Slide Presentation from the AHRQ 2007 Annual Conference

Parachutes use to prevent death and major trauma related to gravitational challenge: systematic review*

Image of parachutists in mid-air.

Conclusion:

Parachutes appear to reduce the risk of injury after gravitational challenge, but their effectiveness has not been proven with randomized controlled trials.

* Smith GCS, Pell JP, British Medical Journal 2003;327:1459-61

Notes:

Response to any question about diagnostic accuracy or reliability-

I was hoping someone would ask that. I don't mean to make light of that important question, although this slide might make you wonder. The slide makes the point, very well, that not every question needs to be answered through rigorous study. Face validity is not a trivial concept. We've taken a rigorous look at reproducibility of primary diagnosis, but I think the most important thing to say is: See for yourself. The telemed technology we use has the capacity of obtain superb images. When I review sets of tympanic membrane and other images with residents and students, they usually ask me why we don't use this technology for usual in-person care—to them, the images are obviously much superior for providing diagnostic information than the hand-held otoscope they typically use.