Scabies incidence and association with skin and soft tissue infection in Loyalty Islands Province, New Caledonia: A 15-year retrospective observational study using electronic health records.

BACKGROUND: Scabies and its complications are a public health problem in the low- and middle-income countries of the Western Pacific region. However, no data are available for the relatively wealthy French territory of New Caledonia. This study aimed to determine the incidence of scabies and its association with skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI) in Loyalty Islands Province (LIP) (20,000 inhabitants), New Caledonia. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This retrospective observational study reviewed cases of scabies and SSTI extracted from the electronic health record databases of LIP clinics for the period 2004-2018. Data were validated through double sampling. The overall scabies incidence rate (IR) and scabies IRs by sex and age group were calculated. Scabies seasonality was evaluated. For children <5 years, the presence of SSTI was compared between the 3-month period preceding scabies diagnosis/treatment and the 3-month period preceding the 1-year anniversary of scabies diagnosis/treatment (self-matching). A total of 16,843 scabies cases were extracted using a detection algorithm with a sensitivity of 96.7% and a specificity of 99.9%. From 2004 to 2018, the average overall scabies IR was 5.9% and the average scabies IR in children <1 year was 18.4%. Almost two-thirds of children aged 14 years had a history of scabies. Females were more affected, especially in the 20-39 age group (sex ratio>2). A strong seasonality was observed, with a 30% increase in winter. In children <5 years, SSTIs were 4.3 times more frequent in the 3 months preceding the scabies diagnosis than in the 3 months preceding the 1-year anniversary of scabies treatment (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Although health care is much better in New Caledonia than in neighboring countries, scabies is highly endemic in LIP. The disease is especially common in children <2 years and is associated with many SSTIs in children <5 years. Mass drug administration should be considered.

Effectiveness of the Family and Friends CPR course in learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation in relatives of patients with high cardiovascular risk or who have suffered a cardiovascular event

Introduction: Early, high-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) increases survival rates in cardiac arrest. Although most cases occur at home and are witnessed, CPR is performed in few of these cases. For this reason, teaching CPR is especially important in relatives of patients with high cardiovascular risk. Therefore, the aim of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Family and Friends CPR course in the theoretical and practical learning of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in relatives of patients with high cardiovascular risk or who have suffered a cardiovascular event. Materials and methods: We carried out an analytical, quasi-experimental, prospective, beforeand-after study. We selected 20 participants during outpatient consultation at the Cardiology Department of the Cayetano Heredia Hospital in Lima, Peru. A theoretical knowledge questionnaire and an adult CPR checklist were used to assess the level of theoretical and practical knowledge, respectively. The theoretical knowledge was measured at three points in time (before, immediately after and one month after the intervention) and the practical skills at two points in time (immediately after and a month after the intervention). Results: The level of theoretical knowledge was low (8.64 ± 2.47) before the intervention, achieving a good level of knowledge immediately after (17.33 ± 2.02) and one month later (16.5 ± 1.91). Furthermore, the medians of the level of practical knowledge were 15 immediately after and one month later, showing that they maintained a good level of practical knowledge. Conclusions: The Family and Friends CPR course was effective in the theoretical and practicalm learning of CPR in the studied population, and was sustained one month after the intervention. (AU)

Introducción: La reanimación cardiopulmonar (RCP) temprana y de alta calidad incrementa la tasa de supervivencia en el paro cardíaco. Si bien la mayoría de casos ocurre en el hogar y son presenciados por testigos, en pocos casos se inicia RCP. Por ello, resulta importante su enseñanza y especialmente en familiares de pacientes con alto riesgo cardiovascular. En consecuencia, el propósito de este estudio era demostrar la efectividad de la enseñanza del curso Familiares y Amigos RCP en el aprendizaje teórico y práctico de la reanimación cardiopulmonar en familiares de pacientes con alto riesgo cardiovascular o que han presentado un evento cardiovascular. Materiales y métodos: Estudio de tipo analítico, cuasi experimental, prospectivo, de intervención antes y después. Se reclutaron 20 participantes durante la consulta externa del Servicio de Cardiología del Hospital Cayetano Heredia en Lima, Perú. Se utilizó un cuestionario de conocimientos teóricos y una lista de cotejo sobre RCP en adultos para evaluar el nivel de conocimiento teórico y práctico, respectivamente. La parte teórica fue medida en tres momentos (antes, inmediatamente después y un mes después de la intervención) y la parte práctica en dos momentos (inmediatamente después y un mes después de la intervención). Resultados: El nivel de conocimiento teórico fue malo (8.64 ± 2.47) antes de la intervención, logrando un nivel de conocimiento bueno inmediatamente después (17.33 ± 2.02) y un mes después (16.5 ± 1.91). Además, las medianas del nivel de conocimiento práctico fueron de 15 inmediatamente después y un mes después, mostrando que mantuvieron un nivel de conocimiento práctico bueno. Conclusiones: El curso Familiares y Amigos RCP fue efectivo en el aprendizaje teórico y práctico sobre RCP en la población estudiada, y se mantuvo un mes posterior a la intervención.(AU)