The Artemis Center, a platform for environmental health assessment and prevention focused on reproduction, in Bordeaux. Review of the first year of operations, 2016–2017
Background: Professional societies in gynecology and obstetrics are calling for the identification and reduction of environmental exposures by integrating environmental health into patient care and advocating for policies to prevent such exposures. In 2016, the Artemis Center (Aquitaine Reproduction, Childhood, Maternity, and Environmental Health Impact), a platform for environmental health prevention in the field of reproduction, was established at the Bordeaux University Hospital, in partnership with the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regional Health Agency, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES), and Santé publique France. Objectives of the Artemis Center: to assess environmental and occupational exposures in individuals with reproductive disorders and to offer them preventive measures to reduce exposure to these risk factors. How it works: Patients are referred based on clinical criteria (fertility issues, pregnancy complications, congenital malformations) and are cared for by a multidisciplinary team (physician, nurse, environmental health engineer). Care includes a medical consultation as well as a standardized nursing interview. An engineer conducts an analysis of environmental and occupational exposures, enabling the proposal of targeted preventive measures. Results: As of September 1, 2017, after one year of operation, 214 couples had received care at the Artemis Center. Regarding occupational exposures, 150 patients (70.1%) were employed on the day of the consultation, of whom 61.3% (n=92) were suspected of having occupational exposure to at least one reproductive risk factor. In non-occupational settings, it is common to identify only one exposure circumstance, documented in the scientific literature as potentially exposing individuals to one or more reprotoxic compounds. The proposed preventive measures are explained and tailored to the activities described by the patients. Conclusion: The establishment of the Artemis Center is an innovative initiative for which an evaluation process was initiated in 2018. Other centers of the same type are currently being established in France, based on a shared vision.
Author(s): Delva Fleur, Coquet Sandrine, Manangama Guyguy, Teysseire Raphaëlle, Brochard Patrick, Sentilhes Loïc
Publishing year: 2018
Pages: 486-492
Weekly Epidemiological Bulletin, 2018, n° 22-23, p. 486-492
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