The European journal of general practice
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Methadone maintenance treatment in primary care is cost-effective and improves outcomes for opiate-dependent patients. A more developed understanding of the evolving needs of this important cohort will facilitate further improvements in their integrated care within the community. ⋯ Correcting for routine methadone care and drug-related illnesses, MMPs had a higher burden of chronic disease and used both primary and secondary health services more intensively than matched controls.
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Multicenter Study
Treatment targets in patients with type 2 diabetes set by primary care physicians from Central and Eastern Europe.
Primary care physicians have an important role in the care of patients with Type 2 diabetes but little is known about this issue in Central and Eastern European countries. ⋯ For patients with diabetes approximately half of physicians set treatment goals at levels that were recommended within the international guidelines. Most of them set treatment goals for HbA1c and BP at very low levels. Educational efforts to raise awareness about new treatment goals are needed.
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Many developed industrialized countries perceive considerable value in developing practice based research networks. In this paper, the development of the Scottish Primary Care Research Network (SPCRN) from 1924-2013 is described. After a false start in the early twentieth century and some local developments 10-15 years ago, the Scottish Primary Care Research Network was finally built upon existing networks of teaching and training practices centred on research active departments of general practice and primary care. ⋯ Long-term funding commitment to the network by the National Health Service meant that the infrastructure could be developed in the knowledge that it would be likely to become incorporated into wider Scottish and UK systems. Two-thirds of Scottish practices regularly participate in research at a rate of 50-60 studies each year, which result in a range of publications that influence clinical decisions and health policy. As the success of the network grows, greater demands are placed upon it, and the capacity of practices to continue to engage in research may be tested.
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Although diabetes mellitus (DM) is often associated with painful neuropathic syndromes, a significant number of DM patients suffer from non-neuropathic (nociceptive) pain. Unfortunately, there is insufficient data on the epidemiology of nociceptive pain in DM patients and its effect on their quality of life. ⋯ The impact of neuropathic pain in DM patients is much more significant than nociceptive pain and affects their quality of life and daily function to a greater degree.