Aust Fam Physician
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Anaphylaxis is not uncommon in Australia, representing the most severe form of allergy. It is most likely to be triggered by food with the most common allergen being peanuts. It constitutes a medical emergency that requires a rapid medical response. ⋯ With the increased prevalence of allergy in the community, it is likely that at some stage most general practitioners will have to treat a case of acute anaphylaxis. It is imperative that GPs are prepared for such an event as failure to recognise the condition or to follow a validated protocol can have fatal consequences.
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Life threatening asthma is not an uncommon emergency and all doctors need to have an ordered approach to managing this problem both in the surgery and the home. ⋯ The key to successful treatment of life threatening asthma is a rapid assessment of severity, an early emergency call for an ambulance, oxygen, continuous nebulised beta 2 agonist, corticosteroids and the use of parenteral adrenaline for the patient in extremis.
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Comparative Study
GPs' perceived competence and comfort in managing medical emergencies in southeast Queensland.
Little is known about general practitioners' confidence and competence in managing medical emergencies, yet these qualities are vital to maximise patients' chances of survival. ⋯ Postgraduate training in and experience with medical emergencies is important for GPs' confidence and competence in dealing with such emergencies. A proposed update course designed specifically for GPs was strongly supported.
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General practitioners are concerned with improving the health of the community, and Divisions are an important structure through which this can be achieved. Any focus on health outcomes needs to consider what general practice and Divisions can do to reduce inequalities in health outcomes. ⋯ Divisions see socioeconomic disadvantage as an important issue, and some are developing significant multilevel strategies to address them, although significant gaps exist in the capacity of Divisions to undertake this work.