Georg von Békésy: visualization of hearing

Georg von Békésy received the Nobel Prize in 1961 for his research on the functioning of the auditory system. In psychoacoustics, Békésy both extended and perfected the lines of research begun by von Helmholtz in the 19th century. First in his native Hungary and later at Harvard, Békésy used novel and imaginative devices and methods to observe and model the functioning of the inner ear. He also explored the nature of sensory inhibition by which the nervous system sharpens sensory transitions.     

La réparation des préjudices : aspects juridiques

From the juridical point of view, helping victims means the compensation for damage; substantive law principle means repairing the integral damage caused. The reform of the right of recourse of the third party payers and the new nomenclature for damages constitute a sensitive improvement of the indemnity of personal injuries. However, the implementation of repairing is heterogeneous, several ways, extra judicial or judicial, lead to indemnity.     

Embolie gazeuse cérébrale lors d’une séance d’hémodialyse : aspects médico-légaux : à propos d’une affaire judiciaire

Air embolism is a serious iatrogenic event, concerning many invasive medical therapies. It is a rare but life-threatening adverse event. We report a case of a cerebral air embolism occurring during a renal replacement therapy. We report the case of a court case analyzed in the Department of Legal Medicine of Farhat Hached University Hospital in Sousse, Tunisia, related to a cerebral gas embolism occurring during a session of renal replacement therapy. Then we discuss the medical liability of the medical team involved in this act. Through a draft organic law (law No. 41/2019 on patients’ rights and medical liability), Tunisian jurisprudence aims at resolving legal claims in the field of medical liability by providing more opportunities for an amicable solution and by guaranteeing an adequate and quick compensation of the damage suffered.     

Les autorisations d’équipements lourds d’imagerie médicale : un désordre organisé

Medical imaging is essential for all medical specialties and it is natural that the government wants to create a real healthcare provision policy in this area. Medical imaging and particularly the “heavy” equipment are subject to a regulatory and legal framework. This framework results in respect of administrative authorization mechanism. These authorizations are a major tool for development of medical imaging on French territory. This mechanism is an important instrument of economic regulation in controlling health costs. However, the access to this kind of equipment raises various issues in governance and administration but also in matter of economic regulation, distribution of healthcare supply in medical imaging in health territories and respect of public health issues. The authorization mechanism raises questionings, not only at national and regional level in terms of unequal access, but also at European and international level. Indeed, France is among the last countries in the ranking of CT (computed tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) equipment rates in comparison with many OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries. Now, these authorizations will integrate much more the concepts of accessibility and quality of patient care. The legal and regulatory framework of these authorizations will have to evolve and to adapt to new technologies and practices, which today should be a source of significant cost savings.     

L'observance thérapeutique : déterminants et modèles théoriques

The aim of this paper is to examine a certain number of parameters which are classically implicated in the emergence of therapeutic observance behavior. This health behavior can be defined as the consequence of a process of a patient's conforming to medical instructions issued by the medical authority in the framework of treating his illness. However, the determinants of following these medical instructions are numerous and interdependent. Therefore, this paper will attempt to present the concept of observance by proposing certain definitions with a rather vague outline. We will then present three principal models specifically devoted to its study. A study of the determinants of observance versus non-observance will then be envisaged and will treat the characteristics peculiar to the sick, as well as the quality of the relation which is maintained between them and the medical staff–doctors. Far from being exhaustive in the presentation of the concept of observance, we will emphasize more the difficulty in truly understanding such behavior; a problematic which finds a new originality for psychology and the human sciences by its focus on the field of health and illness.     

Variables latentes et propriétés mentales : pour une épistémologie affirmée pragmatiste et réaliste

The reliability of models with latent variables is questioned by different authors: what is the ontology of mental properties? How to integrate the complex of mental processes with latent variables? All these debates raise the question of the legitimacy of latent variables as methodological approach comparatively to new approaches such as Network analysis. By clearly posing the ontological nature of mental properties as emergent properties of mental processes, and by clearly posing a theory of pragmatist and realistic knowledge, our work seeks to show that latent variables are efficient approaches for inferring mental properties.     

Le bilan de compétences : effets sur l’état émotionnel des bénéficiaires

Bilan de compétences (BC)’ effects on workers’ emotional states remain little explored. BC may reduce work-related negative emotional states and enhance positive ones. This was tested using a two-study design. In the first study, 38 respondents filled in the POMS-f, a questionnaire on emotional states, at the beginning or/and at the end of their BC. Six of them were also interviewed one week after the end of their BC. In the second study, 59 respondents filled in the same questionnaire at the beginning and at the end of their BC. In both studies, BC significantly reduced most of negative emotional states and increased positive ones.     

Profils de routinisation différents chez les personnes âgées : entre adaptation et vulnérabilité

IntroductionThe purpose of the present investigation is to study the routinisation process in elderly persons according to physical, functional, psychological and cognitive resources.MethodsA person-centered approach revealed six profiles of resources in 235 elderly French participants from the 13-year follow-up of PAQUID cohort study.ResultsDifferent functioning profiles were highlighted and were significantly associated with different degrees and functions of routinisation. For the most routinised persons, the routinisation was associated with adaptive functioning. Instead for the less routinised persons, the routinisation was defined as a vulnerability marker. It seems also that this adaptive strategy was less used in persons with dementia.DiscussionThe adaptive attitudes, in particular the routinisation, would be less effective at higher levels of vulnerability.     

Stigmatisation intériorisée et consommation de substances psychoactives : revue systématique de la littérature

IntroductionSubstance use is a very stigmatized condition all over the world. Moreover, lots of people who use drugs or alcohol tend to internalize these stigmas, which can lead to harmful consequences. Corrigan's progressive model of self-stigma suggest that individuals go through four stages to internalize the stigma (aware, agree, apply, harm) and then undergo a stage of resignation and lack of hope and energy called “why try”. Research seems to be increasingly interested in this phenomenon, so we wonder, where we stand in the comprehension of internalized stigma for substances users?ObjectiveThis work aims to systematically review ten-past years studies about self-stigma in substance addiction in order to assess the status of curr ent works in this area.MethodThis systematic review was led inspired by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statements on the electronic databases PubMed, PsycInfo and PsycArticle. The inclusion criteria were: references published between 2010 and 2020, in French or English language which shows results about self-stigma for psychoactives substances users. A total of 39 studies met the eligibility criteria for inclusion in this review.ResultsSynthesizing findings across the studies revealed some important topics. First, the progressive model seems to be statistically valid among drug and/or alcohol users. Nevertheless, self-stigma of drugs and/or alcohol is not the only condition that entails users. A varieties of other factors (i.e. HIV, sex work) are to be considered in the understanding of stigmatization. In the studies, negative consequences due to self-stigma in substance use were observed such as depression or anxiety symptoms, lower self-esteem and negatives emotions as fear and shame.ConclusionAll these results are to be considered within their limits. In light of these findings, the knowledge acquired will allow professionals to develop new interventions to prevent and to reduce self-stigma of drug and/or alcohol users.     

L’évaluation thérapeutique et collaborative : preuves empiriques

This paper covers the empirical research that addressed utility and effectiveness of therapeutic assessment or of its components (i.e., providing individualize feedback to clients). Studies vary in terms of methods and problems addressed but provide the consistent picture of therapeutic assessment as a brief approach which increases process variables related to subsequent treatment and has direct effects of symptoms reduction for a variety of psychological problems. Future directions of studies in this are finally provided.