Scandinavian journal of primary health care
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Scand J Prim Health Care · Dec 2024
Changes in location and number of nurse consultations as the supply of general practitioners decreases in primary health care: six-year register-based follow-up cohort study in the city of Vantaa, Finland.
To investigate whether the location and the number of nurse consultations have changed in response to the continuously decreasing number of GP consultations in the fourth-largest city in Finland. It has been suggested that nurse consultations are replacing GP consultations. ⋯ It appears that in primary health care, medical consultations have shifted from GPs to nurses with lower education levels, and from care during office-hours to emergency care.
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Scand J Prim Health Care · Dec 2024
Observational StudyQuality of the digital gp visits and characteristics of the users: retrospective observational study.
This study compares the demographics, diagnoses, re-admission rates, sick leaves, and prescribed medications of patients accessing digital general practitioner (GP) visits with those of patients opting for traditional face-to-face appointments in a primary health care setting. ⋯ Digital health care services offer a cost-efficient alternative for specific health problems, appealing to younger, educated individuals, when compared to the users of public health center, and may enable improvement of cost-effectiveness combined with acceptable demand management and patient segmentation practices. The results highlight the potential benefits of digital clinics, particularly for uncomplicated cases, while also emphasizing the importance of suitable referral mechanisms for in-person consultations.
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Increases in opioid prescriptions have been described; however, recent trends and prescribing patterns of analgesics in Dutch general practice are largely unknown. ⋯ Considering the increase in strong opioid prescriptions for benign conditions, GPs need to be vigilant for patients who are at risk for chronic use. Regular monitoring and awareness for psychosocial factors in treatment of chronic pain may be key in preventing harms associated with persistent opioid use.
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Scand J Prim Health Care · Dec 2024
Exploring the impact of mental and work-related stress on sick leave among middle-aged women: observations from the population study of women in Gothenburg, Sweden.
To investigate whether mental and work-related stress predicts a one-year incidence of sick leave in a cohort of middle-aged working women. ⋯ Low decision latitude and conflicts at work are risk factors for incident sick leave among working women. The impact of conflicts at work, irrespective of own involvement, may indicate a specific vulnerability among women of interest for future interventions.
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Scand J Prim Health Care · Dec 2024
Musculoskeletal disorders in Norway: trends in health care utilization and patient pathways: a nationwide register study.
Describe trends in health care utilization, demographic characteristics and patient pathways among patients with musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) in Norway. ⋯ One third of the Norwegian population consulted health care services due to MSD annually between 2014-2017. GP was the most consulted health care professional. Among MSD patients with long-term use of health care services, 50% were treated by a PT and/or in SHC in addition to a GP.