Family practice
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With specialist palliative care services becoming widespread, and the place of the GP in palliative care being examined, audit of patient care delivered by GPs is required in order to ensure adequate standards of care. ⋯ Quality assurance mechanisms present in an in-patient palliative care setting appear to be associated with high-quality care by GPs.
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Review
A PIL for every ill? Patient information leaflets (PILs): a review of past, present and future use.
This article reviews the usefulness and importance of written information, specifically leaflets, being given to patients. Evidence suggesting how both patient and doctor may benefit from the giving of written information is reviewed. ⋯ An argument is put forward that the giving of written information is an under-utilized resource in contributing to improving patient outcomes but that this may be changing with the increasing use of patient leaflet databases. The advantages and disadvantages of computer-generated patient leaflets are discussed and desirable further areas of research on computer-generated leaflets are proposed.
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National morbidity surveys provide valuable data for monitoring the health needs of populations, health policy planning and design of medical curricula. In order to meet a long-standing need for such information in Sri Lanka, a nationwide general practice morbidity survey was conducted for the first time in 1996. ⋯ The fact that many common illnesses, chronic diseases and preventive treatments are dealt with in general practice shows the necessity to include family medicine in the undergraduate curriculum of all medical schools. Undergraduate and postgraduate training in family medicine should concentrate more on child care and care of the elderly. Suitable incentives may be necessary to motivate younger doctors to become GPs to meet the medical care needs of the community.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
A randomized controlled trial of an intervention designed to improve the care given in general practice to Type II diabetic patients: patient outcomes and professional ability to change behaviour.
Our objective was to evaluate the effect of training in a patient-centred intervention for GPs and practice nurses on outcomes for patients with Type II diabetes. ⋯ The efficacy of this behavioural intervention remains unproved, despite its acceptability to professional staff. Detailed and prolonged development and testing of behavioural interventions is an essential first step before embarking on randomized controlled trials which involve complex behavioural changes in professionals or patients.
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This study aimed to examine the factors affecting prescription of antibiotics for acute bronchitis in ambulatory care settings in Japan. ⋯ A majority of patients receiving medical care for acute bronchitis are given an unnecessary antibiotic prescription. The result of this study may be useful for the finding of appropriate forms of intervention for changing physicians' prescription behaviour.