Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Are nicotine patches safe for pregnant women?

A £1 million study, being led by a team of multidisciplinary researchers at The University of Nottingham, is to look at whether nicotine replacement skin patches could help pregnant mums to stop smoking.

26 Aug 2004

Doctors urge Government to 'wake up' to new sleep apnoea bill

“Heavy snoring and sleep apnoea used to be seen as a laughing matter – but this new bill underlines the fact that the condition is no joke.

26 Aug 2004

Cholesterol guidelines advise more intensive treatment

Cardiologists at Temple University Hospital are working with area primary care physicians to help educate patients who are at moderate-to- high risk for heart attack about new guidelines for lowering cholesterol.

23 Aug 2004

Ambulances may not be sent to deal with non-urgent 999 calls

From October, a nurse, paramedic or emergency care practitioner may treat these patients at home, avoiding the need for a hospital visit. They may also receive advice over the phone from NHS Direct.

20 Aug 2004

British patients will find new pharmacies easier to get to

British patients will find new pharmacies easier to get to, open longer and offering a wider range of services locally following new rules to control the location of pharmacies Health Minister Rosie Winterton announced today.

18 Aug 2004

Insomnia drug market will exceed $5.6 billion in 2013

The new Pharmacor study entitled Insomnia finds that upcoming launches of three new drugs from Sepracor, Pfizer, and Sanofi-Aventis will drive the market.

16 Aug 2004

AMA’s third report on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health

AMA President, Dr Bill Glasson, today released the AMA’s third report on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, ‘Healing Hands – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Workforce Requirements’.

12 Aug 2004

Significant differences between men and women when it comes to identifying the cause of back pain

A new survey of physicians who regularly treat back pain, the second most common reason people visit a doctor, reveals that there are significant differences between men and women when it comes to identifying the causes of their discomfort.

11 Aug 2004

17.6 million American adults (8.5 percent) meet standard diagnostic criteria for an alcohol use disorder

An estimated 17.6 million American adults (8.5 percent) meet standard diagnostic criteria for an alcohol use disorder and approximately 4.2 million (2 percent) meet criteria for a drug use disorder.

5 Aug 2004

Physicians treating blacks more often reported that they lacked sufficient access to major health care resources

If you are a black Medicare patient in the United States, you are more likely than a white Medicare patient to be treated by a primary care physician who reports being unable to provide consistently high-quality medical care to all patients.

5 Aug 2004

$19 million in grants to help 66 of the nation’s health centers expand capacity

The Department of Health and Human Services has announced more than $19 million in grants to help 66 of the nation’s health centers expand capacity to serve 270,000 more rural and inner-city Americans, including many without health insurance.

3 Aug 2004

Children should be screened for high blood pressure at age 3

A new report from The National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group on Children calls attention to the role of hypertension in the current epidemic of obesity in children, and underscores the need for intervention.

3 Aug 2004

GP home visits fall to 5%

Over the past 30 years there has been a shift in the way that people access their General Practitioners (GPs). In 2002/03, most GP consultations (86 per cent) in GB took place in surgeries or health centres. This proportion increased from 73 per cent in 1971.

2 Aug 2004

GPs across England will share a new £108 million improvement pot

GPs across England will share a new £108 million 'improvement pot' under the plans. The funding could be used to create more space for trainee GPs in existing surgeries or buying land for future development.

29 Jul 2004

Under a third (31%) of all patients with type 2 diabetes are being managed by diet only

Results of a UK study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET highlight how people with diabetes controlled by diet alone have significant rates of complications and are less likely than patients on medication to be adequately monitored.

29 Jul 2004

15 new NHS hospital developments worth more than £4 billion

The announcement will bring investment in new NHS hospitals to more than £16 billion since 1997. The NHS is already well on course to meet the NHS Plan target of 100 new hospital schemes open to patients by 2010. More than 40 are already built and operational.

29 Jul 2004

New method for detecting premature birth

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered a method for detecting intra-amniotic infections in pregnant women using state-of-the-art methods.

29 Jul 2004

GP leader supports new money to modernise GP surgeries

News of an extra £108 million to fund primary care premises is seen by the BMA's General Practitioners Committee (GPC) leaders as a welcome recognition by the Department of Health for England, that if GPs are to lead the way in modernising patient care they need improved surgeries to work in.

29 Jul 2004

An interactive computer program can help educate women about breast cancer risk and genetic testing

An interactive computer program can help educate women about breast cancer risk and genetic testing, and a decision board offering information on treatment options can help breast cancer patients choose between mastectomy and breast-conserving therapy, according to articles in the July 28 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

28 Jul 2004

McGuinty government investing an additional $469.5 million to operate Ontario's hospitals

The McGuinty government is supporting quality health care in Ontario by investing an additional $469.5 million to operate Ontario's hospitals - an increase of 4.3 per cent over last year, Health and Long-Term Care Minister George Smitherman announced today. Hospitals will receive a total of $11.3 billion in 2004/05.

27 Jul 2004