Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Patients not receiving follow-up tests after positive screening for colon cancer

Study shows that more than 40 percent of patients who initially had received a positive result on a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) did not receive appropriate diagnostic follow-up tests such as a colonoscopy or barium enema in 2002.

6 Jun 2006

Abortion pill a big hit in Britain

Records in Britain show that as many as 10,000 women had an abortion at home last year, using abortion drugs.

30 May 2006

Lowering blood pressure does not appear to prevent cognitive or dementia-related disorders

Lowering blood pressure does not appear to prevent cognitive or dementia-related disorders, a desired effect in light of the large number of elderly adults who suffer from both cognitive impairment and hypertension.

29 May 2006

EU court says Brits who seek treatment abroad should be reimbursed by NHS

A European Court has ruled that National Health Service (NHS) patients who seek treatment abroad because they face "undue delay" in Britain, must be reimbursed by the NHS.

16 May 2006

Access to emergency hormonal contraception from community pharmacists and family planning clinics

Pharmacies who provide fast and convenient access to the morning-after pill could be helping to prevent 10 per cent more unwanted pregnancies, according to a study in the latest British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

16 May 2006

Improving care for Alzheimer disease sufferers

Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia represent a major challenge in the care of older adults with Alzheimer disease.

12 May 2006

$Childhood arthritis increases the risk of fractures$

Childhood arthritis increases the risk of fractures

Childhood arthritis increases the risk of fractures, particularly during adolescence, according to a large study of British patient records. The researchers say that more targeted treatments promoting bone health would benefit patients with childhood-onset arthritis throughout their lifespan.

8 May 2006

Screening for depression unlikely to improve the mental wellbeing of the population

Nevertheless, it may soon become health policy in England and Wales as primary care doctors are rewarded for screening under their new contract.

3 May 2006

Parents rarely use baby gates

A recent study by researchers in emergency medicine at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center found parents use baby gates and bath thermometers less than 25 percent of the time and pediatricians are partially to blame.

3 May 2006

Study looks at the cellular basis for immune activation in fatigued breast cancer survivors

Breast cancer survivors who suffer from persistent, debilitating fatigue years after their diagnosis have something in common: their immune systems don't shut down following treatment, according to researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center.

3 May 2006

Evidence-based treatments for alcohol dependence

Medical management combined with the drug naltrexone or with a specialized behavioral therapy can be effective treatments for alcohol dependence, according to a study in the May 3 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

3 May 2006

Combined pharmacotherapies and behavioral interventions for alcohol dependence

While many treatment approaches were found helpful, the authors report that the patients who were most successful in abstaining from alcohol 16 weeks after treatment were those prescribed naltrexone under medical management and those participating in a multi-session program of alcohol counseling delivered by a behavioral specialist.

3 May 2006

Preconception health care should be part of routine medical visits

Every visit to the doctor for women of childbearing age should be considered an opportunity to discuss reproductive health- especially since more than half of all pregnancies are unintended, according to a report published today in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Recommendations and Reports.

26 Apr 2006

Preconception health care should be part of routine medical visits

26 Apr 2006

Breast cancer survivors turning their backs on recommended mammograms

A new study finds use of annual mammography among breast cancer survivors, who are at increased risk of a recurrence or a new malignancy in the other breast, dropped off after a few years. During the five year study period, only one in three women in this high-risk population had received regular annual mammograms.

24 Apr 2006

New medical device improves blood pressure control

Physicians at the Hypertension and Vascular Disease Center at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have proven that a new medical device improves blood pressure management in patients with the most common form of uncontrolled hypertension.

19 Apr 2006

New guidelines for pulmonary complications

Pulmonary complications, including pneumonia and respiratory failure, are a common - and dangerous - problem for patients following major surgery.

19 Apr 2006

Diabetes: Translating the chronic care model into the community

Educating people with diabetes in a primary-care setting with sustained, comprehensive intervention resulted in significant improvement in disease management and overall health, according to a study published in the current issue of Diabetes Care, a journal of the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

16 Apr 2006

Tough times ahead for NHS despite record investment

British Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday met with the chief executives of sixteen Primary Care Trusts to discuss the financial crisis dogging the National Health Service (NHS).

12 Apr 2006

Alcohol use, tobacco use and male gender associated with an earlier onset of colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths, according to background information in the article. Screening asymptomatic patients is an important strategy for reducing these deaths, because by the time patients experience symptoms, the cancer may have progressed beyond the point where it can be cured.

11 Apr 2006