Family practice
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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.
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It is important for physicians to recognize and address potential cross-cultural communication barriers with their patients. Several studies have demonstrated the importance of trained medical interpreters for ensuring effective patient-provider communication. Medical interpreters also represent an untapped source of insight into common communication problems. Such insights can contribute to strengthening physicians' cross cultural communication skills. ⋯ Interpreters described three domains where physicians and patients were likely to differ, and where mutual lack of awareness of those differences could lead to misunderstandings. These were: (1) ideas about the patient's health problem; (2) expectations of the clinical encounter; and (3) verbal and non-verbal communication styles. Interpreters recommended that cultural competence training for physicians focus on raising awareness about potential sources of misunderstanding and about the difficulties inherent in medical translation; providing basic background knowledge of patients' countries of origin; and adapting to patients' communication styles. While physicians' own perceptions of communication difficulties are important for developing learner-centered training activities, interpreters' bilingual and bicultural position allows for the identification of communication barriers that may be difficult for physicians to recognize.
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The government has proposed a 48-hour target for GP availability. Although many practices are moving towards delivering that goal, recent national patient surveys have reported a deterioration in patients' reports of doctor availability. What practice factors contribute to patients' perceptions of doctor availability? ⋯ Some practices may have difficulty in meeting the target for GP availability. Meeting the target will involve careful review of practice administrative procedures.
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Comparative Study
A comparative study on attitudes, mental health and job stress amongst GPs participating, or not, in a rural out-of-hours co-operative.
To test the study hypothesis that GPs participating in co-operatives will have more positive attitudes towards co-operatives, better mental health and less stress than GPs using traditional out-of-hours arrangements. ⋯ The anticipated differences in mental health and job stress among participating GPs were not shown. As the new generation of GPs resemble the NoWDOC participants in their preferences for multi-partner practices with limited out-of-hours care provision, clarification of these findings is important.
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Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines are increasingly used for self-medication, but such products can be misused/abused. ⋯ This survey revealed that the general public had a high level of awareness of the abuse potential of OTC medicines. These findings indicate that pharmacists could be more proactive in the management of inappropriate OTC drug use.