Exploration des comportements et des croyances faisant obstacle au changement dans le contexte d'apprentissage du rôle de gestionnaire dans une approche lean healthcare

Afin de pallier les différentes problématiques présentes dans le système de la santé au Québec, plusieurs établissements du réseau se sont tournés vers la philosophie du lean healthcare. L’approche lean, originaire de l’entreprise Toyota au Japon, est un système de gestion où le client est mis au coeur des priorités et où l’amélioration continue est favorisée à travers la résolution de problèmes en équipe afin d’éliminer les gaspillages. Ce système de gestion ayant généré des résultats impressionnants chez Toyota, plusieurs organisations partout dans le monde, dont certaines oeuvrant dans le système de santé, ont tenté de le reproduire dans leur milieu. Toutefois, la majorité des tentatives effectuées démontrent seulement de modestes succès. Une hypothèse émise pour expliquer ces résultats modestes cerne l’importance des changements exigés dans le rôle des gestionnaires. En effet, adopter une philosophie lean exige que les gestionnaires développent de nouvelles compétences et apprennent de nouvelles façons de penser et de faire. Des chercheurs ont démontré que les croyances auxquelles adhèrent les gestionnaires pourraient nuire à l’adoption de nouveaux comportements lors de l’intégration de l’approche lean. La présente recherche vise à développer des connaissances permettant une meilleure compréhension des difficultés associées à l’adoption des comportements et croyances interpellés dans l’apprentissage d’un nouveau rôle professionnel dans une culture lean healthcare. Des entrevues individuelles semi-dirigées ont été réalisées auprès de sept gestionnaires provenant de trois Centres de Santé et de Services sociaux (CSSS) du Québec, qui ont expérimenté le rôle de gestionnaire dans le cadre d’activités d’amélioration basées sur l’approche lean healthcare. Un traitement qualitatif à l’aide de l’analyse thématique a permis d’identifier un comportement prédominant se manifestant sous la forme d’une posture à adopter : devenir porteur de lean ainsi que 11 autres comportements vraisemblablement difficiles à adopter pour le gestionnaire. Les 11 comportements découlant de la posture se déclinent en trois blocs représentés par un comportement plus englobant précisé à l’aide de sous-comportements : 1) convaincre les employés d’adopter lean (expliquer lean et obliger les employés à se conformer); 2) accompagner les employés dans le changement (s’occuper des réactions négatives et susciter le changement des habitudes de travail); et 3) coacher les employés à la résolution de problèmes (développer des relations d’équipe constructives et améliorer les processus de travail avec une méthode lean). Deux comportements additionnels apparaissent comme étant particulièrement influencés par le contexte du milieu de la santé : 4) appliquer le principe de standardisation dans un milieu qui requiert une grande adaptabilité; et 5) maintenir une orientation lean dans un contexte de restrictions budgétaires. L’analyse des comportements identifiés a permis d’extraire quatre croyances qui rendent difficile leur adoption. La première est associée à la posture de porteur de la démarche lean : il n’est pas toujours possible de faire confiance aux personnes pour porter lean. Les trois autres croyances identifiées renvoient à chacun des trois blocs de comportements présentés : 1) la démarche d’implantation de lean est incohérente; 2) les employés ont des réactions déraisonnables; et 3) les employés n’ont pas tous les capacités nécessaires pour faire de l’amélioration continue. La discussion met en lumière l’ampleur du changement requis dans l’adoption du rôle de gestionnaire dans une culture lean healthcare. Elle fournit des pistes pour mieux préparer et accompagner les gestionnaires dans la découverte et l’implantation du lean healthcare

Poster Introductions II--Children’s Health Prior to School Entry and Reading Skills in the First Year of Primary School: Identifying Protective Factors

Background: Reading skills at school entry are one of the main determinants of future academic performance.1 Therefore, less than optimal health during the first years of life can affect the capacity for learning,2 which in turn can have an impact on health and social adjustment throughout life. The main goal of this analysis was to examine the impact of young children’s health trajectories on their reading skills in the first year of primary school (Grade 1), as assessed by their teachers. Methods: The analysis was based on data collected annually during the first eight years of the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD 1998-2010). The target population included all children (singleton births, excluding premature) born to mothers in 1997-1998 residing in Québec, Canada. A regression analysis was conducted to examine the impact of health trajectories from birth to school entry on reading skills in Grade 1. Interactions was tested to ascertain to what degree stimulation activities in the pre-school period such as family reading habits, the mother’s verbal and emotional skills, and daycare attendance can contribute to reducing inequalities in reading skills between children with less than optimal health and their peers. Findings: The results revealed that less than optimal health, particularly in early childhood, was associated with lower reading skills in the first year of primary school. Therefore, certain health problems in young children may affect their capacity to learn well before formal education in reading has begun at school. However, the significant association with health trajectories decreased when the mother’s educational level entered into the model, the latter being revealed as one of the variables with the strongest association with children’s reading performance. All things being equal, higher verbal and emotional skills in the mother as assessed by the interviewer when the children were very young seemed to be a protective factor in children who were more vulnerable in terms of their health status. Research and policy implications: Given the importance of reading skills for success in school and future social adjustment, it will be important to conduct further analyses in order to gain a better understanding of protective factors in children at higher risk because of health problems or the low educational level of the parents. Activates designed to improve parenting skills and/or stimulate interest in reading may contribute to fostering learning skills in reading in the first year of primary school in the most vulnerable populations. 1. DUNCAN, G. J., C. J. DOWSETT, A. CLAESSENS, K. MAGNUSON, A. HUSTON, P. KLEBANOV, L. PAGANI, L. FEINSTEIN, M. ENGEL, J. BROOKS-GUNN, H.R. SEXTON, K. DUCKWORTH, & C. JAPEL (2007). “School readiness and later achievement,” Developmental Psychology, vol. 43, no. 6, p. 1426-1446. 2. DESROSIERS H., and A. DUCHARME (2008). Poverty, Child Health, and Cognitive Development at Age 6: Some results from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD, Canada), poster presented at the 20th Biennial ISSBD Meeting, Wurzburg (Germany), July 15, 2009

Recessive mutations in the kinase ZAK cause a congenital myopathy with fibre type disproportion

Congenital myopathies define a heterogeneous group of neuromuscular diseases with neonatal or childhood hypotonia and muscle weakness. The genetic cause is still unknown in many patients, precluding genetic counselling and better understanding of the physiopathology. To identify novel genetic causes of congenital myopathies, exome sequencing was performed in three consanguineous families. We identified two homozygous frameshift mutations and a homozygous nonsense mutation in the mitogen-activated protein triple kinase ZAK. In total, six affected patients carry these mutations. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and transcriptome analyses suggested nonsense mRNA decay as a main impact of mutations. The patients demonstrated a generalized slowly progressive muscle weakness accompanied by decreased vital capacities. A combination of proximal contractures with distal joint hyperlaxity is a distinct feature in one family. The low endurance and compound muscle action potential amplitude were strongly ameliorated on treatment with anticholinesterase inhibitor in another patient. Common histopathological features encompassed fibre size variation, predominance of type 1 fibre and centralized nuclei. A peculiar subsarcolemmal accumulation of mitochondria pointing towards the centre of the fibre was a novel histological hallmark in one family. These findings will improve the molecular diagnosis of congenital myopathies and implicate the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling as a novel pathway altered in these rare myopathies

Spinal NTS2 receptor activation reverses signs of neuropathic pain.

International audienceManagement of painful peripheral neuropathies remains challenging, since patients with chronic pain respond poorly to the available pharmacopeia. In recent years, the G-protein-coupled receptor neurotensin (NT) type 2 (NTS2) emerged as an attractive target for treating transitory pain states. To date, however, there is no evidence for its role in the regulation of chronic peripheral neuropathies. Here, we found that NTS2 receptors were largely localized to primary afferent fibers and superficial dorsal horns. Changes in the time course of the gene expression profile of NT, NTS1, and NTS2 were observed over a 28-d period following the sciatic nerve constriction [chronic constriction injury (CCI) model]. We next determined the effects of central delivery of selective-NTS2 agonists to CCI-treated rats on both mechanical allodynia (evoked withdrawal responses) and weight-bearing deficits (discomfort and quality-of-life proxies). The NTS2 analogs JMV431, levocabastine, and β-lactotensin were all effective in reducing ongoing tactile allodynia in CCI-treated rats. Likewise, amitriptyline, pregabalin, and morphine significantly attenuated CCI-induced mechanical hypersensitivity. NTS2 agonists were also efficient in reversing weight-bearing and postural deficits caused by nerve damage, unlike reference analgesics currently used in the clinic. Thus, NTS2 agonists may offer new treatment avenues for limiting pain associated with peripheral neuropathies and improve functional rehabilitation and well-being

Conjugation of a brain-penetrant peptide with neurotensin provides antinociceptive properties.

Neurotensin (NT) has emerged as an important modulator of nociceptive transmission and exerts its biological effects through interactions with 2 distinct GPCRs, NTS1 and NTS2. NT provides strong analgesia when administered directly into the brain; however, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a major obstacle for effective delivery of potential analgesics to the brain. To overcome this challenge, we synthesized chemical conjugates that are transported across the BBB via receptor-mediated transcytosis using the brain-penetrant peptide Angiopep-2 (An2), which targets LDL receptor-related protein-1 (LRP1). Using in situ brain perfusion in mice, we found that the compound ANG2002, a conjugate of An2 and NT, was transported at least 10 times more efficiently across the BBB than native NT. In vitro, ANG2002 bound NTS1 and NTS2 receptors and maintained NT-associated biological activity. In rats, i.v. ANG2002 induced a dose-dependent analgesia in the formalin model of persistent pain. At a dose of 0.05 mg/kg, ANG2002 effectively reversed pain behaviors induced by the development of neuropathic and bone cancer pain in animal models. The analgesic properties of ANG2002 demonstrated in this study suggest that this compound is effective for clinical management of persistent and chronic pain and establish the benefits of this technology for the development of neurotherapeutics

Conjugation of a brain-penetrant peptide with neurotensin provides antinociceptive properties.

Neurotensin (NT) has emerged as an important modulator of nociceptive transmission and exerts its biological effects through interactions with 2 distinct GPCRs, NTS1 and NTS2. NT provides strong analgesia when administered directly into the brain; however, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a major obstacle for effective delivery of potential analgesics to the brain. To overcome this challenge, we synthesized chemical conjugates that are transported across the BBB via receptor-mediated transcytosis using the brain-penetrant peptide Angiopep-2 (An2), which targets LDL receptor-related protein-1 (LRP1). Using in situ brain perfusion in mice, we found that the compound ANG2002, a conjugate of An2 and NT, was transported at least 10 times more efficiently across the BBB than native NT. In vitro, ANG2002 bound NTS1 and NTS2 receptors and maintained NT-associated biological activity. In rats, i.v. ANG2002 induced a dose-dependent analgesia in the formalin model of persistent pain. At a dose of 0.05 mg/kg, ANG2002 effectively reversed pain behaviors induced by the development of neuropathic and bone cancer pain in animal models. The analgesic properties of ANG2002 demonstrated in this study suggest that this compound is effective for clinical management of persistent and chronic pain and establish the benefits of this technology for the development of neurotherapeutics

Recessive Mutations in POLR3B, Encoding the Second Largest Subunit of Pol III, Cause a Rare Hypomyelinating Leukodystrophy

Mutations in POLR3A encoding the largest subunit of RNA polymerase III (Pol III) were found to be responsible for the majority of cases presenting with three clinically overlapping hypomyelinating leukodystrophy phenotypes. We uncovered in three cases without POLR3A mutation recessive mutations in POLR3B, which codes for the second largest subunit of Pol III. Mutations in genes coding for Pol III subunits are a major cause of childhood-onset hypomyelinating leukodystrophies with prominent cerebellar dysfunction, oligodontia, and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism

Conjugation of a brain-penetrant peptide with neurotensin provides antinociceptive properties

Neurotensin (NT) has emerged as an important modulator of nociceptive transmission and exerts its biological effects through interactions with 2 distinct GPCRs, NTS1 and NTS2. NT provides strong analgesia when administered directly into the brain; however, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a major obstacle for effective delivery of potential analgesics to the brain. To overcome this challenge, we synthesized chemical conjugates that are transported across the BBB via receptor-mediated transcytosis using the brain-penetrant peptide Angiopep-2 (An2), which targets LDL receptor–related protein-1 (LRP1). Using in situ brain perfusion in mice, we found that the compound ANG2002, a conjugate of An2 and NT, was transported at least 10 times more efficiently across the BBB than native NT. In vitro, ANG2002 bound NTS1 and NTS2 receptors and maintained NT-associated biological activity. In rats, i.v. ANG2002 induced a dose-dependent analgesia in the formalin model of persistent pain. At a dose of 0.05 mg/kg, ANG2002 effectively reversed pain behaviors induced by the development of neuropathic and bone cancer pain in animal models. The analgesic properties of ANG2002 demonstrated in this study suggest that this compound is effective for clinical management of persistent and chronic pain and establish the benefits of this technology for the development of neurotherapeutics