The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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Observational Study
Characteristics of good home-based end-of-life care: analysis of 5-year data from a nationwide mortality follow-back survey in England.
Recently, there has been an emphasis on providing good-quality end-of-life care; however, little is known about it and its determinants for patients living at home. ⋯ Better quality of end-of-life care was associated with good continuity of primary care, specialist palliative care support, and death outside of hospital. Disparities still exist for those from minority ethnic groups and those living in areas of socioeconomic deprivation. Future commissioning and initiatives must consider these variables to provide a more-equitable service.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Diagnostic delays for breathlessness in primary care: a qualitative study to investigate current care and inform future pathways.
Evidence about the delays to diagnosis for patients presenting with breathlessness is lacking. ⋯ The findings indicate potential explanations for delays to diagnosis for patients with chronic breathlessness. Interventions are needed to enhance symptom recognition, include alternative approaches to incremental investigation, and expand the concept of diagnosis beyond a disease label to improve communication, with the ultimate aim of earlier diagnosis and management to improve patient outcomes.
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Practice-based pharmacists (PBPs) have been introduced into general practice across the UK to relieve some of the pressures within primary care. However, there is little existing UK literature that has explored healthcare professionals' (HCPs') views about PBP integration and how this role has evolved. ⋯ Participants reported that PBPs had integrated well and perceived a positive impact on primary healthcare delivery. Further work is needed to increase patient awareness of the PBP role.
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Anxiety is frequently encountered in general practice, but figures regarding prevalence and incidence in this healthcare setting remain scarce. ⋯ A significantly increasing prevalence and incidence of physician-registered anxiety was found in the study. Patients with anxiety tend to become more complex, with more comorbidities. Treatment for anxiety in Belgian primary care is very dependent on medication.