[Establishing at a shared and common educational assessment at Curie Institute]

The Institut Curie initiated a therapeutic patient education activity in 2011 by creating several programs. Coordinated and animated by different multidisciplinary teams, these functioned autonomously, with a different initial educational assessment for each one. This organization broke up the patient's educational pathway, and the educational offer, which sometimes proved to be redundant, most often corresponding to the needs shared by all cancer patients. The transversal therapeutic education unit allowed the creation of a single educational pathway per patient. It was necessary to imagine a common initial educational assessment. How can we move from eight specific educational assessments to a single educational assessment? After the harmonization of the different workshops, we moved from seven programs with several workshops to one program with eight themes and 26 workshops. Then several working groups led to the creation of a common, unique framework for the initial educational assessment. In seven months, a total of 119 unique educational assessments were carried out. The majority of those who wanted to undertake an educational process were women (96%). 7% had localized breast cancer, and 66% were undergoing treatment. Each workshop chosen corresponded to a need identified during the assessment. The themes mostly requested were nutrition, communication, and pain. Several advantages have been felt in the implementation of this educational assessment: single entry for the patient reinforced therapeutic alliance, transversal reading of the patient's educational needs. What remains to be done is to train therapeutic education practitioners about this global vision.

[Therapeutic education in primary cardiovascular prevention]

BACKGROUND

As primary prevention against cardiovascular diseases, Patient Therapeutic Education helps to develop a protective lifestyle within a socioeconomic context where risk factors abound.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patient Therapeutic Education offers those eager to protect their cardiovascular health a program of six workshops. Upon enrolment, a Program aide conducts an educational diagnosis with the patient, specific to each workshop theme, so that he might understand the clinical, socio-professional, cognitive and psycho-affective dimensions. An evaluation of each workshop is requested from participants in the form of open and closed questions.

RESULTS

The study comprised 2225people, majority women (79%), relatively old (age 63.9for women, 66.3for men), most often retired (65%). An analysis of the educational diagnosis notes a great frequency of classic risk factors; a good knowledge of the factors favoring them contrasting with the weak means implemented in everyday life to reduce their impact; the great majority of participants (68%) believe they have a well balanced diet; patients are greatly involved in their own health, with a slight external locus involving the general practitioner, the immediate entourage and society. The notes of the evaluation are usually maximum.

CONCLUSION

Patient Therapeutic Education arouses strong interest in the public, allows a personalized approach that optimizes learning, increases knowledge and facilitates the use of new protective practices.

[Is the asthmatic patient competent to manage his disease? A study of 280 patients in Seine-Saint-Denis, France]

INTRODUCTION

The correct use of medication and the ability to assess the severity of the disease and to react appropriately in the case of exacerbation are essential objectives in the management of asthma patients. This study, conducted in a school of asthma in Seine-Saint-Denis, aims to measure the influence of socio-demographic and clinical factors, before any educational process, on these four security skills.

METHODS

A prospective observational study concerning 280 consecutive patients managed between 2008 and 2011 (70 % women, mean age: 44 years [14-85 years]; deprivation: 48 %; born abroad: 39 %, low level of education: 23 %). The initial educational diagnosis was compared with the clinical and socio-demographic characteristics.

RESULTS

In relation to asthma control, social characteristics (unemployment, deprivation), geographic or ethnic origin and educational level significantly influence the command of all or some of the security skills. In medical terms, a period of evolution of the disease of less than 10 years, outpatient follow-up without specialized monitoring and the absence of recent exacerbations also appear as predictors of inappropriate conduct in the management of the disease.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests new priority targets for therapeutic education in asthma.