The Economic Cost of Thyroid Cancer in France and the Corresponding Share Associated With Treatment of Overdiagnosed Cases.

OBJECTIVES: Thyroid cancer incidence in France has increased rapidly in recent decades. Most of this increase has been attributed to overdiagnosis, the major consequence of which is overtreatment. We aimed to estimate the cost of thyroid cancer management in France and the corresponding cost proportion attributable to the treatment of overdiagnosed cases. METHODS: Multiple data sources were integrated: the mean cost per patient with thyroid cancer was estimated by using the Echantillon Généraliste des Bénéficiaires data set; thyroid cancer cases attributable to overdiagnosis were estimated for 21 departments using data from the French network of cancer registries and extrapolated to the whole country; medical records from 6 departments were used to refine the diagnosis and care pathway. RESULTS: Between 2011 and 2015, 33 911 women and 10 846 men in France were estimated to be diagnosed of thyroid cancer, with mean cost per capita of €6248. Among those treated, 8114 to 14 925 women and 1465 to 3626 men were due to overdiagnosis. The total cost of thyroid cancer patient management was €203.5 million (€154.3 million for women and €49.3 million for men), of which between €59.9 million (or 29.4% of the total cost, lower bound) and €115.9 million (or 56.9% of the total cost, upper bound) attributable to treatment of overdiagnosed cases. CONCLUSIONS: The management of thyroid cancer represents not only a relevant clinical and public health problem in France but also a potentially important economic burden. Overdiagnosis and corresponding associated treatments play an important role on the total costs of thyroid cancer management.

Evolution of breast cancer incidence in young women in a French registry from 1990 to 2018: Towards a change in screening strategy?

BACKGROUND: The worldwide incidence of invasive breast cancer in women is increasing according to several studies. This increase in incidence seems to be higher in young women (< 40 years). However, the reasons for this trend are poorly understood. This article aims to provide the most recent estimates of this trend and assess whether there is indeed an increase in the incidence of breast cancer among young women to strengthen prevention campaigns. METHODS: We collected data from the Isere cancer registry in France of all invasive breast cancers from January 1990 to December 2018. The standardized incidence rate was calculated for four age groups (< 40 years, 40-49 years, 50-74 years, ≥ 75 years) for this period. The 10-year relative survival was evaluated for each age group age for two periods (1990-1999 and 2000-2008). From 2011 to 2013, we analyzed the incidence and 5-year relative survival by tumor subtype (triple negative, luminal, HER2 amplified) for each age group. RESULTS: A total of 23,703 cases were selected, including 1343 young women (< 40 years). The incidence of invasive breast cancer increased annually by 0,8% (95% CI 0,7; 1) in all age groups combined from 1990 to 2018. The highest incidence increase is found among young women, by 2,1% annually (95% CI 1,3; 2,8). Regarding tumor subtypes from 2011 to 2018, the incidence of triple negatives increases higher in young women (+ 1,4% by year, 95% CI - 8,2; 11) and those over 75 years (+ 4% by year, 95% CI - 5,1; 13,2), but the results are not statistically significant. 10-year relative survival in young women increased from 74,6% (95% CI 69,6; 78,9) to 78,3%(95% CI 73,7; 82,1) between 1990-1999 and 2000-2008, respectively. Five-year relative survival is better in young women among triple negative and HER2 amplified. CONCLUSION: Our study confirms the current trend of increasing the incidence of breast cancer in young women, associated with improved survival very likely attributable to earlier diagnosis due to increased awareness, and improvements in treatment. A better individualized risk-based screening strategy is needed for these patients. Additional studies will be needed to more accurately assess the risk of developing breast cancer and improve diagnostic performance.

A Prospective Cohort Study to Identify Clinical, Biological, and Imaging Features That Predict the Etiology of Acute Encephalitis.

BACKGROUND: New diagnostic tools have been developed to improve the diagnosis of infectious encephalitis. Using a prospective cohort of encephalitis patients, our objective was to identify possible clusters of patients with similar patterns among encephalitis of unknown cause (EUC) and to describe to what extent a patient's initial presentation may be predictive of encephalitis etiology, particularly herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varicella-zoster virus (VZV). METHODS: The National Cohort of Infectious Encephalitis in France is an ongoing prospective cohort study implemented in France in 2016. Patients who present with documented or suspected acute infectious encephalitis were included. Focusing on the variables that describe the initial presentation, we performed a factor analysis of mixed data (FAMD) to investigate a pattern of association between the initial presentation of a patient and the etiologic pathogen. RESULTS: As of 1 August 2018, data from 349 patients were analyzed. The most frequent pathogens were HSV (25%), VZV (11%), tick-borne encephalitis virus (6%), Listeria (5%), influenza virus (3%), and EUC (34%). Using the FAMD, it was not possible to identify a specific pattern related to the group of EUC. Age, temporal or hemorrhagic lesions, and cerebral spinal fluid lymphocytosis were significantly associated with HSV/VZV encephalitis. CONCLUSIONS: No initial clinical/imaging/biology pattern was identified at admission among EUC, despite the improvement in diagnostic tools. In this context, the recommendation for a universal, early, probabilistic, initial treatment against HSV and VZV is still relevant, regardless of the initial clinical presentation of the encephalitis.

Association of Mammography Screening With a Reduction in Breast Cancer Mortality: A Modeling Study Using Population-Based Data From 2 French Departments.

Meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials that started from 1963 to 1991 reported a decrease of breast cancer mortality, associated with mammography screening. However, the effectiveness of population-based screening programs conducted currently might have changed due to the higher effectiveness of treatments for late-stage cancers and the better diagnostic performance of mammography. The main objective of this study was to predict the reduction of breast cancer mortality associated with mammography screening in the current French setting. We compared breast cancer mortality in 2 simulated cohorts of women, which differed from each other solely in a 70% biennial participation in screening from 50 to 74 years old. The microsimulation model used for predictions was calibrated with incidence rates of breast cancer according to stage that were observed in Isère and Loire-Atlantique departments, France, in 2007-2013. The model predicted a decrease of breast cancer mortality associated with mammography screening of 18% (95% CI: 5, 31) and 17% (95% CI: 3, 29) for models calibrated with data from Isère and Loire-Atlantique departments, respectively. Our results highlight the interest in biennial mammography screening from ages 50 to 74 years old to decrease breast cancer mortality in the current setting, despite improvements in treatment effectiveness.

External evaluation of the Briganti nomogram to predict lymph node metastases in intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients.

PURPOSE: The Briganti nomogram can be used with a threshold of 5% to decide when to offer lymph node dissection during radical prostatectomy. The objective of the study was to assess the accuracy of the Briganti nomogram on intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients managed in a single academic department. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the files of all patients managed by radical prostatectomy (RP) and bilateral pelvic lymph node dissection (BPLND) in our center between 2005 and 2017. The overall accuracy of the model in predicting metastatic lymph node disease was quantified by the construction of a receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curve. A calibration plot was drawn to represent the relationship between the predicted and observed frequencies. RESULTS: We included 285 patients, among whom 175 (61.4%) were classified as intermediate risk as defined by D'Amico. The median follow-up was 60 (34-93) months. Twenty-seven patients (9.5%) were diagnosed with lymph node metastases. The median number of lymph nodes removed was 10 (7-14). The mean Briganti score was 19.3% in patients with lymph node involvement (LNI) and 6.3% in patients without LNI. Focusing on intermediate-risk patients, 91(52%) and 84 (48%) had a Briganti score < 5% and ≥ 5%, respectively, among whom 6 (6.6%) and 7(8.3%) had lymph node metastases. The accuracy of the score was low for intermediate risk patients with an area under the curve (AUC) of 53.1% (95% CI 0.45-0.61). CONCLUSION: The Briganti nomogram in our retrospective cohort showed low accuracy for the prediction of lymph node involvement in an intermediate-risk prostate cancer population.

Cutaneous adverse events in children treated with vemurafenib for refractory BRAFV600E mutated Langerhans cell histiocytosis.

BACKGROUND: The somatic BRAFV600E mutation occurs in 38-64% of pediatric cases of Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH). Vemurafenib (VMF), a BRAF inhibitor, was approved for refractory BRAFV600E mutated LCH. In adults, VMF causes frequent cutaneous adverse events (CAE) including skin tumors (squamous cell carcinomas, melanomas), but little is known in children. The objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency, clinical spectrum, and severity of CAEs in children treated with VMF for LCH. In addition, a correlation between CAE occurrence and VMF dose, residual plasma levels (RPLs), and efficacy was searched for. PROCEDURE: Multicentric retrospective observational study including patients <18 years treated with VMF alone for refractory BRAFV600E mutated LCH in 13 countries between October 1, 2013 and December 31, 2018. RESULTS: Fifty-seven patients: 56% female, median age 2.1 years (0.2-14.6), median treatment duration 4.1 months (1.4-29.7). Forty-one patients (72%) had at least one CAE: photosensitivity (40%), keratosis pilaris (32%), rash (26%), xerosis (21%), and neutrophilic panniculitis (16%). No skin tumor was observed. Five percent of CAEs were grade 3. None were grade 4 or led to permanent VMF discontinuation. Dose reduction was necessary for 12% of patients, temporary treatment discontinuation for 16%, none leading to loss of efficacy. VMF dose, median RPL, and efficacy were not correlated with CAE occurrence. CONCLUSIONS: At doses used for pediatric LCH, CAEs are frequent but rarely severe and have little impact on the continuation of treatment when managed appropriately. Regular dermatological follow-up is essential to manage CAEs and screen for possible induced skin tumors.

Bilan du service sanitaire 2018-2019 de l'Université Grenoble Alpes, inter-filière médecine, pharmacie, maïeutique, kinésithérapie.

OBJECTIVE: "Health service", a French national service-learning program for health profession students, was launched in 2018. It aimed at developing knowledge and skills in health promotion and prevention. The purpose of this study was to assess the local implementation of this program, among medical, pharmacy, midwifery and physical therapy students at the Grenoble Alps University. METHODS: Relevant data were extracted from the placement reports, the directors' feedback forms and an on-line questionnaire for students. We described the teams, the actions, the targeted publics, the students' satisfaction and directors' satisfaction. RESULTS: 400 students participated in this service-learning program (207 medical students, 93 pharmacy students, 39 midwifery students and 61 physical therapy students). 92 teams took actions in 91 institutions, including 90 secondary schools. 96.0% of the students were in interprofessional teams. Of 7,926 people reached, 7,872 (99.3%) were secondary school pupils. The main issues addressed were the substance-use prevention program based on life skills development, Unplugged (55 schools) and screen time and cyberstalking (17 schools). CONCLUSIONS: This program achieved interprofessional education and practice, with health-student-delivered activities. Interdisciplinarity was a core strength of the "Health service". Areas for improvement were the communication and the reimbursement of transportation expenses.

[Evaluation of an interprofessional service-learning program among health profession students: the experience of Grenoble Alps University] / Bilan du service sanitaire 2018-2019 de l'Université Grenoble Alpes, inter-filière médecine, pharmacie, maïeutique, kinésithérapie.

OBJECTIVE: “Health service”, a French national service-learning program for health profession students, was launched in 2018. It aimed at developing knowledge and skills in health promotion and prevention. The purpose of this study was to assess the local implementation of this program, among medical, pharmacy, midwifery and physical therapy students at the Grenoble Alps University. METHODS: Relevant data were extracted from the placement reports, the directors’ feedback forms and an on-line questionnaire for students. We described the teams, the actions, the targeted publics, the students’ satisfaction and directors’ satisfaction. RESULTS: 400 students participated in this service-learning program (207 medical students, 93 pharmacy students, 39 midwifery students and 61 physical therapy students). 92 teams took actions in 91 institutions, including 90 secondary schools. 96.0% of the students were in interprofessional teams. Of 7,926 people reached, 7,872 (99.3%) were secondary school pupils. The main issues addressed were the substance-use prevention program based on life skills development, Unplugged (55 schools) and screen time and cyberstalking (17 schools). CONCLUSIONS: This program achieved interprofessional education and practice, with health-student-delivered activities. Interdisciplinarity was a core strength of the “Health service”. Areas for improvement were the communication and the reimbursement of transportation expenses.

[Evaluation of an interprofessional service-learning program among health profession students: the experience of Grenoble Alps University]. / Bilan du service sanitaire 2018-2019 de l'Université Grenoble Alpes, inter-filière médecine, pharmacie, maïeutique, kinésithérapie.

OBJECTIVE: “Health service”, a French national service-learning program for health profession students, was launched in 2018. It aimed at developing knowledge and skills in health promotion and prevention. The purpose of this study was to assess the local implementation of this program, among medical, pharmacy, midwifery and physical therapy students at the Grenoble Alps University. METHODS: Relevant data were extracted from the placement reports, the directors’ feedback forms and an on-line questionnaire for students. We described the teams, the actions, the targeted publics, the students’ satisfaction and directors’ satisfaction. RESULTS: 400 students participated in this service-learning program (207 medical students, 93 pharmacy students, 39 midwifery students and 61 physical therapy students). 92 teams took actions in 91 institutions, including 90 secondary schools. 96.0% of the students were in interprofessional teams. Of 7,926 people reached, 7,872 (99.3%) were secondary school pupils. The main issues addressed were the substance-use prevention program based on life skills development, Unplugged (55 schools) and screen time and cyberstalking (17 schools). CONCLUSIONS: This program achieved interprofessional education and practice, with health-student-delivered activities. Interdisciplinarity was a core strength of the “Health service”. Areas for improvement were the communication and the reimbursement of transportation expenses.

Hospital survey on patient safety culture (HSOPS): variability of scoring strategies.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the variability of safety culture dimension scores and their associated rankings depending on three different scoring strategies using the Hospital Survey On Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire. SETTING: The study was conducted in an 1836-bed acute-care French university hospital with an annual volume of 135 999 stays, between April 2013 and November 2014. PARTICIPANTS: All caregivers and technical-administrative staff with at least 6 months of employment, spending at least half of their working time in the hospital, were asked to participate. INTERVENTION: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The variability of the HSOPS results using three different scoring methods: the percentage of positive responses recommended by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the averaged individual means and the averaged individual sums. RESULTS: The response rate was 78.6% (n = 3978). The percentage of positive responses resulted in lower scores compared to averaged individual means and averaged individual sums in the six least developed dimensions, and gave more widely spread scores and greater 95CIs in the six most developed dimensions. Department rankings also varied greatly depending on the scoring methods. CONCLUSION: The values of the HSOPS scores and their corresponding rankings greatly depended on the computation method. This finding shows how important it is to agree on the use of the same scoring strategies, before broadly comparing results within and across organizations.

Assessment of the contribution of morbidity and mortality conferences to quality and safety improvement: a survey of participants' perceptions.

BACKGROUND: Evidence for the effectiveness of the morbidity and mortality conferences in improving patient safety is lacking. The aim of this survey was to assess the opinion of participants concerning the benefits and the functioning of morbidity and mortality conferences, according to their organizational characteristics. METHODS: We conducted a survey of professionals involved in a morbidity and mortality conference using a self-administered questionnaire in three French teaching hospitals in 2012. The questionnaire focused on the functioning of morbidity and mortality conferences, the perceived benefits, the motivations of participants, and how morbidity and mortality conferences could be improved. The perception of participants was analysed according to the characteristics of morbidity and mortality conferences. RESULTS: A total of 698 participants in 54 morbidity and mortality conferences completed the questionnaire. Most of them (91 %) were satisfied with how the morbidity and mortality conference they attended was conducted. The improvements in healthcare quality and patient safety were the main benefits perceived by participants. Effectiveness in improving safety was mainly perceived when cases were thoroughly analysed (adjusted odds ratio [a0R] =2.31 [1.14-4.66]). The existence of a written charter (p = 0.05), the use of a standardized case presentation (p = 0.049), and prior dissemination of the meeting agenda (p = 0.02) were also associated with the perception of morbidity and mortality conference effectiveness. The development and achievement of improvement initiatives were associated with morbidity and mortality conferences perceived as being more effective (p < 0.01). Participants suggested improving the attendance of medical and paramedical professionals to enhance the effectiveness of morbidity and mortality conferences. CONCLUSIONS: Morbidity and mortality conferences were positively perceived. These results suggest that a structured framework and thoroughly analyzing cases improve their effectiveness.

Experience Feedback Committee: a management tool to improve patient safety in mental health.

BACKGROUND: A management tool, called the Experience Feedback Committee, has been applied for patient safety and successfully used in medical departments. The purpose of this study was to analyse the functioning of an Experience Feedback Committee in a psychiatric department and to explore its contribution to the particular issues of patient safety in mental health. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive study based on all the written documents produced by the Experience Feedback Committee between March 2010 and January 2013. The study was conducted in Grenoble University Hospital in France. We analysed all reported incidents, reports of meetings and event analysis reports. Adverse events were classified according to the Conceptual Framework for the International Classification for Patient Safety. RESULTS: A total of 30 meetings were attended by 22 professionals including seven physicians and 12 paramedical practitioners. We identified 475 incidents reported to the Experience Feedback Committee. Most of them (92 %) had no medical consequence for the patient. Eleven incidents were investigated with an analysis method inspired by civil aviation security systems. Twenty-one corrective actions were set up, including eight responses to the specific problems of a mental health unit, such as training to respond to situations of violence or management of suicide attempts. CONCLUSIONS: The Experience Feedback Committee makes it possible to involve mental healthcare professionals directly in safety management. This tool seems appropriate to manage specific patient safety issues in mental health.

[From professional practice assessment to continuing professional development: hospital practitioners' involvement and opinion concerning professional practice assessment activities]. / De l’évaluation des pratiques professionnelles au développement professionnel continu : engagement et opinion des praticiens hospitaliers dans les activités d’évaluation des pratiques professionnelles.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to describe implementation of professional practice assessment (PPA) programmes and participation of physicians and pharmacists in these programmes in a French university hospital. METHODS: We conducted an observational study based on PPA programmes validated in Grenoble university hospital continuing education board between 2007 and 2011. Data were extracted from individual commitment forms filled in by professionals and programme validation forms. The main outcome was the proportion of full-time hospital practitioners who validated at least one PPA programme. RESULTS: Over a 5-year period, 64 PPA programmes and 509 individual commitments involving 366 professionals were validated. At study endpoint, 264 (47%) permanent professionals had validated their mandatory PPA programme. The main methods used in PPA programmes included mortality and morbidity reviews (23), multidisciplinary meetings (23), staff PPA (8) and experience feedback committees (6). The most commonly reported strengths of these programmes included team work (49%) and improvement of patient care (30%). The most commonly reported drawbacks were organizational issues (27%) and unavailability to participate (23%). CONCLUSION: Hospital practitioners and pharmacists adhered to team-based PPA programmes. Implementation of team-base continuing development programmes was the preferred modality during the study period. Implementation of continuing professional development should help support this dynamic.

[Development and functioning of Multiprofessional Primary Care Practices in Rhône-Aipes region]. / Développement et fonctionnement des maisons de santé pluri-professionnelles dans la région Rhône-Alpes.

OBJECTIVE: The need to improve inter-professional cooperation encourages the grouping of primary care professionals in multi professional structures such as primary care practices. The objective of this study was to assess the implementation,organization and operation of primary care practices (PCP) in the French Rhone-Alpes region. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey by self-administered questionnaire of healthcare providers in charge of PCPs in RhOne-Alpes. RESULTS: The study included 35 PCPs across the 8 departments of the RhOne-Alpes region. Most (86%) had been operational since 2009. The number of professionals per PCP ranged from 6 to 30 with a median of 12. The most common~ represented occupations were nurses (125),general practitioners (105) and physical therapists(59). Inter-professional cooperation was based on multidisciplinary consultation meetings in 68% of PCPs and 74% share delectronic patient records. The majority of PCPs (54%) were located in areas with insufficient access to healthcare. Most PCPs(91%) were accessible to people with reduced mobility, 49% had opening hours of more than 60 hours per week, and 54% reported frequent use of third-party payment. CONCLUSION: Dynamic of implementation of PCPs appeared to reflect an attraction of health professionals to collective practices.This trend is consistent with French health care strategy.

Experience feedback committee in emergency medicine: a tool for security management.

OBJECTIVE: Emergency departments are high-risk structures. The objective was to analyse the functioning of an experience feedback committee (EFC), a security management tool for the analysis of incidents in a medical department. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive study based on the analysis of the written documents produced by the EFC between November 2009 and May 2012. We performed a double analysis of all incident reports, meeting minutes and analysis reports. RESULTS: During the study period, there were 22 meetings attended by 15 professionals. 471 reported incidents were transmitted to the EFC. Most of them (95%) had no consequence for the patients. Only one reported incident led to the patient's death. 12 incidents were analysed thoroughly and the committee decided to set up 14 corrective actions, including eight guideline writing actions, two staff trainings, two resource materials provisions and two organisational changes. CONCLUSIONS: The staff took part actively in the EFC. Following the analysis of incidents, the EFC was able to set up actions at the departmental level. Thus, an EFC seems to be an appropriate security management tool for an emergency department.

Medical record-keeping and patient perception of hospital care quality.

PURPOSE: Medical record represents the main information support used by healthcare providers. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether patient perception of hospital care quality related to compliance with medical-record keeping. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The authors merged the original data collected as part of a nationwide audit of medical records with overall and subscale perception scores (range 0-100, with higher scores denoting better rating) computed for 191 respondents to a cross-sectional survey of patients discharged from a university hospital. FINDINGS: The median overall patient perception score was 77 (25th-75th percentiles, 68-87) and differed according to the presence of discharge summary completed within eight days of discharge (81 v. 75, p = 0.03 after adjusting for baseline patient and hospital stay characteristics). No independent associations were found between patient perception scores and the documentation of pain assessment and nutritional disorder screening. Yet, medical record-keeping quality was independently associated with higher patient perception scores for the nurses' interpersonal and technical skills component. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS: First, this was a single-center study conducted in a large full-teaching hospital and the findings may not apply to other facilities. Second, the analysis might be underpowered to detect small but clinically significant differences in patient perception scores according to compliance with recording standards. Third, the authors could not investigate whether electronic medical record contributed to better compliance with recording standards and eventually higher patient perception scores. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Because of the potential consequences of poor recording for patient safety, further efforts are warranted to improve the accuracy and completeness of documentation in medical records. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: A modest relationship exists between the quality of medical-record keeping and patient perception of hospital care.

Trends in patient perception of hospital care quality.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to investigate trends in patient hospital quality perceptions between 1999 and 2010. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Original data from 11 cross-sectional surveys carried out in a French single university hospital were analyzed. Based on responses to a 29-item survey instrument, overall and subscale perception scores (range 0-10) were computed covering six key hospital care quality dimensions. FINDINGS: Of 16,516 surveyed patients, 10,704 (64.8 percent) participated in the study. The median overall patient perception score decreased from 7.86 (25th-75th percentiles, 6.67-8.85) in 1999 to 7.82 (25th-75th percentiles, 6.67-8.74) in 2010 (p for trend < 0.001). A decreasing trend was observed for the living arrangement subscale score (from 7.78 in 1999 to 7.50 in 2010, p for trend < 0.001). Food service and room comfort perceptions deteriorated over the study period while patients increasingly reported better explanations before being examined. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Patient perception scores may disguise divergent judgments on different care aspect while individual items highlight specific areas with room for improvement. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Despite growing pressure on healthcare expenditure, this single-center study showed only modest reduction in patients' hospital-care perceptions in the 2000s.

[Quality of service provided by a university hospital: general practitioners' opinion]. / Qualité des services rendus par un Centre hospitalier universitaire: le point de vue de médecins généralistes.

OBJECTIVE: The interface between primary care and hospital care is the main divide in the delivery of health care. The aim of this study was to assess the opinion of general practitioners (GPs) on the quality of service provided by hospitals and their relationships with hospital teams. METHODS: Self-administered questionnaires were mailed to GPs belonging to the Grenoble University Hospital health territory. RESULTS: Among the 778 GPs included in the study, 327 (42%) returned an evaluable questionnaire. The overall satisfaction score was 55.5/100. The indicator for care delivered to patients obtained the highest mean score (66/100), followed by indicators for continuity of care (45/100) and access to health care (43.9/100). Lowest scores were obtained for the discharge summary (35.9/100) and preparation of hospital discharge (29.3/100). GPs were critical about their relationships with hospital physicians, particularly concerning the difficulty of contacting hospital physicians (20.2% of favourable opinions). They were dissatisfied with the time required to obtain information (17.1%) and considered that hospital physicians did not allow them to be actively involved in decisions concerning their patients (4.6%). CONCLUSION: Communication between GPs and hospital physician was unsatisfactory. This study proposes ways of improving the interface between hospital and primary care.

COVID-19 impact on incidence and stage at diagnosis of five prominent cancers: A French cancer registry-based study.

BACKGROUND: The French healthcare system has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, including cancer care. METHODS: In order to evaluate the impact of this pandemic on cancer incidence, the Isere Departmental Cancer Registry compared the actual 2020 incidence of melanoma, breast, colorectal, prostate and lung cancers with the expected 2020 incidence based on data collected by the Registry between 2015 and 2019, taking into account periods of lockdown and reopening. When available, cancer stages and/or prognostic scores were recorded. RESULTS: During the period of initial confinement, a 54%, 50% and 36,8% drop in incidence was observed for breast, prostate and colorectal cancer respectively. Although their annual incidence remained stable, a worsening trend emerged as a decline in the number of low stages/scores at diagnosis in favour of higher stages/scores towards the end of 2020. In contrast, a significant 17,8% drop was observed in annual incidence of melanoma, particularly for Breslow scores < 1 (-27,4%). However, this trend was noticeable before the lockdown, as well as the 14% reduction in the incidence of lung cancer in women, but not in men. CONCLUSION: The incidence of certain cancers was caught up over the year but the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be associated with a change in their severity at diagnosis throughout 2020. The downward trends in female lung cancer and melanoma incidence point to complex underlying phenomena. Further analysis is still needed to assess the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer incidence.