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Biomedical subjects

P Chastonay

Publications and source records attributed to P Chastonay.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Should medical schools train students in human rights? An exploratory study among medical students in 46 countries].

The interest of medical students from 46 countries for human rights issues and training was investigated in a cross sectional study. Training in human rights is demanded by 85,4% of respondents. Nearly 55% consider that such training should be compulsory. Nearly 85% of students consider as specific tasks of a medical practitioner "to prevent actively professional practices that violate basic human rights in the health systems" or "to develop and promote attitudes respectful of human rights in care". Our study suggests that human rights training could be integrated into basic medical curriculum.

Education, Medical↗

[Medical ethics and human rights training in Europe].

In 1999 the World Medical Association (WMA) issued a declaration recommending that there be the teaching of medical ethics and human rights included in the basic medical school curricula across Europe. The study aims to investigate the level of medical ethics and human rights training provided and to take an inventory of the existing programmes in the European Union's medical schools. The study was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire which was disseminated in the year 2002 to 219 schools of medicine in 14 of the 15 European Union member states (Luxembourg did not yet have a school of medicine). One-fourth of the medical schools solicited sent back a reply. Medical ethics are taught in 93% of medical schools; its teaching is of a multi-disciplinary and cross-cutting nature in 80% of the schools. Courses on ethics are compulsory in 75% of the cases. Human rights are taught in 63% of the European medical schools, and it is most often the case that the teaching of human rights is incorporated into the ethics courses. Even if the WMA's recommendation is not always fully implemented according to the guidelines of their declaration, this study demonstrates and reveals nonetheless the increasing of awareness and realization by European medical schools of the significance of including such a track in their programme.

Curriculum↗

[Health and human rights: perceptions of health professionals and human rights defenders].

A self-administered questionnaire served as the basis for a study carried out between February and June 2003 covering a panel of 125 experts from 33 countries spread over 5 continents. The objective of this study was to identify the human rights problems perceived as having a very negative health impact from approximately fifty proposals. This study also aimed at identifying the variables which could explain the differences in the perceptions observed. At the global level, the threats to physical integrity and attacks on human life, economic problems of a health or social nature, questions of political or democratic origin, as well as a wide spectrum of other problems are perceived as having very harmful effects on health with an average adhesion rate of severity (TMAG) ranging from 90-75%. For the same categories of problems at the national level, the TMAG varies from 67-40%: The observed consensus around the severity of human rights problems is tempered by the differences in perceptions according to profession, sex, and the level of the country's and continent's development. Other than the fact that these results corroborate the shared international concerns with regard to the state of the world's human rights, they suggest that the experts' opinions constitute a complementary source of information necessary for work on the international mechanisms for the surveillance of the implementation of international treaties; while at the same time, they indicate priorities for action in the field of public health and human rights.

Adult↗

[Coronary artery bypass by mini-thoracotomy: noticeable benefits with clinical experience of the treatment team].

AIM OF THE STUDY: Minimally invasive coronary artery bypass surgery is fundamentally different as compared to open sternal approach under cardiopulmonary bypass. Modifications of the surgical, anesthesiologic and post-operative techniques are necessary before evaluation of its real benefit. We analyze the potential effect of a learning period on the short term results of this technique. METHODS: From July 1997 to February 1999, 20 patients were operated using this method. We compare the results of the first 10 patients (group 1: 8M/2F, 59.6 +/- 13.8 years) to those of the last 10 patients (group 2: 8M/2F; age = 63.2 +/- 6.1 years). DISCUSSION: Progress between the two groups is striking. Left anterior descending coronary clamping time could be reduced from 28.5 +/- 2.4 min. in group 1 to 22.2 +/- 1.8 min. in group 2 (p < 0.05), and operative time was reduced from 125 +/- 4 min. to 97 +/- 5 min. (p < 0.005). The post-operative atrial fibrillation rate diminished from 4/10 in group 1 to 1/10 in group 2.3/10 patients in group 1 suffered a post-operative pneumonia whereas none in group 2 had pulmonary complication. The stay in the intensive care unit could be reduced from 2.3 +/- 0.3 days to 1.4 +/- 0.2 days (p < 0.05) and the total post-operative stay diminished from 8.5 +/- 0.9 days to 4.7 +/- 0.5 days (p < 0.005). CONCLUSION: There are evidence for a learning period in minimally invasive cardiac surgery. Short term benefits of this technique are then evident as demonstrated by a reduction in the ICU stay and the hospital stay.

Adult↗

[Malignant hyperthermia].

Malignant hyperthermia is a serious anesthetic complication, presenting with various manifestations, with high mortality and morbidity. There are several incomplete and abortive forms, and the clinicians must be aware of the possibility of malignant hyperthermia, and recognize the first signs of the hyperthermic crisis hyperthermia, hypermetabolism and muscular rigidity. Screening is performed by in vitro contracture testing on a muscular biopsy. Treatment is based on discontinuation of triggering agents and dantrolene administration, as well as supportive care. Cellular investigations demonstrate that the malignant hyperthermia crisis presents as an intracellular flooding with calcium, leading to an abnormal muscular contracture. Several mutations in particular involving the ryanodine receptor gene have been linked to malignant hyperthermia.

Biopsy↗

[Educational strategies and tools in a public health program at the University of Geneva].

In the Swiss context, the newly developed MPH programme at the University of Geneva is experimental in educational matters. Indeed the programme is fully learner-centered and community-oriented. Throughout the curriculum students plan, implement and evaluate intervention programmes or/and research projects related to health problems of the communities they are in charge of. In this article, we describe the educational strategies and tools used in this MPH curriculum (professional profile, mind-mapping procedures, field-work either on research projects or on intervention programmes, group work and evaluation procedures). These strategies and tools might assist some educational experimentation in MPH programmes in search of public health relevance and pedagogic efficacy.

Certification↗

[Eating behavior of 12-16-year olds of French-speaking Valais: cross-sectional survey among 962 secondary students].

Eating habits that are potentially harmful are picked up during the teens. The aim of the study is to identify the main eating habits of 12-16 year-old teenagers of central Valais in order to plan better targeted health promotion interventions. The study design is cross sectional. An anonymous questionnaire was taken by a sample of 962 teenagers. Some results: 25.2% did not have breakfast every day, 37.0% did not eat neither fruit nor vegetable the day before, 58.2% had a soda drink the day before, 5.5% of the 12 of the 16 year-old ones and 51.2% year old ones drink some alcohol over the weekends. Possible health promotion interventions are listed.

Adolescent↗

The construction of a 'topic tree': a way of familiarizing a teaching staff to problem-oriented learning in a master's programme in public health.

At the planning stage of a community-oriented and problem-based learning master's programme in public health it is indispensable to build a network of teachers, experts in specific fields, willing to guide the students in acquiring new competencies and ready to facilitate the experimental learning process. We discuss in this paper the construction and the utilisation of the 'topic tree'. In addition we show how the teaching staff get acquainted with that educational methodology by experimenting with it themselves (prior to the students). About 10 experts, each one a specialist in a given field, have conceptualized their approach in building a topic tree (concept tree); such a tree makes it possible to schematize the topics to be understood in order to solve a given problem and the relationship existing between actions to be undertaken. The experiment, meant to initiate the teaching staff in experimental learning procedures, was appreciated by all the experts, who considered it a creative and stimulating method. It also permitted the construction of a bibliography including key documents concerning each identified priority health problem. We discuss the utility and the relevance of our approach in the perspective of initiating teachers in experiential learning based on problem-solving.

Algorithms↗