Acceptability and psychological impact of out-of-office monitoring to diagnose hypertension: an evaluation of survey data from primary care patients.

Background: Out-of-office blood pressure (BP) is recommended for diagnosing hypertension in primary care due to its increased accuracy compared to office BP. Moreover, being diagnosed as hypertensive has previously been linked to lower wellbeing. There is limited evidence regarding the acceptability of out-of-office BP and its impact on wellbeing.

Patient experience of home and waiting room blood pressure measurement: a qualitative study of patients with recently diagnosed hypertension.

Background: Out-of-office blood pressure (BP) measurement is advocated to confirm hypertension diagnosis. However, little is known about how primary care patients view and use such measurement.

Aim: To investigate patient experience of out-of-office BP monitoring, particularly home and practice waiting room BP measurement, before, during, and after diagnosis.

Patient use of blood pressure self-screening facilities in general practice waiting rooms: a qualitative study in the UK.

Background: Blood pressure (BP) self-screening, whereby members of the public have access to BP monitoring equipment outside of healthcare consultations, may increase the detection and treatment of hypertension. Currently in the UK such opportunities are largely confined to GP waiting rooms.

Aim: To investigate the reasons why people do or do not use BP self-screening facilities.

Global cardiovascular risk assessment in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in adults: systematic review of systematic reviews.

Objective: To identify, critically appraise and summarise existing systematic reviews on the impact of global cardiovascular risk assessment in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adults.

Design: Systematic review of systematic reviews published between January 2005 and October 2016 in The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE or CINAHL databases, and post hoc analysis of primary trials.

Participants, Interventions, Outcomes: Systematic reviews of interventions involving global cardiovascular risk assessment relative to no formal risk assessment in adults with no history of CVD.

Assessing agreement of blood pressure-measuring devices in Tibetan areas of China: a systematic review.

Background: The validity of blood pressure (BP)-measuring tools at very high altitudes is uncertain. Therefore, the objective of this review was to examine the degree of agreement of BP-measuring devices in Tibet.

Methods: We conducted electronic searches in Medline, Embase, Cinahl, Cochrane Library, Global Health Library and the ISI Web of Science.

Self-monitoring and self-management of oral anticoagulation.

Background: The introduction of point-of-care devices for the management of patients on oral anticoagulation allows self-testing by the patient at home. Patients who self-test can either adjust their medication according to a pre-determined dose-INR (international normalized ratio) schedule (self-management), or they can call a clinic to be told the appropriate dose adjustment (self-monitoring). Increasing evidence suggests self-testing of oral anticoagulant therapy is equal to or better than standard monitoring.

Relationship between altitude and the prevalence of hypertension in Tibet: a systematic review.

Introduction: Hypertension is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease, which is the cause of one-third of global deaths and is a primary and rising contributor to the global disease burden. The objective of this systematic review was to determine the prevalence and awareness of hypertension among the inhabitants of Tibet and its association with altitude, using the data from published observational studies.

Methods: We conducted electronic searches in Medline, Embase, ISI Web of Science and Global Health.

Randomized Controlled Trial of Shared Care for Patients With Cancer Involving General Practitioners and Cancer Specialists.

Purpose: We aimed to determine whether a shared care model (SCM) during chemotherapy treatment improved emotional well-being, empowerment, and prevalence of symptoms for people being treated for cancer.

Methods: People receiving chemotherapy for hematologic, breast, ovarian, or colorectal malignancies at two cancer centers were randomly assigned to receive SCM or standard care. The SCM involved a patient-held record, a project coordinator, routine contact between the patient and general practitioner/primary care physician, and primary care physician education.

A case of fixed drug eruption secondary to quinine in tonic water presenting to a sexual health clinic.

Fixed drug eruption (FDE) is a cutaneous drug reaction which occurs repeatedly at a given mucocutaneous site after exposure to the causative agent. Lesions typically occur on extremities, oral mucosa and genital skin. Quinine is a common food additive and is recognised as a rare cause of FDE.

Optimal loading dose of warfarin for the initiation of oral anticoagulation.

Background: Warfarin is used as an oral anticoagulant. However, there is wide variation in patient response to warfarin dose. This variation, as well as the necessity of keeping within a narrow therapeutic range, means that selection of the correct warfarin dose at the outset of treatment is not straightforward.

Cardiovascular disease risk in healthy children and its association with body mass index: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: To describe the association and its magnitude between body mass index category, sex, and cardiovascular disease risk parameters in school aged children in highly developed countries.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Quality of included studies assessed by an adapted version of the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias assessment tool.

Effect of UK policy on medical migration: a time series analysis of physician registration data.

Background: Economically developed countries have recruited large numbers of overseas health workers to fill domestic shortages. Recognition of the negative impact this can have on health care in developing countries led the United Kingdom Department of Health to issue a Code of Practice for National Health Service (NHS) employers in 1999 providing ethical guidance on international recruitment. Case reports suggest this guidance had limited influence in the context of other NHS policy priorities.

Home measurement of blood pressure and cardiovascular disease: systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies.

Objective: Examine the relationship between home blood pressure (BP) and risk for all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality and cardiovascular events.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies of home BP. Primary outcomes were all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality and cardiovascular events.

Validation study of cause of death statistics in Cape Town, South Africa, found poor agreement.

Objective: The validity of the underlying cause of death on death notification forms was assessed by comparing it to the underlying cause determined independently from medical records.

Study Design And Setting: Retrospective study of 703 deaths in two suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa. Two medical doctors completed a medical review death certificate to validate the registration death certificate for each decedent.

Primary health and supportive care needs of long-term cancer survivors: a questionnaire survey.

Purpose: There are 1.2 million long-term cancer survivors in the United Kingdom. Existing research on the health and supportive care needs of these survivors is sparse and inconclusive.

What are the basic self-monitoring components for cardiovascular risk management?

Background: Self-monitoring is increasingly recommended as a method of managing cardiovascular disease. However, the design, implementation and reproducibility of the self-monitoring interventions appear to vary considerably. We examined the interventions included in systematic reviews of self-monitoring for four clinical problems that increase cardiovascular disease risk.

Consulting and prescribing behaviour for anxiety and depression in long-term survivors of cancer in the UK.

Introduction: Cancer survivors may experience long-term depression or anxiety, however, there is little previous research on the use of services in this area. We explored consultation and prescribing behaviour for depression and anxiety amongst cancer survivors in British primary health care.

Methods: This study uses data on 26,213 survivors of breast, colorectal and prostate cancer at least 5 years post-diagnosis, matched to four controls without cancer, from the UK General Practice Research Database.

Self-monitoring and self-management of oral anticoagulation.

Background: The introduction of portable monitors (point-of-care devices) for the management of patients on oral anticoagulation allows self-testing by the patient at home. Patients who self-test can either adjust their medication according to a pre-determined dose-INR schedule (self-management) or they can call a clinic to be told the appropriate dose adjustment (self-monitoring). Several trials of self-monitoring of oral anticoagulant therapy suggest this may be equal to or better than standard monitoring.

Deaths caused by HIV disease under-reported in South Africa.

Modelling of trends in age-specific death rates in South Africa suggests that deaths attributable to HIV are often misclassified on death notification forms. We compared the underlying cause of death from death notification forms with that based on scrutiny of medical records for 683 deaths in Cape Town. Of 129 deaths caused by HIV according to medical records, only 35 (27.

Do advertisements for antihypertensive drugs in Australia promote quality prescribing? A cross-sectional study.

Background: Antihypertensive medications are widely prescribed by doctors and heavily promoted by the pharmaceutical industry. Despite strong evidence of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of thiazide diuretics, trends in both promotion and prescription of antihypertensive drugs favour newer, less cost-effective agents. Observational evidence shows correlations between exposure to pharmaceutical promotion and less ideal prescribing.

The psychometrics of developing the patient empowerment scale.

Although patient empowerment is widely acknowledged as important by health professionals it remains a somewhat nebulous concept. An initial empowerment measure has been developed through an extensive review of literature combined with a series of in-depth interviews of cancer patients concerning their use of coping strategies. The results were analysed for major themes in relation to sense of control over the illness.

Early trauma management skills in Australian general practitioners.

Background: General practitioners (GPs) have a role in the early management of major trauma in rural Australia. The Early Management of Severe Trauma (EMST) course fulfils their educational needs by providing skills for the systematic management of the seriously injured patient. However, with any skill there is a natural loss over time.

Experiences of female general practice registrars: are rural attachments encouraging them to stay?

Objective: To establish whether a six-month rural attachment influenced female GP registrars' future plans to work in a rural area. Secondary aims include establishing the adequacy of postgraduate training in preparing the registrars for the attachment, opinions regarding rural practice and suggestions to improve the attachment.

Design: A six-page questionnaire was sent to eligible participants via state branches of General Practice Education Australia.

Correlations of siblings' and mothers' utilisation of primary and hospital health care: a record linkage study in Western Australia.

A relationship between maternal and child use of general practitioners (GPs) has been shown to exist for some time, however, the reasons for this relationship are not clear and the extent to which this relationship extends to tertiary care is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between the utilisation of health care by siblings and mothers over a 14 year period. A retrospective cohort study of 756 mothers and their 1494 children up to age 14 years was conducted in three general practices in Western Australia.