First published in 1997, and now in its second edition, Occupational Medicine Practice Guidelines has become a leading source for evidence-based guidelines used by occupational physicians and other health care professionals. ACOEM’s guidelines also are used by insurers, employers, attorneys, and other individuals and organizations involved in health and safety in the workplace.
The 2008 edition includes recently updated chapters on injuries of the elbow and lower back, as well as new guidelines for the treatment of chronic pain. These new guidelines are based on an improved methodology, which now includes strength-of-evidence recommendations and significantly expanded references to medical literature. The new chronic pain chapter, for example, features 1,500 medical references, including evidence from 546 randomized controlled trials.
As a part of its efforts to continuously improve and expand its guidelines, ACOEM is in the process of not only updating new chapters, but significantly improving end user functionality to assist a variety of guidelines users, including case managers and claims adjustors in the workers’ compensation environment.
“We are fully committed to leveraging technology to make our user experience the best it can be,” said ACOEM President Robert R. Orford, M.D. “Our goal is to create a package for users that we believe offers them the best of two worlds – high-quality content combined with speed of access, efficiency and ease of use.”
Visit www.acoem.org for more information.
