Publications by authors named "Alain Dupont"

Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to examine how incorporating the Dutch National Pharmacotherapy Assessment (DNPA) in medical training affects junior doctors' prescribing knowledge and skills, and to explore the link between curriculum type and their prescribing competence.
  • Researchers analyzed data from a 2016 longitudinal study involving 556 junior doctors from 11 medical schools in the Netherlands and Belgium, assessing their knowledge and skills through multiple-choice questions and clinical scenarios over a year after graduation.
  • Findings indicated that junior doctors trained with the DNPA scored significantly higher in knowledge assessments and improved more in skills over time compared to those from conventional curricula, particularly those with a mixed curriculum approach.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Traditional phenological models use chilling and thermal forcing (temperature sum or degree-days) to predict budbreak. Because of the heightening impact of climate and other related biotic or abiotic stressors, a model with greater biological support is needed to better predict budbreak. Here, we present an original mechanistic model based on the physiological processes taking place before and during budbreak of conifers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The quality of allergy documentation in electronic health records is frequently poor.

Objective: To compare the usability of 3 graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for drug allergy documentation.

Methods: Physicians tested 3 GUIs by means of 5 fictional drug allergy scenarios: the current GUI (GUI 0), using mainly free-text, and 2 new coded versions (GUI 1 and GUI 2) asking information on allergen category, specific allergen, symptom(s), symptom onset, timing of initial reaction, and diagnosis status with a semiautomatic delabeling feature.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In clinical practice, many drug therapies are associated with prolongation of the QT interval. In literature, estimation of the risk of prescribing drug-induced QT prolongation is mainly executed by means of logistic regression; only one paper reported the use of machine learning techniques. In this paper, we compare the performance of both techniques on the same dataset.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aims: Many clinical decision support systems trigger warning alerts for drug-drug interactions potentially leading to QT prolongation and torsades de pointes (QT-DDIs). Unfortunately, there is overalerting and underalerting because stratification is only based on a fixed QT-DDI severity level. We aimed to improve QT-DDI alerting by developing and validating a risk prediction model considering patient- and drug-related factors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate how the prescribing knowledge and skills of junior doctors in the Netherlands and Belgium develop in the year after graduation. We also analysed differences in knowledge and skills between surgical and nonsurgical junior doctors.

Methods: This international, multicentre (n = 11), longitudinal study analysed the learning curves of junior doctors working in various specialties via three validated assessments at about the time of graduation, and 6 months and 1 year after graduation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Rationale: Intravenous (IV) fluids are frequently involved in iatrogenic complications in hospitalized patients. Knowledge of IV fluids seems inadequate and is not covered sufficiently in standard medical education.

Methods: Two surveys were developed, based on the 2016 British National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline 'IV fluid therapy in adults in hospital', to provide insight on the learning needs and expectations of physicians and nurses.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aims: Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are increasingly used for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation. However, little is known about the association between medication adherence, patient satisfaction and treatment knowledge. The objective was to determine patients' DOAC adherence and their treatment satisfaction over time.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aims: To analyse the appropriateness of direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) dosing and determinants for under-and overdosing as well as acceptance and implementation rates of pharmacists' interventions.

Methods: Cross-sectional study in a tertiary hospital in hospitalized patients with atrial fibrillation on DOACs in 2019 (n = 1688). Primary outcome was the proportion of patients with inappropriate DOAC prescribing with identification of determinants for under-and overdosing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: Evaluation of the effect of six optimization strategies in a clinical decision support system (CDSS) for drug-drug interaction (DDI) screening on alert burden and alert acceptance and description of clinical pharmacist intervention acceptance.

Methods: Optimizations in the new CDSS were the customization of the knowledge base (with addition of 67 extra DDIs and changes in severity classification), a new alert design, required override reasons for the most serious alerts, the creation of DDI-specific screening intervals, patient-specific alerting, and a real-time follow-up system of all alerts by clinical pharmacists with interventions by telephone was introduced. The alert acceptance was evaluated both at the prescription level (i.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), paraventricular nucleus (PVN), and rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) are the most targeted regions of central blood pressure control studies. Glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) interact within these brain regions to modulate blood pressure. The brain renin-angiotensin system also participates in central blood pressure control.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

With current trends in global warming, it has been suggested that spruce budworm outbreaks may spread to northern parts of the boreal forest. However, the major constraints for a northward expansion are the availability of suitable host trees and the insect winter survival capacity. This study aimed to determine the effect of larval feeding on balsam fir, white spruce and black spruce on various spruce budworm life history traits of both the parental and the progeny generations.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To investigate whether context-specific alerts for potassium-increasing drug-drug interactions (DDIs) in a clinical decision support system reduced the alert burden, increased alert acceptance, and had an effect on the occurrence of hyperkalemia.

Materials And Methods: In the pre-intervention period all alerts for potassium-increasing DDIs were level 1 alerts advising absolute contraindication, while in the post-intervention period the same drug combinations could trigger a level 1 (absolute contraindication), a level 2 (monitor potassium values), or a level 3 alert (informative, not shown to physicians) based on the patient's recent laboratory value of potassium. Alert acceptance was defined as non-prescription or non-administration of the interacting drug combination for level 1 alerts and as monitoring of the potassium levels for level 2 alerts.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: The nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) densely expresses angiotensin II type 2 receptors (AT2R), which are mainly located on inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons. Central AT2R stimulation reduces blood pressure, and AT2R stimulation in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM), mediates a hypotensive response through a GABAergic mechanism. We aimed to test the hypothesis that an AT2R mediated inhibition of the GABA release within the NTS might be involved in this hypotensive response, by assessing possible alterations in blood pressure and heart rate, as well as in GABA levels in normotensive Wistar rats.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: It is well-established that angiotensin II exerts a dampening effect on the baroreflex within the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS), the principal brainstem site for termination of baroreceptor afferents and which is densely populated with gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons and nerve terminals. The present study was designed to investigate whether local release of GABA is involved in the effects mediated by local angiotensin II within the NTS.

Methods: microdialysis was used for measurement of extracellular glutamate and GABA levels and for infusion of angiotensin II within the NTS of conscious normotensive Wistar rats.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Centrally authorised medicinal products (CAMPs) in the European Union may offer added therapeutic value (ATV) but may be linked to high prices and limited efficiency. Health technology assessment (HTA) and managed entry schemes (MES) may facilitate the reimbursement decision by providing reliable estimates of the medicinal product's value and costs and by controlling the remaining uncertainty, respectively. We investigated the impact of HTA criteria and the initiation of a MES on the reimbursement decision of CAMPs in Belgium.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In the first 5 years after their stroke, about a quarter of patients will suffer from a recurrent stroke. Digital health interventions facilitating interactions between a caregiver and a patient from a distance are a promising approach to improve patient adherence to lifestyle changes proposed by secondary prevention guidelines. Many of these interventions are not implemented in daily practice, even though efficacy has been shown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Appropriate dosing of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) is required to avoid under- and overdosing that may precipitate strokes or thromboembolic events and bleedings, respectively. Our objective was to analyze the appropriateness of DOAC dosing according to the summaries of product characteristics (SmPC). Furthermore, determinants for inappropriate prescribing were investigated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Worldwide, the burden of allergies-in particular, drug allergies-is growing. In the process of prescribing, dispensing, or administering a drug, a medication error may occur and can have adverse consequences; for example, a drug may be given to a patient with a documented allergy to that particular drug. Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems with built-in clinical decision support systems (CDSS) have the potential to prevent such medication errors and adverse events.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Stroke is a very time-sensitive pathology, and many new solutions target the optimization of prehospital stroke care to improve the stroke management process. In-ambulance telemedicine, defined by live bidirectional audio-video between a patient and a neurologist in a moving ambulance and the automated transfer of vital parameters, is a promising new approach to speed up and improve the quality of acute stroke care. Currently, no evidence exists on the cost effectiveness of in-ambulance telemedicine.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Angiotensin II, glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) interact within the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) and the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) modulating the central regulation of blood pressure and sympathetic tone. Our aim was to assess the effects of local angiotensin II type 2 receptor stimulation within the RVLM and the PVN on neurotransmitter concentrations and mean arterial pressure (MAP). microdialysis was used for measurement of extracellular glutamate and GABA levels and for local infusion of the angiotensin II type 2 receptor agonist Compound 21 in the RVLM and the PVN of conscious normotensive Wistar rats.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: The use of medication plays an important role in secondary stroke prevention and treatment of post-stroke comorbidities. The Collaborative Evaluation of Rehabilitation in Stroke across Europe (CERISE) was set up to investigate the inpatient stroke rehabilitation process in four centres, each in a different European country: Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom and Switzerland.

Patients And Methods: Patients' medication use 5 years post-stroke was compared between countries.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In-ambulance telemedicine is a recently developed and a promising approach to improve emergency care. We implemented the first ever 24/7 in-ambulance telemedicine service for acute stroke. We report on our experiences with the development and pilot testing of the Prehospital Stroke Study at the Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (PreSSUB) to facilitate a wider spread of the knowledge regarding this technique.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: fopen(/var/lib/php/sessions/ci_sessionriql5tlc3d5aphjf1vodml57sbeq193h): Failed to open stream: No space left on device

Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php

Line Number: 177

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: session_start(): Failed to read session data: user (path: /var/lib/php/sessions)

Filename: Session/Session.php

Line Number: 137

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once