The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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GPs play an increasingly important role in proactively preventing dementia. Dementia in 40% of patients could be prevented or delayed by targeting 12 modifiable risk factors throughout life. However, little is known about how GPs perceive their role in dementia prevention and the associated barriers. ⋯ There needs to be a whole-systems shift towards prioritising brain health and supporting primary care professionals in their preventive role. Education is key to underpinning this role in dementia prevention.
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The demand for acute eyecare exponentially outstrips capacity. The public lacks awareness of community eyecare services. ⋯ Acute eyecare continues to place considerable burden on GP and A&E services in Wales, particularly in urban areas with greater economic deprivation and lower overall health. This is likely to increase with a rapidly ageing population. With ongoing pathway development to better utilise optometry and pharmacy, and improved public awareness, there may be scope to change this trajectory.
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Remote and digital services must be equitable, but some patients have difficulty using these services. Designing measures to overcome digital disparities can be challenging for practices. Personas (fictional cases) are a potentially useful tool in this regard. ⋯ Personas can illuminate the multiple and intersecting dimensions of disadvantage in patient populations who are marginalised and may prove useful when designing or redesigning digital primary care services. Adopting an intersectional lens may help practices address digital disparities.
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Multiple long-term conditions (MLTC), also known as multimorbidity, has been identified as a priority research topic globally. Research priorities from the perspectives of patients and research funders have been described. Although most care for MLTC is delivered in primary care, the priorities of academic primary care have not been identified. ⋯ These high-priority research questions offer funders and researchers a basis on which to build future grant calls and research plans. Addressing complexity in this research is needed to inform improvements in systems of care and for disease prevention.