Lancet
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Despite its dramatic improvement, China's tuberculosis burden is still high according to the 2015 WHO TB report. Evidence show that experienced physicians do better in reducing delay diagnosis and patient mortality and are more likely to follow the treatment guidelines. However, in China, few studies have focused on physicians specialised in tuberculosis; and these few studies were mainly centred on the prevalence and risk factors among them. We assessed the occupational challenges of these physicians in China. ⋯ Natural Science Foundation of China (71203068 and 71573095) and the China National Health and Family Planning Commission and the Gates Foundation TB Project (51914). The funders had no role in the study.
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Unlicensed medical practice has been subject to high health supervision and inspection in China over the past decade. Unlicensed medical practice in China reflects not only the large gap between increases in demand and deficiencies in healthcare resources, but also the history and cultural background of the population. Our objectives were to describe current status of unlicensed medical practice and to discuss underlying causes of this phenomenon in China. ⋯ None.
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Primary angle-closure glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. In early-stage disease, intraocular pressure is raised without visual loss. Because the crystalline lens has a major mechanistic role, lens extraction might be a useful initial treatment. ⋯ Medical Research Council.
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Refractive status is crucial to visual function and can change throughout life. For patients with congenital cataract, the developmental profile of refraction is complicated owing to the potential influence of diverse clinical manifestations and various treatments, and has not yet been fully characterised. ⋯ National Natural Science Foundation of China (number 81300750), the Ministry of Science and Technology of China Grants (973 program, 2015CB964600), the Key Research Plan for the National Natural Science Foundation of China (number 91546101) and the Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars of China (number 2014A030306030).
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Critics argue that traditional Chinese medicine should focus on a personalised patient experience, and that standardised practices risk killing the traditional art. The development of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for Chinese medicine, which began 30 years ago, has risen remarkably over the years. However, for individual practitioners for whom these guidelines are recommended, the impact of the CPGs on clinical practice and their acceptability remain unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate acceptability of standardisation guidelines in traditional Chinese medicine practitioners in China, and the effect of CPGs on clinical practice. ⋯ Chinese Ministry of Finance (number ZYYBZ-2012).