Scandinavian journal of primary health care
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Scand J Prim Health Care · Mar 2021
Frailty assessment of older adults, first-time applicants of public home care service in Norway.
Early detection of frailty is essential to prevent or delay disability. The most appropriate screening tool for frailty among home-dwelling older adults is under debate. The present study estimates the prevalence of frailty among older adults, first-time applicants of public home care service in Norway, and investigates the appropriateness of gait speed and Short Physical Performance Battery as screening-tools for frailty. ⋯ The high prevalence of frailty in the present study indicates that screening for frailty should be considered at an earlier time point than when older adults apply for public home care service for the first time. Gait speed may be an appropriate screening tool for frailty in a general population >70 years in Norway.KEY POINTSThe prevalence of frailty among older adults, first-time applicants of public home care services in Norway is major.Screening for frailty should be considered before older adults apply for public home care service for the first time.Gait speed at a cut point at 0.8 m/s may be an appropriate screening tool for frailty in a general population >70 years in Norway.
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Scand J Prim Health Care · Mar 2021
Nasal saline irrigation: prescribing habits and attitudes of physicians and pharmacists.
To explore the opinions, the usage and the patient education given on nasal saline irrigation by physicians and pharmaceutical personnel working in Finland. ⋯ Nasal saline irrigation seems to be a popular treatment recommended by many health care professionals in Finland. Physicians and pharmaceutical personnel had variable opinions on the indications, utility and risks of nasal saline irrigation. There are also clear differences between physicians and pharmaceutical personnel's practices. There is a need to better educate professionals about nasal saline irrigation and to further study whether nasal saline irrigation is efficient and safe option for the different common sinonasal conditions.KEY POINTSLittle information is available on how physicians and pharmacists recommend nasal saline irrigation as a symptomatic treatment.Physicians and pharmacists seem to have variable opinions about the indications, utility and safety of nasal saline irrigation.The patient education given is in general very heterogenous.Both professions require more education to ensure that the usage remains as safe as possible for the patient.
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Scand J Prim Health Care · Mar 2021
Implementation of healthcare accreditation in Danish general practice: a questionnaire study exploring general practitioners' perspectives on external support.
To describe the use and perceived usefulness of implementation support provided to general practice during an accreditation process and to explore potential variations across clinic characteristics. ⋯ During the accreditation processes, each clinic used a broad variety of implementation support. Support tailored to the individual clinic was highly appreciated and should be promoted in future quality interventions in general practice. Discussions with peers were widely used, and it should be investigated further how peer discussions are best facilitated. The study calls for a multifactorial approach to future quality interventions in general practice to target the needs and capacities of the individual clinics.
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Scand J Prim Health Care · Mar 2021
Non-specific symptoms and signs of cancer: different organisations of a cancer patient pathway in Denmark.
We aimed to investigate the Non-specific Symptoms and Signs of Cancer-Cancer Patient Pathway (NSSC-CPP) in order to describe organisational and clinical practice similarities and differences in the diagnostic work-up of suspected cancer in Denmark. ⋯ The NSSC-CPP is implemented with great regional and intra-regional differences in Denmark. GPs face different requirements when referring to the NSSC-CPP, which indicates that the division of role and responsibility between GPs and the diagnostic units is not well defined.KEY POINTSIn Denmark, the cancer patient pathway for non-specific symptoms and signs of cancer (NSSC-CPP) has been implemented with variations, but little is known about these different modalities. This study showed that both at a regional and an intra-regional level:•General practitioners meet different implementation of national guidelines in the diagnostic units when referring to the NSSCP-CPP•The suitable patient group for the NSSC-CPP is not well defined•Quality criteria are needed to monitor, evaluate and improve the diagnostic work-up for patients with non-specific symptoms and signs of cancer.
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Scand J Prim Health Care · Mar 2021
Clinical profile of rural community hospital inpatients in Sweden - a register study.
Patients in Sweden's rural community hospitals have not been clinically characterised. We compared characteristics of patients in general practitioner-led community hospitals in northern Sweden with those admitted to general hospitals. ⋯ Patients at community hospitals were predominantly older and women, while men were assigned more diagnoses. The most common diagnoses were heart failure and pneumonia. Our observed differences should be further explored to define the optimal care for patients in community and general hospitals.Key pointsThe patient characteristics at Swedish general practitioner-led rural community hospitals have not yet been reported. This study characterises inpatients in community hospitals compared to those referred to general hospitals.• Patients at community hospitals were predominantly older, with various medical conditions that would have led to a referral to general hospitals elsewhere in Sweden. • Compared to men, women were more likely to be admitted to community hospitals than to general hospitals, even after adjustment for age. To the best of our knowledge, this pattern has not been reported in other countries with community hospitals. • In both community hospitals and general hospitals, doctors assigned more diagnoses to men than to women.