Medical Hydrology and Balneology: Environmental Aspects

State of the art: Spa Resort Medicine in France
Carpertier P (1)
(1) Société Française de Médecine Thermale
PCarpentier@chu-grenoble.fr
Each year, more than 500 000 patients benefit from spa treatment in about 100
resorts in France, mostly for the treatment of rheumatologic, respiratory, vascular,
metabolic and dermatological chronic diseases. They are seeing specialized physicians
during their stay, and their expenditures are partly covered by the French
National Health System.
For the past few years, three main axes are swiftly developing, which will be illustrated
during the presentation:
- The evaluation of the efficacy and safety of spa treatment in various indications
are under way, thanks to a common effort of all actors in the field under
the banner of the Association Française pour la Recherche Thermale, with already
produced decisive results in rheumatology, obesity and phlebology.
- The development of therapeutic education of the patient is very vigorous,
facilitated the very suitable setting provided by the spa resorts, and the synergistic
effect between the physical therapy and therapeutic education, which reinforce
each other.
- The spa physicians are renewing their organizations, adding quality practice
and education to the scientific purpose of their national society (formerly the
Société Française d'Hydrologie, and now the Société Française de Médecine
Thermale), reorganizing their specialization teaching under the leadership of a
new Collège des Enseignants de Médecine Thermale, and combining their
forces in a Collège National Professionnel de Médecine Thermale, as required
for every medical specialty in France.
Keywords: Balneotherapy, Patient Education, Professional Organization, Health
Care Quality
Balnea
2012, núm. 6, 53
53
ISBN: 978-84-669-1887-0
978-84-669-3482-4