Serial image interpretation tasks improve accuracy and increase confidence in Level 1 echocardiography reporting: a pilot study.

Background: Focused echocardiography is increasingly used in acute and emergency care, with point-of-care ultrasound integrated into several specialist training curricula (e.g. Emergency Medicine, Cardiology, Critical Care).

Exploring red cell distribution width as a potential risk factor in emergency bowel surgery-A retrospective cohort study.

Increased preoperative red cell distribution width (RDW) is associated with higher mortality following non-cardiac surgery in patients older than 65 years. Little is known if this association holds for all adult emergency laparotomy patients and whether it affects 30-day or long-term mortality. Thus, we examined the relationship between increased RDW and postoperative mortality.

Quality improvement in general practice: what do GPs and practice managers think? Results from a nationally representative survey of UK GPs and practice managers.

Background: This paper presents the results of the first UK-wide survey of National Health Service (NHS) general practitioners (GPs) and practice managers (PMs) designed to explore the service improvement activities being undertaken in practices, and the factors that facilitated or obstructed that work. The research was prompted by growing policy and professional interest in the quality of general practice and its improvement. The analysis compares GP and PM involvement in, and experience of, quality improvement activities.

Practice management. Gender offenders.

A postal survey of practice managers in London found that women earned 5,000 Pounds a year less than men, on average. Women who had previously worked as receptionists in the practice were particularly poorly paid. Practice management remains a female-dominated profession.