[Towards a disruptive preventive approach for sustainable healthcare systems]. / Vers une approche préventive disruptive pour «soigner¼ durablement nos systèmes de santé.

Faced with the multiple challenges impacting the Belgian healthcare system - notably the aging of the population, the increase in chronic diseases and growing social inequalities in health - the development of a disruptive preventive approach rooted in health promotion is essential to address the population's health problems in a cross-sectional and intersectoral way. However, the scant attention paid to prevention and promotion in the Belgian political landscape (only 3 % of healthcare expenditure), accentuated by the fragmentation of its deployment between the various political-institutional entities (Federal Authority, Communities and Regions), represents a significant limitation. New opportunities, supported in particular by "4P medicine", are paving the way for a modernization of preventive approaches. However, this new way of conceiving prevention will only be beneficial to the community, in all its diversity and complexity, if it re-engages with the fundamentals of health promotion.

Devant les multiples défis auxquels est confronté le système de santé belge - notamment le vieillissement de la population, la progression des maladies chroniques, l'accroissement des inégalités sociales de santé - le développement d'une approche préventive disruptive, qui trouve ses fondements dans la promotion de la santé, est essentiel pour aborder, de façon transversale et intersectorielle, les problèmes de santé de la population. Toutefois, la faible place accordée à la prévention et à la promotion dans le paysage politique belge (seulement 3 % des dépenses de santé), accentuée par un éclatement de son déploiement entre les différentes entités politico-institutionnelles (Autorité fédérale, Communautés et Régions), représente des limites non négligeables. De nouvelles opportunités, notamment soutenues par une «médecine des 4P¼, ouvrent la voie à une modernisation des approches préventives. Toutefois, cette nouvelle façon de concevoir la prévention ne sera profitable à la collectivité, prise dans sa diversité et sa complexité, qu'à la condition de se réancrer dans les fondamentaux inhérents à la promotion de la santé.

The European tiered approach for virucidal efficacy testing - rationale for rapidly selecting disinfectants against emerging and re-emerging viral diseases.

When facing an emerging virus outbreak such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a quick reaction time is key to control the spread. It takes time to develop antivirals and vaccines, and implement vaccination campaigns. Therefore, preventive measures such as rapid isolation of cases and identification and early quarantine of cases' close contacts-as well as masks, physical distancing, hand hygiene, surface disinfection and air control-are crucial to reduce the risk of transmission. In this context, disinfectants and antiseptics with proven efficacy against the outbreak virus should be used. However, biocidal formulations are quite complex and may include auxiliary substances such as surfactants or emollients in addition to active substances. In order to evaluate disinfectants' efficacy objectively, meaningful efficacy data are needed. Therefore, the European Committee for Standardisation technical committee 216 'Chemical disinfectants and antiseptics' Working Group 1 (medical area) has developed standards for efficacy testing. The European tiered approach grades the virucidal efficacy in three levels, with corresponding marker test viruses. In the case of SARS-CoV-2, disinfectants with proven activity against vaccinia virus, the marker virus for the European claim 'active against enveloped viruses', should be used to ensure effective hygiene procedures to control the pandemic.

Improving Preventive Care for Women through a Provider Reminder Tool.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of utilization of health maintenance tables (HMTs) as a provider reminder tool within the electronic medical record with the completion of women's preventive health services. METHODS: Guidelines from the US Preventive Services Task Force and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices were used to create the HMT. The study sample consisted of female patients between 18 and 74 years of age who visited the University of Florida Internal Medicine Clinic at Medical Plaza between February 15, 2016 and June 24, 2016. We determined whether a reminder system was used for each visit and whether the following preventive health services were up to date: breast cancer screening, cervical cancer screening, and human papillomavirus vaccination. χ2 tests of independence were performed to compare the number of up-to-date preventive measures associated with each provider reminder type. RESULTS: We divided the visits into four groups based on the type of provider reminder used: the HMT, the computer-generated reminder .HM, simple annotation, and no reminder. Compared with .HM, no reminder, and all non-HMT, HMT utilization had a statistically significant positive association with the completion of breast and cervical cancer screening and human papillomavirus vaccination. The difference between the HMT and simple annotation groups did not achieve statistical difference, however. CONCLUSIONS: Despite well-established, evidence-based guidelines for screening tests and immunizations effective in reducing cancer-related morbidity and mortality, significant gaps in routine preventive care remain. The HMT may be a provider-friendly and cost-effective reminder tool to enhance the preventive health care of women.

Opiate Addiction and the NICU: A Mom's Story That Changes Stereotypes.

Opioid addiction and the NICU are common themes in the news. Yet, we never hear from the mothers in these situations. I interviewed Victoria, a Mom who had an addiction and had desperately wanted to be clean. She got pregnant and was desperate to help her baby not have the same affliction. Enter the ICON (Improving Care for the Opiate-exposed Newborn) program, which not only turned her life around but gave her son a chance at a normal life. The ICON program changes the stereotype of the addicted mother in the NICU for the better. We all have something to learn here.

Do preventive medicine physicians practice medicine?

As some preventive medicine physicians have been denied medical licenses for not engaging in direct patient care, this paper attempts to answer the question, "Do preventive medicine physicians practice medicine?" by exploring the requirements of licensure, the definition of "practice" in the context of modern medicine, and by comparing the specialty of preventive medicine to other specialties which should invite similar scrutiny. The authors could find no explicit licensure requirement for either a certain amount of time in patient care or a number of patients seen. No physicians board certified in Public Health and General Preventive Medicine sit on any state medical boards. The authors propose that state medical boards accept a broad standard of medical practice, which includes the practice of preventive medicine specialists, for licensing purposes.

Engaging More Nurses in Cancer Preventive Care: Challenges and Opportunities.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Nurse-led care is crucial to improving the effectiveness of cancer prevention, as demonstrated by research. However, barriers to nurse-led cancer preventive care are still prevalent. What are the challenges that impede nurses from providing effective preventive care? How can hospital leaders address these challenges to better engage nurses in preventive care? What should be the focal areas in terms of policy changes and training programs? This article explores those questions. We examine the difficulties nurses have encountered. We identify the barriers yet to be examined extensively. Finally, we propose that many barriers can be addressed through carefully designed nurses' training programs and substantial policy changes. Our data were collected from a Nurse Oncology Education Program survey that included questions on perceived oncology knowledge, current cancer-related preventive practices, and barriers to preventive practices. We identified the barriers for the nurse population studied and opportunities to overcome these barriers.

Preventive Health Care for Women Who Have Sex with Women.

Despite recent shifts in societal attitudes toward same-sex relationships, women who have sex with women face a variety of barriers to optimal health, including a history of negatively perceived interactions in clinical settings that lead them to delay or avoid health care. Women who have sex with women may be at disproportionate risk of obesity, tobacco use, substance use, mental health issues, intimate partner violence, sexually transmitted infections, and some cancers. Disparities can exist throughout the lifetime. Lesbian and bisexual adolescents are vulnerable to bullying, family rejection, and risky sexual behavior that may lead to sexually transmitted infections or unintended pregnancy. Sexual minority stress, which is a response to stigmatization, prejudice, and internalized homophobia, contributes to many of these conditions. Family physicians should foster trust and communication to provide a nonjudgmental, welcoming environment supportive of culturally competent health care and optimal outcomes. When indicated, clinicians should refer women who have sex with women to culturally sensitive community resources and legal advisors for assistance with medical decision making, hospital visitation, conception, and legal recognition of nonbiologic parents.

[Does the Prevention Act Improve Prevention in Pediatric Outpatient Settings!?] / Mehr Prävention durch das Präventionsgesetz in der kinder- und jugendärztlichen Praxis!?

Aim of the study: The Prevention Act was adopted by the German Federal Parliament on 18.06.2015. The paediatric practice is an important place from which to reach out to children and teenagers and to positively influence them through targeted prevention services in their health-related behaviour. It is therefore an important setting for the implementation of the Prevention Act. Could the delegation of prevention services to qualified medical assistants promote the successful implementation of the Prevention Act? Since 2003, medical assistants have qualified as "Prevention Assistants" after completing training courses and offered support in preventive services to children and teenagers in the paediatrician's office. The aim of this study was to improve the effectiveness of the training to increase the competence of the participants, expansion of preventive services for children and teenagers in the paediatrician's office and reduction of physician workload. Methodology: Training was accompanied by ongoing evaluation; there were two extensive studies in 2009 and 2011, respectively. Between 2003 and 2006 (n=126, after 75% response rate) and in 2011 (n=119 after 24% response rate), participants were assessed with standardized questionnaires, and in the survey of 2011, their employers also were interviewed, (n=76, after 22% response rate). Results: The prevention assistants assess their learning successes as good and are able to take over delegated tasks in the paediatrician's office. The involvement of a trained prevention assistant contributed to the transformation and re-establishment of prevention offers in paediatrician's offices and reduced physician workload. 44% of physicians felt that the time saved by prevention assistant was very good or good, 80% of physicians surveyed also indicated that prevention assistants carried out preventive consultations in the doctor's office. Conclusion: In light of the paediatricians' workload and their own wishes and demands, and for a targeted implementation of the Prevention Act, it is necessary to delegate preventive services to trained personnel. It is also possible to accomplish this task. It is necessary to introduce billing numbers in the fee schedule for doctors similar to the billing numbers for dental health prophylaxis.

Tools for improving clinical preventive services receipt among women with disabilities of childbearing ages and beyond.

Efforts to improve clinical preventive services (CPS) receipt among women with disabilities are poorly understood and not widely disseminated. The reported results represent a 2-year, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs partnership to develop a central resource for existing tools that are of potential use to maternal and child health practitioners who work with women with disabilities. Steps included contacting experts in the fields of disability and women's health, searching the Internet to locate examples of existing tools that may facilitate CPS receipt, convening key stakeholders from state and community-based programs to determine their potential use of the tools, and developing an online Toolbox. Nine examples of existing tools were located. The tools focused on facilitating use of the CPS guidelines, monitoring CPS receipt among women with disabilities, improving the accessibility of communities and local transportation, and training clinicians and women with disabilities. Stakeholders affirmed the relevance of these tools to their work and encouraged developing a Toolbox. The Toolbox, launched in May 2013, provides information and links to existing tools and accepts feedback and proposals for additional tools. This Toolbox offers central access to existing tools. Maternal and child health stakeholders and other service providers can better locate, adopt and implement existing tools to facilitate CPS receipt among adolescent girls with disabilities who are transitioning into adult care as well as women with disabilities of childbearing ages and beyond.

[Memorandum on sustainable reinforcement of prevention and health promotion: challenges at the federal, state and local level]. / Memorandum--Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung nachhaltig stärken: Herausforderungen auf Bundes-, Landes- und kommunaler Ebene.

Research-based evidence and practice-based experience are core requirements for the effective implementation of preventive interventions. The knowledge gained in the Prevention Research Funding Initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (2004-2013) was therefore amalgamated, reflected and consolidated in the Cooperation for Sustainable Prevention Research (KNP) meta-project. In annual strategy meetings, researchers and practitioners from the field and other experts developed 3 memoranda providing recommendations for the further development of research and practice in the field of prevention and health promotion. Memorandum III is primarily aimed at decision-makers in politics and administration at the federal, state and local level, in civil society and in the workplace. Its recommendations show that structuring efforts are urgently needed to achieve sustainable policy, particularly in the fields of health, education, employment and social affairs. Memorandum III brings together the knowledge extracted and problems identified in research projects. More so than its 2 predecessors, Memorandum III abstracts knowledge from the individual projects and attempts to derive guidance for action and decision-making, as shown by the 7 recommendations that appear to useful for consensus-building in practice and research. Value judgments are inevitable. Prevention and health promotion are an investment in the future: of social health, social capital and social peace. Improvement of the framework conditions is needed to achieve the harmonized awareness and the sustained effectiveness of these structure-building efforts in different policy areas, spheres of life, fields of action, and groups of actors. This includes the implementation of an overall national strategy as well as the expansion of sources of funding, extension of the legal framework, overarching coordination, and the establishment of a National Center of Excellence to develop and safeguard prevention and health promotion. The memorandum is intended to stimulate a discourse resulting in structure-building and stabilizing measures designed to ensure the sustainability of prevention and health promotion.

[Environment and health: priorities for preventive medicine].

Contemporary environmental factors influencing the formation of the environment and public health have been analyzed The increasing chemical pollution of the environment (air water, soil, living environment), and the intensification of the impact of physical factors in the first place, "electromagnetic smog" associated with the widespread use of appliances and computer equipment, cellular threaten public health have been shown. In this connection, there were determined priorities and main directions of research in the platform "Preventive Environment", approved by Ministry of Health of Russia, which is based on the concept of the factor prevention of noninfectious diseases.

The National Prevention Strategy and breast cancer screening: scientific evidence for public health action.

Mammography screening rates in the United States have remained fairly stable over the past decade, and screening rates remain low for some groups. We examined insights from recent public health research on breast cancer screening to identify promising new approaches to improve screening rates and address persistent health disparities in mammography use. We considered this research in the context of the four strategic directions of the National Prevention Strategy: elimination of health disparities, empowered people, healthy and safe community environments, and clinical and community preventive services. This research points to the value of direct outreach and case management services, interventions to support more patient-centered models of care, and more organized, population-based approaches to identify women who are eligible to be screened, encourage participation, and monitor results.

[European guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention. What has changed in 2012?]. / Europäische Leitlinien zur Prävention kardiovaskulärer Erkrankungen. Was hat sich 2012 geändert?

The new European Guidelines on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention (version 2012) are supported by nine medical societies. They are newly structured, shorter and more readable. Each subchapter starts with key messages and recommendations are labeled with an evidence level. The subchapter ends with "most important newest information" and "persisting gaps of evidence" for further research. Smoking and passive smoking are to be avoided, even a small amount of regular physical activity is beneficial, the Mediterranean type diet is recommended and a body mass index (BMI) between 22 and 25 is associated with the lowest mortality. A blood pressure target of <140/90 mmHg is appropriate for the vast majority of hypertensive patients. Aspirin is not recommended for primary prevention even not for diabetics without vascular disease. Cardiovascular risk is now categorized into four levels: low (<1%), medium (1% to <5%), high (5% to <10%) and very high risk (≥10%). All patients with cardiovascular disease are in the very high risk group with the corresponding treatment goals, e. g. a low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol goal of <70 mg/dl (<1.8 mmol/l). Treatment adherence and behavioral changes can best be achieved by motivational interviews which demand some time. It is emphasized that the physician has the responsibility for clear recommendations in the discharge summaries after hospitalization and for offering help and feed back in the implementation phase of behavioral changes.

[Main concepts of preventive health care for the air staff of sea-based aviation].

The authors researched the air-stuff and complex of adverse factors uncharacteristic for the air-staff of land-based aircraft. It was determined that adverse factors affect the air-staff foremost in 4-5 months of a blue-water sailing, except cardiovascular system diseases. In a month of a blue-water sailing was registered a hypotonic state. Systolic blood pressure varied from 100-105 mm Hg and lower, dystolic blood pressure varied from 60-65 mm Hg and lower. The lowest ranges of blood pressure were registered in three months after the beginning of the sailing. In the following, the hypotonic state, registered during the monthly medical examinations, remained till the end of the sailing. Normal averages of blood pressure were restored in two weeks after the end of sailing. Low red cell count (for more than 1100 points) was registered in 61.5% of patients, (for more than 550 points) in 38.4% of patients. Low white cell count (for more than 4800 points) was registered in 33.3% of patients, (for more than 3300 points) in 41% of patients, (for more than 1330 points) in 25% of patients. Input data was: red cell count--4250 points, white cell count--7300 points in 1 ml of blood. After the sailing haematological indices were restored. The authors suggested guidelines for primary and secondary disease prevention.