The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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Although it is now common to see spirituality as an integral part of health care, little is known about how to deal with this topic in daily practice. ⋯ The results of the studies included here were mostly congruent, affirming that many GPs see themselves as supporters of patients' spiritual wellbeing, but lack specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes to perform a spiritual assessment and to provide spiritual care. Spirituality may be of special consequence at the end of life, with an increased search for meaning. Actively addressing spiritual issues fits into the biopsychosocial-spiritual model of care. Further research is needed to clarify the role of the GP as a spiritual care giver.
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Multicenter Study
Urgent suspected cancer referrals from general practice: audit of compliance with guidelines and referral outcomes.
Late diagnosis contributes to the UK having poorer cancer survival than many countries in Europe. Cancer referral guidelines help GPs decide which patients to refer urgently for further investigation. ⋯ There is wide variation in GP referral rates for suspected cancer with a greater than expected proportion of referrals for younger people. Many referrals considered to be outside the national guidelines were diagnosed with cancer, suggesting factors other than those in referral guidelines alert GPs to the possibility of cancer.
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Multicenter Study
Identifying patients with suspected gastro-oesophageal cancer in primary care: derivation and validation of an algorithm.
Gastro-oesphageal is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Evidence suggested that increased awareness of symptoms and earlier diagnosis could help improve treatment options and improve survival. ⋯ The algorithm has good performance and could potentially be used to help identify those at highest risk of gastro-oesophageal cancer, to facilitate early referral and investigation.
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Community-acquired pneumonia is one of the most common causes of hospitalisation and death in older people. Recent research suggests that statins might improve the outcome of infectious diseases because of their anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. ⋯ In this large population-based case-control study, current exposure to statins was associated with a reduced risk of pneumonia. The findings were similar to other observational population-based studies, but further randomised controlled trials are necessary before recommending statins to patients at high risk of pneumonia.