Attitudes toward preventive services and lifestyle: the views of primary care patients in Europe. the EUROPREVIEW patient study.

Background: For preventive interventions in general practice to succeed, patients' points of view must be taken into account in addition to those of GPs.

Objective: To explore patients' views and beliefs about the importance of lifestyle and preventive interventions, to assess their readiness to make changes to their lifestyle and their willingness to receive support from GPs.

Methods: Cross-sectional survey conducted by EUROPREV in primary care practices in 22 European countries.

Characteristics and trends in required home care by GPs in Austria: diseases and functional status of patients.

Background: Almost all societies carry responsibility towards patients who require continuous medical care at home. In many health systems the general practitioner cooperates with community based services of home care and coordinates all medical and non medical activities. In Austria the general practitioner together and in cooperation with relatives of the patient and professional organisations usually takes on this task by visiting his patients.

[Insomnia and sleeping disorders in the elderly in general practice].

Sleeping disorders in general practice are common, but as the main reason for seeking help they only account for 1% of all consultations in all age groups. The aim of our study was to find out the overall frequency and consulting patterns for sleeping disorders in patients (over sixty years old) in general practices in eastern Austria. In this age group, sleeping disorders accounted for 7% of all reasons for seeking consultation.