The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Communicating risk using absolute risk reduction or prolongation of life formats: cluster-randomised trial in general practice.
It is important that patients are well-informed about risks and benefits of therapies to help them decide whether to accept medical therapy. Different numerical formats can be used in risk communication but It remains unclear how the different formats affect decisions made by real-life patients. ⋯ Patients redeemed statin prescriptions less often when their GP communicated treatment effectiveness using POL compared with ARR.
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The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with serious adverse drug events (ADEs). ⋯ OTC NSAIDs are used by almost one-third of the general population. In the high-risk patients selected, one in eight patients used an OTC NSAID. Continued efforts by health authorities and healthcare professionals to inform patients of the risks of these drugs are warranted.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Change in cardiovascular risk factors following early diagnosis of type 2 diabetes: a cohort analysis of a cluster-randomised trial.
There is little evidence to inform the targeted treatment of individuals found early in the diabetes disease trajectory. ⋯ Diabetes management requires setting of individualised attainable targets. This analysis provides a reference point for patients, clinicians, and policymakers when considering goals for changes in risk factors early in the course of the disease that account for the diverse cardiometabolic profile present in individuals who are newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
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Review Meta Analysis
Doctors record higher blood pressures than nurses: systematic review and meta-analysis.
The magnitude of the 'white coat effect', the alerting rise in blood pressure, is greater for doctors than nurses. This could bias interpretation of studies on nurse-led care in hypertension, and risks overestimating or overtreating high blood pressure by doctors in clinical practice. ⋯ The white coat effect is smaller for blood pressure measurements made by nurses than by doctors. This systematic difference has implications for hypertension diagnosis and management. Caution is required in pooling data from studies using both nurse- and doctor-measured blood pressures.