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New 'clinical score' test for patients with sore throats reduces antibiotics usage nearly 30%

A new 'clinical score' test for patients with sore throats could reduce the amount of antibiotics prescribed and result in patients feeling better more quickly, research in the British Medical Journal shows.

11 Nov 2013

Paracetamol, ibuprofen or combination of both provide no advantage for respiratory tract infections

Questions have been raised about the advice given to patients with a cold and sore throat, in research published in the British Medical Journal.

4 Nov 2013

Active management boosts patient satisfaction with COPD care

A disease management program for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease based on the Chronic Care Model leads to greater patient satisfaction with care than standard disease management, a randomized trial suggests.

30 Oct 2013

CME Medical helps healthcare professionals to gain confidence in end of life and palliative care

CME Medical, is helping healthcare professionals to gain confidence in caring for patients at the end of their lives. Managing end of life care is a challenge for all health staff, as it often involves dealing with complex and emotional communication with patients and relatives and managing patient symptoms. But now highly sophisticated mannequins – which can talk and simulate signs and symptoms of advanced illness – are being used in a pioneering and unique training programme in Birmingham.

30 Oct 2013

Sore throat clinical score boosts effective antibiotic use

Research published in the BMJ shows that clinical score is as good a guide for antibiotic prescribing as rapid streptococcal antigen detection tests in patients presenting to primary care with sore throat.

28 Oct 2013

IPM receives US$40M from USAID to advance new HIV prevention tools for women

The International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) announced today that it has received two competitive five-year awards with a combined US$40 million ceiling from the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

23 Oct 2013

COPD treatments: an interview with Professor Price, University of Aberdeen

The first thing is that we can’t cure COPD. The problem we have with COPD is that the process itself is not treatable, certainly not once it gets to the extent that it’s advanced.

22 Oct 2013

Ticagrelor drug may reduce risk of dying following heart attack

Scientists from the University of Sheffield have discovered ground breaking clues as to how the pioneering heart drug ticagrelor might reduce the risk of dying following a heart attack, in comparison to previous standard treatments.

16 Oct 2013

Only minority of TIA, stroke patients are assessed by specialist within timeframe recommended by NICE

In a study, published online today in the journal Age and Ageing, of over 270 patients newly diagnosed with minor strokes or transient ischaemic attack (TIA), only a minority sought medical help within the timeframe recommended by the Royal College of Physicians.

15 Oct 2013

Drug treatment ineffective for acute bronchitis

A study published in the BMJ indicates that neither oral antibiotics nor nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are more effective than placebo for the treatment of acute bronchitis.

14 Oct 2013

Experts suggest interventions to help reduce delays in diagnosis of cancer in primary care

Continuity of care so that all patients see the same GP with whom they build up a relationship over time could help reduce delays in the diagnosis of cancer in primary care. In an essay published by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, a team of primary care experts write that this, together with longer consultations and better distribution of information to GPs about referral pathways or new services could have a wide reaching impact on the early diagnosis of cancer and survival.

11 Oct 2013

New clinical trial shows increased asthma control with FeNO-guided anti-inflammatory treatment

A new randomised clinical trial shows lower incidence of asthma exacerbations and increased asthma control with Fractional exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO)-guided anti-inflammatory treatment.

11 Oct 2013

People with poor reading skills are likely to be less healthy

People with poor reading skills are likely to be less healthy than those who read easily, according to recent research. Literacy skills are important for keeping in good shape.

8 Oct 2013

University of Sydney to host series of medicine lectures on back pain

On any given day in Australia, one quarter of the population is suffering back pain, and nearly 80 per cent of adult Australians will experience back pain some time during their lives.

1 Oct 2013

Simple traffic light test helps reduce drinking rates in people with risk of liver disease

A simple 'traffic light' test that detects hidden liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in high risk populations could reduce harmful drinking rates and potentially prevent hundreds of alcohol-related deaths a year.

25 Sep 2013

GPs urged to give up independent contractor status, become NHS employees

General practitioners should give up their independent contractor status and become NHS employees. This is the most radical alternative method of primary care funding considered by Professor Azeem Majeed, Head of the Department of Primary Care & Public Health at Imperial College London, in an editorial published today in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

20 Sep 2013

Cancer Council Queensland to host free webinar for women diagnosed with breast cancer genes

Cancer Council will next week host a free national webinar for women who carry BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 genes for breast cancer.

19 Sep 2013

Hepatitis C services in the UK: an interview with Louise Campbell, senior liver nurse at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

Within the UK there are several centres whose nurse specialists work to a best practice model, delivering care and achieving outcomes which are extremely high in areas of patient retention, adherence to medication and completion of the treatment regimen. With this they achieve cure rates which are some of the highest in the World.

9 Sep 2013

New review: Good asthma management is vital during pregnancy

Good asthma management during pregnancy is vital during pregnancy as poor asthma control can have adverse effects on maternal and fetal outcomes, says a new review published today (06 September) in The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist (TOG).

6 Sep 2013

Students design digital prototypes that may shape our health service

The Danish health sector offers many different types of treatment, but how will it fare as the population ages and more people develop chronic illnesses? Students taking part in an interdisciplinary summer programme designed digital prototypes that may someday shape our health service.