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Women's health care has evolved significantly since it was first acknowledged as an integral part of internal medicine training more than two decades ago. To update and clarify core competencies in sex- and gender-based women's health for general internists, the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) Women and Medicine Commission prepared the following Position Paper, approved by the SGIM council in 2023. Competencies were developed using several sources, including the 2021 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Program Requirements for Internal Medicine and the 2023 American Board of Internal Medicine Certification Examination Blueprint. These competencies are relevant to the care of patients who identify as women, as well as gender-diverse individuals to whom these principles apply. They align with pivotal advances in women's health and acknowledge the changing context of patients' lives, reaffirming the role of general internal medicine physicians in providing comprehensive care to women., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Society of General Internal Medicine.)

This study examines a paper hand-held record and a shared electronic health record in an Australian tertiary hospital healthcare maternity setting and the role that both types of records play in facilitating integrated care among healthcare providers. A qualitative research design was used where five focus groups were conducted in two phases with 69 hospital healthcare providers. In total, 32 interviews were also carried out with general practitioners. Transcripts were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Three key themes were identified: (1) selective use of records; (2) records as communication of care; and (3) negativity about the use of records. This study demonstrates that healthcare providers do not effectively share information using either a paper hand-held record or a shared electronic health record. Considering a national commitment to e-health innovation, a multi-professional input, organisational support and continuing education are identified as crucial to realising the potential of a maternity shared electronic health record to facilitate integrated care.

Introduction: Many patients now turn to the internet as a resource for healthcare information and advice. However, patients' use of the internet to manage their health has been positioned as a potential source of strain on the doctor-patient relationship in primary care. The current evidence about what happens when internet-derived health information is introduced during consultations has relied on qualitative data derived from interview or questionnaire studies. The 'Harnessing resources from the internet to maximise outcomes from GP consultations (HaRI)' study combines questionnaire, interview and video-recorded consultation data to address this issue more fully., Methods and Analysis: Three data collection methods are employed: preconsultation patient questionnaires, video-recorded consultations between general practitioners (GP) and patients, and semistructured interviews with GPs and patients. We seek to recruit 10 GPs practising in Southeast England. We aim to collect up to 30 patient questionnaires and video-recorded consultations per GP, yielding up to 300. Up to 30 patients (approximately three per participating GP) will be selected for interviews sampled for a wide range of sociodemographic characteristics, and a variety of ways the use of, or information from, the internet was present or absent during their consultation. We will interview all 10 participating GPs about their views of online health information, reflecting on their own usage of online information during consultations and their patients' references to online health information. Descriptive, conversation and thematic analysis will be used respectively for the patient questionnaires, video-recorded consultations and interviews., Ethics and Dissemination: Ethical approval has been granted by the London-Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee. Alongside journal publications, dissemination activities include the creation of a toolkit to be shared with patients and doctors, to guide discussions of material from the internet in consultations., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2018. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.)

Objectives: Intervention Modeling Experiments (IMEs) are a way of developing and testing behavior change interventions before a trial. We aimed to test this methodology in a Web-based IME that replicated the trial component of an earlier, paper-based IME., Study Design and Setting: Three-arm, Web-based randomized evaluation of two interventions (persuasive communication and action plan) and a "no intervention" comparator. The interventions were designed to reduce the number of antibiotic prescriptions in the management of uncomplicated upper respiratory tract infection. General practitioners (GPs) were invited to complete an online questionnaire and eight clinical scenarios where an antibiotic might be considered., Results: One hundred twenty-nine GPs completed the questionnaire. GPs receiving the persuasive communication did not prescribe an antibiotic in 0.70 more scenarios (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.17-1.24) than those in the control arm. For the action plan, GPs did not prescribe an antibiotic in 0.63 (95% CI = 0.11-1.15) more scenarios than those in the control arm. Unlike the earlier IME, behavioral intention was unaffected by the interventions; this may be due to a smaller sample size than intended., Conclusions: A Web-based IME largely replicated the findings of an earlier paper-based study, providing some grounds for confidence in the IME methodology., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To evaluate the robustness of the intervention modeling experiment (IME) methodology as a way of developing and testing behavioral change interventions before a full-scale trial by replicating an earlier paper-based IME., Study Design and Setting: Web-based questionnaire and clinical scenario study. General practitioners across Scotland were invited to complete the questionnaire and scenarios, which were then used to identify predictors of antibiotic-prescribing behavior. These predictors were compared with the predictors identified in an earlier paper-based IME and used to develop a new intervention., Results: Two hundred seventy general practitioners completed the questionnaires and scenarios. The constructs that predicted simulated behavior and intention were attitude, perceived behavioral control, risk perception/anticipated consequences, and self-efficacy, which match the targets identified in the earlier paper-based IME. The choice of persuasive communication as an intervention in the earlier IME was also confirmed. Additionally, a new intervention, an action plan, was developed., Conclusion: A web-based IME replicated the findings of an earlier paper-based IME, which provides confidence in the IME methodology. The interventions will now be evaluated in the next stage of the IME, a web-based randomized controlled trial., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Much implementation research is focused on full-scale trials with little evidence of preceding modelling work. The Medical Research Council Framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions has argued for more and better theoretical and exploratory work prior to a trial as a means of improving intervention development. Intervention modelling experiments (IMEs) are a way of exploring and refining an intervention before moving to a full-scale trial. They do this by delivering key elements of the intervention in a simulation that approximates clinical practice by, for example, presenting general practitioners (GPs) with a clinical scenario about making a treatment decision., Methods: The current proposal will run a full, web-based IME involving 250 GPs that will advance the methodology of IMEs by directly comparing results with an earlier paper-based IME. Moreover, the web-based IME will evaluate an intervention that can be put into a full-scale trial that aims to reduce antibiotic prescribing for upper respiratory tract infections in primary care. The study will also include a trial of email versus postal invitations to participate., Discussion: More effective behaviour change interventions are needed and this study will develop one such intervention and a system to model and test future interventions. This system will be applicable to any situation in the National Health Service where behaviour needs to be modified, including interventions aimed directly at the public., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials (NCT): NCT01206738.

I n the context of an adequate health care organization, the figure of the neurologist as an emergency operator (in the emergency room—ER—and/or in a dedicated outpatient clinic) is crucial for an effective functional connection with the territory (and therefore with general practitioners), a reduction in inappropriate ER accesses, specific diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to neurological emergencies in the ER and a reduction in nonspecific or even unnecessary instrumental investigations. In this position paper of the Italian Association of Emergency Neurology (ANEU: Associazione Neurologia dell'Emergenza Urgenza), these issues are addressed, and two important organizational solutions are proposed: The Neuro Fast Track, as an outpatient organization approach strongly linked to general practitioners and non-neurological specialists and dedicated to cases with deferrable urgency (to be assessed within 72 h) The identification of an emergency neurologist, who is engaged in ER assessments as a consultant and involved in the management of the semi-intensive care unit of the emergency neurology and the stroke unit according to an appropriate rotation, as well as in consultations for patients with neurological emergencies in inpatient wards The possibility of computerizing the screening of patients with deferrable urgency in the Neuro Fast Track is described. A dedicated app represents an important tool that can facilitate the identification of patients for whom deferred assessment is appropriate, the scheduling of neurological examinations and reductions in the booking time through a more rapid approach to specialist assessment and subsequent investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Emergency healthcare services are under intense pressure to meet increasing patient demands. Many patients presenting to emergency departments could be managed by general practitioners in general practitioner-emergency department service models., Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness, safety, patient experience and system implications of the different general practitioner-emergency department models., Design: Mixed-methods realist evaluation., Methods: Phase 1 (2017-8), to understand current practice: rapid realist literature review, national survey and follow-up key informant interviews, national stakeholder event and safety data analysis. Phase 2 (2018-21), to collect and analyse qualitative (observations, interviews) and quantitative data (time series analysis); cost-consequences analysis of routine data; and case site data for 'marker condition' analysis from a purposive sample of 13 case sites in England and Wales. Phase 3 (2021-2), to conduct mixed-methods analysis for programme theory and toolkit development., Results: General practitioners commonly work in emergency departments, but delivery models vary widely in terms of the scope of the general practitioner role and the scale of the general practitioner service. We developed a taxonomy to describe general practitioner-emergency department service models (Integrated with the emergency department service, Parallel within the emergency department, Outside the emergency department on the hospital site) and present a programme theory as principal output of the study to describe how these service models were observed to operate. Routine data were of variable quality, limiting our analysis. Time series analysis demonstrated trends across intervention sites for: increased time spent in the emergency department; increased emergency department attendances and reattendances; and mixed results for hospital admissions. Evidence on patient experience was limited but broadly supportive; we identified department-level processes to optimise the safety of general practitioner-emergency department models., Limitations: The quality, heterogeneity and extent of routine emergency department data collection during the study period limited the conclusions. Recruitment was limited by criteria for case sites (time series requirements) and individual patients (with 'marker conditions'). Pandemic and other pressures limited data collection for marker condition analysis. Data collected and analysed were pre pandemic; new approaches such as 'telephone first' and their relevance to our findings remains unexplored., Conclusion: Findings suggest that general practitioner-emergency department service models do not meet the aim of reducing the overall emergency department waiting times and improving patient flow with limited evidence of cost savings. Qualitative data indicated that general practitioners were often valued as members of the wider emergency department team. We have developed a toolkit, based on our findings, to provide guidance for implementing and delivering general practitioner-emergency department services., Future Work: The emergency care data set has since been introduced across England to help standardise data collection to facilitate further research. We would advocate the systematic capture of patient experience measures and patient-reported outcome measures as part of routine care. More could be done to support the development of the general practitioner in emergency department role, including a core set of competencies and governance structure, to reflect the different general practitioner-emergency department models and to evaluate the effectiveness and cost effectiveness to guide future policy., Study Registration: This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42017069741., Funding: This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme (NIHR award ref: 15/145/04) and is published in full in Health and Social Care Delivery Research ; Vol. 12, No. 10. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information.

Introduction: Dementias a prevalent chronic healthcare condition affecting 46 million people worldwide and projected to grow in the coming years. Australians living in rural and regional areas often lack access to specialist dementia care, despite greater prevalence relative to metropolitan areas., Objective: This study aimed to explore general practitioners (GP) understanding, confidence and attitudes towards dementia management in the rural context, and design and pilot a dementia-specific training program., Design: A two-stage, mixed methods design, using qualitative and quantitative methods. Sixteen regional GPs from across Victoria participated in scoping semi-structured interviews. Fourteen separate GPs in the St Anthony Family Medical Practice group in the regional Loddon-Mallee area of Victoria completed the pilot training intervention. Pre- and post-training surveys (n = 10), as well as post-training interviews (n = 10), assessed attitude and knowledge changes., Findings: Analysis of semi-structured scoping interviews indicated three themes regarding experience of dementia management, including: (1) attitudes to and experiences of dementia; (2) supporting people living with dementia; and (3) knowledge, education and training of dementia. The pilot dementia-specific training was found to improve attitudes (agreement across 24 best-practice indicators improved from 30% to 79%), knowledge (median increase of 2.5/10) and confidence in managing dementia and disclosing dementia diagnoses (median increase 3/10 and 2.75/10, respectively)., Discussion: General practitioners in this study lacked initial confidence in detecting and managing dementia in a rural primary care setting. A targeted training program showed improvements in these areas., Conclusion: Accessible, locally delivered, dementia education has the potential to improve confidence in early detection and management of people with dementia and thereby may address gaps in access to care for people living with dementia in rural settings., (© 2024 The Authors. Australian Journal of Rural Health published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of National Rural Health Alliance Ltd.)

Background: Telemedicine is often promoted as a possible solution to some of the challenges healthcare systems in many countries face, and an increasing number of studies evaluate the clinical effects. So far, the studies show varying results. Less attention has been paid to systemic factors, such as the context, implementation, and mechanisms of these interventions., Methods: This study evaluates the experiences of patients and health personnel enrolled in a pragmatic randomized controlled trial comparing telemedicine-based follow-up of chronic conditions with usual care. Patients in the intervention group received an individual treatment plan together with computer tablets and home telemonitoring devices to report point-of-care measurements, e.g., blood pressure, blood glucose or oxygen saturation, and to respond to health related questions reported to a follow-up service. In response to abnormal measurement results, a follow-up service nurse would contact the patient and consider relevant actions. We conducted 49 interviews with patients and 77 interviews with health personnel and managers at the local centers. The interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis and based on recommendations for conducting process evaluation, considering three core aspects within the process of delivering a complex intervention: (1) context, (2) implementation, and (3) mechanisms of impact., Results: Patients were mainly satisfied with the telemedicine-based service, and experienced increased safety and understanding of their symptoms and illness. Implementation of the service does, however, require dedicated resources over time. Slow adjustment of other healthcare providers may have contributed to the absence of reductions in the use of specialized healthcare and general practitioner (GP) services. An evident advantage of the service is its flexibility, yet this may also challenge cost-efficiency of the intervention., Conclusions: The implementation of a telemedicine-based service in primary healthcare is a complex process that is sensitive to contextual factors and that requires time and dedicated resources to ensure successful implementation., Trial Registration: The trial was registered in www., Clinicaltrials: gov (NCT04142710). Study start: 2019-02-09, Study completion: 2021-06-30, Study type: Interventional, Intervention/treatment: Telemedicine tablet and tools to perform measurements. Informed and documented consent was obtained from all subjects and next of kin participating in the study., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

What is the role of general practitioners (GPs) in supporting or hindering public health efforts? We investigate the influence of vaccine-skeptic GPs on their patients' decisions to get a COVID-19 vaccination. We identify vaccine-skeptic GPs from the signatories of an open letter in which 199 Austrian physicians expressed their skepticism about COVID-19 vaccines. We examine small rural municipalities where patients choose a GP primarily based on geographic proximity. These vaccine-skeptic GPs reduced the vaccination rate by 5.6 percentage points. This estimate implies that they discouraged 7.9% of the vaccinable population. The effect appears to stem from discouragement rather than rationing vaccine access., (© 2023 The Authors. Health Economics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aims: To identify the challenges and opportunities among primary health care nurses and general practitioners (GPs) in the care of older people with urinary incontinence (UI) and other chronic conditions in China., Background: UI is highly prevalent among community-dwelling older people with chronic conditions but is underreported and poorly managed. Understanding the factors that affect primary health care professionals' practices in their care for this population is imperative to foster nurse-led UI care services., Design: A qualitative descriptive study., Methods: Four focus groups were held with 24 primary health care nurses and GPs in Changsha, Hunan Province, China, between July and September 2021. A reflective thematic analysis was used to identify themes., Results: This study revealed misconceptions regarding older people living with UI and other chronic conditions in primary care health professional participants. Moreover, primary health care nurses had very limited autonomy in UI diagnosis and initiating care interventions for this patient population. By reflecting on practices, participants recognized various practical solutions to improve the detection and management of UI. Participants also identified barriers to accessing care services in older people with UI. They suggested changes in the health care system to achieve universal access to UI care services for older people., Conclusion: Nurse-led UI care services in primary health care for community-dwelling older people with chronic conditions are in high demand but are underdeveloped due to professional and health care system factors., Impact: Findings from this study provide new insights into challenges faced by primary health care professionals and illuminate practical solutions to address these challenges., Reporting Methods: Adherence to COREQ guidelines was maintained., Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Since the presence of a birth defect is often a primary outcome in drug-safety studies among pregnant women, researching the validity of data collection methods is imperative. The aim of this study is to compare self-reported birth defects in infants by mothers with the information provided by general practitioners (GP (singular) or GPs (plural))., Methods: Mothers who participated in the Dutch Pregnancy Drug Register reported information about possible birth defects of their infants via questionnaires. GPs were approached to provide information on possible birth defects of the same infants. All reported birth defects by mothers and GPs were blindly coded using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) index and EUROCAT-classified as either a minor or major birth defect. Differences in reported birth defects between participants and GPs were assessed., Results: Participants and GPs (N = 551) reported 67 and 53 birth defects respectively, leading to a total of 120 birth defects among 65 infants. When both the GP and the participant reported a birth defect, 76.9% of these birth defects (N = 60) were coded with an identical ICD-10 code. Information on the absence of a birth defect and the presence of a major birth defect was identically reported by the GP and the mother in almost all cases (98.2%). Of the major birth defects reported by the GP, 67% could be matched with information provided by the participant, for 33% contradicting information was reported., Conclusion: Self-reported questionnaire data on infants' birth defects from mothers yield fairly similar information compared to information obtained through GPs. Future studies should validate the accuracy of self-reported birth defects by mothers more extensively to improve the quality of drug safety studies during pregnancy., (© 2023 The Authors. Birth Defects Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Abstract: General practitioners (GPs) are the cornerstone of primary healthcare in the Netherlands. As a national strategy, physician associates/assistants (PAs) and NPs were introduced to address growing healthcare demand. In this study, four representative practices were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively-two solo practices with a PA or NP and two group practices with a PA or NP. A reference group of GPs served as experts. The annual encounters per full-time GP averaged 6,839; for the NPs, 2,636; and the PAs, 4,926. Billable services were 70% to 100%, averaging 71% for NPs and 85% for PAs, and in three of the four practices, the employment of the NP or PA was cost-efficient. The qualitative data show that PAs and NPs contribute to general practice, easing the workload so that the GP has more time for complex patients. PA and NP employment was financially beneficial in 75% of cases., (Copyright © 2023 American Academy of Physician Associates.)

Objective: Family physicians are expected to have sufficient knowledge and skills in epilepsy management due to frequent encountering with epileptic patients for prescribing antiepileptics, providing preventive services such as vaccination, pre-conceptional counseling, or managing acute health problems of the patients. This study aimed to determine family physicians' challenges and needs regarding managing epilepsy in primary care., Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out with the family physicians working in Family Health Centers representing the four districts of Istanbul in 2020. After enrolling sociodemographic characteristics, epilepsy knowledge, and self-efficacy questionnaire were filled out by the physicians themselves, and the difficulties and needs in the follow-up of the patients with epilepsy were evaluated with open-ended questions., Results: Two hundred and twenty-eight physicians participated in the study (48.7% F; mean age: 43.06 ± 8.82). Most of the physicians reported that they feel incompetent and hesitated while providing health reports (driving [83.3%], sport [95.5%] or work [70.2%]), and prescribing antiepileptics, especially during pregnancy (38.2%) and breastfeeding (31.2%). Despite their high awareness of psychosocial problems in epileptic patients, only 25% of physicians stated that they could make psychosocial assessments. There was no correlation between Epilepsy Knowledge and Self-efficacy scores and physicians' age, graduation period, and family medicine experience (p > .05). Most frequently encountered difficulties were reported as epilepsy-specific (follow-up of pregnant or pediatric patients, lack of information about epilepsy and antiepileptics). Most physicians (82.6%) wanted training in epilepsy management., Significance: The findings of our study suggest that family physicians need knowledge and training in epilepsy management. The main limitation of the present study is its cross-sectional design, which does not allow for causal or directional inferences., (© 2023 International League Against Epilepsy.)

Background: In Belgium, the Planning Commission for Medical Supply is responsible for monitoring human resources for health (HRH) and ultimately proposing workforce quotas. It is supported by the Planning Unit for the Supply of the Health Professions. This Unit quantifies and forecasts the workforce in the healthcare professions on the basis of a stock and flow model, based on trends observed in the past. In 2019, the Planning Unit asked the KCE (Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre) to develop additional forecasting scenarios for the midwifery workforce, to complement the standard historical trend approach. The aim of this paper is to present the development of such forecasting scenarios., Methods: The Robust Workforce Planning Framework, developed by the Centre for Workforce Intelligence in the UK was used to develop alternative midwifery workforce scenarios. The framework consists of four steps (Horizon scanning, Scenario generation, Workforce modelling, and Policy analysis), the first two of which were undertaken by KCE, using two online surveys and five workshops with stakeholders., Results: Three alternative scenarios are proposed. The first scenario (close to the current situation) envisages pregnancy and maternity care centred on gynaecologists working either in a hospital or in private practice. The second scenario describes an organisation of midwife-led care in hospitals. In the third scenario, care is primarily organised by primary care practitioners (midwives and general practitioners) in outpatient settings., Conclusions: The Robust Workforce Planning Framework provides an opportunity to adjust the modelling of the health workforce and inform decision-makers about the impact of their future decisions on the health workforce., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

In many countries, policies have explicitly encouraged primary care teams and inter-professional cooperation and skill mix, as a way to improve both productive efficiency gains and quality improvement. France faces barriers to developing team working as well as new and more advanced roles for health care professionals including nurses. We aim to estimate the impact of a national pilot experiment of teamwork between general practitioners (GPs) and advance practitioners nurses (APN)-who substitute and complement GPs-on yearly quality of care process indicators for type two diabetes patients (T2DP). Implemented by a not-for-profit meso-tier organisation and supported by the Ministry of Health, the pilot relied on the voluntary enrolment of newly GPs from 2012 to 2015; the staffing and training of APNs; skill mixing and new remuneration schemes. We use latent-response formulation models, control for endogeneity and selection bias by using controlled before-after and quasi-experimental design combining coarsened exact matching-prior to the treatment, at both GPs (435 treated vs 973 control) and T2DP levels -, with intention to treat (ITT; 18,310 in each group) and per protocol (PP, 2943 in each group) perspectives, as well as difference-in-differences estimates on balanced panel claims data from the National Health Insurance Fund linked to clinical data over the period 2010-2017. We show evidence of a positive and significant positive impact for T2DP followed-up by newly enrolled GPs in the pilot compared to the pretreatment period and the control group. The effect magnitudes were larger for PP than for ITT subsamples., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Loneliness in older adults is common, particularly in women. In this article, gender differences in the association of loneliness and health care use are investigated in a large sample of community-dwelling older adults., Methods: Data of 2525 persons (ages 55-85 years)-participants of the fourth follow- up (2011-2014) of the ESTHER study- were analyzed. Loneliness and health care use were assessed by study doctors in the course of a home visit. Gender-specific regression models with Gamma-distribution were performed using loneliness as independent variable to predict outpatient health care use, adjusted for demographic variables., Results: In older women, lonely persons were shown to have significantly more visits to general practitioners and mental health care providers in a three-month period compared to less lonely persons (p = .005). The survey found that outpatient health care use was positively associated with loneliness, multimorbidity, and mental illness in older women but not in older men. Older men had significantly more contact with inpatient care in comparison to women (p = .02)., Conclusions: It is important to consider gender when analyzing inpatient and outpatient health care use in older persons. In older women loneliness is associated with increased use of outpatient services., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To explore the benefits and challenges of electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) for general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists in regional New South Wales (NSW)., Methods: This qualitative study utilised semistructured interviews conducted virtually or in-person between July and September 2021., Setting and Participants: General practitioners and pharmacists practising in Bathurst NSW., Main Outcomes: Self-reported perceived and experienced benefits and challenges of e-prescribing., Results: Two GPs and four pharmacists participated in the study. Reported benefits of e-prescribing included improvement in the prescribing and dispensing process, patient adherence, and prescription safety and security. The increased convenience for the patients was appreciated particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Challenges discussed were how the system was perceived to be unsafe and insecure, costs of messaging and updating general practice software, utilisation of new systems and patient awareness. Pharmacists reported the need for education to patients and staff to minimise the impact of inexperience with the novel technology on workflow efficacy., Conclusion: This study provided first insight and information on the perspectives of GPs and pharmacists 12 months after the implementation of e-prescribing. Further nationwide studies are required to consolidate these findings; provide comparisons with the system's progress since conception; determine whether metropolitan and rural health care professionals share similar perspectives; and shed light on where additional government support may be required., (© 2023 The Authors. Australian Journal of Rural Health published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of National Rural Health Alliance Ltd.)

Background: General practice (GP) plays a core role in managing the clinical pathways of patients with chronic diseases. Despite well-established knowledge of the benefits of involvement and personalized care, involvement in GP appears to be challenged. This study aimed to explore patient involvement in GP from the patients' perspectives., Method: The study involved a questionnaire survey investigating patient involvement in GP from the patients' perspectives. The validated questionnaire includes an open-ended question encouraging responders to provide additional comments regarding their involvement in GP. The results from these comments are presented in this paper. A thematic analysis was applied., Results: Of the 468 responses, 139 included additional comments to the free-text question. Through our analysis, six analytic themes were generated-To be seen, met or heard, To feel safe or not, To be involved or dictated to, Accessibility, COVID-19, and For the resourceful-across 116 codings and 25 descriptive themes. The themes' interwovenness underscores the complexity of both involvement and how it is to live with a chronic disease. Our analysis indicates that involvement in GP is for the resourceful., Conclusion: The six themes describing involvement in GP from the perspectives of patients with T2DM and/or COPD were deeply intertwined. Involvement is dependent on being seen, met and heard, all of which contribute to the patients' sense of feeling safe (or not). These aspects are dependent on accessibility to a general practitioner; thus, COVID-19 was a barrier during the data-collection period. Furthermore, it appeared that being resourceful not only contributed to a sense of being involved in GP but was perhaps even a prerequisite for being involved., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aim: To identify key predictors of general practitioner (GP) satisfaction and increase insight into the mechanisms behind ethnic health inequities in New Zealand., Method: Regression analyses were conducted using data from the 2019 New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study (n=38,465)., Results: Initially, Māori and Asian peoples showed lower, and Pasifika peoples showed no significant difference in GP satisfaction level relative to New Zealand (NZ) Europeans. However, after accounting for differences in patient-perceived GP cultural respect and GP ethnic similarity, Māori and Pasifika peoples showed higher and Asian peoples showed no difference in GP satisfaction level relative to NZ Europeans. These effects continued to hold when adjusting for a range of demographic factors. Subsequent regression analyses were conducted to investigate the impact of GP perceptions, GP satisfaction and demographic factors on healthcare access satisfaction and health status across ethnic groups. For all ethnic groups, GP satisfaction was the strongest predictor of satisfaction with access to healthcare. Higher GP satisfaction was also a significant predictor of higher self-rated health and lower psychological distress., Conclusion: Lack of GP cultural respect is a key contributor to lower GP satisfaction among ethnic minorities, which can further exacerbate inequities in healthcare access and health outcomes. Interventions to enhance GPs' provision of culturally respectful and safe healthcare services may help reduce ethnic health inequities and improve population health., Competing Interests: Nil, (© PMA.)

This paper investigates the consequences that patients face when their regular general practitioner (GP) closes down her practice, typically due to retirement. We estimate the causal impact of closures on patients' utilization patterns, healthcare expenditures, hospitalizations, mortality, and health plan choices. Employing a difference-in-difference framework, we find that patients who experience a discontinuity of care persistently adjust their ambulatory utilization pattern by shifting visits away from GPs (-12%) toward specialists (+11%) and hospital outpatient facilities (+6%). In contrast, we find no evidence on adverse health effects as measured by hospitalizations and mortality. The impact on utilization is heterogeneous along several dimensions. In particular, we find geographic disparities between regions with high and low availability of primary care. We also observe that patients with chronic conditions substitute more strongly toward other providers. Our results have potential implications for health policy in at least two dimensions: first, practice closures lead to more fragmented care which may entail inefficiencies, and second, closures deteriorate access to primary care in regions with low physician density., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

All primary care clinicians should signpost patients who are overweight or obese to weight management programmes - either directly commissioned or commercial groups. MEDICAL EDUCATION WITH RELEVANCE TO PRIMARY CARE The winner of category 3 (Medical Education with Relevance to Primary Care) was a "realist review" that attempts to produce one or more theories to explain particular phenomena. The Research Paper of the Year (RPY), awarded by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), gives recognition to an individual or group of researchers who have undertaken and published an exceptional piece of research relating to general practice or primary care. [Extracted from the article]

Since Internal Medicine (IM) is the most frequent setting of hospitalization for both patients with advanced liver disease and those with comorbidities and risk factors for infection, through this position paper FADOI aims to promote and disseminates its vision regarding the current and potential role of IM in managing hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (screening, diagnosis, linkage-to-care, treatment). The Internist plays an important role in identifying new cases, in selecting the appropriate diagnostic work-up for liver disease staging and prognosis, and in initiating antiviral therapy, coordinating care and communication with other specialists, the Hepatology outpatient clinic and General Practitioners. Since the Internist is naturally accustomed to the management of multiple comorbidities, he has a fundamental role in the identification of extrahepatic diseases associated with HCV infection and in the diagnosis of comorbidities, some of which are potential factors of liver disease progression. Moreover, in the prescription of the antiviral therapy, it is important to consider the possible drug interactions, and this ideally fits the role of the Internist who can weigh the risk/benefit ratio of possible alternatives, by considering the patient's clinical situation, especially in case of multiple comorbidities. Moreover, it seems appropriate that the ability to prescribe antiviral therapy is guaranteed to all IM hepatology clinics, favoring a spread of awareness as well as an increase in national coverage and therefore patient access to therapies. The network of IM can also contribute to homogenizing the management policies of HCV treatment, which sometimes differ between Italian Regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zanubrutinib has been approved for treating patients with different lymphoproliferative disorders and now represents a significant breakthrough in treating relapsed/refractory and previously untreated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Because few systematic studies or comparative randomized clinical trials have been conducted, optimal use of zanubrutinib in approved indications may be challenging. This article presents the results of a group discussion among an ad hoc constituted panel of experts to identify and address unmet clinical needs (UCNs) in using zanubrutinib in patients with CLL. Key UCNs were selected according to the criterion of clinical relevance using the Delphi process. Panel members reviewed the results of first‐line and upstream controlled trials in which the efficacy and toxicity profile of zanubrutinib and other BTK inhibitors were investigated in patients with CLL. Based on a critical discussion of data, the panel produced recommendations for using zanubrutinib and proposals for new studies to increase the evidence for the optimal treatment of patients with CLL. The recommendations given by the panel are intended for use not only by expert centers but, above all, by less experienced hematologists as well as general practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary cutaneous B‐cell lymphomas (PCBCLs) are lymphoproliferative disorders that appear on the skin without evidence of extracutaneous manifestations at the time of diagnosis. There is a lack of evidence‐based guidelines for their clinical management due to the availability of very few large scale studies and controlled clinical trials. Here we present and discuss a series of major unmet clinical needs (UCNs) in the management of PCBCLs by a panel of 16 experts involved in research and clinical practice of PCBCL. The Panel produced recommendations on the appropriateness of the clinical decisions concerning the identified clinical needs and proposed research for improving the knowledge needed to solve them. Recommendations and proposals were achieved by multiple‐step formalized procedures to reach a consensus after a comprehensive analysis of the scientific literature. Recommendations and proposals lay in the domain of classification uncertainties of PCBCL, optimization of diagnosis, optimization of prognosis, optimization of staging and critical issues on therapeutic strategies with particular focus on new treatments. These recommendations are intended for use not only by experts but above all by dermatologists and hematologists with limited experience in the field of PCBCLs as well as general practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the working papers on the main proposals for the government's white paper, Working for Patients in Great Britain. Practice budget for general practitioners; Pressure on drug expenditure; Improvement of quality of care; Role of general managers in the leadership of the Family Practitioners Committee.

Background: Food allergy in infants and young children places a significant burden on primary care. This study evaluated a dietetic-led paediatric food allergy service, which attempts to provide more rapid access to the dietitian and reduce the need for general practitioner (GP) and secondary care appointments., Methods: Two community dietetic services for children referred with food allergy were compared. The first was dietetic-led care where dietitians train community children's nurses to recognise potential cases of food allergy, undertake basic diagnostic assessment and subsequently refer to the dietitian. The other was a more traditional dietetic community service where patients were referred predominantly by the GP or secondary care., Results: In dietetic-led care 86 patients were seen, compared to 96 in dietetic community care. Dietetic-led care received fewer referrals from the GP, 36% versus 67% (p < 0.001); GP appointments for allergy-related conditions prior to dietetic referral were lower, 3 versus 6 visits (p = 0.001); and input from secondary care was also lower, 8 versus 25 patients (p = 0.002) compared with dietetic community care. Children referred to dietetic-led care were younger, 78% <6 months versus 40% (p < 0.001) in dietetic community care., Conclusions: Dietetic-led care describes a model that has the potential to reduce GP and secondary care appointments, identify patients more quickly and reduce the time to receive dietetic input, thereby resolving symptoms more quickly and reducing prescribed medications. This model demonstrates the importance of integrated care and multidisciplinary working, offering a solution to reducing GP workload while maintaining or improving patient care., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Dietetic Association.)

Urgent care practice (UCP) is a novel concept for India. Urgent care primarily deals with injuries or illnesses requiring immediate care. Medical emergency and urgency can happen anywhere unannounced. Research has shown that 90% of the morbidities can be resolved within the community by primary care physicians lead teams. Given the changing professional demands, non-specialists tend to refer away far too many cases to specialists, undermining generalist medical care, particularly in Indian settings. The spillover of the patient load from the primary care setting to the tertiary care centers is enormous leading to resource mismatch. Family physicians and other primary care providers are best positioned to develop practices and provide good quality urgent care to society. Family physicians, general practitioners, and medical officers are already functioning as the frontline care providers for any emergency or medical urgency arising within communities. Urgent care is essentially ambulatory care or outpatient care outside of a traditional hospital emergency room. "UCP aims to provide timely support, which is easily accessible with a focus on good clinical outcomes, e.g. survival, recovery, lack of adverse events, and complications. Core interventions of urgent care are centered on the 4Rs - Rescue, Resuscitate, Relate, and Refer. At present, there are no available, established training model for future faculty, residents, and medical students on "UCP" in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Privately-owned cannabis clinics have sprung up in many jurisdictions where medicinal cannabis has been legalised and provide an alternative pathway for patients who are unable or unwilling to access a prescription for cannabis-based medicinal products from their usual healthcare providers., Aims: This study aimed to explore physicians' views on cannabis clinics, including their perceptions of the role cannabis clinics play in the wider health system., Methods: A qualitative study using in-depth, semi-structured interviews with thirty-one physicians affiliated with private and community clinics in New Zealand (including cannabis clinicians, GPs, and specialist doctors). The interviews were conducted from July to December 2021. Data were transcribed and analysed using inductive thematic analysis., Results: Cannabis clinicians positioned themselves as (1) "service providers", facilitating consumer access to cannabis prescriptions and products, and (2) "educators", providing advice to patients and the wider physician community. While general practitioners and specialists recognised the benefits of specialised cannabis clinics (i.e., knowledge of products and a non-judgmental environment), they questioned the limited evidence of clinical efficacy for cannabis, potential financial conflicts of interests of cannabis clinicians that may blur their clinical judgement, and the risk of compartmentalising patients' healthcare., Conclusions: Our paper raises a number of challenges with attempting to integrate cannabis clinics into the wider health system., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

This research aimed to explore the needs, potential roles and implementation of Bilingual Community Navigators (BCNs) in providing navigation support for patients in general practice settings in Australia. A total of 19 participants (general practitioners, practice managers, practice nurses and receptionists) from five general practices in Sydney where most of the patients spoke a language other than English were interviewed about their views on needs, potential roles and implementation of BCNs in general practice settings. Data were collected between August 2019 and July 2020. The interview transcripts were inductively analysed for themes. Themes emerged across four broad categories: patients' barriers to access health and social care services; potential roles of BCNs; recruitment, training, and employment of BCNs and considerations and anticipated barriers to BCNs' role. Many barriers both at the patient and at the service provider levels in accessing healthcare and social care services were consistent with the Levesque et al. access framework including lack of understanding of the health system, language and cultural barriers, hesitancy to approach general practice and problems navigating services. Participants believed that BCNs would be able to help overcome these barriers through health education, support in booking appointments, arranging transport, providing language and cultural support and improving communication with the health services. Conditions for effective implementation of BCNs in practice included proper training of the navigators to ensure patient confidentiality and addressing organisational/system barriers such as lack of a funding mechanism, a clear role definition of BCNs and acceptance of BCNs by patients. BCNs potential role in facilitating access to appropriate care by culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) patients in general practice warrants further evaluation in the context of the Australian healthcare system., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background & Aim: Disease-related malnutrition is prevalent in all healthcare settings, including general practice, and is associated with negative consequences for the individual and the community. The aim of this study was to investigate general practitioners and general practice nurses' perceptions of how they manage disease-related malnutrition, and their view on introducing an early intervention against disease-related malnutrition., Methods: Content analysis was used to analyse individual semi-structured interviews with the general practitioners (n = 9) and five focus group interviews with the general practice nurses (n = 21) from five general practices in Denmark., Results: General practice has no tradition for detection of disease-related malnutrition and find that they rarely see patients with unintended weight loss. Nutritional guidance is to a low degree and only randomly performed. Furthermore, most of the health professionals do not have access to nutritional guidance material for patients and lack information about patients' nutrition, when patients when patients receive treatment in the hospital. Suggestions for improvement were handouts with pictures and including nutritional status as a standard in the communication from hospital to general practice. An early intervention against unintended weight loss in specific groups was found feasible. Barriers and facilitators were seen as lack of time, lack of educational opportunities and skills. A financial incentive from the health authorities, and interventions adapted to the individual general practice were among suggested facilitators., Conclusion: Disease-related malnutrition was rarely recognised and managed in general practice. The health professionals found they lacked means to perform nutritional guidance to patients with unintended weight loss. However, the health professionals had suggestions for improvement for an early intervention including handouts for patients. Further research on implementation of early intervention against unintended weight loss in general practice is needed., (© 2021 Nordic College of Caring Science.)

Previous research suggested that regular physical activity (PA) is beneficial in both prevention and treatment of physical and mental conditions. Danish general practitioners' (GPs) have an ideal position to motivate inactive patients to increase their PA. Social prescribing (SP) enables GPs and other healthcare professionals in primary care to link patients to community-based activities of support provided by the community and the voluntary sector. This interview-based study aimed to explore viewpoints among Danish GPs regarding the advantages and disadvantages of applying SP to promote PA. The GPs were recruited through snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews with nine Danish GPs were held via telephone or via Skype video conference. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Data were managed using the program NVivo 12 and analysed using the Framework Method procedure for analysis. The findings highlighted the need for tools to support GPs in providing an overview of patient-tailored options for PA in the local community. Advantages of applying SP to promote PA were related to the social aspect, the non-medical approach to a healthier lifestyle and the GPs' opportunity to signpost patients to PA in their local community. A supporting link-worker facilitating a bridge between general practice and community-based activities was identified as a pivotal component, specifically among patients with complex needs. Disadvantages of applying SP to promote PA were related to patients' expectations to general practice, stigmatising attitudes of society and lack of financial resources in patients. This study is the first to explore SP to promote PA in a Danish context. There is a need for an easy-to-use tool to support GPs in providing specific PA counselling. On this basis, SP appears as a promising tool for GPs to promote PA., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The redefining of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from an acute disease to a manageable chronic illness has reshaped the focus of care, emphasising clinical outcomes and sidelining the complex social barriers many people living with HIV (PLHIV) still face. This parallels changes in the location of HIV care in Australia, with many PLHIV seeking care from private general practitioners whose ability to address complex social issues is constrained by limitations of time and resources. In response, peer navigation has emerged as a model of care implemented by some HIV-based community health organisations seeking to support PLHIV's biomedical and psychosocial needs. However, there is limited understanding of how peer navigation operates in community settings or of the way these programmes integrate with primary care. This paper is the first to explore peer navigation from the perspective of general practitioners (GPs), with experience in treating PLHIV, to understand the role they see for peer navigators (PNs) in supporting PLHIV. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with six GPs (11.5% of specialty HIV GPs in Queensland, Australia) to examine their views and experiences of peer navigation in the context of HIV care. GPs highlighted the complexities of care for PLHIV and the need for additional resources and supports for psychosocial care. GPs valued peer navigation as part of a patient support network and bridge to health and social care systems. PNs normalised HIV, alleviating fear and stigma, educating and translating clinical information for patients. However, a key challenge was the absence of direct communication pathways with PNs. Peer navigation has clear potential in supporting the care of PLHIV, to alleviate constraints in GP settings and expand HIV care beyond the clinic., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives: Demand for ED care is increasing at a rate higher than population growth. Strategies to attenuate ED demands include diverting low-acuity general practice-type ED attendees to alternate primary healthcare settings. The present study assessed the ED attendees' receptiveness to accept triage nurse's face-to-face advice to explore alternate options for medical care and what factors influence the level of acceptance., Methods: The ED attendees of four major public hospital EDs in Brisbane were surveyed between August and October 2018, using a questionnaire informed by Health Belief Model's cues to action., Results: Of the 514 valid responses, 81% of respondents were very likely/likely to accept the triage nurse's advice to see a general practitioner. Self-perceived urgency of presenting condition/s (odds ratio [OR] 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.78-0.97), not having confidence in general practitioner (OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.21-0.66) and having a medical record at the hospital (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.36-0.99) were negatively associated with the likelihood of accepting the advice. For every point increase in perceived seriousness, the odds of accepting the advice decreased by 16% (95% CI 6-25%)., Conclusion: Most of the participants believed that EDs were for emergent care and they attended the ED because they perceived their presenting condition/s to be serious and/or urgent. The acceptability of face-to-face advice by triage nurse to seek help in general practice was influenced by perceived threats of the illness, and the underlying beliefs about availability, accessibility, suitability and affordability of the service., (© 2021 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.)

Background: We compared different econometric specifications to model the use of medical services in Chile, focussing on visits to general practitioners and specialist physicians., Methods: The evaluated models are the Poisson, Negative Binomial, Zero Inflated Poisson and Negative Binomial, two-step Hurdle model, sample-selection Poisson, and Latent Class model. These models were estimated using Chilean data for the years 2009 and 2015, separated by gender., Results: Unlike previous literature that supported the use of the latent class model, our results show that the latent class model is not always the model with the best goodness of fit. Furthermore, the model with the best fit is not necessarily the model with the best predictive power. For instance, depending on the year and medical services, either the latent class model or the sample-selection Poisson model performs better than the other models. The results also show that the selection of the econometric model may have implications for the estimated influence that variables such as age, income, or affiliation to the public versus private sector have on the use of medical services., Conclusion: Using Chilean data, we have tested that the selection of an econometric method to model the use of medical services is not a problem with a unique answer. We recommend performing a sensitivity analysis of goodness of fit and predictive power between gender, healthcare services, or different years of datasets in future applications to be sure about the best model specification in each context., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

ObjectiveTo investigate the content validity of Paper 1 of the MRCGP examination. MethodExploratory factor analysis was carried out on candidate responses to Paper 1 of the May and October MRCGP examination in 1998. Contribution of each test question across factors was assessed using a pattern matrix of the oblique rotation. Common dimensions and variations between factor sets were identified. Key testing areas were then matched against the ‘domains of competence’ intended to be assessed by Paper 1 (as defined within the examination blueprint matrix). ResultsWhilst critical appraisal, disease prevention/evidence-based medicine and clinical management emerged as areas tested consistently, content variation was observed between factor sets extracted from both sittings. In addition, some overlap, in terms of domains tested, was seen among other assessment instruments used within the examination. ConclusionPaper 1 conforms to the majority of its stated intentions. However, further development of techniques for investigating validity will be required in order to minimize content variation between both sittings of the examination as well as to help more closely define areas of competence to be tested by Paper 1 of the MRCGP examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our professional organizations have prepared this paper as part of an integrated, multidisciplinary plan to ensure the availability of well-trained practitioner teams to sustain safe, effective and high-quality rural surgical and operative delivery services. Without these robust local (or nearby) surgical services, sustaining rural maternity care is much more difficult. This paper describes the "network model" as a health human resources solution to meet the surgical needs, including operative delivery, of rural residents; outlines necessary policy directions for achieving this solution; and poses a series of enabling recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many patients with terminal cancer wish to die at home and general practitioners in the United Kingdom have a critical role in providing this care. However, it has been suggested general practitioners lack confidence in end-of-life care. It is important to explore with general practitioners their experience and perspectives including feelings of confidence delivering end-of-life care to people with cancer. The aim of this study was to explore general practitioners experiences of providing end-of-life care for people with cancer in the home setting and their perceptions of confidence in this role as well as understanding implications this has on policy design. A qualitative study design was employed using semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. Nineteen general practitioners from London were purposively sampled from eight general practices and a primary care university department in 2018-2019, supplemented with snowballing methods. Five main themes were constructed: (a) the subjective nature of defining palliative and end-of-life care; (b) importance of communication and managing expectations; (c) complexity in prescribing; (d) challenging nature of delivering end-of-life care; (e) the unclear role of primary care in palliative care. General practitioners viewed end-of-life care as challenging; specific difficulties surrounded communication and prescribing. These challenges coupled with a poorly defined role created a spread in perceived confidence. Experience and exposure were seen as enabling confidence. Specialist palliative care service expansion had important implications on deskilling of essential competencies and reducing confidence levels in general practitioners. This feeds into a complex cycle of causation, leading to further delegation of care., (© 2021 The Authors. Health and Social Care in the Community published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)