Time Trends in the Family Physician Management of Insomnia: The Australian Experience (2000-2015).

Study Objectives: To evaluate changes in rates of family physician (FP) management of insomnia in Australia from 2000-2015.

Methods: The Bettering the Evaluation And Care of Health (BEACH) program is a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of 1,000 newly randomly sampled family physicians' activity in Australia per year, who each record details of 100 consecutive patient encounters. This provided records of approximately 100,000 encounters each year.

Simulation-based training for cardiology procedures: Are we any further forward in evidencing real-world benefits?

Simulation-based training as an educational tool for healthcare professionals continues to grow in sophistication, scope, and usage. There have been a number of studies demonstrating the utility of the technique, and it is gaining traction as part of the training curricula for the next generation of cardiologists. In this review, we focus on the recent literature for the efficacy of simulation for practical procedures specific to cardiology, focusing on transesophageal echocardiography, cardiac catheterization, coronary angioplasty, and electrophysiology.

Management of Snoring and Sleep Apnea in Australian Primary Care: The BEACH Study (2000-2014).

Study Objectives: To characterize the changes in management of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in general practice in Australia.

Methods: The Bettering the Evaluation And Care of Health (BEACH) study is a nationally representative rolling cross-sectional survey of general practice activity in Australia. We analyzed all adult (age 18+ y) encounters for OSA or snoring, annually from 2000 to 2014 (approximately 1,000 general practitioners (GPs) per year recording approximately 100,000 patient encounters per year).

Emergency contraception in Australia: the desired source of information versus the actual source of information.

Objective: To determine long-term trends in emergency contraception (EC) management by general practitioners in Australia.

Design, Setting And Participants: Data from April 2000 to March 2012 were drawn from the BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health) program, a continuous cross-sectional survey of GP activity. We analysed consultations involving EC management, unwanted pregnancy management and emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) prescribing per 1000 GP encounters with women aged 14-54 years.

Structural basis of high-order oligomerization of the cullin-3 adaptor SPOP.

Protein ubiquitination in eukaryotic cells is mediated by diverse E3 ligase enzymes that each target specific substrates. The cullin E3 ligase complexes are the most abundant class of E3 ligases; they contain various cullin components that serve as scaffolds for interaction with substrate-recruiting adaptor proteins. SPOP is a BTB-domain adaptor of the cullin-3 E3 ligase complexes; it selectively recruits substrates via its N-terminal MATH domain, whereas its BTB domain mediates dimerization and interactions with cullin-3.

Prevalence, causes, severity, impact, and management of chronic pain in Australian general practice patients.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of chronic pain, its causes, severity, management, impact on sleep, mood and activity levels, and general practitioner (GP) and patient satisfaction with pain management.

Design: A subset of 197 GPs and 5,793 patients from the BEACH program, a continuous, national cross-sectional survey of Australian general practice.

Results: The prevalence of chronic pain was 19.

Comparisons of multi-morbidity in family practice--issues and biases.

Background: As the population ages, practice and policy need to be guided by accurate estimates of chronic disease burden in primary care.

Objective: To produce a preliminary set of methodological considerations for cross-sectional and retrospective cohort studies of multi-morbidity in primary care using three studies as examples. Prevalence rate results from the three studies were re-estimated using identical age-sex groups.

Better Outcomes or Better Access -- which was better for mental health care?

Objective: To compare the Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners through the MBS initiative with the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care initiative, to test contentions that Better Access is used more often by advantaged major city patients and that the role of GPs has been reduced to that of referrers.

Design And Setting: Analysis of Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health data relating to management of depression from April 1998 to March 2011, with the Better Outcomes period defined as January 2002 to October 2006 and the Better Access period defined as November 2006 to December 2011.

Main Outcome Measures: Rates of depression management by GPs, including rates of mental health care item claims, referrals, prescribing and counselling, by patient location and socioeconomic group.

Management of children's psychological problems in general practice 1970-1971, 1990-1991 and 2008-2009.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine changes over four decades in children's psychological problems managed in Australian general practice and to describe recent management of these problems.

Method: Analysis of GP encounters with children, using data from the BEACH study, an on-going, cross-sectional, national survey of general practice, provides contemporary results. Comparisons with two related studies: 1970-1971 (from published reports), and 1990-1991 (secondary analysis), describe changes over time.

Sex of the GP--20 years on.

Objective: Previous research with the Australian Morbidity and Treatment Survey (1990-1991) showed significant differences in general practitioner characteristics and patient mix of male and female GPs. Even after adjusting for these, it was seen that male and female GPs managed different types of medical conditions. The proportion of female GPs increased from 19.

Evidence of increasing frequency of herpes zoster management in Australian general practice since the introduction of a varicella vaccine.

Objectives: To assess whether the management rate of herpes zoster (HZ) in Australian general practice has changed since varicella vaccines became available; and to ascertain the mean age of patients attending general practice for HZ management, to assist with planning of vaccination to prevent HZ in older Australians.

Design, Setting And Participants: Retrospective analysis of data for the period April 1998 to March 2009 on 1,078,671 (weighted) management encounters with consecutive patients of 10,885 general practitioners who participated in the BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health) national cross-sectional survey.

Main Outcome Measures: Number of encounters for management of HZ (shingles) and of varicella (chickenpox); age of patients presenting for HZ management.

Role of general practitioners in managing age-related hearing loss.

Objective: To assess the extent to which general practitioners in Australia are engaged in identifying age-related hearing loss and facilitating its management.

Design, Setting And Participants: Cross-sectional analysis of data collected between 1998 and 2000 from the Blue Mountains Hearing Study (BMHS), a representative population-based cohort of people aged >or= 50 years in two postcode areas west of Sydney. Also analysed were data collected between 2003 and 2008 from random samples of Australian GPs who participated in the Bettering the Evaluation and Care of Health (BEACH) study, a national continuous cross-sectional survey of GP activity.

Prevalence and patterns of multimorbidity in Australia.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence and patterns of multimorbidity in a sample of patients attending general practice, in the population who attended general practice in 2005, and in the Australian population.

Design, Setting And Participants: Secondary analyses of data from a study of prevalence of selected conditions (a substudy of the BEACH [Bettering the Evaluation And Care of Health] program); data were provided by 305 general practitioners for 9156 patients seen in July-November 2005, based on knowledge of the patient, patient self-report, and medical records. Listed conditions were classified according to the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale morbidity domains.

Estimating prevalence of common chronic morbidities in Australia.

Objectives: To estimate prevalence of selected diagnosed chronic diseases among patients attending general practice, in the general practice patient population, and in the Australian population, and to compare population estimates with those of the National Health Survey (NHS).

Design, Setting And Participants: In late 2005, 305 general practitioners each provided data for about 30 consecutive patients (total, 9156) as part of the BEACH (Bettering the Evaluation And Care of Health) program, a continuous national study of general practice activity. GPs used their knowledge of the patient, patient self-report, and medical records as sources.

The rates and management of psychological problems in Australian general practice.

Objective: General practitioners (GPs) provide the majority of care for people's mental health problems. The recently introduced Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care initiative aims to improve the quality of mental health care in general practice. This study examines current GP management of psychological problems and any changes in their management in the decade leading up to this initiative.