Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Evidence-based interventions to reduce newborn and maternal mortality

Some 56 evidence-based interventions will sharply reduce the 358,000 women who still die each year during pregnancy and childbirth and the 7.6 million children who die before the age of 5, according to a massive three-year global study.

16 Dec 2011

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

Gynaecological cancer survival rates have improved in Eastern England

Gynaecological cancer survival rates have improved in Eastern England following the reorganisation of services and multidisciplinary team working finds a new study published in the gynaecological oncology themed issue of BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

15 Dec 2011

Initiative for Women with Disabilities opens new facility in Manhattan

The Initiative for Women with Disabilities Elly and Steve Hammerman Health & Wellness Center (IWD) at NYU Langone Medical Center opened the doors to a new 4,200-square-foot facility located at 359 Second Avenue in Manhattan.

14 Dec 2011

NHS whistle blowers need more protection

A consultant pediatrician who had come forth with concerns about a clinic where Baby Peter was treated days before his death has accused NHS managers of using employment laws to gag potential whistleblowers.

14 Dec 2011

People with Parkinson's exhibit increased arm swing during early stages

People with Parkinson's disease swing their arms asymmetrically -- one arm swings less than the other -- when walking. This unusual movement is easily detected early when drugs and other interventions may help slow the disease, according to Penn State researchers who used inexpensive accelerometers on the arms of Parkinson's disease patients to measure arm swing.

14 Dec 2011

TJU receives SAMHSA grant for suicide prevention project

Through a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that was given to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson University was awarded a subcontract, averaging about $70,000 per year for three years, to serve as the training center for a suicide prevention project. Pennsylvania is one of 42 states to receive a portion of grant awards funded under the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act.

14 Dec 2011

Medicaid news: HHS grants Texas waiver for managed care, denies family planning request; Florida pilot program criticized

The federal government on Monday granted Texas a waiver that could mean billions more in Medicaid dollars to hospitals over the next few years in return for having them work together to provide better care for the poor. ... State lawmakers cut deeply into the Medicaid budget this year, in part by requiring all Texas Medicaid patients to be enrolled in private health maintenance organizations for their doctor care. In recent years, patients in most urban areas were covered by HMOs, while patients in many rural counties and the Rio Grande Valley had their doctor bills paid directly by Medicaid.

14 Dec 2011

Incidence of TB diagnosis is increased in mothers postpartum

The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis is significantly increased in mothers postpartum, suggesting a potential new population to target for screening, according to a new UK-wide cohort study.

12 Dec 2011

Study highlights need for greater recognition of sexual and reproductive healthcare needs of teen boys

Two newly published reports by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center highlight the need for greater recognition of the sexual and reproductive healthcare needs of teen boys and enumerate the essential services this traditionally overlooked group should receive at least once a year.

9 Dec 2011

Tips to help ease caregiver's burden during holiday season

More five million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia and over 70 percent of those individuals are cared for in their homes by a spouse or other family member. Stress, anxiety and burnout are never far from the doorsteps of these caregivers as they often juggle the responsibilities of providing daily care with the added demands of working, maintaining a household, or raising children. The holiday season can intensify these daily burdens, but too often caregivers don't know how to ask for help and friends and family members aren't sure of how to lend a hand.

9 Dec 2011

Conn. wants insurers to pay more of children's mental health costs

Officials in Connecticut say insurers and families should pick up more bills for mental and developmental health services. In other news, California officials release details for new department of state hospitals and Colorado gets a new assessment of mental health services.

9 Dec 2011

True impact of injuries in the UK higher than previously thought

Injuries in the UK are having a much greater impact on peoples' lives than previously estimated, a study has found.

7 Dec 2011

Survey finds high level of physician unhappiness with insurance companies

More than 10,000 physicians across the nation participated in Medscape's Insurer Ratings Report 2011. Feelings of outrage, resignation, and powerlessness dominated the comments that we received. In more than 4,700 physician remarks, the vitriol jumped off the page about physicians' perceptions of unjustified denials of claims, needless preauthorization demands, and requests for documentation that seem designed to stall payment for as long as possible.

7 Dec 2011

AHRQ-funded study to monitor rural patients following hospital discharge

Medical errors during hospital stays make headlines, but far more common are problems that occur after patients — especially older ones — go home. Little research has focused on the critical weeks after discharge, and none has focused on rural patients — until now.

6 Dec 2011

Endocrine Society supports policies that aim to combat pediatric obesity

Today, The Endocrine Society issued a Position Statement supporting policies that bring together doctors and other healthcare providers, family, schools and the community to combat pediatric obesity through education and encouragement of lifestyle modifications.

6 Dec 2011

UK researchers to study differences in cancer survival in Appalachia

University of Kentucky researchers recently received a $225,000 grant to study the differences in cancer survival in Appalachia.

6 Dec 2011

Roundup: Calif. to drop hospital report cards; Getting a doctor in N.Y. may depend on your neighborhood

The project was considered a pioneering effort when it started in 2004, but Jan Emerson-Shea, a spokesperson for the California Hospital Association, says the report cards have outlived their usefulness. "Today there are numerous places consumers can get information on the quality of care delivered by hospitals," Emerson-Shea says.

6 Dec 2011

Top-line primary endpoint data from Pfizer's Toviaz trial on overactive bladder

Pfizer Inc. announced today the top-line primary endpoint result for Toviaz (fesoterodine fumarate) Study A0221049 - Efficacy and Safety of Fesoterodine Flexible Dose Regimen in Vulnerable Elderly Patients with Overactive Bladder.

6 Dec 2011

Review highlights importance of examining totality of evidence prior to use of CPRs in clinical practice

Research carried out by the HRB Centre for Primary Care Research, based in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), recently published in the journal Family Practice aims to help patients that have suffered a transient ischaemic attack (TIA), otherwise known as a "mini-stroke" by assessing their risk of subsequent stroke.

5 Dec 2011