[Does the announcement of cancer at the time of Non Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer diagnosis affect quality of life and adherence of patients? Data from the French prospective cohort VICAN]. / L'annonce du cancer au diagnostic de Tumeur de vessie non infiltrant le muscle modifie-t-elle la qualité de vie et l'observance des patients ? Données de la cohorte prospective française VICAN.

INTRODUCTION: The information provided at the time of diagnosis of Non Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC) is highly variable. Well-informed patient are more involved in shared decisions. The objective of our study was to assess the information perceived by the patient at the time of NMIBC diagnosis and its impact on quality of life. METHODS: The VICAN french cohort involved a representative sample of 4174 cancer patients and 5 years survivors. Patients reported outcomes (PROs) were collected by phone and self-questionnaire. Among the 118 NMIBC patients, the term used to define the pathology at diagnosis was prospectively evaluated. The impact on quality of life (using SF-12, EORTC-QLQ-C30 and HAD scale) and on adherence to the care protocol (endoscopic monitoring) has been assessed. RESULTS: Only 26.8% of patients reported hearing the word « Cancer ¼ at the time of NMIBC diagnosis. Conversely, 73.2% of them reported others terms, including « Tumor ¼ (22%), « Polyp ¼ (24%), and « Carcinoma ¼ (17.1%). There was no difference in terms of physical, mental quality of life and anxiety, regardless of the term used. Adherence to the follow-up endoscopic protocol was better in the group of patients hearing the word "Cancer". CONCLUSION: Three quarters of patients treated for NMIBC did not integrate the concept of « Cancer ¼ at the time of diagnosis. Quality of life and anxiety did not differ significantly depending on the term used at diagnosis. However, adherence to care protocol appears to be higher when using the word "Cancer". LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

Does cancer survivors' health-related quality of life depend on cancer type? Findings from a large French national sample 2 years after cancer diagnosis.

We investigated whether health-related quality of life (HRQL) depends on cancer type, after adjustment for demographic and medical variables. A French national population-based survey was conducted between November and December 2004 to assess surviving cancer patients' HRQL 2 years after diagnosis. HRQL was measured by the 36-Item Short Form Survey scale. The sample included 3900 persons. All cancer diagnoses were entered in the study. We demonstrated that medical and treatment variables have an impact on patients' physical HRQL but not on mental HRQL. Cancer type impacted on physical HRQL, with those suffering from upper aerodigestive tract /lung cancers and haematological malignancies being affected to a greater degree. Disturbing side effects impacted both HRQL domains. Socio-demographic variables had statistically significant effects but not clinically meaningful ones. Socio-economic variables led to potentially clinically meaningful differences for cancer patients' HRQL and represented a socio-economic gradient in HRQL among cancer survivors. From our results, we may assert that cancer survivors, 2 years after cancer diagnosis, share a similar pattern of psychological morbidity, independent of cancer type. Patients disproportionately affected by cancer, such as those with lower educational levels and income, need to be identified and targeted and interventions which address their unique needs and concerns need to be developed.

French hospital nurses' opinion about euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide: a national phone survey.

BACKGROUND: Hospital nurses are frequently the first care givers to receive a patient's request for euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide (PAS). In France, there is no consensus over which medical practices should be considered euthanasia, and this lack of consensus blurred the debate about euthanasia and PAS legalisation. This study aimed to investigate French hospital nurses' opinions towards both legalisations, including personal conceptions of euthanasia and working conditions and organisation. METHODS: A phone survey conducted among a random national sample of 1502 French hospital nurses. We studied factors associated with opinions towards euthanasia and PAS, including contextual factors related to hospital units with random-effects logistic models. RESULTS: Overall, 48% of nurses supported legalisation of euthanasia and 29%, of PAS. Religiosity, training in pallative care/pain management and feeling competent in end-of-life care were negatively correlated with support for legalisation of both euthanasia and PAS, while nurses working at night were more prone to support legalisation of both. The support for legalisation of euthanasia and PAS was also weaker in pain treatment/palliative care and intensive care units, and it was stronger in units not benefiting from interventions of charity/religious workers and in units with more nurses. CONCLUSIONS: Many French hospital nurses uphold the legalisation of euthanasia and PAS, but these nurses may be the least likely to perform what proponents of legalisation call "good" euthanasia. Improving professional knowledge of palliative care could improve the management of end-of-life situations and help to clarify the debate over euthanasia.

[Anhedonia and depressive symptomatology among HIV-infected patients with highly active antiretroviral therapies (ANRS-EN12-VESPA)]. / Anhédonie et dépression dans le contexte de l'infection par le VIH avec les multithérapies antirétrovirales (ANRS-EN12-VESPA).

INTRODUCTION: Anhedonia is defined as the loss of the capacity to feel pleasure and there is no consensus with its relationship with depressive symptomatology. Furthermore, no study has investigated the problematic of anhedonia in the context of HIV-infection, which concern a lot of patients with depressive symptoms. Depressive symptomatology presents a major challenge in the management of HIV-infection due to its central role in clinical progression. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to disentangle relationship between determinants of anhedonia, depression and anxiety in order to optimise mental management of HIV infection. METHOD: In 2003, a face-to-face survey (ANRS-EN12-VESPA) was conducted among patients selected in a random stratified sample of 102 French hospital departments delivering HIV care. Eligible respondents were HIV-infected outpatients, aged 18 or older living in France and diagnosed for at least six months. Among solicited patients, 2932 agreed to participate (response rate: 59%) and data about anhedonia, anxiety and depression are available for 1427 patients. The face-to-face gathered information on sociodemographic characteristics, such as education level, gender, partner, children, financial situation or housing and also psychosocial and sociobehavioural characteristics, such as drug use. Self-reported side effects of treatment were also available. ASSESSMENT TOOLS: Anxiety and depression were assessed using the hospital anxiety and depression (HAD) scale. Physical anhedonia was assessed using the French version of the Chapman scale. Three regression models were used to identify factors associated with anhedonia, anxiety and depression among demographic, psychosocial and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: Factors independently associated with anhedonia were older age (>50), lower education level, unemployment and men HIV contaminated by heterosexual relation or injecting drug use. Women, with lower education level, unemployment, without steady partner, with a detectable viral load and who reported side effect of HAART presented more frequently anxiety. Unemployment, uncomfortable housing, no social support from friends, self-reported side effect and lipodystrophy were independently associated with depression. CONCLUSION: Our results underline the multiplicity of factors associated with mental disorders related to depression. These results can be explained by the fact that the anxiety and anhedonia are two cardinal symptoms of depression. Determinants of anhedonia and anxiety reported in this study may provide the key to a more exact delineation of depressive disorders in the context of HIV infection in order to optimize long-term psychological follow up of concerned patients.

Suicide attempts among people living with HIV in France.

This study examined the prevalence and characteristics of attempted suicide among a representative sample of French Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected individuals. In 2003, a face-to-face survey was conducted among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) selected in a random, stratified sample of French hospital departments. Among solicited individuals, 2,932 agreed to participate and were asked if they had ever AS. Among the respondents, 23% had AS. Female gender, younger age, native French citizenship, reporting household financial difficulties, having been HIV-contaminated through homosexual contact or through injection drug use and suffering from lipodystrophy-related symptoms were all independently associated with AS. HIV-discrimination and the lack of social support from family remained independently associated with AS. Our findings indicate a high level of AS among PLWHA and emphasize the multiple roles of factors associated with living with HIV, together with sociodemographic factors. The results enable the possibility for vulnerable groups to be targeted for specific future interventions in order to prevent attempted suicide.

[Individual social characteristics, municipal environment and the prevalence of weight problems in early childhood: a multilevel analysis]. / Caractéristiques sociales individuelles, contexte résidentiel et prévalence des problèmes de poids dans la petite enfance: une analyse multiniveau.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the prevalence of weight problems before the age of 5 years although this period is critical in the development of obesity. An inverse association between socio-economic status and weight problems is well documented in adult women but not for young children. Similarly several studies of adults and adolescents or older children show that the prevalence of weight problems is associated with the level of deprivation of the neighbourhood environment and the degree of urbanization, independent of social individual factors, even though this has not been examined for young children. METHODS: We evaluated prevalence rates of weight problems in children aged 3.5-4.5 years in southeastern France and their association with both individual social factors and municipal environment characteristics. Random stratified cluster sampling allowed us to select 112 nursery schools. Physicians from the early childhood protective services conducted a mandatory medical examination and collected data with a new questionnaire (EVALMATER), developed to standardise these examinations. Overweight and obesity were defined by international references after calculation of each child's BMI (kg/m(2)). We constructed a social disadvantage index to assess characteristics of the municipalities where the nursery schools were located and used multilevel analysis to study the associations of municipal characteristics (the disadvantage index and a urban/rural classification of the municipalities) with weight problems independently of individual socio-economic variables. RESULTS: The study included 2495/2959 (84.3%) children, with a mean age of 3.9+/-0.3 years. The prevalence of overweight was 8.2% (CI95%=7.1-9.3) and that of obesity 2.1% (CI95%=1.5-2.7). Prevalence of obesity was significantly higher in girls, only children, those who had not attended day-care before nursery school, whose mother was not employed, or whose father was not a white-collar-worker. Independently of these variables, it was also significantly higher among children who lived in urban areas or deprived municipalities. None of these factors were found associated with overweight alone. CONCLUSION: Actions of prevention in France should target parents of young children.

[Evaluation of vaccine coverage in children from 2 to 4 years old in South-Eastern France]. / Estimation de la couverture vaccinale des enfants âgés de 2 à 4 ans en région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated vaccination coverage in early childhood in South-Eastern France and spatial and social factors associated to it. POPULATION AND METHODS: We carried out a study in children aged 3.5-4.5 years and attending 112 nursery schools randomly selected in South-Eastern France. Data were collected in 2002-2003 during a mandatory health assessment by physicians and nurses of the services of maternal and infant protection, who completed a new questionnaire developed to standardise these examinations in the whole region. RESULTS: Among the 2959 selected children, 2460 (83.1%) could be included in the study; out of them, 96.4% had been vaccinated against diphtheria and tetanus, 95.0% against poliomyelitis, 92.8% against pertussis, 89.3% against haemophilus influenzae type b and 96.5% against tuberculosis. Vaccination rates at the age of 18 months including the first booster were less important than vaccination rates for children aged 3.5-4.5 years. Only 24.3% of the children had been vaccinated against hepatitis B and 86.4% against measles-mumps-rubella. Vaccination rates at the age of 2, were significantly higher on the basis of the health certificates of the 24th month (CS24) than on the basis of our study. Vaccination rates were highest in urban areas and those with educational priority. CONCLUSION: Vaccination rates at the age of 3.5-4.5 years are satisfying but rates for the first booster should be improved. Vaccination rates against hepatitis B were low when those against MMR do not reach the WHO recommended level of 95.0%. Our results suggest that the analysis of data from the CS24 overestimates the real vaccination coverage at this age in South-Eastern France.

[Health related quality of life and lipodystrophy syndrome among HIV-infected patients]. / Qualité de vie et syndrome lipodystrophique chez les patients infectés par le VIH.

AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of this work is to show to what extent a psychosocial evaluation can lead bring to comprehension of the subjectivity of Quality of Life (QoL) among HIV-infected patients. Evaluation of QoL makes it possible to understand the link between the therapeutic effectiveness and the subjective evaluation of the treatment, but also to estimate more precisely how people live and take their treatment in the context of HIV infection. METHOD: This work confronts the variation of QoL with the variation of several social and psychosocial parameters identified as of the components of the system, which is the subjective evaluation, and more precisely to a specific side effect of Highly Active AntiRetroviral Therapies (HAART): lipodystrophy syndrome that consists in body fat redistribution. This side effect could consist in an accumulation of body fat, or a loss of body fat or a combination of both symptoms. The analysis was made on the data from APROCO-COPILOTE cohort composed of HIV-infected patients initiating HAART. RESULTS: Among a sample of 706 patients follow-up for three years and with available QoL data, we identified the variations of QoL according to the variation of this specific side effect and according to gender. Results show that lipodystrophy syndrome has a determinant impact on QoL different among male and female patients. Adjusted on clinical and socio-demographic characteristics, impaired women's QoL is associated with accumulation of body fat and impaired men's QoL is associated with loss of body fat. CONCLUSION: These results underline the role of body image on subjective evaluation of QoL. The analysis of empirical data made it possible to highlight the social implication of the evaluation of QoL from the role of the social support, patient-provider relationship and the social context.

[Collaboration between general practitioners and pharmacists in the management of patients on high-dosage buprenorphine treatment. Prescribers' practices]. / Collaboration entre médecins et pharmaciens pour le suivi des patients sous buprénorphine haut dosage. Pratiques des médecins prescripteurs.

OBJECTIVES: This paper examines the collaboration between general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists in the outpatient management of patients on high-dosage buprenorphine (HDB) treatment. METHODS: A telephone survey of a sample of HDB prescribers in southeastern France questioned them about their knowledge, practices, and opinions about HDB treatment in October 2002; data from the national health insurance fund and the national statistics institute completed the study. Logistic regression was used to investigate factors associated with collaboration with pharmacists. GPs' practices were compared to assess their correlation, if any, with this collaboration. RESULTS: 345 GPs participated in the study. Only 54% reported collaborating with dispensing pharmacists in managing patients on HDB, despite official guidelines encouraging it. Collaboration was independently related to training in addiction treatment, a favorable opinion of maintenance treatment by GPs, long experience in HDB prescription, and participation in a specialized medical network. CONCLUSION: Implementation of recommendations on physician-pharmacist collaboration requires additional training in addiction medicine for GPs and the encouragement of their participation in medical networks. On the other hand, increasing the constraints on GPs may negatively affect patients' access to care.

[Prescription of high dose buprenorphine by general practitioners]. / Prescription de buprénorphine haut dosage par des médecins généralistes.

BACKGROUND: Since 1996, prescribing buprenorphine in high dosage as a drug maintenance treatment has been allowing French general practitioners to undertake drug addicts with a pharmacological support. In France, buprenorphine prescriptions seem to spread over general practitioners (buprenorphine was given to 74,300 patients in 2001). This paper assesses the different factors associated with buprenorphine prescription by general practitioners and with the different degrees of general practitioners' commitment in actually caring drug addicts with the help of buprenorphine. METHODS: Two representative samples of private general practitioners, either prescribing buprenorphine (345 over a population of 876) or not prescribing (355 over a population of 1380) have been questioned through a phone interview in the department of South-Eastern France in November and December 2002. Samples have been constituted with the help of a random stratified survey according to sex, age and volume of services (acceptance rate: 65.5%). Survey data have been completed with general practitioners' activity data from Health Insurance and local socioeconomic data from Insee. RESULTS: 37.5% of general practitioners have at least once prescribed buprenorphine during the considered period, but only 26% of the prescribers treated 75% of patients. Prescribers are most often men, younger than 49 years, working in the fixed fees sector and having group practice. They are also most often members of a health care network, trained for drug maintenance treatments and, from an individual point of view, have relatives suffering cancer, or having HIV, or hepatitis C, or who are drug addicts. Low socioeconomic status of the area where GPs exert seems to be particularly associated with general practitioners' prescription of buprenorphine. CONCLUSION: Data handled in this paper show that supply of substitutive treatments is concentrated among a reduced number of general practitioners and in particularly deprived geographic areas. Workload in deprived areas combined to great professional commitment in maintenance treatment reveals unexpected and unwanted specialisation behaviours by general practitioners, as well as more isolated behaviours by general practitioners who do not ask for particular training program or help by colleagues. These results question the consistency of the general framework of support to general practitioners proposed by health authorities with general practitioners actual practice and needs.

Socio-economic conditions, health status and employment among persons living with HIV/AIDS in France in 2001.

To investigate employment levels and identify barriers to work among persons living with HIV/AIDS in France in 2001, we conducted a cross-sectional study among HIV-infected patients seen in the hospital outpatient clinics of the two French regions most affected: Ile-de-France (IDF) and Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur (PACA). Of the 840 outpatients included in the study, 58.8% in IDF and 46.8% in PACA were currently employed, and 28.1 and 47.8%, respectively, were receiving disability benefits. Among unemployed patients, 32.1% in IDF and 29.6% in PACA reported that they planned to (re)enter the workforce. Current and planned employment status were associated with characteristics indicative of the patients' social and demographic situation before the HIV diagnosis (region of residence, educational level, HIV transmission group, age, nationality) and with their health status at the interview (HIV progression, HCV co-infection). Receiving disability benefits was negatively associated with plans to return to work. HIV-related discrimination at work was reported by 11.9% of the patients in IDF and 9.2% in PACA, and was not associated with occupational status. Thus, social interventions should seek to prevent patients, particularly the most socially vulnerable, from leaving their jobs at acute stages of their illness and should promote (re)entry into the workforce among unemployed patients.

Highly active antiretroviral treatment does not increase sexual risk behaviour among French HIV infected injecting drug users.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: This study examined the impact of highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) on sexual risk behaviours of HIV infected injecting drug users (IDUs) included in the French MANIF 2000 cohort study. DESIGN: Longitudinal analysis including baseline and last follow up characteristics using generalised estimating equations (GEE). SETTING: Hospital departments for specialist AIDS care in south eastern France and inner suburbs of Paris. PATIENTS: All patients antiretrovial treatment naive, who reported being sexually active at enrollment, and who had at least one follow up visit in the cohort between October 1996 and May 1998 (n=188). MAIN RESULTS: Of the 188 HIV infected IDUs who were antiretroviral treatment naive at enrollment, 34 were prescribed HAART during follow up. Proportion of patients who reported at least one episode of unprotected sexual intercourse in the previous six months only significantly decreased in the HAART treated group (from 47.1% to 23.5%, p=0.008, compared with 43.5% to 35.7% in the rest of the sample, p=0.10). GEE multivariate model confirmed that prescription of HAART was associated with reduced sexual risk. CONCLUSIONS: The concern that HAART might result in clinical improvement leading to resumption of high risk activities that could inadvertently result in HIV transmission was not supported by these data. Reasons for further reductions in HIV risk with taking HAART remain to be clarified.