Bmc Fam Pract
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Management of chlamydia and gonorrhoea infections diagnosed in primary care using a centralised nurse-led telephone-based service: mixed methods evaluation.
Up to 18% of genital Chlamydia infections and 9% of Gonorrhoea infections in England are diagnosed in Primary Care. Evidence suggests that a substantial proportion of these cases are not managed appropriately in line with national guidelines. With the increase in sexually transmitted infections and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance, their timely and appropriate treatment is a priority. We investigated feasibility and acceptability of extending the National Chlamydia Screening Programme's centralised, nurse-led, telephone management (NLTM) as an option for management of all cases of chlamydia and gonorrhoea diagnosed in Primary Care. ⋯ Extension of this established NLTM intervention to a greater proportion of patients was both feasible and acceptable to both patients and HCP, could provide a better service for patients, whilst decreasing primacy care workload. The study provides evidence to support the wider implementation of this NLTM approach to managing chlamydia and gonorrhoea diagnosed in primary care.
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Digital media are increasingly abundant providing a wide scope of health information. To date, very little is known about parental health information seeking behaviour for child health outside of English-speaking and Nordic countries. Our study "Digital parental counsellors" examines how parents search for health information in digital media, print media and among "personal contacts", distinguishing between the search for information about general child health and development and child's acute illness, and comparing information seeking behaviour by disability status of the child. ⋯ Despite the high prevalence of digital media, personal contacts are still the most frequent health information resource for parents with young children, irrespective of the child's health. Parents combine all information resources (online, print, personal network) to improve their understanding or check the validity of information received regarding their child's health. It is thus of utmost importance, that the increasingly accessed digital information parents search for is correct, understandable and addresses parent's concerns.
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Dementia is an age-related syndrome that is estimated to affect 46.8 million people worldwide (2015). In ageing populations, the prevalence of dementia is expected to increase. General practitioners (GPs) are often the first to be contacted when signs of dementia appear. This cluster-randomised trial (CRT) investigates the effects of a dementia care toolbox mailed to GP practices to facilitate dementia care. It contained patient brochures and posters for the waiting room in three languages, information cards for professionals and practical tools in three languages. The GPs' and practice assistants' (PrAs) use of and opinion about the toolbox is reported here. ⋯ Overall, the dementia toolbox was widely accepted by both professional groups. Future research should investigate long-term effects of information strategies for GP practice settings.
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OPTION5 is a scale used to evaluate shared decision making (SDM) in health care from an observer's perspective; however, to date, there is no simplified Chinese version of this scale. ⋯ The simplified Chinese version of the OPTION5 scale, developed using stringent translation procedures, demonstrated satisfactory psychometric characteristics. Specifically, inter- and intra-rater reliabilities were excellent, while criterion validity was moderate. The simplified Chinese version of the OPTION5 scale can be implemented in clinical settings to evaluate SDM of treatment during consultations between GPs and chronically ill patients.
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Despite calls for improved accountability in global health systems, and a set of clear and consistent theoretical accountability frameworks, empirical descriptions of how accountability is experienced and enacted in low- and middle- income country (LMIC) settings is limited. Therefore, we sought to characterize how managers at all levels of Ethiopia's primary healthcare system experience accountability in their daily practice. ⋯ Findings may be valuable to policymakers seeking to create more effective national accountability frameworks; practitioners and development partners seeking to strengthen implementation of evidence-based accountability systems and practices; and researchers aiming to develop meaningful, practical measures of accountability in public health.