Motivation and training needs of prison healthcare professionals: findings from a qualitative study.

Health care in prison is a challenging task. The conditions of imprisonment create distinct difficulties for those providing health care in this setting. These particular circumstances have led to a shortage of quality professionals, working for the health of imprisoned people. The aim of this study is to elaborate reasons for healthcare professionals to work in a prison environment. The main research question is: why do healthcare workers choose to work in prisons? Furthermore, our study identifies training needs in various fields. Interview data that comes from a national project carried out in Switzerland and three other relatively wealthy countries were analyzed using content analysis. One-on-one, semi structured interviews were designed and conducted with professionals working in prison context. A total of 105 interviews were carried out and for this work 83 of them were analyzed and coded into themes responding to the study aim. Most participants chose to work in prison either because of practical reasons, as many reported various forms of contact with the studied prison environment at a younger age, or because of intrinsic reasons, including among others, having the wish to change the system of healthcare in prisons. Even though the education of the participants varied greatly, a lack of specialist training was expressed by many health care professions as an important factor. This study points out the need for more specific training programs for healthcare workers in prison and provides suggestions to ameliorate the recruitment and education for future prison health care workers.

[Antiviral therapy for general practitioners]. / Traitements antiviraux pour le praticien.

Viral infections are extremely common and generally self-restricted, thus antiviral therapy is limited to precise indications. Apart from HIV (not reviewed in this article), the principal treatable viruses are HSV 1 and 2, VZV, CMV, Influenza A and B, and hepatitis B and C. Vaccination is another cornerstone of viral infections control. This article summarizes actual and available therapy. New treatments arrived recently on the market or are being developed : HCV can now be treated with a high success rate, baloxavir against the flu, a new zoster vaccine will probably soon be available in Switzerland and letermovir improves CMV prophylaxis in the case of hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

Les infections virales sont extrêmement fréquentes et guérissent le plus souvent spontanément. Un traitement antiviral est réservé à des indications précises. A l'exception du VIH (non abordé dans cet article), les principaux virus traitables sont : herpès simplex 1 et 2 (HSV-1 et 2), Varicella zoster (VZV), cytomégalovirus (CMV), influenza A et B ainsi que les virus des hépatites B et C. La vaccination est une autre stratégie de lutte importante. Ce domaine étant en plein développement, cet article effectue un survol des traitements actuellement disponibles sur le marché suisse. Durant ces dernières années, l'hépatite C a pu être traitée avec un haut taux de succès. Le baloxavir contre la grippe et un nouveau vaccin contre le zona seront sans doute prochainement disponibles en Suisse. Le letermovir améliore la prophylaxie du CMV en cas de transplantation de moelle osseuse.