[Death certificate: recent changes and instructions for use].

Death certificate : recent changes and instructions for use. Since January 1, 2018, doctors must write death certificates on new models. The year 2017 saw a number of changes regarding funeral legislation and death reporting, concerning, among other things, the practice of custodial care and the data to be completed, which will be analyzed by the Center for Epidemiology on Medical Causes to produce national mortality statistics.

[Violence undergone by the general practitioners: Under-reporting of the attacks or of the infringements to their properties].

Introduction: The main objective of this study was to estimate prevalence on the liberal general practitioners. The secondary objectives are to identify the possible brakes with the declaration in the monitoring observatory for security of the doctors as well as to determine if the feminization of the profession was associated with the situations violence.

Methods: A questionnaire in 5 parts was submitted by telephone to 146 drawn lots liberal general practitioners.

[Role of the medical officer for the assessment of driving ability. Practical aspects, liability and confidentiality].

Every candidate for a driving license or any driver who meets a health problem must, on its own initiative, to submit to a medical examination. The list of approved doctors is available in the prefectures. There is a list of medical conditions that are incompatible with the licensing or involve restrictions on the use of the license.

[Physician assessment of aptitude for driving in the European Union].

Road safety is for several years a major public health issue, given the number of casualties and annual deaths caused by road accidents in France or Europe. European directives of 2006 and 2009 were aimed harmonized community practices for the conduct, including medically. We studied the laws in force in each of the 28 countries of the European Union to make an inventory of the organization on this subject.

[Forensic aspect of acute drunkenness].

Alcohol consumption in itself is not forbidden in France. Two situations are reprehended by the law: public drunkenness - where only the behavior is sanctioned and not the alcohol level - and driving with a level of alcohol superior to 0.5g per liter.

Finding a balance between patients' rights, responsibilities and obligations.

Patients' rights have developed over recent decades in many countries, resulting in improved access to high quality medical care. The alliance between patients and physicians is a moral obligation, backed up by patient rights. Poor patient compliance with medical recommendations constitutes a public health issue, illustrating the difficulty of obliging patients to comply with treatment.

The precautionary principle: is it safe.

The precautionary principle is generally acknowledged to be a powerful tool for protecting health but it was originally invoked by policy makers for dealing with environmental issues. In the 1990s, the principle was incorporated into many legislative and regulatory texts in international law. One can consider that the precautionary principle has turned into "precautionism" necessary to prove to the people, taking account of risk in decisions.

[Identifying psychoactive substance use among new prison detainees].

Consumption of psychoactive substances is widespread among prison detainees. This represents not only a public health problem but also a barrier to rehabilitation. Too few resources are devoted to this issue in France.

[Possession of weapon and hunting license: the role of the physician].

In France, the physician can inform the prefect that a patient, detaining weapon and followed for a pathology (psychiatric notably), is dangerous. Then, it comes back to the prefect to appreciate the appropriate measurements to take, notably to order the delivery of weapon and ammunitions. In France, the doctor can be solicited to establish the necessary medical certficates during requests of approval or acquisition and having guns for hunting and sports shooting, or to obtain the licence of hunting.

[Effectiveness of histopathologic examination in a series of 400 forensic autopsies].

Objectives: To assess the usefulness of histopathologic examination in forensic autopsies.

Material And Methods: All consecutive pathological reports and slides from forensic autopsies performed in our department since 2006 have been reviewed.

Results: Four hundred forensic necropsies were reviewed.

[Practical questions around individual with a pacemaker or an implantable cardioverter defibrillator].

An individual with a pacemaker can ask his GP for information about potential problems associated with the device. Should a pacemaker continue to be used by end-of-life patients? Should a pacemaker be stopped in a limited care situation? What precautions should be taken when treating a patient with a pacemaker? Pacemakers and implantable defibrillators are sensitive to electromagnetic interference (EMI). Medically, MRIs are theoretically contraindicated, even though examinations could be performed without a major problem, and special precautions should be taken when using an electrosurgical cutter or radiotherapy.

Obesity surgery: French medico-legal aspects.

The demand for bariatric surgery is expected to increase. It is a procedure that carries a high surgical risk, and a risk of postoperative complications due to the pathologies associated with obesity. Obesity surgery is not classified as plastic surgery, but may subsequently lead to plastic surgery-type operations.

["Violence and health": an autopsy of a public health plan].

The law provides for an evaluation and a five-year review of the French Public Health Act. Among its five strategic plans, the law of August 9, 2004 provided for a "national plan to limit the health impact of violence, risk behavior and addictive behavior." Under the impetus of the World Health Organization's World Report on Violence and Health in 2000, a rich reflection was conducted in France on this issue establishing some key axes for implementation.

[Public health law in practice: violence and health in Picardy].

Violence is too often considered an inevitable part of human existence. Physical, psychological and behavioural trauma has an impact not only on the health of the individual but also on the healthcare system. Largely perceived as a social problem, violence is also a public health issue.

[The gift of the body to science].

We detailed the practical methods of gift of the body and the functioning of the centers of gift of the body in France. The gift of the body is an ignored step, lacking a clear legal framework, which explains partly the disparities of operation noted within the various centers concerned. The doctors must be able to inform the patients and their families about the methods of the gift of the body.

[Compensation of victims of nosocomial or post-transfusion hepatitis C virus infection].

The purpose of this review is to inform physicians about the procedures for compensation of victims of nosocomial or post-transfusion hepatitis C virus infection. The different procedures are described in reference to the legislation and regulations. According to the law dated March 4, 2002 if Hepatitis C is contracted during care, in a private or public hospital, the hospital (and not the physician) is responsible for the damages resulting from the nosocomial infection, except if evidence of another cause is provided.

[Regional conciliation and compensation commissions: how they work].

The Law of 4 March, 2002, established regional commissions of conciliation and indemnification (CRCI) to enable the swift and amicable resolution of demands for damages due to medical care (including prevention and diagnosis) by private practitioners, private clinics, and public hospitals. The commission may decide that: (1) the physician or healthcare facility is liable (generally, indemnification by the insurance company), or (2) that indemnification is due in the name of 'national solidarity' (indemnification by a national organism called ONIAM), or (3) no damages are due. There are two important restrictions: For the CRCI to have jurisdiction to determine indemnification, it is imperative that at least one of the severity criteria be met.

[Knowledge of legal aspects of organ donation by live donors. Staff survey at a university hospital center].

Objective: Law no. 2004-800 dated August 6, 2004, establishes new legal measures to facilitate live organ donation, in view of the shortage of organs for transplantation. We sought to assess the knowledge of this statute among hospital personnel.

Compensation of asbestos victims in France.

The alarming development of pathologies linked to asbestos led to the creation in France of two funds to indemnify the victims of asbestos-related illnesses: the FCAATA (Fund for asbestos workers who take early retirement), which compensates for their reduced life expectancy, and the FIVA (Indemnification fund for asbestos victims) which ensures full compensation for harm suffered by asbestos victims.

Adult Hirschsprung's disease diagnosed during forensic autopsy.

We report a case of fatal Hirschsprung's disease (HD) discovered at autopsy. A 20-year-old man collapsed at home. Emergency medical personnel found him in cardiac arrest and all resuscitative efforts failed.

The examination of genetic characteristics since the adoption of the French law on bioethics.

The French bioethics law of July 1994 was due to be revised five years after its enactment. It was not until 6 August 2004, that the revised law was finally adopted. The examination of the genetic characteristics of a person may only be undertaken for medical purposes or for the purposes of scientific research.