School screening for scoliosis is a well accepted technique for the early detection of spinal deformities. We reviewed the experience in Minnesota over the past eight years, with an average of one-quarter of a million children being screened yearly. Of the children screened, 3.4 per cent were referred for evaluation and scoliosis was found in 1.2 per cent. The number of children requiring operations for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis has diminished since 1970. The average curve for which a surgical procedure was done has also diminished from 60 to 42 degrees. The cost of the program is low, averaging 6.6 cents per student screened. This compares with a so-called time cost averaging thirty-five cents. Voluntary scoliosis.
In the USA, not all legislated screening programs are the same today. We can not take a broad-brush approach to whether or not a state has screening, but must look further at screening protocol details, including age and gender screened, screener education and support, scoliometer usage, reporting and follow-up methodologies etc, to evaluate the effectiveness of a program. Some states have ratios of one school nurse for every 700 students, while others have 2000/1 ratios and use health aides and volunteer parents to perform scoliosis screening. Unfortunately, in the USA there is a lack of national standards and adequate reports for scoliosis screening mechanisms, making collection of evidence-based outcomes necessary to either enhance this process or eliminate it, extremely difficult. Perhaps a study should be first done to compare the legislative states and document the intra and inter state variability of screening programs and outcome results
school screening for scoliosis
12 November 2008
School screening for scoliosis is a well accepted technique for the early detection of spinal deformities. We reviewed the experience in Minnesota over the past eight years, with an average of one-quarter of a million children being screened yearly. Of the children screened, 3.4 per cent were referred for evaluation and scoliosis was found in 1.2 per cent. The number of children requiring operations for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis has diminished since 1970. The average curve for which a surgical procedure was done has also diminished from 60 to 42 degrees. The cost of the program is low, averaging 6.6 cents per student screened. This compares with a so-called time cost averaging thirty-five cents. Voluntary scoliosis.
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johnpetersen
quebec drug rehab
Competing interests
None declared
school screening for scoliosis
5 September 2009
In the USA, not all legislated screening programs are the same today. We can not take a broad-brush approach to whether or not a state has screening, but must look further at screening protocol details, including age and gender screened, screener education and support, scoliometer usage, reporting and follow-up methodologies etc, to evaluate the effectiveness of a program. Some states have ratios of one school nurse for every 700 students, while others have 2000/1 ratios and use health aides and volunteer parents to perform scoliosis screening. Unfortunately, in the USA there is a lack of national standards and adequate reports for scoliosis screening mechanisms, making collection of evidence-based outcomes necessary to either enhance this process or eliminate it, extremely difficult. Perhaps a study should be first done to compare the legislative states and document the intra and inter state variability of screening programs and outcome results
malibu drug rehabilitation
Competing interests
None declared