Bmc Fam Pract
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Patient safety is a universal issue which affects countries at all stages of health system development. Patient safety research in primary care reveals that globally millions of people suffer disabilities, injuries, or death due to unsafe medical practices. This study aims to explore the understanding of frontline primary health care professionals regarding patient safety culture in health care facilities in Oman. ⋯ Overall, the participants rated patient safety in the primary health care setting as excellent or very good and the perception of patient safety was moderately positive. The core areas of strength were teamwork within the units with positivity and organization learning and continuous improvement. The weaknesses were non-punitive response to errors, inadequate staffing and hand offs and transition. The results of this study will provide policy makers and health care professionals with a detailed understanding of the current patient safety culture in primary care in Muscat, Oman. The results will be used by the Ministry of Health to inform policy and strategies to strengthen patient safety within primary health care in Oman.
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The public primary healthcare system in Greece has not been fully developed and is delivered by urban and rural health centers, outpatient departments in public hospitals and the recently established first-contact and decentralized local primary care units. The aim of this study was to develop a valid and reliable measurement tool for conducting periodic user experience evaluation surveys in public Primary HealthCare facilities in Greece such as outpatient clinics of public hospitals and health centers. ⋯ We have developed reliable and valid tools to measure users' experiences in public Primary HealthCare facilities in Greece. These tools could be very useful in examining differences between different types of public Primary Health Care facilities and different populations.
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Observational Study
The introduction of the practice nurse mental health in general practices in the Netherlands: effects on number of diagnoses of chronic and acute alcohol abuse.
Since 2008 mental health practice nurses have been gradually introduced in general practices in the Netherlands as part of health policy aiming to improve early identification and treatment of mental health problems in primary care. This study aims to investigate the effect of the introduction of the practice nurse mental health in general practices in the Netherlands on the number of diagnoses of chronic and acute alcohol abuse. ⋯ Based on the results of this study it seems that the introduction of practice nurses mental health in general practices is not associated with increased diagnoses of chronic or acute alcohol abuse. Potential explanations are barriers experienced by practice nurses to addressing alcohol use with patients and prioritization of other mental health issues over alcohol abuse. In order to improve the management of alcohol abuse by practice nurses, more research is needed on how practice nurses can be involved in diagnosing and treatment of patients with alcohol abuse.
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Antibiotics are not recommended for treating uncomplicated respiratory tract infections (RTIs), despite this, antibiotic prescribing for this is widespread. General practitioners (GPs) report parental pressure and fear of losing patients if they do not prescribe antibiotics, however, parental views on antibiotics for RTIs are unclear. Therefore, this study examined GPs' and parents' perceptions regarding antibiotic prescribing for RTIs in young children. ⋯ GPs and parents have dissonant views on antibiotic prescribing for RTI in young children. GPs perceived parents wanting a diagnosis and reassurance that their child is not severely ill as pressure to prescribe antibiotic. To overcome these barriers, targeted training for both GPs and parents to improve communication and reassurance that satisfaction is not related to receiving antibiotics may reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing for RTI in young children.
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One of several strategies developed to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use in situations where the indication is not clear is delayed antibiotic prescription (DAP), defined as an antibiotic prescription issued for the patient to take only in case of feeling worse or not feeling better several days after the visit. We conducted a survey to identify DAP use in Spanish primary care settings. ⋯ The majority of primary healthcare professionals in Spain do not use DAP. Those who use DAP believe that it reduces primary care visits and inappropriate antibiotic use, while maintaining patient satisfaction. Given the limited use of DAP in our setting, and given that its use is mainly limited to RTIs, DAP has considerable potential in terms of its implementation in routine practice.