Screening decreases prostate cancer mortality: 11-year follow-up of the 1988 Quebec prospective randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: This clinical trial is aimed at evaluating the impact of prostate cancer screening on cancer-specific mortality. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Forty-six thousand four hundred and eighty-six (46,486) men aged 45-80 years registered in the electoral roll of the Quebec city area were randomized in 1988 between screening and no screening. Screening included measurement of serum prostatic specific antigen (PSA) using 3.0 ng/ml as upper limit of normal and digital rectal examination (DRE) at first visit. At follow-up visits, serum PSA only was used. RESULTS: Seventy-four (74) deaths from prostate cancer occurred in the 14,231 unscreened controls while 10 deaths were observed in the screened group of 7,348 men during the first 11 years following randomization. Median follow-up of screened men was 7.93 years. A Cox proportional hazards model of the age at death from prostate cancer shows a 62% reduction (P < 0.002, Fisher's exact test) of cause-specific mortality in the screened men (P = 0.005). These results are in agreement with the continuous decrease of prostate cancer mortality observed in North America.

Evaluation of prostatic specific antigen and digital rectal examination as screening tests for prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: The 11,811 first visits and 46,751 annual follow-up visits performed since 1988 were analyzed in order to assess the efficacy of serum prostatic specific antigen (PSA) and digital rectal examination (DRE) for diagnosis of prostate cancer. METHODS: At first visit, screening included DRE and measurement of PSA using 3.0 ng/ml as upper limit of normal, demonstrated as optimal value in the course of the study. Transrectal echography of the prostate (TRUS) was performed only if PSA and/or DRE was abnormal. For elevated PSA, biopsy was performed only if PSA was above the value predicted from prostatic volume measured by TRUS. At follow-up visits, it was decided during the course of the study to use PSA alone. RESULTS: PSA was above 3.0 ng/ml in 16.6% and 15.6% of men at first and follow-up visits, respectively. Prostate cancer was found in 2.9% of men invited for screening at first visit and in only 0.4% of men at follow-up visits for a 7.1-fold decrease at follow-up visits done up to 11 years. PSA alone allowed to find 90.5% and 90. 0% of cancers at first and follow-up visits, respectively, compared to 41.1% and 25.0% by DRE alone. In the presence of normal PSA, 344 and 1,919 DREs are needed to find one prostate cancer at first and follow-up visits, respectively. A significant improvement in stage of the disease is found at follow-up (215 cancers) compared to first visits (337 cancers). Comparison made between men invited for screening and those who were not invited but screened showed no significant difference in terms of incidence and prevalence of prostate cancer as well as diagnosis of cancer as a function of age or as a function of PSA, DRE, and TRUS data. The cost for finding one case of prostate cancer is estimated at Can $2,420 and Can $7, 105 (first and follow-up visits, respectively, when PSA is used as prescreening). CONCLUSIONS: PSA used as prescreening and followed by DRE and TRUS when PSA is abnormal is highly efficient in detecting prostate cancer at a localized (potentially curable) stage since 99% of the cancers diagnosed were at such a localized stage, thus practically eliminating the diagnosis of metastatic and noncurable prostate cancer. The approach used is highly reliable, sensitive, efficient, and acceptable by the general population. The detection of clinically nonsignificant cancer is an exception.

Knowledge of and attitude toward patient confidentiality within three family medicine teaching units.

PURPOSE: To describe the knowledge and attitudes about confidentiality issues within family medicine teaching units (FMUs) at McGill University. METHOD: The authors surveyed McGill University FMU staff (physicians, nurses, and support staff) on their knowledge of and attitudes toward confidentiality issues. RESULTS: The response rate was 84%. Only one of nine questions on confidentiality laws was correctly answered by more than 80% of the respondents. Only 55% of the support staff knew that police are not permitted free access to charts, although the majority of those who answered incorrectly held attitudes that were consistent with the law. Only approximately 25% knew that physicians and nurses are not permitted free access to any medical record within the center. There were minimal differences between the professions or between the FMUs. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that FMU staff do not fully understand their obligations towards patient confidentiality.

Integrated clinical information system.

SIDOCI (Système Informatisé de DOnnées Cliniques Intégrées) is a Canadian joint venture introducing newly-operating paradigms into hospitals. The main goal of SIDOCI is to maintain the quality of care in todayUs tightening economy. SIDOCI is a fully integrated paperless patient-care system which automates and links all information about a patient. Data is available on-line and instantaneously to doctors, nurses, and support staff in the format that best suits their specific requirements. SIDOCI provides a factual and chronological summary of the patient's progress by drawing together clinical information provided by all professionals working with the patient, regardless of their discipline, level of experience, or physical location. It also allows for direct entry of the patient's information at the bedside. Laboratory results, progress notes, patient history and graphs are available instantaneously on screen, eliminating the need for physical file transfers. The system, incorporating a sophisticated clinical information database, an intuitive graphical user interface, and customized screens for each medical discipline, guides the user through standard procedures. Unlike most information systems created for the health care industry, SIDOCI is longitudinal, covering all aspects of the health care process through its link to various vertical systems already in place. A multidisciplinary team has created a clinical dictionary that provides the user with most of the information she would normally use: symptoms, signs, diagnoses, allergies, medications, interventions, etc. This information is structured and displayed in such a manner that health care professionals can document the clinical situation at the touch of a finger. The data is then encoded into the patient's file. Once encoded, the structured data is accessible for research, statistics, education, and quality assurance. This dictionary complies with national and international nomenclatures. It also contains personalized profiles: questionnaires based on the predetermined choices of the information most relevant to the specific user. The SIDOCI clinical dictionary also includes the hospital's suggested or mandatory interventions, clinical guidelines, and protocols. These clinical guidelines are customized at the hospital, service, and professional levels. Common interventions have been regrouped so that health professionals may apply the appropriate diagnostic, therapeutic, educational, or other intervention plans. The clinical dictionary also serves as a teaching and continuing education tool. The patient profile is a permanent record containing information on allergies, blood type, primary and secondary diagnoses, ongoing treatments, and prior hospitalizations. The problem list dealing with the current hospitalization includes symptoms, signs, and diagnoses. This standard clinical record facilitates communication between the services and provides a quick overview of the patient's history should emergency treatment be required. This health information system integrates Requests and Results, Progress Notes, and Analysis of the results. In addition, functions inherent to a patient's clinical cycle such as Administrative Management of episodes, Adaptation to physical and professional structures of the hospital, Messages between health professionals, and Electronic signature constitute the basis of SIDOCI. The most exciting aspect of this research project is its social impact: a more efficient health care system will improve the lives of all citizens. Moreover this applied research project involves the information industry and directly calls for the input of users such as doctors, nurses and hospital support staff.

[The " Agent de quartier " : information and help service to the community.]. / Le service d'information et d'aide à la communauté «L'Agent de quartier¼

This article describes the process of instituting in a community a mental health preventive program that had originated in a third line psychiatric institution. The author describe the different stages of the project as much from the point of view of the workers'experiences, the ideological evolution, the organisational modalities as from its impact on the network of the mental health distribution services. The implantation of this new service was not easy for the community nor for the initiators. Luckily, the efforts encountered were worth while since the need for such a service is now recognised.