Quality in primary care
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All European health systems face several common challenges related to increases in lifestyle and chronic diseases, a decreasing future workforce, inequalities in health and the consequences of societal changes. Primary care, which has the potential to help meet these challenges, would benefit from the contribution of health services research (HSR) on a wide range of topics. As funding for such research is limited, priorities need to be defined. ⋯ Given funding constraints, it is imperative that research priorities are identified to ensure that resources are devoted to the most pressing and important issues facing primary care. Priority areas for future research are amongst others the evaluation of primary care reforms in Europe, and the relations between primary and secondary care.
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Quality in primary care · Jan 2011
Design of a quality and performance improvement project for small primary care practices: reflections on the Center for Practice Innovation.
Small practices often lack the human, financial and technical resources to make necessary practice improvements and infrastructure investments in order to achieve sustainable change that promotes quality and efficiency. ⋯ Small practices today are facing a range of important challenges. The CPI sought to provide successful guidance to small practices with evidence of positive change in some clinical measures, patient satisfaction and practice motivation to implement quality of care and practice management improvements.
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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.