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Whiplash
Whiplash
WAD Study
WAD Study
Get the full text of this study!
| TITLE: |
"Whiplash associated disorders:
redefining whiplash and its management" by the Quebec Task Force. A critical
evaluation. |
| AUTHOR: |
Freeman MD; Croft AC; Rossignol AM |
| AUTHOR AFFILIATION: |
Department of Public Health and Preventive
Medicine, Oregon Health Sciences University School of Medicine, Portland, USA. |
| SOURCE: |
Spine 1998 May 1;23(9):1043-9 |
| NLM CIT. ID: |
98251449 |
| ABSTRACT: |
STUDY DESIGN: The two publications of the
Quebec Task Force on Whiplash-Associated Disorders were evaluated by the authors of this
report for methodological error and bias. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the conclusions
and recommendations of the Quebec Task Force on Whiplash-Associated Disorders regarding
the natural history and epidemiology of whiplash injuries are valid. SUMMARY OF THE
BACKGROUND DATA: In 1995, the Quebec Task Force authored a text (published by the Societe
de l'Assurance Automobile du Quebec) and a pullout supplement in Spine entitled
"Whiplash-Associated Disorders: Redefining Whiplash and its Management." The
Quebec Task Force concluded that whiplash injuries result in "temporary
discomfort," are "usually self-limited," and have a "favorable
prognosis," and that the "pain [resulting from whiplash injuries] is not
harmful." METHODS: The authors of the current report reviewed the text and the
supplement for methodologic flaws that may have threatened the validity of the conclusions
and recommendations of the Quebec Task Force. RESULTS: Five distinct and significant
categories of methodologic error were found. They were: selection bias, information bias,
confusing and unconventional use of terminology, unsupported conclusions and
recommendations, and inappropriate generalizations from the Quebec Cohort Study.
CONCLUSION: The validity of the conclusions and recommendations of the Quebec Task Force
regarding the natural course and epidemiology of whiplash injuries is questionable. This
lack of validity stems from the presence of bias, the use of unconventional terminology,
and conclusions that are not concurrent with the literature the Task Force accepted for
review. Although the Task Force set out to redefine whiplash and its management, striving
for the desirable goal of clarification of the numerous contentious issues surrounding the
injury, its publications instead have confused the subject further. |
| MAIN MESH SUBJECTS: |
Cervical Vertebrae/*INJURIES
*Epidemiologic Research Design
Whiplash Injuries/*EPIDEMIOLOGY/ETIOLOGY/THERAPY |
| ADDITIONAL MESH SUBJECTS: |
Accidents, Traffic
Bias (Epidemiology)
Cohort Studies
Female
Human
Male
Quebec/EPIDEMIOLOGY
Reproducibility of Results |
| PUBLICATION TYPES: |
JOURNAL ARTICLE |
| LANGUAGE: |
Eng |
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