Use of clean intermittent self-catheterization in France: A survey of patient and GP perspectives.

AIMS: To estimate the prevalence of GP (general practitioner) patients performing ISC (intermittent self-catheterization), to describe GP and patient knowledge about ISC and to assess the patients' quality of life. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in metropolitan France between November 2012 and September 2013 with French Sentinelles GPs and their patients (≥18 years) performing ISC. Linear regression models assessed independent associations between quality of life scores (Qualiveen and SF-12 scores) and patients' characteristics. RESULTS: The prevalence of ISC performers was estimated to be 61.7 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 61.0-62.4) of 100,000 inhabitants. Patients were males in 58.8% of cases and 53.8 years of age on average. They performed 4.84 catheterizations per day for 10.5 years. Over 1 year, there were 118 (55.1%) cases of patient-reported urinary incontinence (UI) and 158 (63.3%) cases of patient-reported urinary tract infection (UTI). Symptomatic UTIs were treated with antibiotics in 79.7% of cases. The average Qualiveen score was 1.38 (95%CI: 1.23-1.53). The average SF-12 Physical Component Score (PCS) and Mental Component Score (MCS) were 38.6 (95%CI: 36.8-40.4) and 46.4 (95%CI: 44.3-48.5), respectively. According to multivariate analysis, a poorer Qualiveen score and constipation reduced the PCS and a urinary medication prescription reduced the MCS. A poorer Qualiveen score was also associated with UI and UTI on bivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: ISC seems to be significant in French general practice whereas practical skills remain heterogeneous. UI, UTI, and constipation are recurrent issues among ISC performers that significantly decrease their quality of life. Education and adapted guidelines for GP guidance could improve these patients' conditions. Neurourol. Urodynam. 35:528-534, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

How French physicians manage with a future change in the primary vaccination of infants against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and poliomyelitis? A qualitative study with focus groups.

BACKGROUND: As in other European countries, the French vaccination schedule changes according to epidemiological and socio-economic situations. Further changes are planned for 2013, including the withdrawal of one dose for primary vaccination against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, pertussis and Haemophilus influenzae. A partnership between the French Technical Vaccination Committee and the French Institute for Health and Medical Research designed a study to assess primary care physicians' agreement about this modification. METHODS: Qualitative study with focus groups and semi-structured interviews in France. Four focus groups were conducted with physicians, supplemented by four individual interviews. RESULTS: The physicians of the survey had accepted the suggested vaccination schedule well. A few concerns had been underlined: fear of less follow-up care for infants resulting from the removal of one visit driven by the primary vaccination; fear of loss of vaccine efficacy; suspicion of the existence of financial arguments at the origin of this change; and adjustment to current vaccination schedule. Several suggestions were made: providing strong support from health authorities; developing stable and simple recommendations; providing effective tools for monitoring patient's vaccination status. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians' opinions suggested a good acceptance of a possible change about primary vaccination against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, pertussis and Haemophilus influenzae. Physicians' suggestions resulted from this qualitative study on a new vaccination schedule. It showed how that their involvement was feasible for preparing the implementation of a new vaccination schedule.

Human Papillomavirus vaccination in general practice in France, three years after the implementation of a targeted vaccine recommendation based on age and sexual history.

In France, vaccination against human papilloma virus (HPV) was recommended in 2007 for all 14-year-old girls as well as "catch-up" vaccination for girls between 15-23 y of age either before or within one year of becoming sexually active. We evaluated the vaccine coverage according to the eligibility for vaccination in a sample of young girls aged 14 to 23 years, who were seen in general practices. A survey was proposed to 706 general practitioners (GPs) and carried out from July to September 2010. GPs, also called "family doctor," are physicians whose practice is not restricted to a specific field of medicine but instead covers a variety of medical problems in patients of all ages. Each participating GP included, retrospectively, the last female patient aged 14-17 y and the last female patient aged 18-23 y whom he had seen. A questionnaire collected information regarding the GP and the patients' characteristics. The vaccine coverage was determined according to the eligibility for vaccination, i.e. the coverage among younger women (14-17) and among those sexually active in the second age range (18-23). Sexual activity status was assessed by GP, according to information stated in the medical record. The 363 participating physicians (response rate 51.4%) included 712 patients (357 in the 14- to 17-year-old group and 355 in the 15- to 23-year-old group) in their responses. The rate of the vaccination coverage in the 14- to 17-year-old group was 55%. Among the girls in the 18- to 23-year-old group, 126 were eligible, and their vaccination coverage rate was 82%. The evaluation of the eligibility by the GPs was incorrect in 36% of the cases. Of the 712 patients, 6% of the girls had been vaccinated without a need for the vaccination, and 26% of the girls had not been vaccinated, although they needed to be vaccinated. Regarding the vaccine uptake, vaccination at the age of 14 was not as effective as vaccinating the older population for which vaccination was indicated as a catch-up program, based on sexual history. However, in more than one-third of the older population, difficulties remained regarding the determination of eligibility, according to the sexual history of the patient.

Herpes zoster: family history and psychological stress-case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have reported risk factors for herpes zoster (HZ), but their results remain controversial and difficult to compare because of their limitations regarding sampling and design. OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed to determine risk factors in ambulatory patients aged 50 years or more, by consulting general practitioners (GPs) in France. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective, national, matched case-control study was conducted. It involved 121 GPs who recruited 250 cases of HZ and 500 controls (matched by age and sex), aged 50 years and older, between April 2009 and September 2010. GP and patient questionnaires explored the following risk factors: family history of HZ, comorbidities, depression, anxiety, negative life events, physical trauma, alcohol and tobacco consumption, level of education, and various protective factors (such as exposure to children). Odds ratios were estimated using conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: In multivariate adjusted analysis, a family history of HZ (OR 3.69, 95% CI 1.81-7.51), a HAD depressive score≥8 (OR 4.15, 95% CI 1.88-9.16), and a recent negative life event (OR 3.40, 95% CI 1.67-6.93) were all significantly associated with HZ. CONCLUSIONS: This case-control study conducted in ambulatory patients in general practice reinforced the hypothesis that, in addition to the age-related decline in VZV-specific T-cell-mediated immunity, depression negative life event and familiar history of zoster increase the risk of occurrence of herpes zoster. In people with familiar history, this risk could be prevented by vaccination.