Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Research reveals strong link between music and cardiovascular exercise performance

Brunel University's School of Sport and Education today reveals that, according to Dr Costas Karageorghis's latest research, carefully selected music can significantly increase a person's physical endurance and make the experience of cardiovascular exercise far more positive.

2 Oct 2008

Improving mental health from Bristol to Santiago

Psychiatrists at the University of Bristol are taking an ambitious programme of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) into schools from Bristol to Santiago, Chile in a bid to improve the mental health of teenagers.

24 Sep 2008

Personality can hamper a physician’s assessment of depression

A physician's personality can affect practice behavior in inquiries about patient mood symptoms and the diagnosis of depression, according to a study led by University of Rochester Medical Center researchers.

24 Sep 2008

Massachusetts lawmakers pass legislation to attract more primary care physicians to state as wait times for appointments increase

The average wait time for an appointment with a primary care physician in Massachusetts this year increased to 36 days from 34 days in 2007, according to an annual study by the Massachusetts Medical Society, the AP/Boston Herald reports (AP/Boston Herald, 9/22).

24 Sep 2008

Studies look at Hispanics' access to U.S. health care system

Three studies published online on Wednesday in the American Journal of Public Health look at how poverty, language and health insurance coverage affect access to care among foreign-born U.S. residents, particularly Hispanics, HealthDay/U.S. News & World Report reports.

22 Sep 2008

House passes veterans' health bill, cost-of-living increase

The House on Wednesday voted 417-0 to approve a bill (HR 1527) that would establish a three-year pilot program to allow "highly rural" veterans enrolled in four of the Department of Veterans Affairs' 21 health care networks to receive health services through outside providers, CQ Today reports.

15 Sep 2008

House Committee weighs options for permanent overhaul of Medicare physician payment system

Witnesses at a House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee hearing on Thursday discussed potential methods for overhauling the Medicare physician payment system, CQ HealthBeat reports.

15 Sep 2008

One million pounds to improve access to physiotherapy

Providing timely access to physiotherapy is a long-standing problem for the NHS, with more than 4 million new referrals each year and waiting times of several months in many areas. A Bristol-led study to improve access has been given £1.06 million by the Medical Research Council (MRC).

15 Sep 2008

2% of U.S. medical students plan to become primary care physicians, study says

Two percent of medical students in a survey said they planned to go into general internal medicine, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, USA Today reports.

11 Sep 2008

Massachusetts' proposed rule could lead to Federal lawsuit, Partners HealthCare warns

Massachusetts' largest private employer Partners HealthCare on Friday warned that the state could face a federal lawsuit if it implements a proposed rule to increase some companies' contributions to their workers' health coverage, the Boston Globe reports.

10 Sep 2008

Twice as many 'mentally ill' end up in custody rather than a hospital

According to a report by a police watchdog group in Britain, the number of people held in police cells suspected of being mentally ill, rather than a hospital is "intolerable".

10 Sep 2008

Antibiotics still being over-prescribed by GPs

Antibiotics are still being over-prescribed by GPs in contravention of guidelines, potentially contributing to antibiotic-resistant "superbugs", research launched at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester has shown.

8 Sep 2008

Johns Hopkins to assist practices in Medicare medical home demonstration

The Roger C. Lipitz Center for Integrated Health Care at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has received a $1.7 million grant from the John A. Hartford Foundation to help primary care practices improve the quality and outcomes of health care for older adults with chronic illnesses.

8 Sep 2008

Washington Post examines Rhode Island plan to cap Medicaid spending in exchange for greater flexibility in overhauling program

Rhode Island Gov. Donald Carcieri's (R) request to CMS last month for a waiver to set limits on state Medicaid spending has "alarmed" congressional Democrats and low-income advocacy groups who said the proposal would reduce access to nursing homes, raise out-of-pocket expenses for low-income families and limit eligibility and enrollment of residents in the program, the Washington Post reports.

7 Sep 2008

Diabetics missing out on life saving medication

One in four patients with diabetes are not receiving the appropriate cardiovascular medications, research launched at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester has shown.

7 Sep 2008

Should nurses replace GPs as frontline providers of primary care?

Should nurses be the frontline providers of primary care, taking the place of general practitioners as the first point of patient contact? Two experts debate the issue on bmj.com.

7 Sep 2008

Computerized reminder system drove up colon cancer screening rates

A computerized reminder system used in community-based primary care doctors' offices increased colorectal cancer screening rates by an average of 9 percent, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Health System.

7 Sep 2008

More companies offering on-site health care services for workers

The Philadelphia Inquirer on Wednesday examined how workplace-based health care centers are "quickly gaining popularity among large employers around the country" who consider them "an attractive perk for employees, but also a way to increase worker productivity and hold down health costs by treating problems early and efficiently."

4 Sep 2008

Innovative mobile dental service offers help to those struggling to find dental care

While controversy abounds in Australia regarding government plans to dramatically change how Medicare will manage dental care, in the UK an enterprising group of dentists from Hungary and Germany are offering a unique dental service.

3 Sep 2008

Millions face undiagnosed heart risk in the UK say researchers after mass screening

One in three people with a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) over the next 10 years have not been diagnosed, according to a major study in the September issue of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

2 Sep 2008