General Practitioner News and Research

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Help combat antibiotic resistance with better patient communication

The latest NPS News highlights the vital role that prescribers play in limiting the spread of antibiotic resistance, and reviews the latest evidence about antibiotic resistance in the individual.

13 Feb 2012

NHS spends a whopping on £60,000 a day on translation services: Report

A new report shows that Britain’s NHS pays out £60,000 a day on translation and interpretation services, with Leeds among the highest spenders. Research by think-tank 2020Health showed NHS trusts spent £23.3 million on written translation and interpreters last year, an increase of 17% since 2007.

7 Feb 2012

Proposed Australian e-health records system criticised

Both the Medical Software Industry Association (MSIA) and the Australian Privacy Foundation have criticized the private corporation established by the federal and state governments to roll out the federal government's proposed electronic health records. They have told a Senate inquiry hearing in Canberra that personally-controlled e-health records should not go live on July 1 as planned.

7 Feb 2012

Differences in systolic blood pressure between arms indicate possibility of vascular risk, death: Study

A systematic review and meta-analysis carried out by researchers at the University of Exeter Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry has found that differences in systolic blood pressure between arms could be a useful indicator of the likelihood of vascular risk and death.

30 Jan 2012

Alzheimer’s disease may be kept at bay with regular brain stimulation: Study

A new study shows that regularly doing puzzles and reading books could be linked to a decreased risk of Alzheimer's disease. It says that these activities reduce the accumulation of harmful proteins in the brain.

24 Jan 2012

Elderly and ill patients connect to their doctors via broadband: Pilot Australian project

Now elderly patients and severely ill cancer patients will be able to see their specialist or GP with the click of a mouse, even if they are hundreds of kilometres away. This will be possible with a $20.6 million pilot program that starts this July. The program will use the national broadband network to deliver telehealth services to older Australians, cancer patients and those in palliative care.

23 Jan 2012

Doctors’ threaten strike for first time in 4 decades over pension cuts

Doctors’ dispute with the Government over planned changes to their pensions yesterday got worse after a British Medical Association survey showed almost two out of three would back some form of industrial action.

19 Jan 2012

Cancer researcher identifies high levels of doctor-patient trust and confidence within NHS

A leading cancer researcher has identified very high levels of doctor-patient trust and confidence within the NHS.

16 Jan 2012

Safety nets in Australia’s Medicare questioned while expert claims $3 billion inappropriate use

In a scathing article for the Medical Journal of Australia published on Monday, GP Dr Tony Webber has described the Medicare scheme as a “monster”. He wrote, “I estimate that $2 billion to $3 billion are spent inappropriately each year.” As former chief of the Professional Services Review - set up to police Medicare - he said he gained insight into how dysfunctional the system had become.

16 Jan 2012

Doctors need more incentives to remain committed to rural Australia: AMA

According to the Australian Medical Association (AMA) every rural GP and specialist should be paid tens of thousands of dollars per year in extra incentives to encourage more to commit to country practice, warning that “urgent intervention” is required to tackle a workforce crisis.

15 Jan 2012

Health Secretary stands firm on the issue of removal of faulty breast implants

Britain’s Health Secretary Andrew Lansley intends to take cosmetic industry companies that are refusing free operations to women wanting substandard breast implants removed to court. Lansley is ready to take action after the declaration of the Harley Medical Group that it will not pay for removal of the PIP implants that have triggered great anxiety in women in the UK and in France. Transform and the Hospital Group have also said that women will have to pay.

12 Jan 2012

New algorithm could help GPs identify women at risk of early ovarian cancer

The lives of hundreds of women could be saved every year, thanks to a simple online calculator that could help GPs identify women most at risk of having ovarian cancer at a much earlier stage.

5 Jan 2012

Breast implant rupture risk scrutinized and assessed in depth

According to Tim Goodacre, one of the members of the government-commissioned panel investigating the PIP breast implant scandal, the rupture rates found by the country’s biggest cosmetic surgery company were ‘unacceptable’. Mr. Goodacre, president of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) and an Oxford University lecturer, said that if the panel confirmed the findings – in which almost one in 14 implants had leaked – then they should all be taken out in every case.

2 Jan 2012

Tamiflu resistant flu on the rise: Study

According to World Health Organization researchers there is a rise in Australia in the number of seasonal influenza cases resistant to Tamiflu, the most commonly used antiviral drug. The rise in such cases involving the pandemic 2009 A (H1N1) flu strain, also known as swine flu, took place during Australia's most recent winter: May through August of 2011.

2 Jan 2012

Hospitals may be treating patients as part of “production line” with early discharges requiring readmissions: Report

After figures revealed that hundreds of thousands of people every year are being sent home before they are well enough, hospitals have been accused by ministers of treating patients “like parts on a production line.”

1 Jan 2012

Mosquito borne Murray Valley Encephalitis warnings for NSW and North Victoria

The NSW Health authorities are warning residents and visitors in southern and western NSW to take extra precautions and protect themselves against mosquitoes following the detection of the Murray Valley Encephalitis (or MVE) virus in NSW. Residents and visitors to North Victoria are also similarly warned.

1 Jan 2012

Simple online calculator can tackle pancreatic and bowel cancer

A simple online calculator could offer family GPs a powerful new tool in tackling two of the most deadly forms of cancer, say researchers.

15 Dec 2011

Thousands of diabetes-related deaths could be avoided with better care: UK Report

According to a new report up to 24,000 diabetes-related deaths could be avoided in England each year, if patients and doctors better managed the condition. This is the first-ever audit of patient deaths from diabetes. It says that basic health checks, a good diet and regular medication could prevent most of the deaths.

15 Dec 2011

Positive results from Pearl Therapeutics' PT001 Phase 2b trial on COPD

Pearl Therapeutics Inc. today announced positive top-line results from a randomized, double-blind, Phase 2b, dose-ranging study of glycopyrrolate, a long-acting muscarinic agonist (LAMA) delivered twice a day (BID) via metered-dose inhaler in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD.

8 Dec 2011

Pfizer acquires Ferrosan Consumer Health's business

Pfizer Inc. today announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Ferrosan Consumer Health's business, which includes dietary supplements and lifestyle products, from Altor 2003 Fund GP Limited.

1 Dec 2011