The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Experiences of front-line health professionals in the delivery of telehealth: a qualitative study.
Telehealth is an emerging field of clinical practice but current UK health policy has not taken account of the perceptions of front-line healthcare professionals expected to implement it. ⋯ Health care professionals will need to develop a shared understanding of patient self-management through telehealth. This may require a renegotiation of their roles and responsibilities.
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The annual number of unplanned attendances at accident and emergency (A&E) departments in England increased by 11% (2.2 million attendances) between 2008-2009 and 2012-2013. A national review of urgent and emergency care has emphasised the role of access to primary care services in preventing A&E attendances. ⋯ A large number of A&E attendances are likely to be preceded by unsuccessful attempts to obtain convenient general practice appointments in England each year.
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Multimorbidity occurs at a younger age in individuals in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation but little is known about the 'typology' of multimorbidity in different age groups and its association with socioeconomic status. ⋯ Mixed physical and mental multimorbidity is common across the life-span and is exacerbated by deprivation from early adulthood onwards.
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Telehealth shows promise for supporting patients in managing their long-term health conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, it is currently unclear how patients, and particularly older people, may benefit from these technological interventions. ⋯ Patients were able to use the mHealth application, interpret clinical data, and use these within their self-management approach regardless of previous knowledge. Telehealth interventions can complement current clinical care pathways to support self-management behaviour.