Integrating public health and allied health education through a core curriculum: an action research approach.

This paper describes the use of an action research model to effect curricular change--specifically, to develop a core curriculum that prepares public health and health professions students to meet emerging needs in today's health care environment. The action research process is based on a series of steps wherein the problem is identified, data are collected and interpreted, action is taken, and action is reflected upon. These steps are then repeated. Consensus building proceeds as participants engage in continual analysis and implementation of changes, followed by more analysis. This process led to the emergence of three core content focus areas: Population, Wellness and Disability; Evidence-Based Practice; and Communication and Professionalism. "Focus Area Working Groups" were established to further delineate each content area. These groups initially developed 62 learning objectives across the three focus areas. Those objectives were subsequently distilled and refined, resulting in 25 "Core Essentials" that now define the core curriculum and serve as content guides rather than prescriptive learning objectives. The action research model proved to be beneficial in helping faculty from diverse health disciplines build consensus as they identified common professional and interprofessional learning needs.

Effect of high-voltage pulsed current on recovery after grades I and II lateral ankle sprains.

CONTEXT: High-voltage pulsed current (HVPC), a form of electrical stimulation, is known to curb edema formation in laboratory animals and is commonly applied for ankle sprains, but the clinical effects remain undocumented. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether, as an adjunct to routine acute and subacute care, subsensory HVPC applied nearly continuously for the first 72 h after lateral ankle sprains affected time lost to injury. DESIGN: Multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. SETTING: Data were collected at 9 colleges and universities and 1 professional training site. PARTICIPANTS: 50 intercollegiate and professional athletes. INTERVENTIONS: Near-continuous live or placebo HVPC for 72 h postinjury in addition to routine acute and subacute care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Time lost to injury measured from time of injury until declared fit to play. RESULTS: Overall, time lost to injury was not different between treated and control groups (P = .55). However, grade of injury was a significant factor. Time lost to injury after grade I lateral ankle sprains was greater for athletes receiving live HVPC than for those receiving placebo HVPC (P = .049), but no differences were found between groups for grade II sprains (P = .079). CONCLUSIONS: Application of subsensory HVPC had no clinically meaningful effect on return to play after lateral ankle sprain.