Family practice
-
Comparative Study
Parental experiences and opinions regarding the management of acute otitis media in Finland-a comparative questionnaire between 2006 and 2019.
Treatment guidelines for acute otitis media (AOM) have changed over the past 20 years. Watchful waiting is often recommended as an option for antibiotic treatment and the use of proper pain medication is emphasised. ⋯ Today, more parents accept watchful waiting as a treatment option for AOM and give painkillers to their children, which indicates that the education about optimal management of AOM has reached parents.
-
Recent evidence suggests that the first consultation with a general practitioner (GP) for symptoms of depression may be more than just a vehicle for assessment and management planning (as current guidelines imply). ⋯ These results suggest that the therapeutic benefit of the GP consultation is under-recognized in current guidelines. The results of our study will provide crucial information as to how such consultations can be tailored to improve patient satisfaction.
-
Editorial Historical Article
Tribute to a founding father-Prof. Joe Herman-how to practice Family Medicine.
-
Chronic pain and depression are highly comorbid, but the lack of consensus on the best treatment strategies puts patients at high risk of suboptimal care-coordination as well as health and social complications. Therefore, this study aims to quantitatively assesses how effective different primary care interventions have been in treating the comorbid state of chronic pain and depression. In particular, this study evaluates both short-term outcomes-based specifically on measures of chronic pain and depression during an intervention itself-and long-term outcomes or measures of pain and depression in the months after conclusion of the formal study intervention. ⋯ Based on the results of the meta-analysis, primary care interventions largely yielded small to moderate positive effects for depressive symptoms and no significant effects on pain. In one study, stepped-care to be more effective in treatment of comorbid chronic pain and depression than other interventions both during the intervention and upon post-intervention follow-up. As such, depression appears more amenable to treatment than pain, but the number of published RCTs assessing both conditions is limited. More research is needed to further develop optimal treatment strategies.
-
Conflicting international guidelines exist on the management of sore throat by antibiotics. ⋯ Major discrepancies emphasise the need for only high-quality guidelines, based on adequately assessed evidence. Restricted antibiotic prescriptions to severe cases or high-risk patients would avoid antibiotic resistance.