General Practitioner News and Research

RSS

Brain shrinkage appears to have no impact on an individual's capacity to think or learn

The research is part of a 20-year study by the ANU Centre for Mental Health Research called PATH Through Life and suggests a revision of long-standing views on the impact of age-related brain shrinkage.

10 Jun 2005

Breakthrough on chronic disease management by GPs

Australian Medical Association (AMA) President, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, said today that the Australian Government’s introduction of chronic disease items to the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) would deliver a double benefit to GPs and their patients.

9 Jun 2005

Healthcare IT approaching the tipping point

According to a report published this week, the market for ehealth technology could be approaching a tipping point. The report “101 Things To Do With A Mobile Phone In Healthcare”, published by analysts Wireless Healthcare, identifies a number of ehealth companies that have been formed by surgeons.

8 Jun 2005

Taking the contraceptive pill may permanently supress womens libido

According to their research, a team at Boston University Medical College found that women who take the pill regularly have much lower levels of the hormone that drives sexual desire, and even more worrying, that hormone remains suppressed even when they come off the pill.

29 May 2005

Scots confused about emergency services

Whether it's a life threatening emergency or a routine problem such as a chesty cough, research released today (Wednesday 25 May 2005) from Developing Patient Partnerships (DPP) shows that people just don't know what to do.

24 May 2005

Polypill improves survival rates for heart disease sufferers

A ‘polypill’ made up of a combination of drugs could extend the lives of thousands of patients with coronary heart disease, say researchers at The University of Nottingham.

10 May 2005

Help needed for chronic care

Many general practitioners are keen to adopt a team-based approach that promises better treatment for patients with chronic conditions, but they face a number of significant obstacles, according to research in the School of Commerce at Flinders University, Australia.

10 May 2005

BMA calls for mass child vaccinations for hepatitis B virus (HBV)

The British Medical Association (BMA) has today called for all children in the UK to be immunised against a potentially fatal liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV).

9 May 2005

GPs facing prosecution for handing out Pill to girls aged 10

Some Scottish doctors could be facing prosecution after it was revealed they have been prescribing the contraceptive pill to girls as young as ten.

9 May 2005

Doctor voices concerns over new NHS IT system

The political drive to implement the NHS's national programme for information technology is failing to take account of professionals' anxieties, argues a GP in this week's BMJ.

5 May 2005

Global epidemic of avian flu - Governments bury their heads

Governments around the world must stop burying their heads in the sand over the growing threat of a global epidemic of avian flu, argues a GP in this week's BMJ.

5 May 2005

New GP contract may not improve treatment for heart failure patients

The new contract for GPs may improve identification and diagnosis of chronic heart failure, but there is a danger that it may fall short of ensuring optimal treatment for these patients, says research published this week in Postgraduate Medical Journal.

4 May 2005

$Taking extra vitamin D and calcium will not prevent fractures in seniors$

Taking extra vitamin D and calcium will not prevent fractures in seniors

Surprising new research has found that taking vitamin D or calcium does not help prevent repeat fractures in elderly people. In two studies by teams at Aberdeen and York universities, researchers looked at people who had already had a fracture due to osteoporosis, a condition which increases a person's risk of bone fractures.

28 Apr 2005

New statin study shows arrested progression of atherosclerosis

The first study to use cutting edge magnetic resonance imaging to examine the effect of a statin - rosuvastatin (Crestor) - on the fatty plaques in arteries, was presented yesterday at the 75th European Atherosclerosis Society Congress. ORION revealed that rosuvastatin has a beneficial effect on the size and composition of fatty plaques in arteries (specifically the carotid artery in the neck). Fatty plaques that are vulnerable to sudden rupture can cause heart attacks and strokes without warning.

25 Apr 2005

Who needs health care - the well or the sick?

Shifting drug spending from the worried well in rich countries to those with treatable disease in poorer nations will benefit the health of everyone, argues a doctor in this week's BMJ.

21 Apr 2005

NHS must overhaul its approach to adolescent health

The NHS must overhaul its approach to adolescent health if it is to meet the health needs of young people in the UK, says a paper in the BMJ.

19 Apr 2005

Mumps jabs may run out in Ireland

GPs in Northern Ireland are warning that following a mumps outbreak among teenagers and young adults, supplies of the MMR vaccine in Northern Ireland could be running out. Family doctors have been asked to return any unused supplies so these can be re-distributed.

12 Apr 2005

Is late diagnosis of lung cancer inevitable?

A study by researchers into the diagnosis of patients with lung cancer suggests that avoidable patient delays in reporting symptoms of the disease is an important factor in its treatment.

12 Apr 2005

Pneumonia jab now available for over 65s in UK

People over 65 in the UK are to be offered a routine jab to help protect against diseases, including pneumonia, meningitis and septicaemia. Two in 1,000 over-65s are admitted to hospital with pneumococcal pneumonia each year and the infection can cause serious diseases.

5 Apr 2005

Britain becoming "pill for every ill" society

A report by the influential Commons Select Committee on Health, criticises the drugs industry for promoting the wider use of medication in a bid to increase its profits, and says Britain is being turned into "pill for every ill" society by the multibillion-pound drugs industry, which encourages patients to take medication even for "unhappiness".

5 Apr 2005