We often talk about the initiatives of our students at the beginning of their studies, but those of our interns are just as exciting! This is the case with the projects recently carried out by our general medicine interns. As part of their thesis work, six interns have developed original websites dedicated to their peers and practicing healthcare professionals. To learn more about this work, we spoke with Dr. Marie-Catherine Reboul, associate professor in the University Department of General Medicine (DUMG) and thesis advisor to these interns.
Projects born out of thesis work in general medicine
After six years of study, our medical students become interns. They are then required to choose a specialty based on their exam results and personal interests. In Montpellier, general medicine is very popular, with nearly 150 new interns each year joining our University Department of General Medicine.
To receive their medical degree, interns must, among other things, submit a thesis at the end of nearly nine years of study. It was as part of this thesis that Dr. Marie-Catherine Reboul initiated this original project a few years ago with the interns she supervises, creating a collection of websites for healthcare professionals.
Websites created based on the scientific method
"This is a project that I wanted to anchor in a scientific approach," she says. "Interns volunteering for these projects must therefore carry out extensive bibliographic research prior to creating the website." The data is then collected, sorted, classified, and finally referenced before being processed in the form of a research question validated by the thesis supervisor.
The research question sets the tone for the site: it defines its overall theme and thus its main objective. "This can cover various areas such as diagnostic/screening assistance, sharing best practices, sharing treatment advice, sharing practical information sheets, and prescription assistance," explains Dr. Reboul.
This means that six websites have been launched since 2020!
Dermatokid.com, created by Estelle Renart: a website providing assistance in diagnosing skin conditions in children aged 0 to 6 years.
Children who regularly suffer from skin rashes can be difficult for general practitioners to diagnose. The Dermatokid website provides a diagnostic approach based on numerous illustrations of skin symptoms observed in children.
- URL: https://dermatokid.com/
- Target audience: interns, general practitioners
- Objective: Diagnostic assistance
- Pros: numerous illustrations, concise practical information sheets, and an emergency section
- Quality guarantee: Website created in accordance with Hodge Sandvik criteria, listed on the KitMédical website, which lists high-quality websites. Regular updates are planned.
- Poster: download
Depistoeil.com, created by Tibère de Villiers: a website providing assistance with screening in ophthalmology and primary care
General practitioners rarely have to screen for eye diseases. A lack of equipment or training can make this difficult for them. By offering a questioning protocol and practical screening tools for common diseases based on the patient's age, the website provides valuable support to practitioners.
- URL: https://www.depistoeil.com/
- Target: General Practitioners
- Objective: Screening assistance
- Advantages: screening assistance based on the patient's age or condition; tools available for use in the office
- Quality assurance: The site has been tested by 27 general practitioners and 2 ophthalmologists. It has been developed based on the quality criteria of Netscoring and Hodge Sandvik.
- Poster: download
Kineclic.fr, created by Thomas Bonnin: a tool to aid understanding and prescription of physical therapy treatments
General practitioners communicate little with physical therapists. They have little training in physical therapy practices. The Kineclic website allows them to improve their understanding of physical therapy care and thus improve their practices in prescribing such care.
- URL: https://www.kineclic.fr/
- Target audience: General practitioners and all healthcare professionals who prescribe physical therapy treatments.
- Objective: Assistance with understanding and prescribing
- Pros: review of the basics of physical therapy, review of clinical examinations (videos)
- Quality assurance: The site has been tested by general practitioners and validated by experienced physical therapists. Regular updates are planned.
- Poster: download
Gestrapratique.fr, created by Manon Hériat: a website to help address frequently asked questions from pregnant women in general medicine.
Pregnant women may be required to have part of their prenatal care carried out by their general practitioner. The Gestapratique website helps doctors answer their questions.
- URL: https://gestapratique.fr/
- Target audience: Interns, General Practitioners, Midwives
- Objective: To answer frequently asked questions about the daily life of pregnant patients
- Pros: advice on everyday life, practical information sheets for patients to download
- Quality assurance: The site has been tested by 30 general practitioners. 83% of them find the site useful. Regular updates are planned.
- Poster: download
Declic-ecrans.com, created by Gauthier Duret: a database of information sheets on preventing screen misuse among young children.
A real social issue, screen exposure for young children raises questions among young parents. This website brings together all the best practices on the subject in the form of summary sheets, easily accessible to doctors and patients.
- URL: https://www.declic-ecrans.com/
- Target audience: Interns, General Practitioners, Midwives, Parents
- Objective: Answer frequently asked questions from new parents
- Pros: Printable worksheets
- Quality assurance: fact sheets based on two literature reviews, 650 parent testers, and 450 healthcare professional testers. The site is referenced by KitMédical, a website that lists high-quality websites. Regular updates are planned.
- Poster: download
Kidprotect.fr, created by Maud Bettenfeld: a website providing assistance in the prevention, identification, and treatment of child abuse and child endangerment.
The website helps improve the knowledge of doctors and other professionals working with young children about risk factors, signs and symptoms, and the management of child abuse. With better information, professionals are better equipped to detect and prevent abuse.
- URL: https://kidprotect.fr/
- Target audience: General practitioners, Early childhood professionals
- Objective: Sharing best practices on how to act during consultations in cases of suspected abuse, practical guide on how to initiate proceedings (reporting concerns, making a report)
- Pros: Advice on how to behave during consultations, easy navigation by question, resources classified by region
- Quality guarantee: The site is listed by KitMédical, a directory of high-quality websites.
- Poster: will be published in 2023, as part of a scientific conference.
An initiative spotted by Le Quotidien du Médecin!
While these sites have been hugely successful since their creation (some sites receive more than 60,000 visits per year at the time of writing), the scientific rigor with which they were designed has attracted media attention. For example, the magazine Le Quotidien du Médecin has highlighted the Dermatokid and Declics-Ecrans sites!
New projects currently being designed
Following the success of these first six projects, Dr. Marie-Catherine Reboul would like to repeat the experience with new interns, focusing on new topics: "I'm thinking about depression/mental health and sleep disorders." So, if you are a current or future general medicine intern, don't hesitate to contact Dr. Reboul if you are interested in these projects!
