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Patricia Dumont

Publications and source records attributed to Patricia Dumont.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

Contraceptive practice before and after termination of pregnancy: a prospective study.

This study is part of a larger prospective research program focusing on termination of pregnancy (TOP). One hundred and three women requesting TOP were interviewed before the intervention and 6 months later using open and closed questions and psychological tests. This paper focuses on contraceptive practices before and after abortion. The analysis took into account specific aspects of contraceptive practices and patients' behaviors. The aims were to assess: the level of women's knowledge and practice of contraception at the time of request for a TOP; the behavioral modifications following professional counseling 6 months after TOP; the influence of psychological and sexual factors, and those linked to the women's use of contraception. Most women (n = 101) had already used recommended contraception. During the cycle that had resulted in pregnancy, more than half (n = 58) had used recommended contraception and one third had not used any contraception. Six months later, 86 women used recommended contraception, and 17 did not. The majority of women reported changes in their contraceptive methods (n = 82). Most changes were within recommended methods. The women (n = 10) who continued to practice unprotected intercourse post-TOP were slightly older, satisfied with their sexual relations with their partner, often involved in a long-term and good relationship. During post-TOP period, it is essential to take into account the psychological dynamics involved in the choice of contraceptive methods. Counseling should emphasize not only protection against an unwanted pregnancy but also protection against sexually transmitted diseases, which is often perceived as a less important issue following TOP.

Abortion, Induced↗

Prevalence and treatment of depression in a hospital department of internal medicine.

BACKGROUND: Depressive disorders are overrepresented among patients admitted to nonpsychiatric units of general hospitals, but the majority of depressed patients are not identified in this setting. Effective and well-tolerated treatments and reliable diagnostic criteria, together with new assessment tools (self-administered or not), have been developed with encouraging results. Nevertheless, few studies have utilized standardized instruments and extensive clinical interviews by well-trained psychiatrists to assess depression. New research should test these tools in a French-speaking environment. METHODS: The investigation covered 292 patients aged 18-65 who were admitted over a period of 6 months to the internal medicine units of Geneva University Hospitals. Each patient filled in a self-administered questionnaire for depression [Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)]; 212 patients were also evaluated by a psychiatrist using DSM-IV diagnostic assessment and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale during the first week of their hospital stay; both assessments were single-blinded. RESULTS: Psychiatric clinical interviews identified a high proportion (26.9%) of depressive disorders (37% among women) for all diagnoses; 11.3% (17.3% among women) of the patients met the DSM-IV criteria for major depression. The PHQ-9 identified depressive disorders among 34.9% of patients (42% among women) and identified a major depressive syndrome among 18.4% of patients (29.6% among women). Physicians in the internal medicine unit identified only about half the depressive patients; at the time of psychiatric examination, fewer than one in four patients was receiving antidepressant therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings confirm the results of previous investigations, which showed that the failure to detect and treat depression is a major health problem among patients admitted to nonpsychiatric units of a general hospital.

Adolescent↗

Guidelines and evaluation: improving the quality of consultation-liaison psychiatry.

Previous research has shown that residents in the consultation-liaison unit of Geneva University Hospital did not meet proposed guidelines on three counts: quickness of response to emergency situations, reporting cases to supervisors, and consulting with supervisors on major issues. The introduction of daily meetings between residents and supervisors improved the level of compliance with guidelines, from 69.2% to 82.6% for quickness of response, from 57.6% to 97.3% for reporting cases to supervisors, and from 25.0% to 98.0% for consulting with supervisors on major issues. Periodical evaluation would thus appear to enhance performance.

Clinical Competence↗