Effect of high hydrostatic pressure on Aeromonas hydrophila AH 191 growth in milk.

Unlabelled: Exposure to high pressure is an efficient method of bacterial inactivation that is particularly important for reducing the microbial load present in foods. In this study, we examined the high pressure inactivation of Aeromonas hydrophila AH 191, a virulent strain that produces aerolysin, a cytotoxic, enterotoxic, and hemolytic toxin. High pressure treatment (250 MPa for 30 min at 25 °C in 0.

The influence of specialists on prescribing by GPs. A qualitative study.

Objective: To investigate specialists' influence on prescribing by general practitioners.

Method: A focus group study of 35 GPs.

Setting: Hunter Urban Division of General Practice, New South Wales.

Randomised controlled trial of pantoprazole versus ranitidine for the treatment of uninvestigated heartburn in primary care.

Objectives: To investigate whether pantoprazole (20 mg/d) produces significantly greater symptom control than ranitidine (300 mg/d) in patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD).

Design: Multicentre, randomised, double-blind, parallel-group comparison.

Setting: 76 general practices in north-west Sydney and Newcastle, New South Wales (Australia), from 19 January 1999 to 22 September 2000.

The impact of specialists on prescribing by general practitioners.

Objective: To investigate the direct impact of specialists on prescribing by general practitioners.

Design: Cross-sectional, prescription-based study.

Subjects And Setting: 88 GPs in the Hunter Urban Division of General Practice, Hunter Valley, NSW.

The divisional alternative.

GPs working together in groups, with a corporate body providing the organisational framework, is an inevitable outcome of healthcare system changes. Divisions of General Practice--regional corporations owned and operated solely by local GPs--should be seen as the logical alternative to the non-regional, for-profit, often publicly listed corporations. The divisional model combines economies of scale and organisation with clinical and practice autonomy and a regional focus, as well as an emphasis on patient values, quality of care, and equity of access.

Prescribing patterns in general practice. A comparison of two data sources.

Objective: To compare data captured by an electronic general practice prescribing package with prescribing data from the Health Insurance Commission (HIC).

Methods: Twenty GPs from the Hunter Urban Division of General Practice (HUDGP) used the electronic prescribing package. Data for June-July 1996 were analysed.

Severe exacerbation of chronic obstructive airways disease: health resource use in general practice and hospital.

The objective of this study is to examine the treatment of exacerbations of chronic obstructive airways disease (COAD) in the hospital and in the community setting using a retrospective study of patients admitted to a major teaching hospital combined with a general practice chart audit. The admission records for 248 admissions from 128 patients were reviewed. Most patients (70%) had visited their GP within 2 weeks of admission, antibiotics were prescribed for 30% of the exacerbations while 51% were treated with ingested corticosteroids.

General practitioner perceptions of surgical waiting times.

This study explored general practitioners' (GP) perceptions of waiting times and the importance of these perceptions in choosing a surgeon. A randomly selected sample of GPs in the Hunter Area of New South Wales, Australia, provided information prospectively on patients referred to a surgeon. The results indicated that GPs feel a lack of private health insurance makes only a small difference in waiting time to see a surgeon but a large difference in the waiting time for an operation.

Divisions of general practice: a status review.

This paper looks at the emergence of divisions of general practice in Australia. Divisions are local groups of general practitioners working to integrate general practice into the wider health system and to explore opportunities for improving service delivery, teaching and research. There are now 116 divisions of general practice, covering over 95 per cent of the Australian population.