The Clinical Role of Heart Rate Variability Assessment in Cognitively Impaired Patients and Its Applicability in Community Care Settings: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Heart rate variability (HRV) correlates well with a person's overall physiological function. Clinically, HRV is successfully used in acute care to identify impending infections, but little is known about its potential in the management of chronic diseases like cognitive decline/dementia. The aim of this study was to identify the best available knowledge about HRV in cognitively impaired populations that might be applied to improve clinical practice in community settings.

Impacts on clinical decision making - changing hormone therapy management after the WHI.

Background: Medical news often receives intense, but distorted, media coverage, which can lead to high levels of insecurity in both patients and doctors.

Objective: To elicit general practitioners' self reported behaviour regarding hormone therapy (HT) advice and prescribing, before, immediately after, and 2 years following the release of the first results of the combined oestrogen and progesterone arm of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study; to elicit GPs' understanding of statistical risk terminology; and to explore their personal preferences relative to the trade offs between quality and length of life in medical treatment.

Method: In October 2004, a questionnaire was sent to all 169 GPs working on the central coast of New South Wales.

Who is identified when screening for depression is undertaken in general practice? Baseline findings from the Diagnosis, Management and Outcomes of Depression in Primary Care (diamond) longitudinal study.

Objectives: To report the baseline characteristics of the Diagnosis, Management and Outcomes of Depression in Primary Care (diamond) study cohort and discuss the implications for depression care in general practice.

Design: A prospective longitudinal study beginning in January 2005.

Participants And Setting: Adult patients with depressive symptoms identified via screening with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D > or = 16) in 30 randomly selected Victorian general practices.

Complementary and alternative medicine therapies in acne, psoriasis, and atopic eczema: results of a qualitative study of patients' experiences and perceptions.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies in patients with acne, psoriasis, or atopic eczema and the attitudes about CAM of these patients.

Design: This was a qualitative study, utilizing semistructured interviews and thematic analysis.

Setting: Patients were recruited from the practices of dermatologists and general practitioners in a noncapital Australian city.