Quokka bites. The first report of bites from an Australian marsupial.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the incidence and natural history of bites from the quokka, a small wallaby. DESIGN: A prospective case series. SETTING: Rottnest Island Nursing Post, a small hospital staffed by registered nurses on call 24 hours a day, located on Rottnest Island 18 km off the coast of Western Australia near Perth. PATIENTS: All patients presenting after a bite from a quokka. RESULTS: Seventy-two patients (30 males and 42 females) presented after a bite. All but two patients were patting or feeding a quokka at the time of being bitten, and all but two were bitten on a finger or the thumb. Sixty-one per cent of patients were followed up; all wounds healed without complications. No wound pathogens were cultured from either wound swabs or swabs of the mouths of quokkas. CONCLUSIONS: Bites from quokkas heal without complications, usually in two to three weeks. Simple first aid and tetanus prophylaxis where appropriate are all that is required. Antibiotics are not indicated.

Management of an occupational health program within an industrial setting. Perspectives of a corporate medical director.

In this review, I have tried to identify and call to the attention of occupational health program managers what I consider to be some of the major occupational health issues and concerns facing industry. It is obvious that we have a sizable task ahead as we stand back and contemplate the scope and complexity of these matters. One of my colleagues coined an apt phrase: "We need to master the probable and manage the unpredictable." In the midst of all these opportunities, and faced with the constraints of the economy, the occupational health program manager must carefully evaluate his/her company needs vis-à-vis society's desires and requirements, and then prioritize and plan accordingly. In this plethora of challenges, I would encourage you to be innovative and to welcome the new, but not discard those features of past occupational health programs that have stood the test of time. Let us remember, too, that a good physician and nurse should always be available to counsel employees and help them address their needs. Our concern for our employee-patients should be more than a preoccupation about potential exposures to chemicals, radiation, and other toxic substances. However, even in the case of occupational exposures and illness, through that physician or nurse-patient relationship we may be the only individuals in a position to learn of subtle, adverse health effects. Personal interaction between the employee and the physician or nurse must be maintained and, in the long term, technological advances may in fact allow them more time to counsel and heal.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The physician as a manager.

The practice of occupational medicine has undergone considerable change over the last decade. Increased awareness of potential health hazards associated with the workplace and its products and wastes, the interest of society and workers in these subjects, and related governmental regulation have resulted in expanded occupational health programs within industry. The occupational physician has become a key company resource in the optimal management of the business impacts of health-related issues. Health-related matters often have noteworthy business implications, and the occupational physician needs to spend considerable time as a manager in the planning, resourcing, implementation, evaluation, and stewardship of programs. Thus he is experiencing greater demands and often is inadequately prepared for this nonclinical, nonscientific role. Therefore, the preparation of occupational physicians to assume such managerial responsibilities needs to receive high priority. The physician must be willing to accept this challenge both to ensure the program's success and to retain a leadership position in occupational health programs.

Utilization of medical information systems in American occupational medicine. A committee report.

In an attempt to define the nature of medical programs and the extent of utilization of information systems in occupational medicine, a questionnaire was directed to 230 corporate medical directors of the largest employers in the USA. Responses were received from 163 (nearly 70%) of those contacted. While industrial injury data and sickness absence statistics are the principal areas of present computer analysis, respondents indicated that future plans called for a shift in emphasis to the analysis and correlation of human medical data with work exposure data. Nearly three-quarters of the respondents are planning more extensive medical information systems. It is concluded that there is an apparent need for both trained personnel to develop appropriate systems and enhanced communication between the users and suppliers of the required computer technology.