Housing and health counselling: Preliminary results of a new medical referral system in France

Study objectivesSince 2002, a new unique service is available to physicians in southeast France. They may ask for a housing environmental inspection for their patients when they feel that the indoor environment has a negative influence on health status. This telephone survey was designed to evaluate the efficacy of this service.DesignDuring this time period, 328 such housing environmental inspections have been performed. The protocol of these inspections included a detailed questionnaire and environmental sampling for mold identification, mite-allergen evaluation and, in selected cases, measurement of volatile organic compounds (VOC). Inspections were performed by trained technicians. From April to September 2005, we performed a telephone interview survey, using a structured questionnaire, to evaluate the reported outcome.ResultsMain defects identified in houses were mold infestation (44%), mite contamination (32%), and VOC exposure (9%) from new furniture, repairs performed and hobbies. Substantial repairs, including carpentry, wall floors and ceilings repairs, mold decontamination, and plumbing, had been performed in 59.4% of those houses. Full compliance, partial compliance, and no compliance by the occupant with the recommendations provided by the housing environmental inspectors were 50%, 20%, and 30%, respectively. Reasons for non-compliance included moving, time, and money constraints. When rating the efficacy of the service, total, almost total, and partial effectiveness was reported by the families to be 3%, 31%, and 56%, respectively.ConclusionThis type of service holds great promise for patients as well as for physicians and should be investigated further by measuring physician-diagnosed health outcome and using cost–benefit analysis.