[Predonation interview by a trained and authorized paramedical staff: feasibility, reliability and safety]. / Entretien prédon par un personnel paramédical formé et habilité: faisabilité, fiabilité et sécurité.

INTRODUCTION: Predonation interview accounts for a major step in transfusion safety. In France, it must be performed by a physician, following a methodical questioning and a standardized questionnaire. Faced with this evolution, the value of a strictly medical expertise has been progressively losing importance. In many countries, blood donor selection is being organized by non medical trained staff (Québec, Switzerland, e.g.). A decree of April 30, 2006 allowed the Établissement français du sang to experiment a predonation interview by an authorized paramedical staff in the form of a two-phase prospective multicenter study over a year. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Phase I "experimental situation": six physician/nurse teams among three blood transfusion centres interviewed 1940 blood-donation candidates, including 253 new donors (13% out of total). Phase 2 "observational study": 3222 blood-donation candidates were interviewed either by a physician or a nurse. RESULTS: In phase I, nurses were able to make a decision without the physician's help in 1921 cases. A total of 1628 candidates were decided capable of donating blood both by physicians and nurses, 174 donors were rejected both by physicians and nurses and 69 were rejected either by physicians or nurses. In phase 2, out of 3222 blood-donation candidates, an average of 12.1% were rejected by nurses and 10% by physicians. CONCLUSION: The study reported a weaker variability among nurses. Results show that nurses were able to perform predonation interviews with high reliability, without additional risk. The reproducibility of their answers in the field of recipient-risk evaluation was better than the physicians.

[Giving blood: an individual right or the expression of a social responsibility? The donors' position in the debates on blood transfusion]. / Donner son sang: un droit individuel ou l'exercice d'une responsabilité sociale? Débat sur la place du donneur dans la transfusion.

This debate questions the donor's position within the transfusional framework. How are blood donation regulations initiated and implemented? Experts called upon this question insist on the necessity to better inform about such regulations so that they can be rapidly approved and in order to keep donors from adverse reactions linked to blood donations. How to make donors' rejections more tolerable? Contra-indications are a source of anxiety for the person whose blood sample is not accepted. While blood transfusion has never been safer in the past than it is today in wealthy countries, one should ask the question whether the donor is or not the victim of doubts still weighing down on this activity. Implementing the precautionary principle may indeed lead transfusion supervisors to take brutal decisions detrimental to the donor, seeming rather inspired by political or media pressures than calling on scientific or economic rigorous principles. What does the donor selection aim at in terms of prevention and public health? What about the renewal of donor associations' directors? Where are we at with the homosexual rejection trends? Such are the issues as those induced by the current debate.

[Marriage disruption and health management within the family]. / Ruptures conjugales et prise en charge de la santé dans la famille.

The divorce rate steadily increases in the industrialized countries. Such a demographic trend may possibly have a significant impact on the health of the divorced people and their children and therefore on the health care system. Three divorced women are interviewed on the basis of sociological survey techniques. They live three specific personal situations. The interviews concern mainly four domains: divorce process, sex, food and parent-children relations. The breaking down of the former living arrangements modifies a number of personal behaviors, however, it is clear that the way health in the family is managed reflects the management of the divorce itself.

[How to choose a partner nowadays? A crucial question for the prevention of AIDS]. / Comment se fait le choix du partenaire aujourd'hui? Une question cruciale pour la prévention du SIDA.

This article reviews the literature on choice of partner, with the aim of stimulating though about the aids prevention. The criteria involved in choosing a partner are discussed, and a model describing the process by which a couple meet, continue to see one another, and finally decide to live together is presented. This model shows that those times and situations where individuals are most likely to put themselves at risk of contracting aids cannot be identified. This implies that the whole process of partner choice is to be considered for preventive measures.

[What is the impact of divorce upon health management methods within the family?]. / Comment envisager les conséquences du divorce sur les modalités de gestion de la santé dans la famille?

The studies which cover relationships between life events and health do not question sufficiently about their meaning, depending on the circumstances in which they occur. This paper takes divorce as an example to demonstrate that it is not possible to attribute to this event a general meaning, equally good for all families. As a matter of fact, divorce involves a reorganization, which either takes place in the prolongation of the previous family way of life, or in discontinuance with it. According to the situations, it can then be accompanied with no change in health taking care or, on the contrary, followed by a general reorganization of the usual practices and representations in relation with health.

[Recourse to alcohol and self-medication in situations of family disruption--a model of sociologic analysis]. / Recours à l'alcool et automédication dans les situations de rupture familiale--un modèle d'analyse sociologique.

The aim of this study is to explore the different meanings of alcohol and over-the-counter drugs consumption under the stress related to family disruptions. In order to understand these consumptions, our analysis model considers at the same time the main gaps in the health conceptions and the kind of strategies developed by the single parent to cope with his family situation.

Prevention of migraine attacks through the use of dihydroergotamine.

A strictly controlled clinical trial on a group of 20 patients treated with a time-release preparation of dihydroergotamine compared with 20 on a placebo for the prevention of migraine attacks confirmed that dihydroergotamine was very effective and considered satisfactory by 65% of the patients treated.