[Safety culture assessment in a university pulmonary medicine department]. / Mesure de la culture de sécurité des soins dans un service universitaire de pneumologie.

INTRODUCTION: Improvement in treatment safety is a major issue in Western healthcare systems, with the aim of reducing the number of treatment associated undesirable events. The safety culture, defined as an integrated and coherent collection of individual and organizational behavior that seeks continuously to reduce harm to patients, possibly related to treatment, could fulfill this aim. METHODS: We have used an adaption of the American "Hospital Survey on Patient Safety" questionnaire (HSOPSC), which examines professionals' perception of treatment safety, to assess the safety culture in our respiratory medicine service in the Strasbourg University Hospital. RESULTS: Of the 110 questionnaires distributed to the service personnel, 93 were returned (85 %). The level of treatment safety was judged "acceptable" for 56 % of the personnel, "very good" for 32 %, against "weak" or "failing" for 10 %. Of the 10 dimensions explored, 8 were considered to need improvement and 2 had a level of positive responses greater than 50 %. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment safety culture seems to be an area to develop in our service. A strong safety culture should allow health care professionals to adhere better to treatment safety mechanisms.

[Iatrogenic events: a significant cause of admission in intensive care units]. / L'événement indésirable grave: un motif d'admission fréquent en réanimation.

OBJECTIVE: Identification and analysis of iatrogenic events leading to admission in intensive care units. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective observational monocentric study. PATIENTS: Critically ill patients hospitalized in adult medical intensive care unit of a general hospital over a twelve-month period. METHODS: We recorded for each patient the following characteristics: origin, demographic datas, cause of admission, medical background, severity, diagnosis, ICU length of stay and provided treatments. Two medical investigators identified the iatrogenic character of events and determined their potential preventability. Univariate statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS: During the study period, 603 patients were admitted and 71 (12%) due to iatrogenic events. In comparison to patients hospitalized for other causes, these patients were older (66 years vs. 60, P 0.009) and often previously treated in a hospital (82% vs. 54%, P<0.0001). They had increased need for transfusions (39% vs. 26%, P 0.02) but less frequent indications for mechanical ventilation (67% vs. 77%, P 0.07). They had similar ICU mortality (20% vs. 19%). Among them, 27 iatrogenic events were considered as preventable. CONCLUSIONS: Iatrogenic event is a significant cause of ICU admission, involved in 12% of all the hospitalizations in our unit. It has an impact on the patient's profile (significantly older) and their ICU stay (increased need for transfusion). More than a third of events could be preventable and potentially accessible to corrective actions.

[Implementation of morbidity and mortality conferences in French intensive care units: a survey]. / Enquête nationale sur la pratique des "Revues de morbi-mortalité" en réanimation.

OBJECTIVE: A national survey was conducted by the "Collège français d'anesthésie et de réanimation (CFAR)" and the "Collège des bonnes pratiques en réanimation (CBPR)", to analyze the implementation of morbidity and mortality conferences (MMCs) in French intensive care units (ICUs). STUDY DESIGN: An electronic questionnaire was set up. We directed the survey at French ICUs physicians registered in the two Colleges directories, only one form was filled in by each participating unit. RESULTS: From December 2009 to February 2010, Among the 170 replies, 120 ICUs (71%) practiced MMC. No difference in the typology of the two groups was found. The median annual number of MMCs was 4 per year (1-15). The perimeter of the MMCs concerned only the ICU unit in 70 cases (58%), more than one ICU unit in the same department in 11 cases (9.8%), more than one department of ICU in 16 cases (13%) and other departments in 57 cases (48%). The events analyzed were: all deaths in 45 cases (37.5%), unexpected deaths in 50 cases (41.7%), severe adverse events in 67 cases (55.8%) and other events in 19 cases (15.8%). At least one adverse event defined by the two colleges in the process of "accreditation" was analyzed in 86 cases (72%). Participation of a physician of at least one other unit was reported in 56 cases (47%) and of medical students in 62 cases (52%). The low rate of participation of ICU nurses was reported in 62 cases (69.2%) and their absence in 35 cases (29%). MMCs consequences were drafting of new procedure in 99 cases (83%), changes in procedures in 75 cases (63%), conducting training programs in 60 cases (50%), organizational changes in 86 cases (72%), adverse event declaration in 21 cases (18%) and monitoring indicators in 40 cases (33%). Among units which did not practice MMCs, Identified obstacles were organizational causes in 25 cases (50%), inexperience in seven cases (14%), lack of methodology in 4 cases (8%), realization of other methods of formative assessment in 4 cases (8%) and physician's refusal in three cases (6%). The fear of medico-legal problem was never reported as a barrier to MMCs practice. Forty-five units (90%) projected to practice MMR. CONCLUSION: This survey showed that the practice of MMR is common in French ICUs, allowing the identification of organizational problems, but also of training needs, joining one of the initial concerns that have led to their implementation. Expanding the participation to non-physician members of the units should be encouraged, without underestimating the difficulties particularly in the organizational domains that represent an obstacle to development of MMCs.

[Arsenic poisoning: a special gastroenteritis...]. / Intoxication à l'arsenic: une gastro-entérite un peu particulière...

Arsenic (As) intoxication is nowadays extremely rare. Two cases of acute and chronic As criminal poisoning leading to death of a couple of retired people, are reported. Clinical presentation was simulating a gastro-enteritidis with fast evolution to refractory shock. Toxicological analysis confirmed this diagnostic, with respectively blood As concentrations at 579 and 21 765 microg/l for our two patients.

Necrosis and haemorrhage of the putamen in methanol poisoning shown on MRI.

Methanol, a highly toxic substance, is used as an industrial solvent and in automobile antifreeze. Acute methanol poisoning produces severe metabolic acidosis and serious neurologic sequelae. We describe a 50-year-old woman with accidental methanol intoxication who was in a vegetative state. MRI showed haemorrhagic necrosis of the putamina and oedema in the deep white matter.

[Pain therapy for urologic cancer patients at the Potsdam district hospital--initial results]. / Schmerztherapie bei urologischen Karzinomschmerzpatienten am Bezirkskrankenhaus Potsdam--Erste Ergebnisse.

After two years the results of cancer pain treatment in urological patients at the district hospital Potsdam are presented. In 15 patients the WHO recommended three-stage analgesics plan was used successfully.