Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Millions of American osteoporosis sufferers remain undiagnosed and untreated

Osteoporosis is a serious health condition that affects over 44 million Americans. The human and economic costs for this condition may account for some $17 billion in direct expenditures in hospitals and nursing homes and that annual expense is expected to triple by 2040.

26 Jul 2004

Computerised treatment for teaching obese teenagers how to eat healthily

Researchers from the University of Bristol have embarked upon a trial to test an innovative computerised treatment for teaching obese teenagers how to eat healthily.

23 Jul 2004

Call for measures to counter under-diagnosis of angina

There is a glaring need for better objective guidance for GPs in the diagnosis and management of chest pain, according to a multi-disciplinary working group of the Angina Forum. The group agreed that a worrying over-dependence on subjective judgment by GPs in identifying suspected angina patients means that many cases may go undiagnosed.

22 Jul 2004

Study finds that physicians help patients quit smoking but could provide more education

Physicians are an important resource in New Jerseyans’ fight to stop smoking, but they can and should become even more effective educators, according to a survey by the Center for State Health Policy (CSHP) at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

21 Jul 2004

NHS dentistry reform, 1000 new NHS dentists by October

Health Secretary John Reid has set out plans to reform NHS dentistry and recruit an extra 1000 NHS Dentists by October next year.

17 Jul 2004

Dementia often goes undiagnosed in primary care

Many older patients showing signs of dementia are not being diagnosed for the progressive brain disorder by their primary care physicians, an Oregon Health & Science University study has found.

16 Jul 2004

Some physicians express a sense of fatalism about HIV prevention

UCSF researchers have found that some physicians express a sense of fatalism about HIV prevention and this belief - that changes in sexual risk behavior by their HIV-positive patients are unlikely - is hindering the provision of prevention counseling services in publicly-funded clinics.

15 Jul 2004

Vermont Department of Health reports that a Chittenden County toddler died over the weekend from meningococcal disease

The child, who attended Ed-U-Care Children's Center in Essex Junction, became ill on Saturday night, was taken to the hospital and died early Sunday morning.

13 Jul 2004

Average cost for providing primary care to an HIV-infected patient is $30 USD per visit

Researchers at Johns Hopkins and University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, have determined that the actual average cost for providing primary care to an HIV-infected patient is $30 USD per visit.

11 Jul 2004

The Government must commit itself to three pledges if the current proposed changes to NHS dentistry are to succeed

The stark warning, issued this week in a letter to general dentists across the UK, calls for pledges from Government on three crucial areas of concern: funding, workforce and the new contract.

8 Jul 2004

BMA argues that the British government has a "moral duty" to ban smoking in public places

Barriers preventing people from making healthy choices must be tackled as a matter of urgency, the BMA says today (Friday 9 July).

8 Jul 2004

Chiropractic care for veterans

Veterans can receive chiropractic care at 26 selected Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities beginning this fall, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi announced today.

5 Jul 2004

The number of pediatricians in the United States rose by 140 percent between 1978 and 2000

America’s children have many more pediatricians available to treat them today than they did 25 years ago, a new study finds, but the doctors aren’t always where the children are.

4 Jul 2004

Medicine storage temperatures are too high

The recommended maximum storage and transit temperatures for most medications is 25°C and are set by the pharmaceutical manufacturers.

2 Jul 2004

District of Columbia child health assessment and immunization campaign

District of Columbia Mayor Anthony A. Williams today announced the launch of a comprehensive community outreach campaign to encourage annual child health assessments and immunizations.

2 Jul 2004

Creation of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC)

A new drive to harness the research potential of the NHS was given a further boost today by the creation of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC).

29 Jun 2004

Launch of the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies

Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA announced the launch of the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies at UCLA June 28.

29 Jun 2004

Women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) report more illnesses and poorer health

Women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) report having more illnesses and poorer health than women with depression alone, according to an article in the June 28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

29 Jun 2004

State of Arizona is moving to a self-health-insurance model

In an effort to enhance health insurance benefits for its 70,000 employees, the state of Arizona is moving to a self-insurance model.

24 Jun 2004

Health renewal strategy for Alberta

New money for health care, accelerated development of primary care centres, and new supportive-living options in rural Alberta will form the next steps of a health renewal strategy for Alberta, to be announced in detail on Wednesday, June 30.

24 Jun 2004