location and at any time - a feature which has generated a new term: mobile computing.It is worth mentioning that the accessibility at the point-of-care itself represents a revolution on how medical knowledge becomes available. In addition to being a decision-making tool in the clinical setting, this device is highly useful in the medical fi eld as it provides instant access to essential information wherever it is needed. Generally speaking, PDA medical applications can be grouped into the following categories: as a decision-making tool in the clinical setting, as a tool for administrative support, documentation, education and research activities, as well as an organizer of daily professional activities. Clinical studies have shown PDAs can help practitioners reduce medical errors from the diagnosis stage through to prescribing treatment

Experiential learning, self-beliefs and adult performance in Senegal

Ability to update skills constitutes a key element in the process of improving adults' performance. Professional skills are usually updated through engagement in active learning by connecting prior experiences to new ones and also sharing information with others through reflection and hands-on activities. Such learning processes can be achieved through experiential learning. Experiential learning can lead to creation of retrievable knowledge, which can be applied to their daily professional activity. Results of this study indicated that experiential learning needs to be rooted in the culture and values of the social environment in which adults live. Further, individual characteristics may influence the impact of experiential learning on adult professionals' abilities to reach higher levels of performance. A random sample of 126 farmers was selected. Data were collected through a questionnaire and were examined by quantitative as well as qualitative data analysis techniques.

Sports and physical load bearing capacity after spondylodesis in patients with Scheuermann kyphosis

In this investigation it was examined which is the effect of an extensive spondylodesis by patients with Scheuermann's kyphosis on their sport activity and their physical load capacity. Between 1983 and 1990, 10 patients with severe kyphosis secondary to Scheuermann's disease underwent surgical correction and spinal fusion. In 1997 all 10 patients were clinically and radiologically examined and interviewed at an average follow-up of 9.6 years. At the time of follow-up one patient was active in top sports, seven patients in normal sport, two patients were members in a sports-club and one patient was not interested in sport. Eight patients went in for sports regulary. Mostly the patients were active in gymnastics, cycling and swimming. At follow-up almost all patients found that their physical load capacity and the behaviour in relation to back pain were better than before operation. Half of the patients were exposed to a middle physical load in the daily life. The presented study shows that patients after extensive spondylodesis for Scheuermann's kyphosis and clear reduction of pain are not automatically limited in the daily life, both for sport and professional activity. However, generalized recommendations for the physical load capacity of the operated patient cannot be given, and an individualized decision must be taken for each case.

The impact of functional analysis methodology on outpatient clinic services.

The impact of the article by Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, and Richman (1982) on research in severe behavior disorders has been impressive. Equally impressive, however, but not as fully recognized, has been the impact of this methodology on the routine professional activities of those who employ functional analysis methods in their daily work. As one example of this impact, we describe the evolution of assessment procedures based on "brief functional analysis" methodology in our outpatient clinics. Less apparent have been the collateral effects that occur from using these procedures. Interactions with clients and colleagues have changed in ways that result in increased positive reinforcement. In this article, we briefly discuss the positive impact functional analysis has had on one specific work behavior--outpatient clinic assessment--and describe some of the generalized effects we have experienced in related aspects of our daily professional activities.

When science is nonscientific

It is understandable why scientists are strongly tempted to wax philosophical from time to time. Those who are not merely technicians are bound to have their theoretical moments, during which they wonder about their own specialized corner of the natural world, as well as the other areas that border it. Furthermore, no science is wholly empirical. Every branch of science rests on certain philosophical presuppositions about what nature is like and what observation is, as well as methodological assumptions about which investigative and explanatory procedures are appropriate to the domain in question. Therefore, whether they realize it nor not, scientists adopt numerous philosophical positions, even as they go about their daily professional activities. But therein lies a problem. In the time of Aristotle, and for many centuries thereafter, the philosophical foundations of science were out in the open. Only relatively recently have the various branches of what used to be called natural philosophy become sufficiently detailed and systematic to survive on their own. And that autonomy has made it all too easy for scientists to forget that their fields are extensions of a more thoroughly abstract and speculative discipline. Hence, few scientists appreciate the complexities of their philosophical roots, or even realize that one may properly evaluate a science with respect to the adequacy of its conceptual foundations. As a result, manY dare to publish their scientific views on the nature of reality, despite gaping lacunae in their philosophical education generally, and almost certainly without

Potential Hazards in Military Dental Practice

Abstract : Many daily professional activities of the dentist are based upon the preparation, direct use and mechanical alternation (grinding) of dust producing minerals and Aerosolizable substances include, but are not limited to cements, plaster and dental stone, refractory investments and the filler constituents of irreversible hydrocolloid (alginate) impression materials. The potential for inhalation of airborne toxic materials by the military dentist who practices in a group situation would appear to be greater than that of his civilian counterpart. Presently, the degree of danger to which military dental personnel are exposed during the performance of routine duties is uncertain.