Family practice
-
Comparative Study
The 'number needed to sample' in primary care research. Comparison of two primary care sampling frames for chronic back pain.
Sampling for primary care research must strike a balance between efficiency and external validity. For most conditions, even a large population sample will yield a small number of cases, yet other sampling techniques risk problems with extrapolation of findings. ⋯ The repeat prescription sampling method was approximately five times more efficient than the general population method. However demographic and clinical differences in the repeat prescription sample might hamper extrapolation of findings to the general population, particularly in an epidemiological study, and demonstrate that simple comparison with age and gender of the target population is insufficient.
-
To develop a framework for general practice management made up of quality indicators shared by six European countries. ⋯ It proved to be possible to develop a European set of indicators for assessing the quality of practice management, despite the differences in health care systems and cultures in the six different countries. These indicators will now be used in a quality assessment procedure of practice management in nine European countries. While organizational indicators are part of the new GMS contract in the UK, this research shows that many practice management issues within primary care are also of relevance in other European countries.
-
Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines are increasingly used for self-medication, but such products can be misused/abused. ⋯ This survey revealed that the general public had a high level of awareness of the abuse potential of OTC medicines. These findings indicate that pharmacists could be more proactive in the management of inappropriate OTC drug use.