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Beverley Bostock looks at this respiratory condition which commonly presents in winter [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the role of clinical audit in general practice nursing, highlighting its importance in measuring the quality of care and identifying areas for improvement. Topics include the use of local and national data to assess current practices, the limitations of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) in reflecting true care quality, and the potential benefits of clinical audit for both patient outcomes and the professional development of nurses.

The article focuses on health coaching and its significance in promoting healthier lifestyles and managing long-term conditions. Topics include the definition and role of health coaching, the importance of collaboration within the healthcare team for effective coaching, and the existing evidence supporting health coaching's effectiveness in improving patient outcomes.

The article explores the growing prevalence of metabolic liver disease, specifically focusing on Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD), Metabolic Associated Steatotic Hepatitis (MASH), and Metabolic Alcohol-Related Liver Disease (MetALD). It highlights that metabolic risks such as central obesity, high blood pressure, and hyperglycemia significantly contribute to liver disease, which has become the third leading cause of death in the UK.

The article focuses on the prevalence and management of allergic diseases, such as asthma, eczema, and allergic rhinitis. Topics include understanding the allergic cascade and its relationship to various allergic diseases, the burden of allergic diseases on patients' quality of life, and guidelines and methods for testing allergens to guide pharmacological and non-pharmacological management.

The article examines the tension between the standardized requirements of the UK Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) and the need for personalized care in managing long-term conditions. It discusses how template-based care, while useful for meeting QOF targets, may sometimes hinder individualized patient care and explores ways to balance adherence to guidelines with personalized approaches.

For many nurses working in primary care, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a familiar condition. From carrying out annual reviews to supporting people living with the symptoms of cough, phlegm, breathlessness and managing their effect on day-to-day living, most community nurses will have some experience of supporting people living with COPD. Increasingly, though, community nurses are having to consider comorbidities as part of the review, as for many people living with COPD, this will be just one of the long-term conditions they have already been diagnosed with or of which they will be at risk. In this article, the relationship between COPD and other long-term conditions will be highlighted, along with recommendatio how to identify and manage comorbidities in order to holistically optimise outcomes.ns about [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the importance of early and accurate diagnosis and coding in managing Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) to delay deterioration in kidney function and optimize cardiovascular risk reduction, aiming to review CKD pathophysiology, recognize diagnostic criteria, implement evidence-based recommendations, reflect on cardiovascular risk reduction, determine complications, support patient understanding, and consider timely referrals into secondary care.

Beverley Bostock, chair of the Association of Respiratory Nurses' respiratory diseases committee, summarises key considerations for services treating patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including optimisation of diagnostics, involvement of the multidisciplinary team and a focus on comorbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the implementation of anti-inflammatory reliever (AIR) therapy for asthma management, and it emphasizes the evidence-based approach and benefits for patients. It reports that studies and international guidelines support the use of AIR therapy, and it highlights the effectiveness in reducing asthma exacerbations, improving adherence, and simplifying treatment.

The article provides information about lipid management and its significance in managing long-term conditions like cardiovascular disease. It employs a case study approach to illustrate lipid management in reducing cardiovascular risk. The article covers topics such as lipid fractions, the role of different cholesterol components, pharmacotherapy, statin intolerance, injectable therapies, and recommendations on lipid targets.

The article provides information on the association between type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity, highlighting the cardiovascular complications of T2D and the significant cost burden it poses to the healthcare system. It emphasizes the importance of prevention through identifying individuals at risk and implementing lifestyle interventions, such as weight loss, and discusses evidence-based interventions, including lifestyle changes, for preventing the progression from pre-diabetes to T2D.

Every year, the Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease publishes its update on COPD. Beverley Bostock provides an overview of what the latest publication means for general practice nurses The latest guidance from the Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will have an impact on the management of patients in general practice. The definition of COPD has been updated as well as the recommended approach to diagnosis. Updated treatment recommendations act as an important reminder for primary care clinicians to implement interventions that are relevant in the community setting and to refer on for more specialised interventions in secondary care as appropriate. The replacement of the ABCD assessment tool with the ABE approach underlines the significant impact that exacerbations can have in the management of COPD, independent of the symptom burden. Updated sections on exacerbations remind clinicians of the importance of considering comorbid or new diagnoses as the cause of any symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights a report which shows that patients with type 2 diabetes who are treated with metformin should be monitored for B12 deficiency means more patients are likely to require treatment – so teaching self-administration is an attractive option . It discusses that the overall United Kingdom prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency in the under 60s is approximately 6 percent, but this rises to as much as 20 percent in the over 60s, depending on the population being studied.

The article focuses on the impact of remote and hybrid working in general practice, particularly after the pandemic. Topics include the benefits of remote consultations for certain conditions like diabetes and asthma, the challenges of maintaining connection and support among healthcare staff, and concerns about the dehumanization of care due to the reduction in face-to-face interactions.

The article discusses about the process of Safety netting by which the uncertainty of a diagnosis, or the trajectory of that diagnosis, can be addressed. Topics discussed include the importance of general practice nurses to recognise the need for careful safety netting when delivering clinical care; the struggles with increasing demands and limited resources faced by nurses, and the ways in which safety netting be implemented.

The article offers information on how well American Diabetes Association (ADA)/ European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence align and where they diverge. It highlights the differences which exist and how that might impact on the practitioner aiming to offer ethically and clinically sound interventions for people living with Type 2 diabetes.

The article focuses on rules about how this confidential information is used, and when, why and to whom it can legitimately be disclosed.

The article discusses that it's time to consign SABA-only treatment for asthma to history books.

The article informs about at the assessment and examination of the cardiovascular system and explores the role of the Advanced Nurse Practitioner. Topics include role of the Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs) includes seeing people with undiagnosed symptoms and might involve taking a history and carrying out a physical examination; and holistic approach to diagnosis and management should be implemented in order to optimise the diagnostic process.

Cardiovascular disease causes significant morbidity and mortality across the UK. Beverley Bostock looks at the role practice nurses can play in the primary prevention of this condition Nurses working in general practice play an important role in identifying those at risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and implementing person-focused risk reduction strategies. The NHS Health Check programme was designed to identify people between the age of 40 and 74 years with risk factors for CVD. Nurses in general practice have a key role to play in encouraging people to attend Health Checks and helping people to understand the potential benefits of CVD risk assessment and reduction strategies. Lifestyle interventions and pharmacological management allow modifiable risk factors to be managed in an evidence-based and person-focused way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on risk factor management for people with established cardiovascular (CV) disease to prevent further CV events. Topics discussed include recommendations in the European Society of Cardiology Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of chronic coronary syndromes, the impact of ezetimibe medication on low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and the risk of CV events, and the role of antithrombotic therapy.

Although cardiovascular disease (CVD) is recognised to be a condition that affects men more than women overall, this risks underplaying the significant challenges relating to the diagnosis and management of CVD in women. Women are adversely affected compared to men in terms of diagnosis, acute management and implementation of secondary prevention, and the evidence base for treating women is lacking, due to the low numbers of women included in trials. Hormonal fluctuations throughout a woman's lifetime can also affect CVD risk. GPNs are ideally placed to consider the challenges of recognising and addressing CVD risk in women and to support them with engaging in reducing their lifetime risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on assessing diabetes care suggesting the quality of care delivery having a real cause for concern. Topics include optimising quality of life and minimising the risk of complications or exacerbations; and GPNs carrying out holistic healthcare assessments offering support and education for reinforcing messages.

The article focuses on the diagnosis of asthma by improving outcomes in patients. It mentions about the role combination therapies in managing asthma, wherein treating people with a asthma with an inhaled corticosteroids combined with a fast-acting long-acting beta2 agonist (LABA) is the best way to address underlying inflammation and symptoms.

The article discusses the potential strategies that should be adopted by primary care providers in Great Britain in the long term amidst the continuous spread of COVID-19 infection as of October 2020. Also cited are the side effects of infections like vascular, renal and respiratory complications, the key role played by general practice nurses (GPN) in identifying possible infected persons, as well as the symptoms of long COVID-19 infection like fatigue, cough, and breathlessness.

The article discusses the importance of robust documentation practices and how they can inform clinical and medicolegal decisions. Topics include careful documentation is important to implement a structured approach to documenting consultations; and assess how medicolegal principles might inform documentation practice in a consultation is an essential part of nursing and medical care.

The article focuses on the latest NICE guideline on Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment and reduction, particularly concerning lipid management targets, which has sparked debate within the Primary Care Cardiovascular Society (PCCS) regarding its alignment with other guidelines and its potential impact on reducing cardiovascular events.

The article focuses on the continued lack of routine implementation of clinical supervision in primary care, despite being identified as crucial around 20 years ago, highlighting the importance of completing the reflective practice cycle in professional development.