The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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Continuity of care (COC) is associated with improved health outcomes in patients with hypertension. Team-based COC allows more flexibility in service delivery but there is a lack of research on its effectiveness for patients with hypertension. ⋯ Team-based COC via a coordinated physician team was associated with reduced risks of CVD and all-cause mortality among patients with hypertension, especially for the patients with unsatisfactory blood pressure control. Early initiation of team-based COC may also achieve extra benefits.
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Chronic back and knee pain impairs health- related quality of life (HRQoL) and patient enablement can improve HRQoL. ⋯ Patient enablement moderated the impact of pain on HRQoL. A higher level of enablement can lessen impairment in HRQoL associated with chronic back and knee pain.
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The GARFIELD-AF tool is a novel risk tool that simultaneously assesses the risk of all-cause mortality, stroke or systemic embolism, and major bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). ⋯ The GARFIELD-AF models were superior to the CHA2DS2VASc score for discriminating stroke and death and superior to the HAS-BLED score for discriminating major bleeding. The models consistently underpredicted the level of risk, suggesting that a recalibration is needed to optimise its use in the UK population.