cheap-gps

GPs and medical docs execute alike duties, but there are as well a few deviations between them. GPs treat minor sicknesses, while medical doctors lean to be more differentiated in their practices.

GPs are basically family doctors who execute medical checkups with grownups and kids. They as well offer generic advice to sick people and occasionally refer them to narrowed doctors should a grievous illness happen. (more…)

Results of a survey launched today revealed that GPs are not referring their severe seasonal allergic rhinitis patients to secondary care, forgoing patient choice and care. The findings demonstrate that GPs cannot see the benefit of referring or feel that they are able to manage their severe allergy patients in their own clinics, despite an increasing number of patients presenting with the condition and concerns about symptom breakthrough on current therapies. This practice is occurring in spite of evidence which shows that advanced management in secondary care during the winter months can improve patient outcomes ahead of the upcoming pollen season.1 (more…)

A meta-analysis of more than 50,000 patients has shown that general practitioners (GPs) continue to have difficulty separating those with and without depression, with substantial numbers missed and misidentified. GPs looking for depression make more misidentifications (false positives of depression) than the number of depressions they correctly spot following an initial consultation but accuracy could improved by re-assessment of people suspected of having depression. These are the conclusions of an Article published Online First and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet, written by Dr Alex Mitchell, Dr Amol Vaze, and Dr Sanajay Rao of Leicester Partnership Trust and University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.

The study pooled 41 trials with a robust outcome standard of a semi-structured interview to assess depression. The researchers found that GPs were able to recognize about half of people who had clinical depression. For a typical GP trying to spot depression in an urban practice and seeing 100 cases over two days, there would be 20 true cases of depression. The GP would correctly diagnose 10 people as depressed but miss about the same number with depression. Of the remaining 80 non-depressed patients, he/she would be likely to over-diagnose 15 people (around 20%) and correctly reassure a further 65 (around 80%). In a rural setting, false positives per 100 cases would outnumber true positives by around three to one (17 vs 5). At a national level where 78% of the population see their GP over the course of a year, about 12% would be suffering from clinical depression and about half of those cases would be picked up; of the remaining 66% of the population who are not depressed and consult their GP, up to 12% would be at risk being misdiagnosed as depressed if GPs relied upon a single clinical assessment. (more…)

The results of a new survey of 400 UK healthcare professionals, conducted by TNS Healthcare UK and sponsored by Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited and Schering-Plough Limited, reveal that the majority of GPs surveyed (82% of the 100 GPs) believe that the cholesterol indicator (CHD 08) should remain a priority area in the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF).1 They also believe that it would be useful for the QOF to reflect National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines, with 67% of GPs supporting specific lower lipid targets for type 2 diabetes and 65% for secondary prevention.1

These results follow recent QOF performance data (2007/8 results) which showed that 98.9% of points were gained for the cholesterol indicator CHD 08 (% of CHD patients with ≤5mmol/L total cholesterol2).3 However, in order to gain full points, only 70% of patients in a practice are required to reach the indicator.2 According to QOF figures, 82.5% of patients reached indicator CHD 08.3 The 17.5% of patients who did not reach the indicator are in addition to those patients who were excluded from the calculations from the start due to exception reporting (a mean of 8.96% of patients in England for CHD 084).5

Dr Stewart Findlay, Treasurer of the Primary Care Cardiovascular Society and GP in Bishop Auckland, County Durham commented, “While performance against the current CHD 08 indicator is high, it is important to look behind the top line figure. We are still failing approximately a quarter of our patients against the current standard and many more if we look to achieve the lower levels suggested by NICE. Standards can still be raised in cholesterol management and incentives should be retained and strengthened within QOF to ensure that this happens.” (more…)

A lack of evidence-based clinical musculoskeletal guidelines has prompted the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) to develop guidelines for GPs and other primary health care professionals covering musculoskeletal prevention and early treatment.

RACGP President, Dr Chris Mitchell, said that the new RACGP musculoskeletal guidelines are significant because most current clinical guidelines available are consensus-based, agreed on by peers, rather than evidence-based and there is very limited information on juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

The first three of four guidelines cover osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis and will be launched on Friday, 11 September. The guidelines are available for free download on the RACGP website at http://www.racgp.org.au/guidelines. The other guidelines on osteoporosis will be available on the RACGP website as soon as they become available.

Each guideline includes: (more…)

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) welcomes the Australian Government’s investment through the National Health and Medical Research Council, together with the Victoria Government, on an imaging and therapy beamline at the Australian Synchrotron in Melbourne.

“As with many new technologies coming on line in the medical field, GPs are excited by the opportunities that will be provided by the Australian Synchrotron. We recognise the signal this investment sends of the government’s commitment to ensuring access to high quality medical technologies,” said Dr Chris Mitchell, RACGP President and rural GP.

“Unfortunately at this point in time the Australian Government has put on hold previous plans to allow access to more than $13 million in funding that would have provided for GPs to refer patients directly for Medicare rebate eligible MRI scans. (more…)

GP leaders in Wales say they are more than adequately prepared to deal with swine flu and that currently there is absolutely no need for the Welsh NHS to sign up to the National Pandemic Flu phone line, now operating in England.

Dr David Bailey, Chairman of the BMA’s GP Committee in Wales says: “BMA Cymru Wales completely supports Wales’ Chief Medical Officer and the Welsh Assembly Government in their decision to opt out of the National Pandemic Flu service. I strongly believe that patients want diagnoses of whatever their illness may be, made by clinicians, not call centres.

“GPs in Wales are adequately equipped to manage swine flu. Yes, myself and colleagues have in previous weeks been working harder, but we have just proved how we can step up to the mark when necessary and that we can deliver and will continue to deliver extremely good levels of patient care. (more…)

As recent research suggests a 42% rise in eczema during a five year period; could GP’s be doing more?

GPs are struggling to provide the quality of care for children with eczema currently recommended by two of the UK’s most prestigious medical bodies: the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)1 and the Primary Care Dermatology Society/British Association of Dermatologists (PCDS/BAD).2 Almost 90% of GPs recently surveyed reported that they had only limited or insufficient time available to give comprehensive treatment advice, and to demonstrate how to apply critical first-line treatments such as emollients.3 The nation-wide survey of 200 GPs was commissioned by Stiefel Laboratories, the makers of Oilatum, who believe that poor compliance to eczema treatment is responsible for much of the ongoing misery endured by eczema sufferers.

The GP survey also revealed that parents are rarely given written information on how to treat their child’s eczema, and that a lack of parent education is thought to be one of the main reasons why emollient therapies are not always used correctly.3 These results agree with those reported in an earlier survey of over 300 members of the National Eczema Society, which found that more than one-third of parents had never received any information from their GPs that had helped them manage their child’s condition.4

What do the eczema guidelines say? (more…)

AMA President, Dr Andrew Pesce, today urged people – particularly those who are identified as being at high risk – to contact their GP to make arrangements to be vaccinated against swine flu.

Higher risk people – including pregnant women, chronic disease sufferers, Indigenous Australians, and frontline health workers – will have priority for vaccination in the initial phase of the rollout, but others will not be precluded should there be an opportunity to vaccinate them early.

The national pandemic influenza vaccine campaign was launched in Perth this morning and the first supplies of the swine flu vaccine are available in general practices around the country from today.

Dr Pesce said the AMA welcomes the Government’s recognition of the role of Australia’s GPs at the front and centre of the vaccine campaign.

“GPs have the best knowledge of an individual’s overall health history, and people trust their GP,” Dr Pesce said.

“The AMA encourages people to get vaccinated and not to take any chances,” Dr Pesce said.

“While not all general practices will be supplying the vaccine, people should contact their regular GP to get advice on when and where to be vaccinated at the earliest opportunity.”

Children under the age of 10 should not be vaccinated at this stage. Clinical trials of a vaccine suitable for people under 10 are continuing.

Dr Pesce said the Government, the AMA and the community fully appreciate the contribution being made by

GPs all around Australia to making this vital public health initiative a success.

“The AMA and other medical groups worked closely with the Government, the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA), and the Chief Medical Officer on the rollout of the national pandemic influenza vaccination campaign,” Dr Pesce said. (more…)

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) warmly welcomes the two pronged themes of prevention of and education that are the focus of World Diabetes Day (14 November).

“Recent research is predicting that one in seven Australians will have type 2 diabetes by 2050,” said RACGP president, Dr Chris Mitchell. (more…)