The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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Several researchers and policymakers have acknowledged the alarming association between social media usage and anxiety symptoms in young adults. While primary care holds a crucial role in the improvement of health outcomes for those presenting with anxiety, there has been no research on GPs' perceptions of the impact of social media on anxiety. Furthermore, there has been little discussion of social media as a risk factor in anxiety-related consultations. This study is the first to use empirical research to inform how primary care can adapt to address social media's impact on anxiety within young adults. ⋯ This qualitative study revealed a diversity of perceptions, and these novel findings are instructive in the adaptation of primary care services to meet the current mental health needs of young adults, as well as better assisting GPs in engaging in these conversations, especially within university practices.
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Prisoners have considerable health needs, are relatively high users of health care and often die prematurely. Prison healthcare research has typically focused on specific problems such as substance misuse, but 'routine' primary care has received less attention. Strong primary care systems are associated with better population outcomes. Identifying inappropriate variations in care will inform strategies to close gaps in health care and reduce preventable deaths. ⋯ We found substantial scope for improvement and marked variations in quality which were largely unaltered after adjustment for prison and prisoner characteristics.
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Children with pre-symptomatic type 1 diabetes can be identified through testing for circulating islet autoantibodies. Identifying children at risk reduces the rates of diabetic ketoacidosis at presentation and allows participation in clinical trials for type 1 diabetes prevention. ⋯ Social media has been an effective route to recruitment. Community outreach to schools and general practices will be implemented as this study evolves, to explore optimal recruitment modalities and acceptability.
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Prostate cancer mortality in Black males is disproportionately high. This problem may be overcome by reducing delays in the pathway to diagnosis, particularly those occurring before initial medical help seeking. A greater understanding of symptom appraisal and help seeking could support the development of targeted interventions for improving early presentation among Black males. ⋯ Cognitive biases, cultural stigmas, and everyday interpersonal interactions should be important areas at which to target strategies seeking to reduce delays and improve early presentation in males with possible prostate cancer, particularly Black males.
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Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is when antidepressants do not work and affects 55% of British primary care users with depression. People with TRD should be referred to secondary care but there are long wait times. This means most people are managed by GPs, but primary care guidelines are not standardised. Thus, how GPs manage people with TRD may vary, and there is limited evidence for how quality care may look. As a result of this variation, an investigation into how GPs manage people might be valuable. ⋯ TRD can be a contested diagnosis in the same way as ADHD, ME, and long-COVID. GP training and continuing professional development may support GP awareness of TRD and help them in confidently making the diagnosis.