Family practice
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Previous studies have suggested that the attitudes of health professionals towards people with disability may be as negative as those of society. Further, even positive attitudes may not always be reflected in the health professional's behaviour. ⋯ The critical incident technique was found to be a useful tool to gain access into this complex and problematic area and the results raise many issues pertinent to the planning of learning opportunities for both undergraduates and postgraduates.
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Chronic pain is known to be very common in the community. Less is known about the epidemiology of more significant or severe chronic pain. The impact of chronic pain in the community, in terms of general health, employment and interference with daily activity, has not been quantified. ⋯ Comparison of the epidemiology of 'significant chronic pain' and 'severe chronic pain' with 'any chronic pain' allows an understanding of the more clinically important end of the chronic pain spectrum. These results support the suggestion that chronic pain is multidimensional, both in its aetiology and in its effects, particularly at this end of the spectrum. This must be addressed in management and in further research.
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The experiences of family members will teach us how to handle an autopsy, the ultimate quality assessment tool. ⋯ A request for autopsy is one of the most difficult questions which has to be asked at a very difficult time. Three main considerations were important for the relatives: they wanted an answer to the questions "Is there something I overlooked", "How could this have happened" and "Are there hereditary factors which could have consequences for the rest of the family?" The GP is the optimal professional to discuss the autopsy report with the surviving family members. The best approach for the GP includes an open attitude, paying attention to informing the family and supporting their grieving process.
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Comparative Study
A profile of PMS salaried GP contracts and their impact on recruitment.
Personal medical services (PMS) pilot sites aim to use salaried GP schemes to improve GP recruitment and retention and enhance the quality of service provision, particularly in underserved areas. ⋯ Salaried contracts offer positive incentives to recruitment in terms of reduced hours of work and freedom from administrative responsibility. Recruitment success was similar to that achieved by inner city practices generally. This modest achievement might be enhanced by the addition of professional development schemes and increased flexible/part-time working.
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Despite the fact that more than half of depressed persons are treated for this disorder by primary care physicians, depression is often under-recognized or treated inadequately. There is continued emphasis on effective treatment of depression in primary care patients, but little attention has been paid to the role of the depressed person's illness cognitions in coping with this disorder. Given the often recurring and chronic nature of depression, the individual's self-management strategies may be critical to effective treatment, recovery and remaining well. ⋯ Although preliminary, these findings indicate that patients' understanding of depression and its consequences are associated with how they manage this illness. Future research is needed to examine the mediating and moderating effects of illness cognitions for depression on medication adherence and other self-management behaviours of depressed primary care patients. Knowledge about primary care patients' personal illness models will aid in the development of adherence interventions, self-management training and support services appropriate to patients' needs in the primary care setting.