[Highly pathogenic influenza pandemic: results of a feasibility study in a general practice (SIMUGRIP-MG2)]

The French Pandemic Influenza Plan ("Plan National de Prévention et de Lutte Pandémie Grippale") places general practitioners at the heart of the provision of care to patients through consultations and house calls. The purpose of this study was to determine whether GP practices are able to provide treatment to flu patients within their premises in the event of a highly pathogenic influenza pandemic. A simulation exercise conducted in a GP practice (SIMUGRIP-MG2) was carried out in the autumn of 2009. 3 general practitioners, the practice secretary, 33 patients and care staff took part in the exercise during a half day of practice. The study found that the quality of some hygiene practices and procedures was inadequate: the duration of handwashing was too short (mean: 11.8 seconds), gloves were not worn, and FFP2 masks were often handled. The study found that the implementation of these procedures required increased effort and attention from GPs. It was also found that this type of consultation requires additional preparation time (refitting, supply of materials) and generates additional costs (linked, for example, to storage issues). In seeking to improve the quality of care provided to infected patients in the event of an influenza pandemic, several factors must be considered, including recent data on the effectiveness of countermeasures, additional training to improve hygiene practices, and infrastructure modernization to improve ergonomics in GP practices.