The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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Background The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the widespread rollout of teleconsultations across primary care services in the UK. The media's depiction of remote consultations, especially regarding their safety, is not well-established. These insights are important: newspapers' coverage of healthcare-related news can influence public perception, national policy and clinicians' job satisfaction. ⋯ The media reported that the transition to a remote-first approach reduced the accessibility to primary care appointments for some groups (especially patients with lower digital literacy/access), and heightened the burden on other healthcare services: in particular, there were reports of patient care being compromised across NHS emergency departments (ED). Conclusions The media predominantly reported negative impacts of remote consultations on patient safety, particularly involving missed and/or delayed diagnoses. Our work highlights the importance of further exploration into the safety of remote consultations, and the impact of erroneous media reporting on policies and policymakers.
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Health policy promotes patient participation in decision making about service organisation. In English general practice this happens through contractually required patient participation groups (PPGs). However, there are problems with the enactment of PPGs that have not been systematically addressed. ⋯ Combining participatory practices and facilitated participatory methods enabled patients to influence decision making about general practice service improvement. The policy of mandatory PPGs needs updating to recognise the need to resource participation in a meaningful way.
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Primary care and community healthcare professionals (HCPs) are well placed to discuss child excess weight with parents and support them to make changes. However, HCPs have concerns about addressing this issue. There is a need to understand the factors that influence HCPs in initiating these conversations to inform strategies to support them. ⋯ A range of barriers exist to HCPs addressing child excess weight with parents in primary care and community settings. Actions to effect structural changes and support HCPs in developing relevant knowledge and skills are required to overcome these barriers.
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Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the prostate is a new, more accurate, non-invasive test for prostate cancer diagnosis. ⋯ Prostate MRI appears to be acceptable to patients. Some differences were found between patients in London and Devon, mainly around burden of testing and opportunity costs. Further exploration of GPs' knowledge and understanding of prostate MRI could inform future initiatives to widen access to diagnostic testing in primary care.
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People with severe and multiple disadvantage (SMD) who experience combinations of homelessness, substance misuse, violence, abuse, and poor mental health have high health needs and poor access to primary care. ⋯ The co-designed strategies described in this study could be adapted locally and evaluated in other areas. Investing in this focused way of working may improve accessibility to health care, health equity, and staff wellbeing.