Introduction This good practice guide is a collaborative effort between the Royal College of Radiologists, the Royal College of General Practitioners, and the Society and College of Radiographers. It has been developed to improve imaging services in the early stages of illness, particularly in primary care, by building strong partnerships between diagnostic imaging departments and [read the full story…]
Introduction When a child becomes ill, the first clinician they meet is most likely to be their GP. This report is the result of a collaboration between the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Royal College of Nursing, and the Department of Health to identify how to [read the full story…]
Most of us care about our health (something we elves encourage) but for up to 5% of people, worrying about health has become a significant problem in itself. Severe health anxiety, or hypochondriasis, is said to exist when someone holds a strong fear of having a serious disease, despite all medical assurances to the contrary. [read the full story…]
Introduction In England, from April 2013, there will be significant changes to the NHS, particularly with the introduction of 211 clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). These GP-led organisations will take on the responsibility of funding, planning, and obtaining health services for their local areas. It is essential that best practice is applied so that efficient decisions [read the full story…]
A great deal of time and money has been spent on improving the diagnosis and management of depression and self-harm in primary care. The evidence tells us that collaborative care and case management can be effective approaches, which is all well and good, but these complex interventions are not always feasible. This new cluster randomised [read the full story…]
Postnatal (or postpartum) depression is moderate to severe depression that affects women just after they have given birth. It’s a relatively common illness, affecting 7-15% of childbearing women. Suffering from depression in the first few weeks of motherhood can have a significant impact, not just on the health of the mother, but also on her [read the full story…]
I really enjoyed the discussion in the Guardian over the weekend about poor quality trials and pharmaceutical industry techniques that overhype their drugs in an attempt to shift units. Ben Goldacre’s new Bad Pharma book is well worth a read. New reviews about antidepressants come thick and fast and it’s often hard to know what [read the full story…]
Comorbidities are common in mental health and the relationship between physical and mental health conditions appears to be bidirectional. Having a chronic physical condition like diabetes can increase your risk of depression (by as much as 3 times). Having an enduring mental health problem such as psychosis can take 15-20 years off your life. In [read the full story…]
In addition to its well-known harmful effects on the lungs and heart Smoking tobacco has serious adverse effects on oral health. Dental health professionals have an excellent opportunity to help reduce smoking and tobacco use. The aim of this study was to evaluate two interventions intended to increase the implementation of tobacco use prevention and [read the full story…]
Last week we posted about some research by a self advocacy group which was looking at some of the reasons why annual health checks only happened for one in four people with learning disabilities in their area. The researchers in this US study looked at the needs of primary care doctors using semi structured interviews [read the full story…]
