The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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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.
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As a result of new technologies, atrial fibrillation (AF) is more likely to be diagnosed in people aged <65 years. ⋯ People aged <65 years with AF are at higher risk of developing hypertension, heart failure, and diabetes than the general population, so may warrant regular review to identify new occurrence of such risk factors.
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Observational Study
Trends in consultations and prescribing for rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases: an electronic primary care records study.
Rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs) are common and generally managed in primary care through supported self-care, physiotherapy, analgesia, and specialist referral where indicated. The COVID-19 pandemic led to abrupt changes in primary care delivery, including moves to remote consulting, pauses on group-based self-care, and restricted referrals. ⋯ Pandemic-associated restrictions led to fewer primary care consultations and relative increases in analgesic prescribing, including strong opioids, for RMDs in the UK. Policymakers must consider the impact of these changes in future healthcare resource planning.