Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Direct-to-consumer advertising may influence physicians' prescribing decisions

Patients requesting specific medications can have a profound effect on physicians prescribing medications for major depression, according to a new study in the April 27 issue of JAMA.

26 Apr 2005

Johns Hopkins ACG risk adjustment system to be used in Spain, Portugal

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have signed a four-year agreement with Iasist of Barcelona, Spain, which will give Iasist distribution rights to the JHU Adjusted Clinical Groups® Case-Mix System (ACG System) in Spain and Portugal. Iasist is currently assisting the Basque National Health Service (Osakidetza) in using the ACG System to allocate resources among primary care clinics.

20 Apr 2005

Is late diagnosis of lung cancer inevitable?

A study by researchers into the diagnosis of patients with lung cancer suggests that avoidable patient delays in reporting symptoms of the disease is an important factor in its treatment.

12 Apr 2005

105 new health center grants totaling more than $63 million

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt has announced plans to award 105 new health center grants totaling more than $63 million. These grants will help an estimated 632,000 Americans, including many without health insurance, obtain comprehensive primary health care services.

12 Apr 2005

Depression overtakes back pain for incapacity benefit claims

Common mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, now account for more incapacity benefit claims than musculoskeletal conditions like low back pain, say researchers in this week’s BMJ.

7 Apr 2005

Pneumonia jab now available for over 65s in UK

People over 65 in the UK are to be offered a routine jab to help protect against diseases, including pneumonia, meningitis and septicaemia. Two in 1,000 over-65s are admitted to hospital with pneumococcal pneumonia each year and the infection can cause serious diseases.

5 Apr 2005

Weight loss surgery is the most effective treatment available for obesity say experts

A panel of experts charged with reviewing all the available evidence on morbid obesity and weight loss surgery today concluded weight loss surgery is the most effective treatment available and can result in the improvement or complete resolution of diseases associated with obesity, according to a consensus statement published in the April edition of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS).

5 Apr 2005

Operation yields best results for severe obesity

Surgical treatment of severe obesity provides long-term wait loss and better quality of life compared with conventional treatment in primary health care. This is shown in a ten-year follow-up of the psychosocial component of the Swedish Obese Subjects project, SOS, at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg.

4 Apr 2005

"A new era in UK medicine", doctors to get training in communication skills

A new educational programme which has been launched in the UK will encourage trainee doctors to boost their communication skills. A two-year curriculum covering the whole UK will include the need for trainees to demonstrate they can effectively communicate with patients and other doctors and are able to work as a team.

4 Apr 2005

UK sex clinics swamped

A study, by sexual health charity the Terrence Higgins Trust, reveals the true scale of Britain's sexual health crisis and says that two-thirds of clinics are turning away patients because they cannot cope with demand for treatment.

4 Apr 2005

Primary health care providers should incorporate HIV testing into routine patient care for all sexually active individuals

Primary health care providers should incorporate human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing into routine patient care for all sexually active individuals, regardless of risk factors, say a group of physician/researchers at Emory University School of Medicine, Brown Medical School, and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

30 Mar 2005

Conventional wisdom could be wrong in primary care

A study by Mark Hall, J.D., professor of law and public health sciences at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Centre, is suggesting that conventional wisdom could be wrong in that primary care doctors who coordinate the care of their patients by specialists may actually have lower liability risk than primary care doctors who do not attempt care coordination.

29 Mar 2005

Coordinating care of chronically ill patients does not increase liability

Conventional wisdom is wrong: primary care doctors who coordinate the care of their patients by specialists may actually have lower liability risk than primary care doctors who do not attempt care coordination.

29 Mar 2005

Healthcare information system vendors focus on developing business with new clients

The healthcare industry in Europe is fragmented with several vendors controlling different niche segments. Early technology vendors that implemented legacy systems still have a hold on pockets of provider groups both in the primary, secondary and acute care segments, simply because the end users do not have the resources for expensive upgrades.

29 Mar 2005

Primary care office strategies may increase colon cancer screening

Patients are more likely to receive colorectal cancer screening when primary care practices use an office systems approach, according to an article in the March 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

28 Mar 2005

Rejected asylum seekers and illegal immigrants should get HIV treatment free on the National Health Service

MPs on the Commons health select committee say, in a strongly worded report, that rejected asylum seekers and illegal immigrants should get HIV treatment free on the National Health Service (NHS) like everybody else, to avoid the risk of a further spread of Aids; they say the government's withdrawal of free treatment from these groups as a measure against "health tourism" was ill-advised.

23 Mar 2005

1 out of 7 minority women lack important family history of breast cancer

Having your doctor ask you about your family breast health history can greatly increase the chances of identifying your risk for breast cancer.

23 Mar 2005

Specific test key to determine whether or not allergy symptoms are really allergy-related

Many people with allergy-like symptoms could get the test they need, and the right treatments for their symptoms, from their primary care physician if managed care practice guidelines encouraged the use of the test.

23 Mar 2005

Prevalence of acute malnutrition high in Sudan

An assessment of the people living in three communities in South Darfur, Sudan found a high number of deaths from violence and disease, according to a brief report in the March 23/30 issue of JAMA.

23 Mar 2005

Rapid rise in obesity may reverse life expectancy trend

It's been assumed that U.S. life expectancy would rise indefinitely, but a new data analysis, published as a special report in the March 17 New England Journal of Medicine, suggests that this trend is about to reverse itself -- due to the rapid rise in obesity, especially among children.

21 Mar 2005