Bmc Fam Pract
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Exploring the sorting of patients in community health centres across Gauteng Province, South Africa.
Primary health care worldwide faces large numbers of patients daily. Poor waiting times, low patient satisfaction and staff burnout are some problems facing such facilities. Limited research has been done on sorting patients in non-emergency settings in Africa. This research looked at community health centres (CHCs) in Gauteng Province, South Africa where queues appear to be poorly managed and patients waiting for hours. This study explores the views of clinicians in CHCs across Gauteng on sorting systems in the non-emergency ambulatory setting. ⋯ Developing a functional triage protocol with innovative systems for Gauteng is important. Findings from this study can guide the development of a functional triage system in the primary health care non-emergency outpatient setting of Gauteng's CHCs. The Emergency Triage, Assessment and Treatment (ETAT) tool, modified for adult and non-clinician use, could help this. However, addressing management, staff and patient factors must be integral.
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Long-term needs of stroke survivors are often not adequately addressed and many patients are dissatisfied with care post-discharge from hospital. Primary care could play an important role in identifying need in people with stroke. ⋯ The modified post-stroke checklist is a pragmatic and feasible approach to identify problems post-stroke and facilitate referral to appropriate support services. The checklist is a potentially valuable tool to structure stroke reviews using a patient-centred approach.
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Comorbid depression is common in patients with type 2 diabetes (DM2) and/or coronary heart disease (CHD) and is associated with poor quality of life and adverse health outcomes. However, little is known about patients' and practice nurses' (PNs) perceptions of depression. Tailoring care to these perceptions may affect depression detection and patient engagement with treatment and prevention programs. This study aimed to explore patients' and PNs' perceptions of depression in patients with DM2/CHD screened for subthreshold depression. ⋯ Data of the interviewed patients and PNs suggest that they have different perceptions about (subthreshold) depressive illness and the need for care, although views on its causes seem to overlap more.
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Informal caregivers of people with dementia in Beijing are increasingly called upon to provide home-based care for their patients due to the increasing number of dementia patients and the shortage of standardized institutional solutions of care for patients in China. This study aimed to clarify the needs of informal caregivers and barriers of primary care workers toward dementia management in primary care in Beijing to provide references that may help to improve the care and services provided to individuals with dementia and their family caregivers residing in urban China. ⋯ Professional training focused on dementia for primary care workers should be strengthened. At the same time, the establishment of a community-based dementia team management model that includes specialists, community health service centers (CHSCs), and community committees should be explored.
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In the general practice setting screening, brief intervention and counselling have been shown to be effective in the reduction of problem alcohol use. This study aimed to explore Irish general practitioners' (GPs) current practice of and attitudes towards the management of problem alcohol use. ⋯ GPs in this survey reported widespread experience of screening and intervention, however, many still felt ineffective. In order to maximise the potential impact of GPs, a clearer understanding is required of what interventions are effective in different scenarios. Furthermore, GPs are only part of the solution in terms of addressing alcohol consumption. The services available in the broader health care system and Government alcohol related policy needs to further support GPs and patients.