General Practitioner News and Research

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More doctors, better care, faster access

A report produced today by Primary Care National Director, Dr David Colin-Thome, shows that NHS primary care, the local healthcare people access most frequently, is continuing to expand and provide a wider range of services to patients.

13 Apr 2004

Allergies cost UK £1 billion per annum

Researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh and Aberdeen and St George’s Medical School in London say one in five children and adults in Britain suffer from allergies, with annual health services treatment bill running at £1billion. They call for more allergy specialists to meet the increased demand.

13 Apr 2004

Cervical cancer screening in Northern Ireland falls short

Only 72 per cent of women within the target age group in the Province had a cervical smear test in the five-year period up to 31 March 2003 – contrasting with higher figures for England, Scotland and Wales. NHS targets for cervical screening call for a minimum of 80 per cent of Northern Ireland women aged between 20 and 65 to be screened every five years.

8 Apr 2004

British Asian cancer patients are not being met because of a lack of consideration for cultural differences

The study, carried out in Leicester, looked at the information preferences of British Asian patients – the majority of which were first generation and spoke English as well as their native language. It found that over half of English-speaking Asian patients would prefer to discuss their cancer and read health leaflets in their mother tongue.

6 Apr 2004

New study to benefit pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers

Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers are set to benefit from the first study of its kind in the UK. Researchers at the Highlands and Islands Health Research Institute (HIHRI) will undertake a three-year study, which is being funded from £500,000 worth of awards from the Scottish Executive Health Department (SEHD) Chief Scientist Office.

4 Apr 2004

Study to look at whether patients needing surgery the most are those receiving it

Researchers from Otago University's Wellington and Dunedin Schools of Medicine and Health Sciences, and Victoria University's Health Services Research Centre aim to find out what happens to patients GPs think would benefit from surgery. They will be looking at how long patients wait, who has surgery in public hospitals, who goes to private hospitals, what the costs of waiting are to patients and to the health system and what the benefits are of having surgery.

29 Mar 2004

New computer program accurately estimates chance of developing breast cancer

CANCER Research UK scientists have devised a user-friendly computer program, called the IBIS risk evaluator, which can give the most accurate estimate yet of a woman's chance of developing breast cancer.

22 Mar 2004