Articles: ninos.
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Preventative medicine has become a central focus in primary care provision, with greater emphasis on education and access to health care screening. The Department of Health reports existing health inequalities and inequalities in access within ethnic minority groups. Studies assessing the value of community engagement in primary care have reported variable outcomes in term of subsequent service utilisation. ⋯ This study clearly demonstrates the value of targeted community-led screening and education events in public health promotion. There was a significant benefit in providing community-based screening. There is a need for a longitudinal analysis to determine the impact on health outcomes and long-term access to healthcare provision.
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Dementia is a global public health challenge, the significant consequences of which are recognised in global and national health policies. Despite approaches to improve the implementation of evidence-based dementia care in primary care and the inclusion of indicators for dementia in the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), there is consistent evidence that people with dementia and their family carers lack access to care which meets their needs. ⋯ The research plan for the second stage will be presented.
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Stroke is a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Major advances have occurred in secondary prevention of stroke/transient ischaemic attack (TIA) during the past three decades. Primary care is a critical point of contact with patients in the implementation of secondary prevention, with the majority of patients with past stroke/TIA being managed in the community. ⋯ It was found that both practices implemented the guidelines to a satisfactory degree. However, to further improve secondary prevention outreach, bleeding risk should be assessed using a tool such as S2TOP-BLEED before withholding antithrombotic therapy, as, on balance, antithrombotic therapy may still be preferable. In addition, accurate and detailed documentation of the indications/contraindications to anticoagulation is paramount for such assessment.
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Gout is one of the most common inflammatory joint diseases in the UK managed by GPs. The recent (2017) guideline of the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) changed the recommendation for urate-lowering therapy (ULT) and now advises it after the first episode of gout, whereas it previously recommended after the second one. Moreover, the BSR now also recommends screening and management of risk factors of gout. ⋯ Most patients diagnosed with a first gout attack have risk factors of gout and require their management. Overall, allopurinol is prescribed in a fifth of patients, which may be related to patients' preferences, strict adherence to lifestyle modification only, or presence of contraindications to allopurinol. This requires, however, further assessment.
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Caloric restriction is an effective way to treat type 2 diabetes (DM2). However, chronic restriction of food intake is difficult to sustain. Intermittent total fasting exerts similar metabolic effects, but may be even more challenging for most patients. A fasting mimicking diet (FMD) was designed to achieve the metabolic benefits of total fasting, despite considerable calorie content. The effects of a FMD in DM2 patients are still unknown. ⋯ Our results will show whether monthly cycles of a FMD are feasible in clinical practice, if they improve metabolic parameters and/or reduce the need for medication in DM2 and if this is a cost-effective intervention.