GP articles from July 2006

GP archives from July 2006

Patient surveys 'are unreliable'.
July 21, 2006... GP efforts to improve services in line with patient survey findings may backfire because the accuracy of the data is 'questionable', according to UK statisticians. Last month, health minister Lord Warner said patient surveys would be...

Key to bladder cancer spread.(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... A key protein controlling the spread of bladder cancer has been discovered by US researchers. They found that the growth factor proepithelin plays a crucial role in metastasis, promoting migration and invasion of bladder cancer cells....

MPs demand limited formulary to cut costs.(prescribing costs)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... MPs have called for the DoH to consider introducing a limited formulary of medicines for general practice and charging patients who miss or fail to cancel GP appointments. A formulary would state which medicines could routinely be...

Colonoscopy delays stall screening plans.(diagnosis of cancers)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Roll-out of the national bowel cancer screening programme is being hampered by inadequate colonoscopy services, DoH figures show. Over 20 per cent of 41,628 patients in England sent for colonoscopy were waiting for six months or more, as...

Threefold risk of MS from type-1 diabetes.(Multiple Sclerosis)
July 21, 2006... Patients with type-1 diabetes have a threefold increased risk of developing MS, according to a Danish study. This contradicts previous research which found that the genetic configurations underpinning the two autoimmune disorders were...

Kawasaki disease raises coeliac risk.(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Children with Kawasaki disease may be at increased risk of coeliac disease, Italian researchers have claimed. Patients with the auto-immune disorder should be monitored for signs of gluten intolerance, they said. The study included 90...

Research brief: Cardiovascular risk with migraine.(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Women who report migraine with aura are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a 10-year US study has shown. It included 27,840 women aged 45 and over who did not have angina or CVD at baseline. The 1,434 who reported a history of...

Research brief: Predictors of recurrent child abuse.(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Children who have been maltreated in the past are six times as likely to be abused again than children with no history of maltreatment, according to a review of 16 studies. The increased risk was highest in the first month after an episode of...

Research brief: Swimming pool asthma link.(indoor swimming pools causes childhood asthma)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Indoor swimming pools may be responsible for increases in childhood asthma. Belgian researchers used data from a study of 190,000 European 13- to 14-year-olds to compare the rates of wheezing and atopic eczema with the number of swimming...

Research brief: Pain remedy lies with a snail.(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Researchers have developed a painkiller based on the venom of a tropical sea snail. The Conus magnus uses its venom to paralyse passing fish for its dinner, but the synthetic version of the drug, Prialt, is intended for use in the treatment...

Impotence prostate cancer sign.(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Impotence should be considered a warning sign for prostate cancer, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Academic Primary Care (SAPC), held in Keele, Staffordshire last week. The medical records of 217...

Revalidation may spark GP exodus.(general practitioner)
July 21, 2006... Thousands of GPs might retire early after the CMO announced plans for a more stringent revalidation regime and a cut in the threshold at which doctors can be struck off, GPs have warned. Under the plans, GPs could be struck off even if...

Test and treat for H pylori is 'no better than PPI use'.(Helicobacter pylori)(proton pump inhibitors)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Test and treat for Helicobacter pylori is neither more clinically effective nor more cost-effective than using proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for the treatment of dyspepsia, according to UK research presented at the SAPC annual meeting last...

ED symptoms are early warning of danger of CVD.(erectile dysfunction)(cardiovascular disease)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Men with erectile dysfunction (ED) should be monitored for cardiovascular disease, Italian researchers have said. They found that 279 out of 300 men with ED, angina and coronary artery disease had ED symptoms, on average, two years before...

Education drive.(general practice at united kingdom has better disease management)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... UK general practice has better disease management and continuing education than health systems in Ireland, Portugal and Spain, according to a recently-retired GP. North-west London GP Dr Gerald Michael (pictured) is driving to all 25 EU...

GP to the rescue.(general practitioner)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... A Surrey GP's six-month battle to claim more than pounds 300 in fees for insurance reports he completed for a medical reporting firm has ended successfully, thanks to GP. Dr Raghunath Lall, of The Surgery in Mitcham, carried out reports in...

Exclusive: GPs lose right to first refusal on vacancies.(general practitioners)
July 21, 2006... GPs have lost any right to preferred-provider status in offering their services to PCTs, according to legal advice. North Manchester PCT has been advised by Hempsons, its solicitors, that its obligations under European Union law require...

Child pneumococcal jabs from September.(care and treatment of Meningiti)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Routine pneumococcal vaccination of children aged under two will be rolled out across England and Wales from 4 September, the DoH announced last week. In addition, the meningitis C vaccination at age two months will be replaced by a...

CMO Revalidation Report: CMO backs knowledge tests for revalidation.
July 21, 2006... How revalidation will work and the changes the GMC will undergo. GPs may have to prove their fitness to practise through knowledge tests, observation of their work and detailed clinical audits every five years, under plans set out last...

GMC to be stripped of power to adjudicate.(General Medical Council)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... The GMC's regulatory powers will be cut back and its membership radically overhauled under the CMO's plans. In a report last week, Sir Liam Donaldson said that members of the council should be appointed independently by the Public...

OTC shift will boost use of 'ineffective' drops.
July 21, 2006... Academic Primary Care 2006 - OTC eye drops, arthritis, diabetes and statin use. The shift of chloramphenicol eye drops to OTC is likely to increase their use for acute infective conjunctivitis, even though the treatment is largely...

Pre-diabetes twice as risky in south Asians.(Type 2 diabetes )(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Pre-diabetes is more than twice as likely to progress to type-two diabetes in south Asians as in white Europeans, according to UK research presented at the meeting. South Asians also developed pre-diabetes an average of six years earlier...

Statins lower BP as well as cholesterol.(blood pressure)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Statins could improve BP independently of their cholesterol-lowering ability, say UK and Italian researchers. Their meta-analysis of 20 trials, involving a total of 887 patients, showed that statins reduced systolic BP by an average of...

Call for practical knee pain guideline.(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... A practical model for primary care management of pain in knee osteoarthritis is needed, according to experts speaking at the meeting. Although a number of guidelines exist, confusion over best practice remains, with many first-step...

Meet patients' needs through PBC, says DoH.(Department of Health)(practice-based commissioning)
July 21, 2006... GPs should become involved in practice-based commissioning (PBC) to demonstrate their responsiveness to patients' needs, according to health minister Rosie Winterton. Speaking to GP, the minister, who is responsible for patient and...

NHS 'clean-up act' causes job losses.(management of hospitals)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... An estimated 15,000 job losses across hospital trusts in England are the result of the NHS 'cleaning up its act', according to health minister Lord Warner. Speaking during a podcast for the Doctor's Net website, Lord Warner said there...

The danger of humidity.(myocardial infarction )(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... A Greek study has found that high humidity increases the risk of MI, regardless of temperature. The researchers compared MI rates with monthly weather reports in Athens over 2001, and found the rates of MI were highest in June and December....

Removal from list is the main complaint cause.
July 21, 2006... Removal of patients from practice lists accounted for 23 per cent of complaints against GPs in 2005/6 the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has reported. Until 2004, a GP could remove a patient from a list without giving a...

Natural World.(Suffolk practice has chosen complementary health as inspiration for its latest art exhibition)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... A Suffolk practice has chosen complementary health as inspiration for its latest art exhibition. Artist-in-residence Anna Dixon-Smith involved local nursery school children in developing the work at the Stowhealth practice in Stowmarket,...

Nurses demand PBC involvement.(practice-based commissioning)
July 21, 2006... Practice nurses feel GPs are preventing them from becoming involved in practice-based commissioning (PBC). Royal College of Nursing primary care adviser Lynn Young said PBC was heavily dominated by doctors at the moment and the college...

35% of GPs' work to be done by nurses.(general practitioner)(practices of nurses)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Practice nurses will take on up to 35 per cent of traditional GP work under White Paper plans for primary care, according to a leading GP clinician. Professor Mike Kirby, director of the Hertfordshire Primary Care Research Network and a...

Free software available to help triage patients.(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Practices are being offered a free software program to help them prioritise patient queues. Software company Plain Healthcare is offering free use of the Odyssey Receptionist Assessment program if practices report back on how they made...

New GPs likely to seek full-time partnership.(management)
July 21, 2006... A GP poll has revealed that in future more GPs may work full-time. The rise of the part-time GP may not be as inexorable as DoH figures have suggested, according to a snapshot poll of future GPs. Fears about the future of general...

Behind the Headlines: Can lab-grown sperm restore fertility?(treatment of Male infertility)
July 21, 2006... Sperm grown in vitro could lead to new treatments for infertile men, writes Emma Baines. What is the story? Men may soon be redundant, according to media reports claiming that a breakthrough in stem cell technology meant people would...

Opinion: Connoisseur of the abscess.
July 21, 2006... I used to work with a nurse who can only be described as a connoisseur of the abscess. 'I think we'd better lance this today,' I'd say, although this was just foreplay. 'Mmm, I don't think so,' she'd muse, eyeing it keenly, maybe...

Opinion: It ain't over till the fat lady explodes.(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Multidisciplinary learning is a bit of a buzz phrase these days, and I try to do my part. I read recently that the media has discovered intermittent explosive disorder (IED), a condition that reportedly affects as many as 7.3 per cent of us....

Editorial: The CMO's broad strokes need refinement.(Chief Medical Officer)(Editorial)
July 21, 2006... The CMO's much delayed and greatly anticipated report on medical regulation is long on words, but short on the details of how the vision of fitness-to-practise and relicensing will actually work. The report's 200-plus pages outline in...

Opinion: Chris Lancelot on ... The writing on the wall.(primary care nursing)
July 21, 2006... If you want an example of the DoH at its most crass - and to realise just what it does behind your back - then log on to www.nhs.uk and search for your own practice (if the site is still online, use the menu on the left, click on 'Doctors',...

Clinical: Journals Watch - Twins, MRSA and rectal bleeds.
July 21, 2006... Too busy to read the journals? Let Dr Honor Merriman be your guide to the latest research. Why are older mothers more likely to have twins? Hum Reprod 2006: 21: 1,531-2 Twins (dizygotic) are commoner in families with other twins....

Clinical: Clinical Q&A - Renal tumours, dipstick tests and headache.(diagnosis, care and treatments)
July 21, 2006... Our team of experts answer your questions on headaches, hypertension and urine tests. Should we change patients from atenolol despite the fact their BP is well-controlled? That is a difficult question to answer. The temptation is...

Clinical: Flying with a respiratory disease.(tips for chronic obstructive lung disease patients to avoid risks during air travel)
July 21, 2006... Patients with COPD and asthma should always carry medication when flying. Respiratory disease is responsible for 5-10 per cent of all in-flight medical emergencies, the largest single cause being asthma. Aircraft cabins are...

Clinical: Viewpoint - Pharmacy scrips will benefit migraine sufferers.(sumatriptan used for the treatment of migraine)
July 21, 2006... The move of sumatriptan to pharmacy prescription is good news for patients, says Dr Andrew J Dowson. The recent decision of the MHRA to approve the switch of sumatriptan 50mg tablets from POM to pharmacy prescription (P) status indicated...

Clinical: Websites on urinary tract infections.(Website overview)
July 21, 2006... Dr Keith Barnard recommends websites relating to this week's Clinical Review. FEMALE UTI This is one of those all-you-need-to know and a bit more articles. If you are studying for an exam or want to revise your knowledge in...

Clinical: Equipment Review - Versatile ECG is both simple and portable.(Electrocardiography)
July 21, 2006... A good ECG can save you time and cut referral rates. Dr Raj Thakkar tests the CP100. GPs are diagnosing and treating complex medical conditions, such as heart disease, more than ever before. The shift from hospital-based care to medicine...

Clinical: UTIs in adults.(urinary tract infection)
July 21, 2006... Contributed by Dr Pushpam Chadha, GP locum in London and and Dr Josip Car, post-doctoral research fellow, department of primary care and social medicine, Imperial College London. 1. EPIDEMIOLOGY AND AETIOLOGY Epidemiology UTIs...

Registrar: A Problem Shared - Urgent call for patient information.
July 21, 2006... A dentist asks you for details from a patient's history over the phone. What should you do? THE PROBLEM A dentist calls you to enquire about a possible clotting condition in a young teenage patient from your practice who is due to...

Registrar: How to ... arrange maternity leave as a registrar.(rules for salaried employees)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... - Know your rights You are protected against unfair treatment or dismissal on the grounds of pregnancy and childbirth. You are also entitled to paid leave for antenatal care and at least 26 weeks' ordinary maternity leave. - Tell...

Registrar: Jargon Buster - Working in Partnership Programme (WiPP).(vocational training scheme)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... What is it? WiPP was developed under the new GMS contract to support general practice with workload and capacity issues. What is it doing? A total of 13 initiatives have been developed to improve workload management in general...

Registrar: The benefits of the polypill.(polypill contains six drugs to prevent cardiovascular diseases )
July 21, 2006... Current situation - There is great interest in the possible introduction of the 'polypill' to reduce cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the UK. - The concept of the polypill was proposed by Professor Nicholas Wald and Professor Malcolm...

Registrar: Pictorial Case Study.(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... THE CASE A 30-year-old man presented with a painful rash on his legs. He felt generally lethargic but was most concerned because the rash was causing him great discomfort. He was in good health and on no regular medication. Raised...

MedEconomics: Public Speaking - How to ... improve your public speaking.(practice of general practitioners)
July 21, 2006... Addressing an audience may be daunting, but with practice it can be enjoyable, writes Jennifer Taylor. As a GP you are likely to be called on to address an audience from time to time, whether it is delivering a clinical lecture, speaking...

MedEconomics: Retirement, taxation and premises.(National Health Service rules)
July 21, 2006... PENSIONS My partner is planning to retire in 2007. Because his accumulated NHS pension is above the pounds 1.5 million lifetime limit, he has offered to pass on his share of the primary care organisation's (PCO's) superannuation funding...

MedEconomics: Beat the twists and turns of the market - Investments.(market research)
July 21, 2006... Keen to invest but afraid of losing money? Liz Willis offers some advice. My advice to GPs about to ride on the stock market rollercoaster is always the same: running an investment portfolio on the basis of getting your timing right...

MedEconomics: Practice-based commissioning advice.(primary care trusts)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Our webcast will help you tackle practice-based commissioning, writes Lucie Benson. If you have any unanswered questions on practice-based commissioning (PBC), want to share your concerns with your peers, or learn more about the issues...

MedEconomics: Buying and selling goodwill.
July 21, 2006... Intangible assets are bargaining chips in the primary care market, says Laurence Slavin. Hardly a week goes by without news stories in GP concerning the expanding role of the private sector in primary care. On a parallel but related...

MedEconomics: Your views on hot primary care issues - Your Practice 2010.(practice-based commissioning)
July 21, 2006... Grass-roots GPs share their views on the future path for general practice [TX] As part of our 'Your Practice 2010' debate, we asked a straw poll of GPs for their views on whether practice-based commissioning (PBC) was a crucial factor in...

MedEconomics: Recruiting healthcare assistants in general practice.(Working in Partnership Programme)
July 21, 2006... HCAs could be a bonus to your practice, say Dr Ruth Chambers and Anne Longbottom. Last month, the Working in Partnership Programme (WiPP) launched the 'Healthcare Assistant Tool Kit', which was developed to support the recruitment,...

GP Life: A classic dream realised.(general practitioners)
July 21, 2006... It was a warm June weekend - the kind of weather that brings out prized, well-protected classic cars, driven by enthusiastic owners in trailing neck-scarves. This weekend it was my turn. The E-type Jaguar that was delivered to me was an icon...

GP Life: Exclusive mortgage rates for readers of GP.(Savills Private Finance)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... GP is linking up with Savills Private Finance (SPF), one of the UK's leading independent mortgage brokers, to offer readers a selection of exclusive mortgage deals. This is the latest in a series of partnerships that GP has launched with...

GP Life: Last chance to win a gadget.
July 21, 2006... Stuff's Hot Buy portable MP3 Apple iPod, pounds 300 The video-iPod is here. Yes, the 2.5-inch screen is too small to watch full-length movies. But it is the same price as the old iPod and is still the best music player. We selected the...

GP Life: When I travel I always take ... my solar-powered radio.(general practitioner)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Model: Freeplay Ranger AM/FM pounds 29.99+postage Model: Freeplay Devo DAB pounds 79.99+postage Available: www.simplyradios.com - (01273) 440 948 Why? Because it is extremely handy not to need an external power source. What's...

GP Life: Differential Planting - Agapanthus campanulatus Alliaceae Vs Allium hollandicum.(Chart)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... AGAPANTHUS CAMPANULATUS ALLIACEAE - African blue lily from Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho. - Flowers of love. - Deciduous, narrow strap-shaped greyish green leaves. - Pale to dark blue, bell-shaped flowers, mid to late summer....

GP Life: I'll be your bartender for the night - www.thevirtualbar.com.(search by drink type including non-alcoholic drinks)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... With about 4,000-5,000 drinks in its database, this site is a dream come true for any budding barman. You can search by drink type including non-alcoholic drinks, by ingredient from Advocaat to Zima, or by name from A Day at the Beach to...

GP Life: A great climate for sensational wines.(climate and topography)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... The vine first came to South America in the mid-16th Century with early Christian missionaries who used the grapes to make communion wine. As South America became more colonised, winemaking spread. The success of Chilean wine comes...

GP Life: Tasting Time.
July 21, 2006... Chile's Estampa Gold Assemblage Reserve, Vina Estampa 2002 (pounds 9.60). Its 55% Syrah gives deep concentration, jammy aromas and a lasting tannic backbone. The rich fruit flavours are wonderfully integrated with caramel and vanilla...

Plain Tales from the Surgery.(usage of paracetamol)
July 21, 2006... HEARING DIFFICULTY One of my patients, a lady who had been suffering from severe sciatica for several months, was not amused when I read aloud to her the osteopath's report. 'What's the matter?' I asked. 'How dare he say it's...

Independent Nurse: Medical Care Practitioners - Nurse educators condemn the DoH consultation on MCP role.(medical care practitioner )
July 21, 2006... Advanced nursing educators have criticised the government for failing to publicise or deal with issues raised during its consultation on medical care practitioner (MCP) competencies. The Association of Advanced Nursing Practice Educators...

Independent Nurse: Vaccination - September start for new pneumococcal campaign.(national health services)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... The new pneumococcal vaccine programme will start on 4 September this year, the DoH has announced. Last week the chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson, NHS Employers and the BMA's GP committee said they had resolved negotiations over...

Independent Nurse: District Nursing - DoH to review nurse education.(Department of Health)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... The DoH has confirmed that it is reviewing district nurse education to see if it is 'fit for purpose'. It will be part of a general review by chief nursing officer Christine Beasley of all nursing careers. The recommendations are due to...

Independent Nurse: Kidney disease - Draft CKD guidance conflicts with QOF.(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with proteinuria should be treated with ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) irrespective of BP, according to draft guidelines from the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network...

Independent Nurse: Child Health - Regular ear infections caused by biofilms.(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Children who present regularly with ear infections should not be treated with antibiotics, according to US researchers. They found that almost all the children they investigated with chronic otitis media had a type of bacterial infection...

Independent Nurse: News in brief - Stop Press.(non-medical regulation)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... As Independent Nurse went to press, the DoH was set to publish the results of its review into non-medical regulation. Further details can be found on our website www.independentnurse.co.uk.

Independent Nurse: News in brief - HCAS.(Human Capital Advisory Services)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... An online, interactive toolkit helping practices to train and integrate healthcare assistants has been launched by the NHS Working in Partnership Programme. The toolkit offers guidance on job descriptions, appraisals and advice around further...

Independent Nurse: News in brief - School nurses.(secondary school)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... The government has admitted that it has only increased the number of full time equivalent, registered school nurses in the NHS by 87 (10 per cent) since 2004. Every secondary school should have a school nurse by 2010. Currently there are 665...

Independent Nurse: News in brief - Social enterprise.(department of health)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... The DoH has released a report to help PCTs ensure a fair playing field for social enterprise and voluntary providers when commissioning. The report also gives advice to third sector providers on how to adapt their behaviour when bidding for...

Independent Nurse: News in brief - Central Surrey Health.(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... East Elmbridge and Mid-Surrey PCT has deferred the start date of a flagship nurse-led social enterprise that will provide nursing and therapist services. The move follows union claims that most staff do not want to transfer to the company...

Independent Nurse: News in brief - Community matrons.(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... The DoH has backtracked over its confirmation that community matrons will not have to be advanced nurse practitioners. A spokesperson said a final decision on the matter would now be made later in the year.

Independent Nurse: Nurse prescribing - Trainee prescribers may need clinical examination course.(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Practice nurses are divided over whether nurse prescribers should have to take a module in clinical examination before doing a prescribing course. Sheena Williamson, nurse prescribing programme director at Stirling University and...

Independent Nurse: Vital statistics - Chlamydia and men.(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... 13% increase in heterosexual men diagnosed with chlamydia between 2003 and 2004 250% increase in people with chlamydia over the past 10 years 1 in 10 of those tested for chlamydia in 2004/5 were men The Men's Health Forum is...

Independent Nurse: Journals Watch - Prevalence of autism may be higher than previously thought.(Brief article)(Clinical report)
July 21, 2006... UK researchers examined over 500 children aged 1-10 years in south London and found the total prevalence of children with autism and related disorders was 116 per 10,000. Previous estimates put the figure at 44 per 10,000. (Lancet...

Independent Nurse: Journals Watch - Retinal photography could help assess CHD risk.(Coronary Heart Disease)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... UK researchers analysed small veins and arteries in the eyes of more than 3,600 men and women over the age of 49 by looking at detailed photos and diameter measurements. In people with wider veins the risk of death doubled while women also...

Independent Nurse: Journals Watch - Statins could halve risk of pneumonia in diabetics.(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Dutch researchers analysed data from the UK General Practice Research Database on 4,719 patients with type-1 or type-2 diabetes and pneumonia. After comparing them with 15,322 diabetic controls they found statin users had a 51 per cent...

Independent Nurse: Journals Watch - Weightlifting for kids.(heavier toys burn more calories)(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... The problem of obesity in children can be tackled by giving them heavier toys to play with. Children given weighted blocks expended more calories, researchers from Indiana State University told a meeting of the American College of Sports...

Independent Nurse: NHS Reform - Unions want meeting with PM on reforms.(national health service)(prime minister )(Brief article)
July 21, 2006... Nursing unions and the BMA will seek a meeting with prime minister Tony Blair to argue against the creeping privatisation of the NHS. Amicus, Unison, the GMB, the TGWU, the RCN and the BMA met last week and agreed to take the...