The European journal of general practice
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Signs of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) - fever (or hypothermia), tachycardia and tachypnoea - are used in the hospital setting to identify patients with possible sepsis. ⋯ Although patients with abnormal vital signs of SIRS were referred more often, decreased oxygen saturation, hypotension and rapid illness progression seem to be most important for GPs to guide further management.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Non-random relations in drug use expressed as patterns comprising prescription and over-the-counter drugs in multimorbid elderly patients in primary care: Data of the exploratory analysis of the multicentre, observational cohort study MultiCare.
The elderly population deals with multimorbidity (three chronic conditions) and increasinged drug use with age. A comprehensive characterisation of the medication - including prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs - of elderly patients in primary care is still insufficient. ⋯ The drug patterns demonstrate non-random relations in drug use in multimorbid elderly patients and systematic associations between drug patterns and multimorbidity clusters were found in primary care.
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Patients with chronic conditions pose a major challenge to the Danish healthcare system. Since 2018, disease management programmes for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) were introduced in Denmark. Treatment in hospitals should be reserved for those patients who require specialised treatment. Hence, more patients with COPD and T2D fall within the general practitioners' (GPs) responsibility. ⋯ According to the GPs, they continue to play an important role as treatment coordinators to ensure coherence and high quality in treating patients with COPD and type 2 diabetes.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial impact on primary care throughout Europe and globally. ⋯ The COVID-19 pandemic has considerably impacted on primary care at both service and patient levels, and various strategies to mitigate these impacts have been described. Future research examining the pandemic's ongoing impacts on primary care, as well as strategies to mitigate these impacts, is a priority.
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Telemedicine, once defined merely as the treatment of certain conditions remotely, has now often been supplanted in use by broader terms such as 'virtual care', in recognition of its increasing capability to deliver a diverse range of healthcare services from afar. With the unexpected onset of COVID-19, virtual care (e.g. telephone, video, online) has become essential to facilitating the continuation of primary care globally. Over several short weeks, existing healthcare policies have adapted quickly and empowered clinicians to use digital means to fulfil a wide range of clinical responsibilities, which until then have required face-to-face consultations. ⋯ Virtual care use in primary care saw a transformative change during the pandemic. However, despite the advances in the various governmental guidance offered, much work remains in addressing the shortcomings exposed during COVID-19 and strengthening viable policies to better incorporate novel technologies into the modern primary care clinical environment.