The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Increasing uptake of NHS Health Checks: an RCT using GP computer prompts.
Public Health England wants to increase the uptake of the NHS Health Check (NHSHC), a cardiovascular disease prevention programme. Most invitations are sent by letter, but opportunistic invitations may be issued and verbal invitations have a higher rate of uptake. Prompting staff to issue opportunistic invitations might increase uptake. ⋯ Prompts on computer systems in general practice were effective at improving the uptake of the NHSHC, especially for males and younger patients.
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Endometriosis affects approximately 6-10% of women, with well documented delays between initial presentation with symptoms and diagnosis. In England, women typically seek help first in primary care, making this setting pivotal in women's pathways to diagnosis and treatment. English GP perspectives on managing possible endometriosis have not been previously reported. ⋯ GPs considerations are more complex than simply lacking awareness. The unknowns surrounding endometriosis matter to GPs. Further research and tailored resources for primary care, where women present with undifferentiated symptoms, are needed.
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Scotland abolished the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) in April 2016, before implementing a new Scottish GP contract in April 2018. Since 2016, groups of practices (GP clusters) have been incentivised to meet regularly to plan and organise quality improvement (QI) as part of this new direction in primary care policy. ⋯ Cluster development would benefit from more consistent training and support for cluster leads in small-group facilitation, leadership, and QI expertise, and data analytics access and capacity. While GP clusters are up and running, their impact is likely to be limited without further investment in developing capacity in these areas.