Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

759,000 children with asthma endure gaps in insurance every year

Every year, 759,000 children with asthma may be at risk of a major asthma attack while they have no health insurance.

17 Jan 2008

Colonoscopy fears overcome when patients support patients

Patients who have had a colonoscopy can play a life-saving role by encouraging other patients to follow through with their own colorectal cancer screenings, according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

8 Jan 2008

Experts say far too much is spent on needless indigestion drugs

According to two experts in Britain the National Health Service (NHS) is needlessly spending at least 100m pounds per year on indigestion drugs.

7 Jan 2008

Experimental IT to reduce medication errors under study

Medication errors are one of the most serious problems occurring in doctor's offices and out-patient clinics, and older persons with chronic conditions are the most vulnerable.

4 Jan 2008

Undiagnosed OSA patients have altered cardiovascular responses during exercise recovery

A study published in the January 1 issue of the journal SLEEP finds that people with untreated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have altered cardiovascular responses during recovery from maximal exercise.

2 Jan 2008

Catathrenia, or sleep related groaning can be successfully treated with CPAP

Catathrenia, or sleep related groaning, is an uncommon feature of a sleep-related breathing disorder that can be successfully treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), according to a study published in the January 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.

2 Jan 2008

Treating often ignored non-cancer health issues after cancer diagnosis prolongs survival

Receiving treatment for non-cancer health issues while being treated by specialists for cancer improves cancer survival rates according to a study published in the December 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

28 Dec 2007

Brief intervention helps emergency patients reduce drinking

Asking emergency department patients about their alcohol use and talking with them about how to reduce harmful drinking patterns is an effective way to lower rates of risky drinking in these patients, according to a nationwide collaborative study supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

28 Dec 2007

Health care savings, coverage for all could lower spending $1.5 trillion over 10 years

Guaranteed health insurance for all combined with several federal policy options to achieve health care system savings could result in $1.5 trillion in reduced spending over 10 years, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report prepared by Fund staff and the Lewin Group for study by the Fund's Commission on a High Performance Health System.

20 Dec 2007

Researchers initiate gene therapy trial in patients with advanced skin cancer

Researchers at the Ireland Cancer Center of University Hospitals Case Medical Center are the first in the region to have joined a nationwide clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a gene therapy in patients with advanced melanoma which is aimed to help a patient ' s own immune system fight their cancer.

18 Dec 2007

New scheme to revolutionise system of prescribing medicines

Patients could be saved millions of trips to their GP under a new scheme that has the potential to revolutionise the system of prescribing medicines.

18 Dec 2007

Constipation most common cause of children's abdominal pain

A new study led by a University of Iowa researcher showed that acute and chronic constipation together accounted for nearly half of all cases of acute abdominal pain in children treated at one hospital.

18 Dec 2007

Sleep + exercise + diet = good health for obstructive sleep apnea patients

Research has shown a strong relationship between weight and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Your neck gets thicker as you gain weight.

17 Dec 2007

Raised public awareness of hepatitis C leads to 10 per cent increase in diagnoses

The number of newly diagnosed cases of hepatitis C infection in England reached 8,346 in 2006 - 10% higher than in 2005 - according to latest figures released by the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

17 Dec 2007

Children require more health care when their mothers are victims of domestic violence

Children whose mothers have a history of abuse by intimate partners have higher health care needs than children whose mothers have no history of abuse, according to a study conducted at Group Health, a Seattle-based health plan.

17 Dec 2007

Predicting post-traumatic stress disorders in deployed veterans

Richardson is a psychiatrist with Parkwood Hospital, part of St. Joseph's Health Care, London and a professor with the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at The University of Western Ontario.

14 Dec 2007

First view of synapse in real time

For the first time, scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City have observed in real time a cellular mechanism that's crucial to how brain cells communicate.

14 Dec 2007

Geriatric care intervention appears to provide some benefits for low-income seniors

A home-based geriatric care program for low-income seniors resulted in higher-quality medical care, improvement in quality of life and fewer emergency department visits, but did not appear to prevent decline in physical functioning, according to a study in the December 12 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

13 Dec 2007

Improving health care for older adults

Most older adults obtain their health care in the offices of busy primary care physicians or, in the case of those without physicians, in even busier hospital emergency departments.

13 Dec 2007

With obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease on the rise, more comprehensive guidelines needed

According to new survey results, when 2007 Cardiometabolic Health Congress participants were asked what guidelines they follow for treating patients with multiple cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors, the largest group of respondents indicated that they didn't follow any particular set of guidelines and that better guidelines are needed.

12 Dec 2007