Family practice
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Many primary care physicians order an ultrasound (US) before referral to specialist care for suspected undescended testis; however, the value of this practice is questionable. ⋯ Referral of patients for suspected undescended testis should not be accompanied by an US study as US is not useful in these cases.
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Regular physical activity (PA) lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), but few US adults meet PA guidelines. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends primary care providers offer PA counselling for CVD prevention. We examined the association between adherence to PA guidelines and reported provider advice to increase PA among US adults with overweight/obesity and ≥1 additional CVD risk factor. ⋯ US adults with CVD risk factors who do not meet PA guidelines are more likely to receive provider advice to increase PA, but only half receive such advice. Strategies to increase provider advice are needed to improve adherence to USPSTF guidelines among US adults with overweight/obesity and additional CVD risk factors.
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The routine application of a primary care classification system to patients' medical records in general practice/primary care is rare in the African region. Reliable data are crucial to understanding the domain of primary care in Nigeria, and this may be actualized through the use of a locally validated primary care classification system such as the International Classification of Primary Care, 2nd edition (ICPC-2). Although a few studies from Europe and Australia have reported that ICPC is a reliable and feasible tool for classifying data in primary care, the reliability and validity of the revised version (ICPC-2) is yet to be objectively determined particularly in Africa. ⋯ Findings support the utility of ICPC-2 as a valid and reliable coding tool that may be adopted for routine data collection in the African primary care context. The level of accuracy achieved without training lends credence to the proposition that it is a simple-to-use classification and may be a useful starting point in a setting devoid of any primary care classification system for morbidity and mortality registration at such a critical level of public health importance.
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The use of point-of-care tests (POCTs) in family practice is increasing, and the term POCT is often used in medical literature and clinical practice. Yet, no widely supported definition by several professional fields exists. ⋯ The definition emerging from this study can inform family practitioners, laboratory specialists, policymakers and manufacturers on the most widely supported and recognized definition and could act as a clear starting point for the organization and execution of professional point-of-care testing in family practice worldwide.
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Primary care physicians are particularly prone to high levels of burnout and poor well-being. Despite this, no qualitative studies have specifically investigated the best ways to improve well-being and prevent burnout in primary care physicians. Previous interventions within primary care have been person-oriented and mainly focused on mindfulness, but there has been no prior research on whether general practitioners (GPs) deem this to be the best approach. ⋯ These strategies merit further consideration by researchers, physicians, healthcare organizations and policy makers both in the UK and beyond. Failure to do so may result in healthcare staff becoming even more burntout, potentially leading to a loss of doctors from the workforce.