Impact on the medical decision-making process of multiplex PCR assay for respiratory pathogens.

The objective of this study was to determine how clinicians make use of the modern multiplex PCR assays (MPAs) to manage patients hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We studied the use of MPAs in 1648 patients hospitalized for CAP over a 3-year period at the moment of the setup of the new PCR assay. We observed that the use of MPAs for the identification of multiple respiratory pathogens marks a radical change in the investigation of CAP etiology.

Impact of advice given to travelers concerning the main infectious risks associated with traveling in the tropics.

Introduction: The prevention of sanitary risks related to traveling in the tropics implies delivering a large amount of information to travelers. The objective of our study was to assess the knowledge acquired by travelers during a pre-travel consultation.

Methods: A before and after study was conducted among 202 travelers having consulted at the Tours international vaccine center.

Rapid HIV test in family practice.

Background: The 2010-2014 HIV/AIDS French program recommends using HIV rapid diagnostic tests in family practice. Our aim was to assess the acceptability and feasibility of the RDT in family practice in France.

Methods: The first part of this study was to determine the opinions of family practitioners (FPs) concerning the news guidelines for screening and the possible use of rapid HIV tests in their practice.