Family practice
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GPs need evidence and guidance to help them diagnose and manage Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)/ME appropriately. ⋯ Despite the publication of guidance for GPs on CFS/ME, confidence with making a diagnosis and management was found to be low. Educational initiatives and guidance for GPs should stress the importance of accepting CFS/ME as a recognisable clinical entity, as this is linked to having a positive attitude and could lead to improved confidence to make a diagnosis and treat CFS/ME patients.
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Uncertainty about the prognosis of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) hinders optimal management in primary care. ⋯ GPs need to be aware of readily available prognostic factors that can be used in primary care to complement physical examination and laboratory data in LRTI to guide preventive and therapeutic management decisions.
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Pre-school children are frequent users of health services, but little contemporary data are available describing their symptoms or why they consult. ⋯ Fever, respiratory and gastro-intestinal symptoms are a normal part of pre-school life. Research of acute conditions in young children could focus on the most common symptoms leading to consultation, namely cough, fever and earache. Efforts to support parents' help seeking decision making might usefully be targeted at first time parents.