Evolution of attractiveness of Medical Biology to medical students in 2022 / Attractivité du diplôme d'études supérieures de biologie médicale en 2022 chez les étudiants en médecine, quelle évolution ?

Since 2010, the postgraduate training diploma in laboratory medicine has experienced a strong decline in its attractiveness to French medical students. This work aims to objectify and quantify this decline between 2004 and 2021. To do so, we have carried out an analyze of the trend to choose laboratory medicine after the national ranking review performed by all French students. Then, we have also compiled the data on the right to change one's mind and final quits from laboratory medicine postgraduate training. The laboratory medicine reform has led to deep changes in its organization. The accreditation requirements, the laboratories grouping, as well as the financialization of this activity have strongly changed the work of laboratory physician and impacted its attractiveness for the young generations.

Depuis 2010, le diplôme d'étude spécialisé de biologie médicale (DESBM) a connu une forte baisse de son attractivité auprès des étudiants en médecine. Ce travail s'intéresse à objectiver et quantifier cette baisse d'attractivité entre 2004 et 2021. Pour cela, nous avons réalisé une analyse de l'évolution du choix de la biologie médicale à l'issue des épreuves classantes nationales (ECN) et avons compilé les données correspondantes aux droits au remords et abandons définitifs du DES. La réforme de la biologie médicale a entrainé de profondes modifications dans son organisation. L'obligation d'accréditation, la concentration des laboratoires de biologie médicale ainsi que la financiarisation du milieu ont fortement bouleversé la profession et impacté son attractivité pour les jeunes générations.

[POCT-management during the first wave of Covid-19 in France. Results of a national survey leaded by the SFBC-POCT Working Group]. / Gestion de la biologie délocalisée lors de la première vague de Covid-19 en France. Résultats de l'enquête nationale menée par le groupe de travail des EBMD de la SFBC.

During the first wave of Covid-19 in France, in spring 2020, healthcare institution's laboratory had to adapt itself quickly to the growing demand for emergency biology, in particular by reorganizing their POCT analyzers: redeployment of analyzers and/or new installations. In order to analyze this management, a subgroup of 15 hospital biologists from the SFBC Working Group "Biochemical markers of Covid-19" sent, in fall 2020, an on-line survey to French hospital laboratories using POCT. Answers analysis (n = 86) shows a territorial disparity related to the severity of the first wave: increased activity essentially in red zones, management of unexpected situations, training of additional nursing staff for 40 % of the laboratories... The survey also showed simplification of aspects related to accreditation those periods of health crisis. An additional survey, carried out in the spring of 2021, showed good overall satisfaction of the healthcare services (n = 139) concerning the services provided by biology in the POCT sector. Because of their great adaptation capacity, the laboratories and their POCT-teams have played a key role in the management of the first wave of Covid-19 in France. However, the success of these organizations requires an essential collaboration between laboratories and healthcare services. The results of this survey are fundamental in the context of the prolongation of the pandemia throughout the world with a POCT sector appearing to be growing.

[Analytical and clinical guidelines on neonatal bilirubinemia]. / Recommandations analytiques et cliniques pour l'utilisation de la bilirubinémie en néonatalogie.

The SFBC-CNBH-CNRHP "Neonatal bilirubin" working group performed a biological and clinical study on bilirubin use in neonates for reliable diagnosis and appropriate management of neonatal jaundice. A brief report of a national survey on analytical and biological practices in France is shown. The guidelines of the French Society of Neonatology (SFN) founded the decision of phototherapy set up upon an accurate lab measurement of total serum bilirubin. An abacus is proposed with defined thresholds, as a function of neonate lifetime in hours. However, several studies evidenced poor comparability of results obtained with the different available methods. This situation is partly due to the lack of reference materials, especially for high bilirubin concentrations. Clinical consequences might be observed. We present in this paper the results of a national harmonization study to progress on this issue. Beyond the analytical aspects, the clinical consequences of harmonization defects were investigated. Finally, guidelines for clinical laboratories are proposed, to be locally adapted.

[SFBC working group "Biochemical markers of COVID-19"]. / Groupe de travail SFBC « Marqueurs biochimiques de COVID-19 ¼.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is responsible for an epidemic disease called COVID-19, which was initially evidenced in Wuhan, China, and spread very rapidly in China and around the world. In France, the first isolated case seems now to be reported in December 2019, stage 3 of the COVID-19 epidemic was triggered on March 14th, the start of the planned containment exit from May 11th. Healthcare services have faced a large influx of patients who may be beyond their capacity to receive and care, particularly in the Large-East and Ile-de-France regions. Some patients show an evolution of the disease never observed before with other coronaviruses and develop in a few days a very important inflammatory reaction, which can lead to death of patients. A working group of the French Society of Clinical Biology (SFBC) was set up with the objective of providing updated information on the current status of the biological prescriptions (focusing on biochemistry ones) and their evolution during the epidemic, and of analyzing the biological parameters associated with comorbidities and patient evolution in order to link biological results with medical events. The expanded working group covers all sectors of medical biology in France and extends to the French-speaking world: hospital sectors (CHU and CH, Army Training Hospitals) and the private sector opening a field of view on the biological situation in establishments for dependent elderly, social establishments and clinical medical institutions. The purpose of this article is the presentation of this working group and its immediate and future actions.

[Hemolysis interferences on frequently required stat analysis: a French multicentric study]. / Interférence de l'hémolyse sur les examens de biologie médicale utilisés en biochimie d'urgence : étude multicentrique nationale.

Hemolysis should lead to changes in test results. Our study evaluated the impact of hemolysis on 26 blood measurements of stat biochemistry markers (sodium, potassium, chloride, urea, creatinine, glucose, total protein, calcium, magnesium, inorganic phosphorus, uric acid, C-reactive protein, total bilirubin, ASAT, ALAT, LDH, creatine kinase, alkaline phosphatase, γ glutamyl-transferase, lipase, alcohol, iron, ß hCG, troponins, natriuretic peptides) determined with 13 different types of instruments in 17 hospital laboratories. Four pools of samples (collected from lithium heparin or EDTA or sodium fluoride tubes, according to the measured parameters) were overloaded with five increasing concentrations of whole blood lysate (final concentration from 0 to 2.000 mg/dL). Replication was performed for each assay, average values were calculated and differences between results with and without lysate were analyzed. A difference exceeding the square root of the sum of both squared analytic and biologic imprecisions for each analyte, was judged to be significant. Except homogeneous and expected impact of hemolysis on certain parameters like potassium, LDH... (due to their intra-erythrocyte concentration) a heterogeneous effect was found for other parameters, according to the analyzer and/or to the methodology. In summary, this study confirms the importance of mastering the measurement of the hemolysis and leads to several recommendations: (i) biologists should have a good knowledge of the impact of hemolysis on the measurements they perform, depending on their chosen analyzers; (ii) if an interference is noticed, it is recommended to add to the result a relevant comment and to check that the comment is properly edited in the laboratory computer software and appears on printed and transmitted results.