The European journal of general practice
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Multicenter Study
Straightforward consultation or complicated condition? General practitioners' perceptions of low back pain.
Low back pain is a common condition in general practice and represents a significant part of a general practitioner's workload. However, despite guidelines, back pain still presents considerable challenges to clinicians. ⋯ GPs adopt a bio-mechanistic approach to LBP which appears to work well for the majority of patients, as the natural history of low back pain dictates that most patients will recover. However, this approach to low back pain fails at the margins and this is evident by the significant minority of persistent sufferers and the GP's reaction to them. Expanding patient-centredness to explore psychological and social dimensions in relation to low back pain presents an ongoing challenge in general practice.
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Falls are a common and serious cause of disability and death amongst the growing older population. As most falls are multifactorial, effective fall prevention strategies require a package of measures to be addressed in parallel (medication review and modification; detection and treatment of postural hypotension and heart disease; strength and balance exercise training for muscle weakness and instability; home hazard modification). ⋯ Much of the expertise and skills for effective fall prevention already exists within the primary care team. Responsibility for injury prevention extends beyond general practice, but the primary care team must be prepared to play its part.