GP articles from March 2006, page 4

GP archives from March 2006

MedEconomics: Accountability, retiring early and childcare.(enhanced services for General Practitioners)
March 17, 2006... FUNDING Our PCT has issued a template prior to our annual review meeting. However, three of the pieces of information they require concern me. They request that we provide details of how the practice has invested additional funding...

MedEconomics: The waiting room health quiz.(waiting room patients need health quiz)
March 17, 2006... Dr Mahibur Rahman has devised a health promotion quiz for patients. During my time as a registrar at the Dyfed Road Surgery, West Glamorgan, I created an interactive health promotion tool for patients that led to my winning an RCGP GP...

MedEconomics: Three reasons why... I use RepAid.(speed, ease of use, and support)(Brief article)
March 17, 2006... This piece of software is invaluable for many GPs, says Dr Gio Caranci. RepAid is a brilliant piece of software that will revolutionise how you do reports. It is for people who use either system 6000 or Synergy clinical systems from...

GP Life: Adventures in Madagascar.(ltravel of General Practitioners)
March 17, 2006... A destination growing in popularity, Madagascar appealed to amateur naturalists Dr Bruce and Dr Sarah Herriot for the chance of a rare lemur sighting. Our daughter Kate was on a gap year trip to Madagascar and it was too good an...

GP Life: Team time - Practice makes poker.(gambling)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... I have an admission. I love gambling. Well, actually, I love playing cards for money. Ever since playing three-card brag with my school pals, I've had the bug. Instead of preparing for my future, I was in the common room earning hard cash to...

GP Life: Make Mother's Day extra special.(general practitioners family)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... A well-considered present of wine could garner favours throughout the year, suggests Alan Johnson. Most women adore sparkling wine or a good bottle of champagne. With this in mind, Mothers' Day is on 26 March - an occasion when rose may...

GP Life: Tasting Time.(General Practitioners celebrates with wines)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... The wines below are all available via www.elegusto.co.uk/GP GOSSET PINK CHAMPAGNE POUNDS 34.50 - One of only a few so highly regarded worldwide, full of strawberry fruitiness, balance and elegance. JUVE Y CAMPS CAVA POUNDS 8.95 - A...

GP Life: The world from above - www.earth.google.com.(website for General Practitioners )(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... The New York Times recommends this site for those who have dreamt of flying. Dr Bryan Palmer spins the globe. Google Earth is, essentially, a globe sitting in your PC - and an interactive one at that. Give it your postcode, and it will...

Plain Tales From The Surgery.(news from medical field)(Brief article)
March 17, 2006... HOT TOPIC As I grow older I become more sympathetic towards patients who are prepared to undergo extreme cosmetic surgery to try to preserve their youth. Dermobrasion is now commonplace, but I was slightly alarmed when one of my...

More power to the placebo.
March 17, 2006... Miss Listless, who never gets out of bed, feels she needs a pick-me-up. Miss Listless is the size of a cricket team so it would have to be a forklift truck, but that's what happens when you do nothing but watch DVDs and eat chocolate....

Independent Nurse: Hot weather causes raised blood pressure at night in elderly people.(research)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... Hot weather is associated with raised night-time systolic blood pressure (BP) in elderly patients being treated for hypertension, according to Italian research. Study lead Professor Pietro Modesti, a professor of general medicine at the...

Independent Nurse: Pregnant women are not eating enough.(gaining weight)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... Pregnant women are more concerned about not gaining weight than ensuring they are eating the recommended calorie intake, a survey of Manchester women has found. The study also showed pregnant women were taking in less iron, fibre and...

Independent Nurse: Mentally ill should be screened for CHD.(coronary heart disease)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... Patients with severe mental illness should be screened for CHD, UK researchers have concluded. Those with severe mental illness were almost twice as likely to have a raised 10-year CHD risk compared with other patients, as well as raised...

Independent Nurse: Journals Watch - Medication did not contribute to declines in blood pressure.(research)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... A Scottish study analysed patterns of blood pressure decline across 38 populations in 21 countries from the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. The averaged results showed that blood pressure fell equally at all levels of readings in all populations,...

Independent Nurse: Journals Watch - Oral contraceptives may cause headaches.(study)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... Norwegian researchers questioned 27,700 women, including 14,353 premenopausal women, about their contraceptive use and headaches. They found a significant association between headaches, including migraines, and use of oral contraceptives...

Independent Nurse: Journals Watch - Interaction between fluconazole and warfarin.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... A small study of six women taking warfarin for more than six months measured their prothrombin time (PT) before and after taking doses of fluconazole for thrush. They found PT increased by 34 per cent five days later. Based on the findings,...

Independent Nurse: Journals Watch - Prostate grown by women.(research)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... A human prostate has been grown from embryonic stem cells for the first time by a team of Australian researchers. The all-female research team hopes the technique will help scientists develop treatments for prostate disease by allowing them...

Independent Nurse: Prescribing - New PCT formularies may limit nurse prescribing.(rules of Primary Care Trusts)
March 17, 2006... Nurses could still face tight prescribing restrictions despite law changes enabling them to prescribe from the full formulary. Independent nurse prescribers in England should be able to prescribe from the full formulary this spring but...

Independent Nurse: Prescribing - Glandular fever link.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... A seven-year Australian study tracking the long term health of 39 individuals infected with Epstein-Barr virus found eight patients developed a 'post-infective fatigue syndrome' lasting six months or longer. Researchers said neither the virus...

Independent Nurse: Prescribing - NMC is divided over child prescribing risk.(Nursing Midwifery Council )(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... The president of the NMC, Jon-athan Asbridge, will meet with other healthcare regulators after concerns that non-medical prescribers are not required to have a separate qualification to prescribe for children. Council members told the...

Independent Nurse: Prescribing - Government looks at CVD screening plans.(screening of Cardiovascular Diseases)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... The government is considering introducing a screening programme for everyone over the age of 40 for heart disease and stroke. It follows a similar recommendation made in the Joint British Societies revised guidelines on CVD prevention...

Independent Nurse: What The Papers Said.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... 'Does using deodorants raise breast cancer risk?' - Daily Mail 'That spray under your arm could be a breast cancer link' - Western Mail 'Deodorants alert' - Daily Express WHAT DID THE PRESS SAY? Chemicals in deodorants that...

Independent Nurse: Big increase in misconduct hearings will force up nurse registration fees.
March 17, 2006... Nurse registration fees will rise next year to cover the soaring number of investigations and hearings into professional misconduct. The number of investigations and preliminary hearings has jumped from 822 to 1,396 while the number of...

Independent Nurse: RCN seeks views on social enterprises.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... The RCN is asking members for their views on social enterprises after it published a policy briefing on the issue last week. A survey on the RCN website asks about members' awareness of and support for social enterprises. In its...

Independent Nurse: Legal action blocks outsourced practices.(UnitedHealth Europe)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... A high court judge has temporarily barred UnitedHealth Europe from signing a contract to take over two general practices in England. North Eastern Derbyshire PCT named the US giant as preferred bidder to run surgeries in Creswell and...

Independent Nurse: Vital Statistics - Care after a stroke.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... 35% of stroke sufferers felt their GP did not know enough about stroke treatment 89% of patients who wanted a home visit from their GP or nurse got one 59% felt they had not been involved in decisions about their care The...

Independent Nurse: Advice for nurses setting up services.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... More primary care nurses will provide their own services than took up PMS opportunities, a nurse entrepreneur has predicted. Kate Cernik, who has set up a small training company with a GP and a primary care manager in Liverpool, is...

Independent Nurse: Link between bad air and heart disease.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... The link between air pollution and heart disease has been confirmed in a report from the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution. In the first UK investigation of the issue the report states worsening CVD is directly linked to...

Independent Nurse: NICE speeds up its obesity guidelines.(National Institute for Clinical Excellence )(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... NICE is due to issue draft guidance on obesity later this month after a joint report from the Healthcare Commission, the Audit Commission and the National Audit Office criticised delays in publishing guidance and said health professionals...

Independent Nurse: World Outbreak Information - Week beginning 13 March.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... ETHIOPIA There have been reports of cases of visceral leishmaniasis throughout the lowland regions last month. This unpleasant parasitic disease is transmitted by infected sandflies and can cause chronic illness with fever and weight...

Independent Nurse: News Focus - Regulation set for crucial overhaul.
March 17, 2006... As the number of healthcare providers increases, Tamsin Snow examines the impact this will have on regulation. The radical shake-up of the NHS will see British and foreign companies, frontline clinicians from home and abroad, and...

Independent Nurse: Editorial - Financial crisis must not hit patient care.(Editorial)
March 17, 2006... Last week Sir Nigel Crisp stepped down from his position as chief executive of the NHS. His departure highlights the seriousness of the financial crisis engulfing the NHS in England. Last September the strategic health authorities...

Independent Nurse: Opinion - Why first impressions will really count.
March 17, 2006... In this 'patient-led NHS' the perception of patients and the public is going to be increasingly important. It could help determine where contracts are placed and who gets what work, which means how we come across will be vitally important....

Independent Nurse: Opinion - Will White Paper help improve care?(Long-Term Medical Conditions Alliance )
March 17, 2006... Key issues will need addressing if those with long-term conditions are to benefit from DoH plan, says David Pink. Before the last general election, the Long-Term Medical Conditions Alliance (LMCA), in partnership with other key...

Independent Nurse: Clinical - Interventions to combat osteoporotic fracture.
March 17, 2006... In the second part of her osteoporosis overview Penny Bainbridge covers the preventive treatments available for those at risk of fractures. As stated last week, osteoporosis is often called the 'silent disease' because it exhibits no...

Independent Nurse: Clinical - Managing obesity in severe mental illness.
March 17, 2006... Obesity Awareness Week runs from 13 to 19 March. Those with severe mental illness are notably at risk, says Dr Richard IG Holt. Obesity reduces life expectancy by around nine years and accounts for 30,000 deaths in the UK per annum. In...

Independent Nurse: Clinical - T'ai chi used as therapy.
March 17, 2006... T'ai chi is growing in popularity. Professor Edzard Ernst casts an eye over the evidence for its therapeutic use. T'ai chi is a system of movements and postures rooted in ancient Chinese philosophy and martial arts, used to enhance mental...

Independent Nurse: Clinical - At a Glance - Erythema infectiosum.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... AETIOLOGY - Also known as fifth disease and caused by parvovirus B19. - Most common between the ages of four to 10 years. - Incubation period is four to 14 days. - Most common in late winter and spring; localised outbreaks...

Independent Nurse: Clinical - At a Glance - Chondrodermatitis nodularis helicis.(Brief Article)(Illustration)
March 17, 2006... AETIOLOGY - Inflammatory condition affecting the ear. - May follow damage by cold, pressure or trauma. - Most common in men after middle age. - Focal pressure on cartilage probably produces damage to cartilage and overlying skin. -...

Independent Nurse: Clinical Focus - Type-1 diabetes.
March 17, 2006... Overall key points - Type-1 diabetes is usually due to autoimmune damage of pancreatic beta cells. - Incidence of the condition is rising by 3 to 4 per cent per year in Europe. - A basal bolus insulin regimen offers the most...

Independent Nurse: Professional - Enabling patients to return.(Employment advisers change patients to work)
March 17, 2006... Placing employment advisers in GP surgeries can help to support some patients' return to the workplace and may also have a positive impact on the number of nurse and doctor consultations, writes Julie Griffiths. Sarah Field is just one...

Independent Nurse: Professional - Reducing missed appointments.(tips to patients for regularity)
March 17, 2006... Patients who fail to turn up waste consultation time. Kathie Applebee offers some tips to ensure attendance. Patients who do not attend appointments (DNAs) are generally seen as time-wasting nuisances, although it has to be admitted that...

Independent Nurse: Professional - Career development - Career Profile - Jane Gray, Leicester.(services of consultant nurse)(Interview)
March 17, 2006... WHY DID YOU BECOME A NURSE? Even as a child I knew I wanted to work with people in a caring role. HOW HAS YOUR CAREER DEVELOPED SINCE YOU STARTED NURSING? I spent several years in secondary care gaining a background in general...

Independent Nurse: Professional - Jargon Buster.(Expert Patients Programme )(Brief Article)
March 17, 2006... Expert Patients Programme (EPP) What is it? EPP, first piloted in 2001, is an NHS programme in England and Wales, designed to spread self-care skills to patients with long-term conditions (LTCs), using trained non-medical leaders as...

Independent Nurse: Professional - Worth a Look - Website PRODIGY Knowledge.(Knowledge website)(Brief article)
March 17, 2006... www.prodigy.nhs.uk The PRODIGY Knowledge website has been redesigned and updated, offering improved site navigation, a better search facility and reorganised content. The revamped site, provides an up-to-date source of clinical...

Amoebae harbour MRSA.(Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... MRSA has been found to infect and replicate inside a widespread species of amoeba, Acanthamoeba polyphaga (www.blackwell-synergy.com/loi/emi). Researchers warned that other bacteria that hide inside amoebae might also be more likely to be...

Scottish guidance backs drugs for mild dementia.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... NICE has come under further pressure to change draft guidelines on drugs for Alzheimer's disease after Scottish guidelines backed using the drugs for patients with mild forms of the disease, as well as moderate-to-severe forms. The...

Exclusive - 'Let GPs control purse strings for social care'.
March 10, 2006... GPs should be able to commission health and social care from a single budget, according to a joint DoH and GP task force. The government 'bottled out' of a greater merger between health and social care in the recent White Paper, 'Our...

Sir Nigel steps down as NHS chief.(Sir Nigel Crisp retired from National Health Service)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... Sir Nigel Crisp is taking early retirement at the end of the month from his role as chief executive of the NHS. His departure follows recent problems with the Payments by Results tariff, which had to be withdrawn due to errors, and...

BP affected by the weather.(health aspects of blood pressure)
March 10, 2006... Patients whose hypertension is well controlled might suffer increases of night-time BP and greater morning BP surges in the summer, despite having lower BP during the day, according to Italian research. The researchers followed 6,404...

CHD risk scores underestimate deprivation effect.(cardiovascular )(Risk factors of Coronary heart disease)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... Framingham risk scores underestimate the impact of deprivation on cardiovascular risk, according to a Scottish heart health extended cohort study. The researchers compared the actual coronary event rate over 10 years with the Framingham...

Research brief: Fish for the mind.(omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil improve mental health)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... A diet high in omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil might improve mental health, according to research presented last week at the 64th annual scientific meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society in Denver, Colorado. The study of 106...

Research brief: RA not a hearing loss risk.(risk factors of rheumatoid arthritis)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are no more likely to develop hearing loss than other patients of the same age, according to the results of a US study presented at the American Auditory Society annual meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona....

Research brief: Damp houses increase asthma risk.(surveys of asthma patients who are living in damp houses)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... A survey of Scandinavian patients found that the 18 per cent of patients who reported living in damp housing had a 36 per cent increased prevalence of wheeze, were nearly twice as likely to suffer nocturnal breathlessness and had a 28 per...

Research brief: Prostate grown by women.(health aspects of women)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... A human prostate has been grown from embryonic stem cells for the first time by a team of Australian researchers. The all-female research team hopes the technique will help scientists develop treatments for prostate disease by allowing them...

Exclusive - Call to keep data from private firms.(United Health Europe)
March 10, 2006... GPs in the West Midlands are being warned to 'think very carefully' before allowing practice data to be seen by private providers such as UnitedHealth Europe (UHE). UHE has signed a two-year contract worth more than pounds 500,000 with...

Stroke patients 'are happy with GP care'.(stroke patients are satisfied with the services given by general practitioners)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... Patients are generally satisfied with the care they receive from their GP after a stroke, but are less satisfied with other out-of-hospital services, the Healthcare Commission has found. The Commission surveyed 850 stroke patients during...

Antidepressants increase child suicidal thoughts.(risk factors of antidepressants )(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... Up to 3 per cent of children taking antidepressants might have increased suicidal thoughts or behaviour due to their medication, US researchers have said. A meta-analysis of 24 trials of nine widely used antidepressants in more than...

On your bike.(health promotion program by cycling around cuba)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... Suffolk GP Dr Karol Silovsky battled head winds and unseasonably high temperatures to raise pounds 4,000 for the Breast Cancer Campaign by cycling around Cuba. Before the trip, Dr Silovsky was only an occasional cyclist. 'It may sound like a...

Pounds 3,700 penalty for GP's 'short' consultations.(General practitioners appeal with welsh assembly)
March 10, 2006... A GP has lodged an appeal with the Welsh Assembly after his primary care organisation (PCO) docked him pounds 3,700 because his average consultation length was shorter than the eight-minute target in the quality framework. Dr Prabodh...

PCT attempts to shut open-but-full GP lists.(Primary Care Trusts)(Brief article)
March 10, 2006... A PCT in Buckinghamshire has drafted a policy that could force practices with open-but-full lists to close them. The Vale of Aylesbury PCT draft policy asserts that where contractors wish not to register a patient they will have to use...

Scottish GPs lose out in overall DES fund allocation.(General practitioners)(directed enhanced services)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... Scottish practices will be eligible for only half the money available to English practices under new directed enhanced services (DESs), according to medical secretary of Argyll and Clyde LMC Dr John Ip. There will be pounds 12.6 million...

GPs to challenge cut in minor injuries pay.(General practitioners considering legal action against primary care trust)
March 10, 2006... GPs in Suffolk are considering legal action against their PCT for cutting funding for minor injuries from the pounds 50 per contact agreed in the GMS contract to just pounds 8. GPs say Suffolk West PCT told practices it could only afford...

Charity begins at home.(services of St Werburgh's Medical Centre for running clinics at a homeless charity)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... A bespoke service for homeless patients in Chester, Cheshire, run by a PMS practice is among the most innovative in the UK, researchers say. St Werburgh's Medical Centre was praised by University of Chester researchers for offering...

Predict shoulder pain outcomes.(analysis of shoulder pain)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... GPs can now calculate the expected long-term outcome of patients' shoulder pain using clinical prediction rules devised by Dutch researchers. The rules are based on an analysis of 587 patients who presented with shoulder pain. The...

Increases in registrar fees to be staggered.(General practitioners fees increases)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... The Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) has decided to stagger GP certification fee increases over the next few years. However, the final cost is likely to remain as proposed in consultations, at pounds 750 for...

Ethnicity record should cover all.(General practitioners want to expand for recording the ethnicity of all patients)
March 10, 2006... The ethnicity indicator included in the revised quality framework will be ignored by many practices because it is underfunded and clinically useless, GPs say. The indicator offers a single quality point - worth pounds 124 to an average...

Cleft palate delay.(infancts born with cleft palate are not diagnosed)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... Nearly three in 10 infants born with cleft palate are not diagnosed within 24 hours of birth, according to UK data. Out of 344 cleft palate patients, 28 per cent of patients were not diagnosed within the first day, with soft palate and narrow...

'Make all ethnicity codes eligible'.(standards of ethnicity read codes)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... The chairman of the GPC's IT subcommittee has demanded that all ethnicity Read codes available on practice IT systems become eligible for quality points. The revised quality framework offers practices the point for recording the...

Air pollution 'increases cardiovascular deaths'.
March 10, 2006... Air pollution aggravates cardiovascular disease (CVD) and might contribute to cardiovascular mortality, a committee that advises government departments has warned. The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution (COMEAP) was asked...

Sense of adventure.(use of adventure therapy to control overweight teenagers)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... Outward bound adventure activities are better than aerobics or other exercise classes for helping overweight teenagers to lose weight. A US study included 76 overweight teenagers assigned to 16 weeks of cognitive behavioural group treatment...

Avian flu guidance is revised.(Risk factors of Avian influenza)
March 10, 2006... GPs should inform their local health protection unit immediately of any patient who develops flu symptoms after close contact with sick, dead or dying birds, because of the risk of H5N1 infection, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) now...

Commissioning in chaos as DoH withdraws tariffs.(department of health)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... GPs gearing up for practice-based commissioning in England and PCTs budgeting for the year ahead have had their financial planning thrown into disarray by the abrupt withdrawal of the Payment by Results tariffs for 2006/7. The tariffs,...

Respiratory diagnoses are aided by new guide.(a guide for general practitioners developed by International Primary Care Respiratory Group)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... A comprehensive guide to help GPs differentiate between respiratory diseases has been produced by an international group on respiratory medicine. The guide was developed by the International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPCRG) and...

Treating migraine.(the best treatment for migraine prevention is acupuncture)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... Acupuncture is as good as standard treatment for migraine prevention, according to German research. The study of 960 patients who suffered two to six migraine attacks per month found the number of days on which patients suffered migraine was...

GMC appeals against Meadow ruling.(general medical council)
March 10, 2006... The GMC is to seek leave to appeal against a ruling that grants GPs immunity from GMC investigation where they act as expert witnesses in legal cases. The appeal follows the High Court ruling to overturn a GMC hearing's decision to...

GPs lose police work to private firm.
March 10, 2006... Almost 100 GPs will lose their police surgeon work from next month after a contract for forensic medical services was awarded to a private company. Senior police surgeons fear patients will be at risk because many doctors who are...

Leeds PCTs miss out on the choice bonus.(Primary Care Trust invested money in improving IT equipment)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... Practices in Leeds may struggle to hit targets in the IT and choice directed enhanced services from April because their PCTs missed out on funding for it, according to their LMC. Four of the city's five PCTs were the only ones in England...

Best rheumatoid arthritis care is provided by GPs.( services by General practitioners to rheumatoid arthritis )(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... GP management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rehabilitates patients more successfully than occupational and physical therapist care, a Canadian study has concluded. The study compared 111 RA patients requiring rehabilitation who had not...

More cash but yet more rationing.
March 10, 2006... NHS funding has risen but PCTs are delaying operations to balance their books. Billions of pounds have been poured into the NHS in recent years in an attempt to achieve European average levels of health spending. The cash injection...

Open-but-full list ban sparks retention fears.(surveys of general practitioners)
March 10, 2006... Proposals to end open-but-full lists could push many GPs into leaving the NHS. Calling a halt to open-but-full lists could backfire, GPs have warned. The move, which is outlined in the health outside hospitals White Paper and will...

Behind the Headlines: Could magnets cure leg ulcers?(magnetic therapy are used to cure leg ulcers)
March 10, 2006... Magnets can now be prescribed on the NHS after only a tiny clinical trial. Mark Pownall investigates. What is the story? Doctors will be able to prescribe a 'magnetic leg wrap' treatment for leg ulcers on the NHS after NHS...

Leader: Social care provision is beyond a GP's role.
March 10, 2006... Not content with moving 5 per cent of NHS services from secondary to primary care over the next 10 years, it seems that the DoH wants to see GPs dipping into social care services as well. The White Paper on healthcare outside hospitals...

Leader: Flawed quality plan on ethnicity.(Brief Article)
March 10, 2006... The revised GMS quality framework includes a single point for recording the ethnicity of new patients. The guidance states this is because ethnicity needs to be taken into account to provide 'appropriate individual care'. Few would...