Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Acupuncture in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip

Osteoarthritis (OA) has a major impact on patients' mobility and quality of life but the anti-inflammatory drugs used to treat it are associated with a number of side effects.

30 Oct 2006

More hospital patients visited by 'hospitalists' rather than family physicians

An increasing number of private-practice physicians nationwide are relying on "hospitalists" to provide care to their hospitalized patients, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports.

26 Oct 2006

No operation unless smokers quit

Some hospitals in the UK say they plan to save money by encouraging smokers to quit before undergoing routine operations.

25 Oct 2006

Anxiety disorders linked to thyroid disease, respiratory disease, arthritis and migraine headaches

Anxiety disorders appear to be independently associated with several physical conditions, including thyroid disease, respiratory disease, arthritis and migraine headaches, according to a report in the October 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. This co-occurrence of disorders may significantly increase the risk of disability and negatively affect quality of life.

23 Oct 2006

Hospitals lack clearly defined guidelines for medical interpretation services

As the U.S. immigrant population increases, many hospitals are seeking ways to improve their interpreter services, but there is "no clearly identified game plan for hospitals to decide what mix of language services to provide, by whom and how," United Press International reports.

17 Oct 2006

More medical students enter dermatology, leave other specialties

The Detroit News on Tuesday examined how "droves" of medical students nationwide are opting to pursue careers in dermatology "as doctors flee some of the most critical medical fields -- family practice, internal medicine and obstetrics."

3 Oct 2006

HHS says New Orleans-area health care reform proposal needs revising

A draft proposal from the Louisiana Health Care Design Collaborative on reforms for the New Orleans-area health care system requires some revisions to receive federal approval, a representative for HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said on Thursday, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports (Moller, New Orleans Times-Picayune, 9/29).

3 Oct 2006

When it comes to the flu, antivirals far more effective than antibiotics

It seems that even though influenza has been shown to be better treated with anti-viral medication doctors and hospitals continue to use antibiotics, often with deadly consequences.

2 Oct 2006

Making sense of food labels not that easy for some

According to a recent survey many people in the United States are struggling to understand current food labels.

27 Sep 2006

Here's egg in your eye: a prospective study of blunt ocular trauma resulting from thrown eggs

As the party conference season gets under way in the UK, research in Emergency Medicine Journal shows that lobbing raw eggs at people as a harmless form of protest or prank can actually result in serious eye injury.

21 Sep 2006

Smokers may be at greater risk of HIV infection than non-smokers

Cigarette smoking has already been linked to a higher than normal chance of contracting other infections generally, including those that have been sexually transmitted.

21 Sep 2006

Access to care issues, physician training, other problems contributing to mental health issues for elderly

Poor access to mental health services, inadequately trained primary care physicians and apathy among the senior population are contributing to high rates of mental illness among those older than 65, according to experts who testified Tuesday before the Senate Special Committee on Aging, the Los Angeles Times reports.

18 Sep 2006

British tackle childrens' tooth decay in deprived areas

A British scheme to encourage families with young children in disadvantaged areas to get into the habit of brushing their children's teeth regularly with fluoride toothpaste was launched by Health Minster Rosie Winterton today at the Appleby health centre in Newham - an area with one of the highest oral health needs in the country.

14 Sep 2006

Validation of a tool for identifying women at high risk for hereditary breast cancer

A new screening tool for the general practitioner effectively identifies patients at risk for hereditary breast cancer, according to a new study.

11 Sep 2006

NHS staff need basic knowledge about the social and physical ill effects of alcohol misuse

Large amounts of money and resources would be saved if all frontline NHS staff had basic knowledge about the social and physical ill effects of alcohol misuse, say doctors in this week's British Medical Journal.

7 Sep 2006

Ageism is endemic in health services

In England, decades of health service underfunding have provided an environment in which ageism has flourished, writes Professor John Young in an editorial.

7 Sep 2006

Study highlights differences in Anthropometric characteristics between Asian and European population

World Congress of Cardiology Report - Results from a large scale international study assessing prevalence of abdominal obesity in over 170,000 people have previously confirmed that a high waist circumference is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) independently of body mass index (BMI) and age.

5 Sep 2006

Cardiovascular disease prevention program for Chile

World Congress of Cardiology Report - Fifty-five percent of the Chilean adult population is at risk of a cardiovascular event with a high rate of morbidity and mortality affecting mainly a productive population, between 35 and 74 years of age. This risk is 1.4 times greater for men.

5 Sep 2006

Bipolar disorder costs twice as much in lost productivity as major depressive disorder

Bipolar disorder costs twice as much in lost productivity as major depressive disorder, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has found. Each U.S. worker with bipolar disorder averaged 65.5 lost workdays in a year, compared to 27.2 for major depression.

4 Sep 2006

Rates of eczema and hay fever falling

After having risen year on year in recent decades, the rates of eczema and hay fever seem to have stabilised, and may even be falling, suggests research published ahead of print in Thorax.

30 Aug 2006