The European journal of general practice
-
Signs of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) - fever (or hypothermia), tachycardia and tachypnoea - are used in the hospital setting to identify patients with possible sepsis. ⋯ Although patients with abnormal vital signs of SIRS were referred more often, decreased oxygen saturation, hypotension and rapid illness progression seem to be most important for GPs to guide further management.
-
Observational Study
Drug interactions detected by a computer-assisted prescription system in primary care patients in Spain: MULTIPAP study.
Drug interactions increase the risk of treatment failure, intoxication, hospital admissions, consultations and mortality. Computer-assisted prescription systems can help to detect interactions. ⋯ Drug interactions are prevalent in patients aged 65-74 years with multimorbidity and polypharmacy. The clinically relevant DDI frequency is low. The number of prescriptions taken is the most relevant factor associated with presenting a clinically relevant DDI.
-
Observational Study
Effects of access to radiology in out-of-hours primary care on patient satisfaction and length of stay.
Direct access to hospital radiology facilities by general practitioner (GP) cooperatives is known to decrease the number of emergency department referrals, but the effects on length of stay (LOS; time from patient arrival at GP cooperative till departure to home) and patient experiences are unclear. ⋯ Access to radiology by GP cooperatives seems to reduce the length of stay and is slightly more appreciated by patients. GP cooperatives with unlimited access seem to provide the most efficient and best-valued care, contributing to more patient-centred care.
-
Breast cancer affects women's lives worldwide, yet early detection is an effective strategy for reducing mortality. The participation of women in mammography screening is linked to their knowledge, attitudes and perceived barriers. ⋯ The findings of this study highlighted the low mammography uptake among Palestinian women despite the adequate knowledge of those women and the fully accessible and free screening programme. Hence, interventional strategies should be implemented at several levels to enhance mammogram uptake.
-
Hazardous alcohol use significantly affects health and wellbeing in society. General practitioners (GPs) are uniquely positioned to address this problem by integrating early identification and brief intervention (EIBI) in daily practice. Unfortunately, EIBI implementation remains low. Community-oriented strategies (COS), defined as public health activities directed to the general population, are suggested to address this implementation gap. COS aim to increase the understanding, engagement and empowerment within the population to facilitate EIBI delivery. However, no consensus on what COS should contain exists. ⋯ Stakeholders emphasise addressing the proactive role of GPs as most promising COS, though it should be delivered within a holistic multi-component approach.