Newsbriefs Public Health News ----------------------------------------------------------------- Vision tests for elderly reduce fatal automobile crashes, study shows Each year, more than 5,000 drivers over age 65 are involved in fatal car crashes. Research released last week by the School of Public Health and the University of Baltimore Merrick Shool of Business shows that requiring older drivers to take a vision test upon license renewal reduces the risk of fatal crashes among them by about 7 percent. The findings, reported in the Oct. 4 Journal of the American Medical Association, were the culmination of the most comprehensive study yet conducted to evaluate the effect of license renewal policies on fatal crashes among older drivers. The study's lead author, David T. Levy, a professor of economics at the University of Baltimore, said that several states have road and knowledge tests because they think they are an effective way to reduce automobile fatalities. "We were not able to show that these tests had as strong an effect on fatality risk as vision testing," Levy said. Though license renewal is one of the few public policies that could have a dire effect on the safety of older drivers, changes could limit their independence. "There is the question of what to do when seniors' licenses are revoked, and they lose their mobility," Levy said. "The challenge is to find a way to improve [the elderly driver's] safety without sacrificing their independence." ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Postmenopausal women with breast cancer opting for estrogen therapy In the first study to evaluate the effect of menopause on the quality of life of women with breast cancer, a School of Public Health study shows that 31 percent of women with breast cancer would consider taking estrogen--despite concerns that the hormone might promote tumor growth--to relieve menopausal symptoms. "Whether postmenopausal women with breast cancer should take [estrogen replacement therapy] has been hotly debated recently," said associate professor of epidemiology Kathy J. Helzsouer. "This study tells us that breast cancer patients want--and need-- safe, effective treatments for menopausal symptoms. If not estrogen, other effective treatments need to be developed." The findings, reported in the October issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, reveal that 50 percent of the women who experienced symptoms including hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, difficulty sleeping and depression felt they needed some form of treatment. Among women who would consider ERT, willingness increased with greater severity of sleep disturbances and depression. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Doctors suffer same sorts of stress as many other kinds of workers Doctors in mid-career suffer from the same types of stress, mental strain and dissatisfaction as a result of their work conditions as other workers, including those in both blue collar and service occupations. In a study, which appears in this month's Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, School of Public Health researchers report the two main factors contributing to mental strain and job dissatisfaction for doctors were the degree of social support they received and the amount of control they had over their work. Jeffrey V. Johnson, an associate professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management, said that in managed care settings, where doctors may have a heavy patient caseload, they may not have the time or energy to find social support. Johnson defined social support as co-workers helping to do a difficult job, giving emotional support about problems on the job and giving feedback about job performance. The report used data from the Johns Hopkins Physicians Precursor Study, a longitudinal cohort analysis begun in 1947 to identify biological, physiological, psychological and social characteristics among medical students that would predict premature development of cardiovascular disease and hypertension. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Other News ----------------------------------------------------------------- HR conference addresses ways diversity can lead to corporate excellence Human Resources staff and administrators from across the university met for their fourth annual conference last week to discuss ways to achieve excellence through diversity. The two-day conference, this year held on Oct. 5 and 6 at Sheppard Pratt, provides training and development on a specific issue of importance to the university. Anne Muller, senior director of human resources at the schools of Public Health and Nursing, chaired the conference. "Diversity goes beyond gender and race and encompasses all the differences in us, including dimensions like personality, culture, age, physical ability, sexual orientation and religion," said Cecy Kuruvilla, senior organization development/diversity specialist and chair of the conference's program planning committee. "It's important that we are all aware of diversity issues and seek ways in which to recognize our differences and use them to enhance our workplace. This conference was designed to help us, as a human resources team, become better equipped to encourage their awareness." UMBC president Freeman Hrabowski III was the conference keynote speaker. He began UMBC's nationally acclaimed multimillion dollar Meyerhoff Scholarship Program for gifted African Americans in science and engineering. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Continuing Studies, Nursing launch dual master's degree program The schools of Nursing and Continuing Studies are offering a new part-time dual master's degree program in nursing management and business. The goal of the MS in Nursing/Business is to prepare nurses to successfully manage nursing services and integrated health services. "The growth of managed care and the emergence of specialized community-based settings create exciting new opportunities for nurses to assume increasingly responsible roles in designing and managing treatment settings," said Jacqueline Dienemann, associate professor and coordinator of nursing programs in management for the School of Nursing. The 50-credit curriculum builds on an undergraduate nursing education by adding graduate nursing and business foundation courses taught by faculty with practical experience from a variety of settings. Courses are also offered that address changes in health care administration and professional nursing issues. Students also will receive management experience in the setting of their choice. For application and program information, contact Pat Wafer, senior director of business/medical programs for the School of Continuing Studies, at (410) 290-1260 or at wafer_p@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu. -----------------------------------------------------------------