The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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The UK Health Security Agency have established a partnership with the Oxford-Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Clinical Informatics Digital Hub (ORCHID) to provide a new source of primary care data to enhance an existing GP in-hours syndromic surveillance system. ⋯ For decades the RCGP has run sentinel surveillance with integrated virology and now RCGP data are being used for syndromic surveillance. The addition of ORCHID data to the GP in-hours syndromic surveillance system has improved the utility of the system. There is better population coverage, additional syndromic indicators, and greater ability to interrogate the data. The new system will provide enhanced information to support public health in England and highlights the value of GP records for use in protecting the health security of the nation.
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Pelvic floor symptoms, such as lower urinary tract symptoms, defecation problems, sexual dysfunction, pelvic pain, and pelvic organ prolapse in females, are common and frequently co-occur. Despite negatively affecting quality of life, few patients seek help. Most studies assessing help-seeking behaviour have focused on a single pelvic floor symptom. ⋯ Males and females have more similarities than differences in help-seeking behaviour. Healthcare providers should be aware that patients who seek help for one symptom probably have multiple pelvic floor symptoms that the patient has not reported.
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Existing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction tools may not be applicable to the Chinese populations because of their development based on the mostly Western cohorts and limited list of covariates. ⋯ P-CARDIAC allows a more personalised approach for recurrent CVD prevention with dynamic baseline risk and concurrent medication effect. Such an approach with the potential for being recalibrated for other ethnicities will be used in primary care for managing CVD risk.
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Advance care planning (ACP) is rare among ethnic minorities for social, cultural, and religious reasons. ⋯ Despite an initial lack of knowledge about ACP, many older adults with Moroccan backgrounds were willing to talk about it after receiving information in their native language. GPs should facilitate ACP discussions for these patients, paying attention to individual needs and preferences.
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Sleep disturbance (SD) is common among people living with dementia (PLwD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). It has a significant impact on the wellbeing of PLwD and caregivers, and makes care at home more difficult. Within primary care, assessment and management of SD for this population is complex and challenging. ⋯ Increasing awareness, knowledge, and confidence in diagnosis and assessment of SD is needed. Primary care-specific assessment tools may help. Long-term medication use is the default option in absence of pragmatic and effective non-pharmacological interventions that can be easily incorporated into routine general practice.