The need to train physicians in transition and sustainable development is no longer debated. The Catholic University of Louvain has committed itself to this path with its transition plan. Within the Department of General Medicine, this topic has also been deemed essential to integrate into the curriculum. But what specific concepts should be included and how? What skills should general practitioners gain? To address these questions, a focus group of experts from various disciplines was convened in December 2021. They emphasized the importance of training all general practitioners in transition and environmental health because of the close link between the environment and health, and the exemplary role they can play in the population and their own responsibility in terms of environmental impact. The topics, skills, and values involved in such training are manifold. Based on the challenges of training in transition and sustainable development, this article explores the development of socio-environmental responsibility among general practitioners, pedagogical approaches, and the receptivity to other scientific knowledge to address complex problems.
Stanislas van Wassenhove (1), Michel Dupuis (2), Jean-Bernard Gillet (3), Brice Le Blévennec (4), Sébastien Deletaille (5), Augustin Coppée (6)Published in the journal : September 2024Category : Durabilité et soins de santé
In a world where health challenges are constantly evolving, the first meeting of Trans-mutation-Health of the Future opened a crucial dialogue on the theme of “Humanity and Sustainability”.
Health in Belgium is at a turning point: quality, funding, adaptation, integration, and prevention form the core of our interrogations. The eight speakers at this meeting brilliantly faced the challenge of answering these questions, shedding light on the path to preserving care quality, respect for patients, financial equilibrium, and the use of technology in care management and prevention, as well as in the development of new treatments.
Lamine Gakuba Rwema*, Olivier Cornu*, Gérald Delfosse, Sami Ftaita, Louis Debarre, Quentin Vraux, Jean-Emile Dubuc, Emmanuel ThienpontPublished in the journal : September 2024Category : Orthopedics
Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are one of the most common ligament injuries in athletes. The primary goal of treatment is to restore stability and function to the knee while preventing secondary lesions. Treatment modalities depend on the anatomic characteristics of the rupture, associated lesions, residual stability, and functional requirements of the patient. Conservative treatment consists of several weeks of physical therapy. A subsequent re-evaluation may still lead to surgical treatment at a later stage.
Although there are a variety of surgical treatments, the most common procedure remains ACL ligamentoplasty with one or more grafts (autografts, allografts).
The aim of this article is to recall the epidemiology, biomechanics, and current management of these lesions, thus allowing a better understanding by general practitioners, orthopedists, and sports physicians.
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) implemented in palliative care (PC) are illustrated here through a case study of a patient suffering from metastatic pancreatic cancer from his admission to the palliative unit until his death, including contact with his family.
Through a review of the literature on the concept of mindfulness and the various interventions that exist and have been used in PC, the article outlines those that were used in this case. Which MBIs have been studied and what benefits have been demonstrated for the caregiver, for the caregiver-patient relationship, and for the patient in a PC setting? The two main MBI formats, group and individual, are explored here through different authors as to their relevance for use.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is the most common leukemia subtype, accounting for over one-third of leukemia cases in Belgium. Recent years have seen a significant expansion in the treatment range available to patients and clinicians. Today, we live in an era of targeted therapies and immunotherapies, relegating chemotherapy to very rare situations. These new treatments were shown to offer excellent prospects in terms of progression-free survival and quality of life for patients, but they have also introduced new toxicity profiles that clinicians must manage. This article sought to provide physicians with a condensed update on what they need to know about managing this disease in 2024.
On the occasion of the ECU-UCL educational day on May 25, 2024, the author sought to highlight clinical or paraclinical characteristics that likely guide differential diagnosis, and to briefly discuss common and critical rheumatic disorders.
On the occasion of the ECU-UCL educational day on May 25, 2024, the author sought to predict the evolution of rheumatology by highlighting the decline in current rheumatic semiology, emergence of new diseases (particularly of environmental origin), contributions of network medicine, as well as the emergence of cell therapy.
On the occasion of the ECU-UCL educational day held on May 25, 2024, the author summarized the 2024 therapeutic approach to arthritis, covering both traditional pharmacological treatments and new targeted strategies based on biological agents and JAK kinase inhibitors.
Antinuclear autoantibodies (ANA) are commonly investigated, whereas their interpretation can be challenging, especially when the test is triggered by an unusual clinical presentation. Their detection is often incidental, the difficulty being the finding of a 'positive' result. This article sought to examine the role of ANA tests in clinical practice, along with their significance based on the patient context.
Thomas Paul-Emile KirchgesnerPublished in the journal : July 2024Category : Rheumatology
• Radiography (X-ray) is the medical imaging examination of choice for the initial assessment of bone or joint pathologies of the limbs.
• Ultrasound is an excellent non-irradiating examination for the study of superficial and periarticular soft tissues, including the rotator cuff tendons of the shoulder, extensor apparatus of the knee, and the ligaments, and tendons of the ankle.
• When faced with spinal pain, the prescribing physician should look out for warning signs ("red flags") that will guide the choice of medical imaging examinations.