The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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Personalised care planning (PCP) interventions have the potential to provide better outcomes for older people and are a key focus in primary care practice. Behaviour change techniques (BCTs) can maximise effectiveness of such interventions, but it is uncertain which BCTs are most appropriate in PCP for older adults. ⋯ Future PCP interventions to improve QoL for people aged ≥65 years may benefit from focusing on six specific BCTs. Better reporting of BCTs would enhance future design and implementation of such interventions.
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Observational Study
Management of non-urgent paediatric emergency department attendances by GPs: a retrospective observational study.
Non-urgent emergency department (ED) attendances are common among children. Primary care management may not only be more clinically appropriate, but may also improve patient experience and be more cost-effective. ⋯ Given the rising demand for children's emergency services, GP in ED care models may improve the management of non-urgent ED presentations. However, further research that incorporates causative study designs is required.
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Acne is a common skin condition, affecting most adolescents at some point. While guidelines recommend topical treatments first-line, long courses of oral antibiotics are commonly prescribed. ⋯ GPs expressed uncertainty about the use of topical treatments for acne and either felt that treatments were of low effectiveness or perceived pressure from patients to prescribe oral antibiotics.
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Observational Study
Primary care consultation length by deprivation and multimorbidity in England: an observational study using electronic patient records.
Longer GP consultations are recommended as one way of improving care for people with multimorbidity. In Scotland, patients who are multimorbid and living in deprived areas do not have longer consultations, although their counterparts in the least deprived areas do. This example of the inverse care law has not been examined in England. ⋯ GPs in England spend longer with patients who have more conditions, but, at all multimorbidity levels, those in deprived areas have less time per GP consultation. Further research is needed to assess the impact of consultation length on patient and system outcomes for those with multimorbidity.