The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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Treatment burden is the effort required of patients to look after their health and the impact this has on their functioning and wellbeing. Little is known about change in treatment burden over time for people with multimorbidity. ⋯ Treatment burden changes over time. Improving access to primary care, particularly for those living further away from services, and enhancing health literacy may mitigate increases in burden.
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The diagnosis of psoriasis may be missed or delayed in primary care settings. ⋯ Findings suggest that the diagnosis of psoriasis may be missed or delayed in a UK primary care setting for up to 5 years for some individuals, hence leading to a potentially detrimental delay in establishing an appropriate treatment regimen.
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Despite well-documented clinical benefits of longitudinal doctor-patient continuity in primary care, continuity rates have declined. Assessment by practices or health commissioners is rarely undertaken. ⋯ It is possible to measure continuity across all practices in a local health economy. Regular review of practice continuity rates can be used to support efforts to increase continuity within practice teams. In turn this is likely to have a positive effect on clinical outcomes and on satisfaction for both patients and doctors.
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Integrated care pathways can help to avoid unnecessary admissions to hospital and improve the overall quality of care for frail older patients. Although these integrated care pathways should be coordinated by GPs their level of commitment may vary. ⋯ The level of interest in the PAERPA ICP for frail older adults varied widely among GPs. These findings suggest that commitment to an integrated care pathway could be increased by customising the recruitment strategy as a function of the GP's profile.