The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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Review Meta Analysis Comparative Study
Comparing the cost of nurse practitioners and GPs in primary care: modelling economic data from randomised trials.
The role of nurse practitioners in primary care has recently expanded. While there are some outcome data available for different types of consultations, little is known about the relative cost. ⋯ Employing a nurse practitioner in primary care is likely to cost much the same as employing a salaried GP according to currently available data. There is considerable variability of qualifications and experience of nurse practitioners, which suggests that skill-mix decisions should depend on the full range of roles and responsibilities rather than cost.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Randomised controlled trial of near-patient testing for glycated haemoglobin in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Tight glycaemic control in people with type 2 diabetes can lead to a reduction in microvascular and possibly macrovascular complications. The use of near-patient (rapid) testing offers a potential method to improve glycaemic control. ⋯ Near-patient testing for HbA1c alone does not lead to outcome or cost benefits in managing people with type 2 diabetes in primary care. Further research is required into the use of rapid testing as part of an optimised patient management model including arrangements for patient review and testing.
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The number of cases of mumps in the UK has increased during 2004-2005. Understanding why some people are more susceptible to mumps infection will help target vaccination and other control measures in the future. This paper describes a mumps outbreak in a boarding school in Scotland (October to November 2004). ⋯ Some children and young people in the UK are currently incompletely vaccinated. This outbreak illustrates the potential of a mumps outbreak to disrupt the medical, educational and social life of a school. All children should be vaccinated with two doses of MMR vaccine before school entry. Children and young people born between 1979-1991 should be given the necessary additional dose(s) of MMR vaccine.