The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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Adults with a learning disability frequently have unmet health needs. The cause for this is complex and may be related to difficulties in accessing usual primary care services. Health checks have been widely recommended as a solution to this need. ⋯ The findings reflect a concern that current care delivery leaves adults with an intellectual disability at risk of both severe and milder illness going unrecognised. Health checks present one mechanism for identifying and treating such illness in primary care.
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Comparative Study
Symptom interpretation and quality of life in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.
Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are often believed to attribute unexplained symptoms to physical disorders. We tested this hypothesis by assessing symptom interpretation, symptom severity, and quality of life in patients attending hospital gastroenterology clinics. ⋯ Symptom interpretation does not differ between IBS and non-IBS patients referred to hospital gastroenterology clinics. The tendency to attribute somatic symptoms to a physical disorder does not explain why only a minority of IBS subjects seek medical attention. The idea that most IBS patients are committed to a somatic explanation of symptoms appears to be a myth.
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Job satisfaction has been associated with intentions to quit and aspects of quality of care. In 2001, GP job satisfaction in England had fallen to its lowest point for over a decade. ⋯ Despite recent initiatives to enhance workforce capacity and working lives for GPs, workload, time pressures and job control remain potential areas of concern. Addressing such issues may be key to maintaining morale as the new contract is implemented.