The European journal of general practice
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This article, the seventh in a series aiming to provide practical guidance for qualitative research in primary care, introduces qualitative synthesis research for addressing health themes in primary care research. Qualitative synthesis combines rigorous processes and authorial judgement to present the collective meaning of research outputs; the findings of qualitative studies - and sometimes mixed-methods and quantitative research - are pooled. We describe three exemplary designs: the scoping review, the meta-ethnography and the rapid realist review. ⋯ It addresses the question, 'what works, for whom, in what circumstances, and how?'We discuss these three designs' context, what, why, when and how. We provide examples of published studies and sources for further reading, including manuals and guidelines for conducting and reporting these studies. Finally, we discuss attention points for the research team concerning the involvement of necessary experts and stakeholders and choices to be made during the research process.
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Cervical screening could be an appropriate routine moment to provide female smokers with tailored stop smoking advice. In Dutch general practice, cervical smears are performed by practice assistants. ⋯ At individual, interpersonal, and workplace levels, several factors could influence the provision of a stop smoking strategy by a practice assistant.
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In Europe, hospital training is integrated in the postgraduate curriculum of General Practitioners (GPs) according to the European Directives. However, little is known about the specific learning objectives of GP trainees during this training. ⋯ GP trainees wanted to learn more about both common conditions and some specific conditions. Their previous year in a GP setting strengthened their confidence and facilitated purposeful learning. Relieving GP trainees from administrative tasks when working as supplementary doctors could strike a better balance between the continuity of the clinical department and their personal learning objectives.
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A doctor may recommend that a patient stop an antibiotic course before its scheduled completion time if further treatment may cause more harm than benefit. ⋯ The GPs in this study employ the strategy of AD. Nonetheless, essential differences lie in their views of the way the strategy is used. Further studies are warranted to explore the beliefs behind these perceptions and promote wider use of AD by GPs.