We often talk about the initiatives of our first-year students, but those of our residents are just as exciting! This is certainly true of the projects recently led by our general practice residents. As part of their thesis work, six residents 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, an associate professor in the University Department of General Medicine (DUMG) and the thesis advisor for these residents.
Projects that emerged from thesis work in general practice
After six years of study, our medical students become residents. They are then required to choose a specialty based on their exam results and personal interests. In Montpellier, General Practice is particularly popular, with nearly 150 new residents each year, all of whom are part of our University Department of General Practice.
To earn a Doctor of Medicine degree, residents must, among other requirements, submit a thesis at the end of nearly nine years of study. It was as part of this thesis that Dr. Marie-Catherine REBOUL, a few years ago, launched this innovative project with the residents she supervises to create a suite of websites for healthcare professionals.
Websites created based on the scientific method
“This is a project I wanted to ground in a scientific framework,” she says. “Residents volunteering for these projects must therefore conduct a comprehensive literature review prior to creating the website.” The data is thus collected, sorted, categorized, and finally cited before being processed in the form of a research question approved by the thesis advisor.
The research question sets the tone for the website: it defines its overall theme and, by extension, its primary objective. “This can cover various areas, such as assistance with diagnosis and screening, sharing best practices, sharing treatment advice, sharing practical guides, and assistance with prescribing,” explains Dr. Reboul.
That brings the total to six websites launched since 2020!
Dermatokid.com, created by Estelle Renart: a website designed to assist in the diagnosis of skin conditions in children ages 0 to 6.
Children who regularly experience skin rashes can present some diagnostic challenges for general practitioners. The Dermatokid website provides a diagnostic framework based on numerous illustrations of skin symptoms observed in children.
- URL: https://dermatokid.com/
- Target audience: residents, general practitioners
- Objective: To assist with diagnosis
- Highlights: the numerous illustrations, the concise practical guides, and the emergency section
- Quality Assurance: The website was developed in accordance with the Hodge Sandvik criteria and is listed on the KitMédical website, which features high-quality websites. Regular updates are planned.
- Poster: Download
Depistoeil.com, created by Tibère de Villiers: a website providing support for screening in ophthalmology and primary care
General practitioners rarely have to screen for eye conditions. A lack of equipment or training can make this challenging for them. By providing a protocol for patient interviews and practical tools for screening common eye conditions in the office based on the patient’s age, the website offers valuable support to practitioners.
- URL: https://www.depistoeil.com/
- Target Audience: General Practitioners
- Objective: To assist with screening
- Pros: Screening guidance tailored to the patient’s age or medical condition; Tools provided that can be used in the office
- Quality Assurance: The website was tested by 27 general practitioners and 2 ophthalmologists. It was developed based on the quality criteria outlined in the Netscoring and Hodge-Sandvik frameworks.
- Poster: Download
Kineclic.fr, created by Thomas Bonnin: a tool to help understand and prescribe physical therapy treatments
General practitioners rarely communicate with physical therapists. They have little training in physical therapy practices. The Kineclic website helps them better understand physical therapy care and, as a result, improve their practices when it comes to prescribing such care.
- URL: https://www.kineclic.fr/
- Target audience: General practitioners and all healthcare professionals who prescribe physical therapy
- Objective: To aid in understanding and prescribing
- Pros: review of the basics of physical therapy, review of clinical examinations (videos)
- Quality Assurance: The website has been tested by general practitioners and approved by experienced physical therapists. Regular updates are planned.
- Poster: Download
Gestrapratique.fr, created by Manon Hériat: a website designed to help address common questions from pregnant women in general practice
Pregnant women may need to have part of their prenatal care provided by their primary care physician. The Gestapratique website helps doctors answer their questions.
- URL: https://gestapratique.fr/
- Target Audience: Residents, Primary Care Physicians, Midwives
- Objective: To answer common questions about the daily life of a pregnant patient
- Pros: advice on daily life, practical guides for patients available for download
- A Seal of Quality: The site was tested by 30 general practitioners. 83% of them found the site useful. Regular updates are planned.
- Poster: Download
Declic-ecrans.com, created by Gauthier Duret: a database of fact sheets on preventing screen misuse among young children
A major social issue, screen time for young children raises questions among new parents. This website compiles all best practices on the subject in the form of concise fact sheets, making them easily accessible to doctors and patients.
- URL: https://www.declic-ecrans.com/
- Target Audience: Residents, Primary Care Physicians, Midwives, Parents
- Objective: To answer frequently asked questions from new parents
- Pros: Printable worksheets
- A guarantee of quality: fact sheets developed based on 2 literature reviews, 650 parent testers, and 450 healthcare professional testers. The site is listed on KitMédical, a directory of high-quality websites. Regular updates are planned.
- Poster: Download
Kidprotect.fr, created by Maud Bettenfeld: a website dedicated to helping prevent, identify, and address child abuse and situations that put children at risk
The website helps doctors and other professionals in the early childhood sector improve their understanding of the risk factors, signs, and symptoms of child abuse, as well as how to address it. With better information, these professionals are better equipped to identify and prevent child abuse.
- URL: https://kidprotect.fr/
- Target Audience: Primary Care Physicians, Early Childhood Professionals
- Objective: To share best practices on how to respond during a consultation when abuse is suspected; practical guide on how to initiate a procedure (reporting concerns, filing a report)
- Pros: Advice on how to conduct yourself during a consultation, easy navigation by question, resources organized by region
- A Mark of Quality: This site is listed on KitMédical, a directory of high-quality websites
- Poster: To be published in 2023 as part of a scientific conference.
An initiative featured in *Le Quotidien du Médecin*!
While these websites have been a resounding success since their launch (some sites are receiving more than 60,000 visits per year as of this writing), the scientific rigor with which they were designed has attracted media attention. As a result, the journal *Le Quotidien du Médecin* has highlighted the Dermatokid and Declics-Ecrans websites!
New projects currently in the design phase
Following the success of these first six projects, Dr. Marie-Catherine Reboul would like to repeat the experience with new residents, focusing on new topics: “I’m thinking of topics such as depression and mental health, as well as sleep disorders.” So, current or future general practice residents, don’t hesitate to reach out to Dr. Reboul if these projects interest you!
