ObjectivesTo assess patient' reaction towards bedside teaching at the University Hospital of Monastir (Tunisia) and to identify the factors that may influence it.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted during December 2012 at the University Hospital of Monastir. Each department, except the psychiatric department and the intensive care units, was visited in one day. All inpatients present on the day of the study were interviewed by four trained female nurses using a structured questionnaire.ResultsOf the 401 patients approached, 356 (88.8%) agreed to participate. In general, the results demonstrate that patients were positive toward medical students’ participation. The highest acceptance rates were found in situations where there is no direct contact between the patient and the student (e.g. when reading their medical file, attending ward rounds and observing doctor examining them). As the degree of students’ involvement increased, the refusal rate increased. Gender, age, educational level, marital status and the extent of students’ involvement in patient’s care were identified as the main factors affecting patients’ attitude. Conclusion: Taking advantage of this attitude, valorizing patient role as educator and using further learning methods in situations where patient’s consent for student involvement was not obtained should be considered to guarantee optimal care and safety to patients and good medical education to future physicians.

Background: Repeat abortion is a public health concern favored by many obstetric and social factors. The purpose of our study was to identify associated factors to repeated abortion in the region of Monastir (Tunisia). Common mental disorders (CMD) such as anxiety and depression were also evaluated in women seeking voluntary repeated abortion. Methods: We carried out a cross sectional study between January and April 2013 in the Reproductive Health Center (RHC) of the region of Monastir in Tunisia (This study is part of a prospective design on mental disorders and intimate partner violence among women seeking abortions in the RHC). Among women referred to the RHC we selected those seeking voluntary abortion (medical or surgical method). Data on women's demographic characters, knowledge and practices about contraceptive methods and abortion were collected the abortion day via a structured questionnaire. Data about anxiety and depression status were evaluated during the post-abortal control visit at 3-4 weeks following pregnancy termination. Results: Of the 500 interviewed women, 211 (42.2 %; CI 95% [37.88 -46.52]) were seeking repeated abortions. Multivariate analysis showed that increased age, lower level of women school education, single status, poor knowledge about birth control methods and history of conflict/abuse by a male partner, were uniquely associated with undergoing repeat compared with initial abortion. CMD were significantly higher in women undergoing second or subsequent abortion (51.1 %) single and lower educated women. Women relating a history of conflicts/abuse report more CMD than others (30.6 % vs 20.8 %). Conclusion: Health facilities providing abortion services need to pay more attention to women seeking repeat abortion. Further studies are needed to well establish the relation between the number of abortion and the occurrence and the severity of CMD.

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Data on the economic burden of rotavirus infection in Tunisia are needed to inform the decision to include rotavirus in routine childhood immunizations. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological profile of rotavirus disease in central-east Tunisia and to estimate its hospital cost. In the first stage -the prospective collection of epidemiological data -we enrolled all patients < 5 years old who were hospitalized for acute diarrhoea at 5 university paediatric departments in central-east Tunisia during the period 2009-2011. Rotavirus was responsible for 65 (23.3%) of the 279 cases enrolled. In the second stage, cost data were collected retrospectively using an activity-based costing method from the medical records of the children who were positively diagnosed with rotavirus. The average cost of care per child was TD 433 (SD 134). This is a significant economic burden in Tunisia, where a safe and effective vaccine is available but not yet introduced to the immunization schedule. ‫ـن‬ ‫الذيـ‬ ‫ـال‬ ‫األطفـ‬ ‫ـدى‬ ‫لـ‬