Tonsillectomy: a cost-effective option for childhood sore throat? Further analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To compare the estimated cost-effectiveness of childhood (adeno)tonsillectomy vs medical therapy for recurrent sore throats from the intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with that modeled on the recorded timing of surgical interventions as observed in all participants irrespective of their original group allocation.

Study Design: A pragmatic RCT (trial) with a parallel nonrandomized patient preference group (cohort) of (adeno)tonsillectomy vs medical therapy.

Setting: Five secondary care UK otolaryngology departments.

Intervention against excessive alcohol consumption in primary health care: a survey of GPs' attitudes and practices in England 10 years on.

Aims: To ascertain the views of general practitioners (GPs) regarding the prevention and management of alcohol-related problems in practice, together with perceived barriers and incentives for this work; to compare our findings with a comparable survey conducted 10 years earlier.

Methods: In total, 282 (73%) of 419 GPs surveyed in East Midlands, UK, completed a postal questionnaire, measuring practices and attitudes, including the Shortened Alcohol and Alcohol Problems Perception Questionnaire (SAAPPQ).

Results: GPs reported lower levels of post-graduate education or training on alcohol-related issues (<4 h for the majority) than in 1999 but not significantly so (P = 0.

Effectiveness of nurse-led brief alcohol intervention: a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Aim: This paper reports an evaluation of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of nurse-led screening and brief intervention in reducing excessive alcohol consumption among patients in primary health care.

Background: Excessive alcohol consumption is a major source of social, economic and health problems. However, such consumption is responsive to brief alcohol intervention.

Lifestyle interventions to prevent osteoporotic fractures: a systematic review.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of lifestyle interventions for preventing osteoporotic fractures in people at high risk. Data sources were electronic bibliographic databases, reference lists of systematic reviews, meta-analyses and included trials, registers of trials and conference databases. There was no language restriction.

Implementation of brief alcohol interventions by nurses in primary care: do non-clinical factors influence practice?

Background: In the UK, GPs and practice nurses selectively provide brief alcohol interventions to risk drinkers. GPs' provision of a brief alcohol intervention can be predicted by patient characteristics, practitioner characteristics and structural factors such as the features of the practice and how it is organized. However, much less is known about possible modifiers of nurse practice.

A qualitative study of nurses' attitudes and practices regarding brief alcohol intervention in primary health care.

Background: Excessive alcohol consumption causes significant mortality, morbidity, economic and social problems in the United Kingdom (UK). Despite strong evidence for the effectiveness of brief intervention to reduce excessive drinking in primary health care, there is little indication that such intervention routinely occurs.

Aims: This study aimed to explore primary health care nurses' attitudes and practices regarding brief alcohol intervention in order to understand why it is underexploited.