Quality in primary care
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Quality in primary care · Jan 2011
Does a general practitioner support unit reduce admissions following medical referrals from general practitioners?
Emergency medical admissions to UK hospitals have been increasing steadily over the past few decades and there are likely to be a proportion of these admissions that are avoidable. This evaluation aims to demonstrate whether a general practitioner support unit (GPSU) reduces general practitioner (GP) referred emergency medical admissions to an acute hospital. ⋯ An acute GP led service run from within the hospital to provide support to community GPs led to a modest reduction in the number of GP admissions to the MAU, but did not reduce the number of GP admissions to the hospital wards.
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Quality in primary care · Jan 2011
Health promotion and ill-health prevention: the role of general practice.
This paper reports on research undertaken for the King's Fund inquiry into quality in general practice and examines the health promotion role of the general practitioner. ⋯ Issues, such as GP commissioning, provide a new set of challenges for public health and ill-health prevention. The evidence base is growing but general practice, public health and academics need to work together to improve this.
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Quality in primary care · Jan 2011
The prevalence of co-administration of clopidogrel and proton pump inhibitors.
Recent studies have suggested that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may inhibit the antiplatelet activity of clopidogrel, increasing the risk of major cardiovascular events in patients taking clopidogrel and PPIs together. ⋯ A significant number of residents in this cohort were taking a combination of clopidogrel and a PPI, mainly omeprazole. Residents who were on the combination of clopidogrel and a PPI, with or without aspirin, were on these combinations for a significantly long duration, which could increase their risk of adverse cardiovascular events.