Clin Med
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This one-day conference brought together around 100 doctors from a wide range of specialties and at different stages of their careers to examine areas that are of increasing importance to the profession as a whole. Information gathered and imparted to institutions such as the postgraduate deaneries, royal colleges and specialist societies will add to the impetus for cultural and organisational changes so that the real potential of doctors working less than full time is not lost to the economy, NHS or patients.
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A survey of 445 doctors in Yorkshire was conducted to ascertain their knowledge and awareness of alcohol units. Only 58% had some knowledge, and general practitioners scored better (69%) than hospital doctors (45%). ⋯ Junior doctors who often deal with alcohol-related problems in their day-to-day hospital work had a poor knowledge. There needs to be a greater emphasis on alcohol and alcohol-related problems (including how to calculate alcohol units) in undergraduate and postgraduate curricula to improve doctors' knowledge and awareness of this important subject.
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Comparative Study
Geriatricians and care homes: perspectives from geriatric medicine departments and primary care trusts.
Older people in care homes are clinically complex and particularly vulnerable to the effects of poor care and poor medicine. They are also a group to whom the NHS seems least committed. Geriatricians have become disengaged over the past two decades, as a result of social policies rather than clinical judgements. ⋯ This paper reports progress since then based on results of national surveys of geriatric medicine departments and primary care trusts in England. The results show that important deficiencies persist, though most respondents were in favour of greater specialist involvement. Some suggestions are made for ways to improve the shared care of residents in care homes.