Do various General Practice factors influence the participation rate (PR) in the cytological investigation for preventing cancer of the cervix uteri in counties without systematized screening? This was studied in the county of Aarhus, Denmark, where there are no systematic cytological examinations (CE). We studied a random sample of 2023 ...

Ninety general practitioners described their practices and gave their views on their work. The differences between urban and rural general practices were found to be greater than those between single practices, partnerships and group practices. Rural doctors were on call more frequently (50% being on call more than 11 nights ...

It has been suggested that general practitioners have the potential to regulate a large percentage of their workload through their control of 'doctor-initiated' consultations. A survey was made of 300 consecutive consultations in a group practice. After their consultation patients completed a questionnaire asking what advice the doctor had given ...

A study was performed in order to assess the value of the Phadiatop, a new in vitro allergy test, in general practice. A total of 248 patients were screened for bronchial allergy with PRIST, RAST and the Phadiatop. Information about the patient's history and the results of the PRIST, Phadiatop ...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of decontamination procedures in general practice. DESIGN: Anonymous postal questionnaire survey of 600 general practitioners randomly selected from the national register. SETTING: General practices throughout the United Kingdom. SUBJECTS: 382 General practitioners, a response rate of 65%. RESULTS: 186 General practitioners had autoclaves but 125 ...

Many of the differences between city and country general practice are well known. They include the effect of distance on accessibility; the general practitioner to patient ratios and the difference in the procedural work performed; and the availability of locums. Less well known differences include the age of the practitioner, ...

To assess the influence of giving patients a handout about tetanus immunisation on the rate of immunisation against tetanus among adults in a general practice. Monthly tetanus immunisation rates were audited before and after the handout was introduced. A practice with six doctors and a list of 11,000 patients in ...

Several aspects of referrals to medicine and surgery of National Health Service (NHS) patients in thirteen Dutch General Practices were investigated. In The Netherlands active and passive referrals have to be separated. Only one out of three referrals to medicine was an active referral on the initiative of the GP. ...

In Salford, the care and facilities for elderly people provided by general dental practitioners in practices having three or more dentists were compared with those given in smaller practices. Accessibility and size of dental practice were significantly related, with larger practices being more accessible to elderly and disabled people than ...

There is no information about the use of antibiotics in the prevention of bacterial endocarditis in a developing country. A questionnaire was posted to 73 dentists, 233 general practitioners and 43 physicians. Completed questionnaires were received from 31 (42%) dentists, 59 (25%) general practitioners and 15 (35%) physicians. Prophylactic practice ...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate a method of assessing the extent of routine patient data held on computer by Scottish general practitioners. DESIGN: An "electronic questionnaire" in the form of an interrogation questionnaire was used to extract a subset of data from practice computers running a standard software package (the general practice ...

Successful clinical management of schizophrenia entails the skilled provision of neuroleptic drugs, stress management, skills training and specific psychological interventions. The integration of these treatments can only be achieved within the context of an efficient team that includes mental health professionals, social workers, general practitioners and, above all, patients and ...

Telephone advice in out of hours general practice consultations has been infrequently described in the United Kingdom. Data from 13 general practices (77 doctors) in north London were collected over four-week periods. Of the 970 calls recorded, 86% were managed directly by the practice, and 14% by a deputizing service. ...

In 1989 a self-administered questionnaire concerning current management of, attitudes to, and knowledge of, narcotic misuse was completed by 206 Inner London general practitioners. Results showed that whilst over three quarters were prepared to offer patients supportive interviews, few were willing to prescribe for them, most preferring to refer to ...

We recently have conducted a cross-sectional survey to determine the prescribing practices of rheumatologists and a random sample of general practitioners in New South Wales and Queensland. While in general there was agreement as to the preferred management of gout, several important differences were noted between the two groups of ...

Dairy practice demands fair compensation for services rendered. If practitioners shortchange themselves when setting fees, they will have to shortchange their employees by paying less than adequate wages. Newly graduating practitioners must be told the realities of practice economics so that consequences of unrealistic expectations are not suffered. Employers must ...

In a study of referrals to East Anglian hospitals 737 referrals in six specialties from three general practices were examined to see how accurately the hospital computer master index had identified the referring practice, the referring general practitioner and the doctor with whom the patient was registered. Although the practice ...

Familiarity with the anatomy of the central veins, the equipment to be used and attention to technical detail are fundamental to successful and rapid central venous cannulation. This article provides a concise description of the relevant anatomy, some general advice and a brief account of the common methods of cannulation. ...

The general practitioner must be prepared and equipped to cope with the unexpected. As we do not choose our patients--they choose us--we may be confronted with an urgent or potentially lethal problem at any time. It is vital to remain alert to the possibilities, keep equipment stocked and ready, and ...

To determine the degree to which pharmacists might cooperate with other health-care providers in reducing tobacco use, the authors surveyed 500 Georgia pharmacists on their knowledge, attitudes, and sales practices regarding cigarettes and smokeless tobacco (ST). Analysis of the 152 questionnaires (30.3%) returned showed that respondents' knowledge of the effects ...

This paper considers management options for limiting general practitioner use of open access radiology - a service for which there is increasing demand which is difficult to meet. In the current climate of cost containment, restriction of general practitioner access to these expensive diagnostic facilities has management appeal. However, it ...

To study continuing medical education 96 out of 101 general practitioners chosen at random from the list held by a family practitioner committee were interviewed. The results provided little evidence of regular attendance at local postgraduate centre meetings, though practice based educational meetings were common. Thirty one of the general ...

The Brent and Harrow family practitioner committee has supported a scheme to enable general practitioners to collect data relating to their practice activity. This paper reports on the operation of the scheme involving 76 general practitioners from 22 practices and the findings. Practice nurse activity was also included. The family ...

A questionnaire was sent to those practices known by the Royal College of General Practitioners to have produced annual reports. Practices were asked what data they included, to whom the report was circulated, what problems and benefits they encountered, and their opinion of the government's proposal to encourage such reports. ...

In four general practices in The Netherlands, 277 respondents reported in a diary on perceived morbidity during four weeks. Data of presented morbidity were provided by the general practitioners in these practices, who were accustomed to morbidity registration. As a mean, one complaint was reported every three or four days. ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the views of Avon's general practitioners about the general practice proposals within the government's white paper Working for Patients. DESIGN: Postal questionnaire survey. SETTING: A county in south west England. SUBJECTS: All general practitioner principals (n = 537) under contract with Avon Family Practitioner Committee. MEASUREMENTS AND ...

This self-directed learning module highlights the general concepts and new advances in the area of orthotics and prosthetics. This general overview is part of the chapter on prosthetics, orthotics, and assistive devices for the Self-Directed Medical Knowledge Program Study Guide for practitioners and trainees in physical medicine and rehabilitation. This ...

The essential characteristics of British general practice--a defined list of patients for each practitioner, the pivotal role of general practice in controlling access to specialist services, and the primary care team--all are likely to be preserved for the foreseeable future. New government legislation will attempt to increase the accountability of ...

Clinical freedom is an elastic concept and its practical meaning to clinicians varies with time and context. Management pressure on clinical freedom is also likely to be elastic. Resource constraints are increasing pressure on clinical freedom. The paper reviews the nature of such pressure and considers the extent to which ...

A survey of established general practitioners in New South Wales and South Australia and of Family Medicine Programme trainees in South Australia was undertaken to investigate their attitudes towards a general practice based Quality Assurance Programme. Broad support for such a programme was found and was strongest among younger practitioners; ...

A random sample of the general practitioners in the Auckland urban area was surveyed in 1985. Data on fee levels, costs and workload was collected. Analysis of this data shows the variability of doctors' fees is not easily explained in terms of indicators of quality of practice, workload, practice structure ...

PURPOSE: To identify self-perceived problems in managing science information needs of U.S. primary practitioners and their opinion leaders. SAMPLE: A two-stage random sample of the American Medical Association's "Masterlist of Physicians" to identify 625 office-based physicians, including general practice, family practice, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics, and 100 ...

This paper describes three interconnected conceptions of the body in kalarippayattu, the martial tradition of Kerala, South India. It traces continuities and discontinuities among concepts and practices recorded in classic source texts and contemporary martial practice for each of the three 'bodies of practice'. The first is the fluid body ...

A new preventive care card for use in general practice has been designed and produced by a working party of general practitioners from the local medical committees of Devon and Cornwall and the Tamar faculty of the Royal College of General Practitioners. The new card, which is described in this ...

While few Auckland general practitioners had inpractice computers before 1981-2, many installed computers after 1981-2. In order to assess some of the determinants of the computerisation of practices and the outcomes of computerisation, data was collected on a random sample of Auckland urban area general practitioners for the financial years ...

An information package was developed for general practitioners (GPs) involved in the management of home parenteral nutrition (HPN) patients. The booklet covered five major sections: background information; HPN training; complications of HPN; arrangements for a particular patient; and hospital management of HPN. This study was designed to determine the acceptability ...

A random sample of Auckland general practitioners was surveyed in 1985. Data describing their workload, practice style and practice finances for the years 1981/82 and 1984/85 was collected and analysed. The trends in general practice during this time were studied, and the results compared to national data from various sources ...

A questionnaire was sent to 226 general practitioners in the Wellington region to determine the relationship between the general practitioner and complementary medicine. A 77% response rate was achieved. Twenty-four % of doctors had received training and 54% wanted further training in a complementary therapy; 27% currently practised at least ...

Psychiatrists and general practitioners have found new ways of working together in the last ten years, but there have also been separate activities which could develop into rivalry. These opportunities and dangers are the central theme of this paper. Ways are considered in which the psychiatry of general practice differs ...

To investigate variations in the number of outpatients seen in different NHS regions of Great Britain data on numbers of outpatients, number of consultants per 100,000 population, mortality, and prescribing rates were analysed for four specialties: medicine, thoracic medicine, psychiatry, and dermatology. The number of outpatients seen was strongly associated ...

The present study describes the use of phenoxymethylpenicillin and broad-spectrum penicillin for the treatment of sinusitis in general practice, in relation to some variables related to the prescribing doctors: region (county), practice form (single-handed or partnership), and the doctors' seniority (year of graduation). Log-linear analysis was used to make it ...

The title ;spotter' practitioner has come to refer particularly to influenza surveillance. Worldwide, a variety of surveillance schemes have been developed, influenced by local health care systems. In the United Kingdom general practitioners can contribute to the Royal College of General Practitioners' weekly returns service or to national or regional ...

The dentists interviewed for this third article in the series report this is a satisfying time; they are private practitioners aged 40 to 54. These dentists are enthusiastic about their profession and enjoy using the new technological advances for better treatment of their patients. For these active practitioners, the practice ...

The emergency and outpatient referral rates of practices taking part in the 2nd and 3rd National Morbidity Studies (NMS-2, NMS-3) were studied. Variation in referral rate between individual practices was contrasted with variation between different practice and patient sub-groups. Variability in referral rates between practices to outpatient departments was shown ...

Russell et al have shown that the compliance of patients can be enhanced by general practitioners' providing them with written materials.' We examined what educational materials for patients were used by general practitioners and where the materials came from.

One important factor affecting access to primary health care is the location of the general practitioner but it is often assumed that opportunities to influence the distribution of general practitioners are minimal owing to their low propensity to relocate. In this study in an urban area of Manchester a relatively ...

The physical and psychological health of long term (over one year) users of benzodiazepines in one general practice was assessed by patients' self reporting of illness and by general practitioners' records. Of 3741 patients registered with the practice, 82 had been prescribed a benzodiazepine, and 64 of these agreed to ...

Although cosmopolitan medicine plays an increasingly important role in developing countries, people still use indigenous medicines. A 1983 survey in two Sinhalese communities in Sri Lanka investigated the patients' use of cosmopolitan or traditional treatments for various illnesses. It appears that for acute complaints, or when a child seems seriously ...

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone therapy has undergone sufficient basic and clinical investigation as a tool for ovulation induction that it should now be considered a safe and effective infertility therapy for office practice. Nevertheless, there remains sufficient mystique about patient selection, optimal dosage and route of delivery, and apprehension on the part ...

Anxiety is a common problem in primary care. General practitioners appear to be confused about its classification and hence uncertain about its treatment. The spectrum model offers a simple approach which shows considerable agreement with more complex taxonomies. It also allows for a more systematic and sensible approach to management.