Kristi Randhawa

Driving posture can lead to musculoskeletal pain. Most work focuses on the lower back; therefore, we know little about automobile seat design and neck posture. This study evaluated an automobile driver seat that individualized upper back support to improve head and neck posture. Specifically, we examined the system’s impact on anterior head translation with secondary outcomes of spine posture and perceptions of comfort/well-being compared with a control. Forty participants were block randomized to experience either the activated or deactivated version of the same seating system first. Participants completed two 30-minute simulated driving trials, separated by washout, with continuous measures of anterior head translation, spine posture, and pelvis orientation. Perceptions of comfort/well-being were assessed by survey and open-ended questions immediately following each condition. Small, but statistically significant decreases in anterior head translation and posterior pelvic tilt occurred with the activated seat system. Participants reported lower satisfaction with the activated seat system. Order of the 2 seat conditions affected differences in pelvis orientation and participant perceptions of comfort/well-being. An anthropometric-based seat system targeting upper back support can significantly affect head and pelvic posture but not satisfaction during simulated driving. Future work should examine long-term impacts of these posture changes on health outcomes.

Exposure to different forms of ionizing radiation occurs in diverse occupational, medical, and environmental settings. Improving the accuracy of the estimated health risks associated with exposure ...

The Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) framework, a systematic tool that can link available mechanistic data with phenotypic outcomes of relevance to regulatory decision-making, is being explored in are...

The purpose of this report is to describe the Global Spine Care Initiative (GSCI) contributors, disclosures, and methods for reporting transparency on the development of the recommendations.

The purpose of this report is to describe the development of an evidence-based care pathway that can be implemented globally.

Purpose The purpose of this report is to describe the development of a list of resources necessary to implement a model of care for the management of spine-related concerns anywhere in the world, but especially in underserved communities and low- and middle-income countries. Methods Contents from the Global Spine Care Initiative (GSCI) Classification System and GSCI care pathway papers provided a foundation for the resources list. A seed document was developed that included resources for spine care that could be delivered in primary, secondary and tertiary settings, as well as resources needed for self-care and community-based settings for a wide variety of spine concerns (e.g., back and neck pain, deformity, spine injury, neurological conditions, pathology and spinal diseases). An iterative expert consensus process was used using electronic surveys. Results Thirty-five experts completed the process. An iterative consensus process was used through an electronic survey. A consensus was reached after two rounds. The checklist of resources included the following categories: healthcare provider knowledge and skills, materials and equipment, human resources, facilities and infrastructure. The list identifies resources needed to implement a spine care program in any community, which are based upon spine care needs. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first international and interprofessional attempt to develop a list of resources needed to deliver care in an evidence-based care pathway for the management of people presenting with spine-related concerns. This resource list needs to be field tested in a variety of communities with different resource capacities to verify its utility. Graphical abstract These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.

Spine-related disorders are a leading cause of global disability and are a burden on society and to public health. Currently, there is no comprehensive, evidence-based model of care for spine-related disorders, which includes back and neck pain, deformity, spine injury, neurological conditions, spinal diseases, and pathology, that could be applied in global health care settings. The purposes of this paper are to propose: (1) principles to transform the delivery of spine care; (2) an evidence-based model that could be applied globally; and (3) implementation suggestions.

Spinal disorders, including back and neck pain, are major causes of disability, economic hardship, and morbidity, especially in underserved communities and low- and middle-income countries. Currently, there is no model of care to address this issue. This paper provides an overview of the papers from the Global Spine Care Initiative (GSCI), which was convened to develop an evidence-based, practical, and sustainable, spinal healthcare model for communities around the world with various levels of resources.

The purpose of this report is to describe the development of a classification system that would apply to anyone with a spine-related concern and that can be used in an evidence-based spine care pathway.

The purpose of this study was to develop recommendations for prevention interventions for spinal disorders that could be delivered globally, but especially in underserved areas and in low- and middle-income countries.