What the Commonwealth Fund’s 2015 international survey of general practitioners means for the UK

"The survey findings show that there are certain aspects of care where the UK performs strongly. Indeed, in some cases (such as the use of electronic medical records) the UK is an international leader. However, the survey also highlights a number of areas of concern, in particular that UK GPs find their job more stressful than any of their international counterparts."

Under pressure: What the Commonwealth Fund’s 2015 international survey of general practitioners means for the UK
S Martin, E Davies, B Gershlick
The Health Foundation
February 2016

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The effectiveness of interventions to improve laboratory requesting patterns among primary care physicians

"Interventions such as educational strategies, feedback and changing test order forms may improve the efficient use of laboratory tests in primary care; however, the level of evidence is quite low and the quality is poor." 

The effectiveness of interventions to improve laboratory requesting patterns among primary care physicians: a systematic review

SL Cadogan, John P. Browne1, Colin P. Bradley2 and Mary R. Cahill3
Implementation Science 2015, 10:167  doi:10.1186/s13012-015-0356-4

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Patient safety implications of general practice workload

"This discussion paper looks at fatigue among GPs – as caused by persistent and excessive workload – its potential impact on patient safety, and methods available to improve this situation in future."

Patient safety implications of general practice workload
Royal College of General Practitioners
July 2015

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Improving the primary care physicians’ decision making for fibromyalgia in clinical practice

"The use of such a tool during consultation will not only improve the quality of care in general practice but will also increase patients’ and doctors’ satisfaction and improve patients’ self-esteem and well-being." 

Improving the primary care physicians’ decision making for fibromyalgia in clinical practice: development and validation of the Fibromyalgia Detection (FibroDetect®) screening tool
R Baron et al.
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 2014, 12:128

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Chest pain symptom scoring can improve the quality of referrals to Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic

"Chest pain symptom scoring resulted in improved GP discrimination of chest pain, improved referral quality, fewer overall referrals to RACPC and shorter patient wait times. These benefits were achieved without using additional financial resources and without the time or capital expense of training GPs."

Chest pain symptom scoring can improve the quality of referrals to Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic
K Sinhji Rathod, H Ward, F Farooqi
BMJ Quality Improvement Reports 2014;3

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Focus on: antidepressant prescribing

"These analyses suggest that there is a complex interaction of factors driving the ever-increasing prescribing of antidepressants – acting at individual level, practice level and across broader society."

Focus on: antidepressant prescribing: trends in the prescribing of antidepressants in primary care (Quality Watch)

R Spence, A Roberts, C Ariti, M Bardsley

The Health Foundation, Nuffield Trust

May 2014

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Clinical commissioning groups – one year on

"In this audio slideshow, Holly Holder, Fellow in Health Policy, Nuffield Trust, presents the key findings from a survey of GPs in six clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). The survey explored member engagement and primary care development one year after CCGs were introduced."

Holly Holder: clinical commissioning groups – one year on

Nuffield Trust and The King’s Fund 

April 2014

Find out more here.

General Medical Services: guidance and audit requirements

"This document provides information on contractual changes in 2014/15 as well as detailed guidance and the assurance management arrangements and audit requirements to support practices and NHS England area teams."

General Medical Services contract 2014/15: guidance and audit requirements
NHS England
March 2014

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Managing patients with complex needs

"The main conclusion is that the service improves health outcomes and leads to a reduction in health service use in both primary and secondary care settings. The financial savings from reduced service use are equivalent to about a third of PCPCS treatment costs."

Managing patients with complex needs: Evaluation of the City and Hackney Primary Care Psychotherapy Consultation Service
M Parsonage, E Hard, B Rock
Centre for Mental Health
March 2014

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Commissioning guide: weight assessment and management clinics

"This Tier 3 guidance describes the role of the referring GP, what should be achieved in the clinics and who should be referred for bariatric surgery. Given the lack of consistency in the provision of medical obesity services, this guidance should provide an organised structure and evidence-base for treatment"

Commissioning guide: weight assessment and management clinics (tier 3)
Royal College of Surgeons, British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society

March 2014

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Commissioning and funding general practice

"This paper describes the current system of commissioning and funding general practice and how this is being used in four areas of England to develop innovative models of primary care provision."

Commissioning and funding general practice: Making the case for family care networks
Rachael Addicott, Chris Ham
The King's Fund
February 2014

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GPs’ perspectives on the management of patients with multimorbidity

"This systematic review shows that the problem areas for GPs in the management of multimorbidity may be classified into four domains. There will be no ‘one size fits all’ intervention for multimorbidity but these domains may be useful targets to guide the development of interventions that will assist and improve the provision of care to multimorbid patients."

GPs’ perspectives on the management of patients with multimorbidity: systematic review and synthesis of qualitative research
C Sinnott, S McHugh, J Browne, C Bradley
BMJ Open, 2013: e003610

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Recommended content of referral letters from GPs to specialised mental health care

"Compared with general guidelines and guidelines for somatic care, the results of this study suggest that the referral letter to specialised mental health care should have a larger emphasis on the overall treatment plan, on the specific role of specialised health care in the continuum of care, and on patient involvement."

Recommended content of referral letters from general practitioners to specialised mental health care: a qualitative multi-perspective study
M Hartveit, O Thorsen, E Biringer, K Vanhaecht, B Carlsen, A Aslaksen
BMC Health Services Research, 2013, 13:329

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Influences on prescribing in general practice: why is there variation in prescribing practices?

"Prescribing is a core activity for general practitioners, yet significant variation in the quality of prescribing has been reported. This suggests there may be room for improvement in the application of the current best research evidence."

An ethnographic exploration of influences on prescribing in general practice: why is there variation in prescribing practices?
A Grant, F Sullivan, J Dowell
Implementation Science, 2013, 8:72

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RCGP commissioning guidance in end of life care

"Guidance for GPs, Clinical Commissioning Group advisers and commissioners in supporting better care for all people nearing the end of their life."

RCGP commissioning guidance in end of life care
K Thomas, D Paynton
Royal College of General Practitioners
March 2013

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Sessional GPs in commissioning

"This report has been written for Clinical Commissioning Groups, GPs and NHS organisations to help primary care meet its future challenges by harnessing the potential that exists within the GP workforce."

Sessional GPs in commissioning
A Howe, S Stone, P Newman, T Rippon
Royal College of General Practitioners
October 2012

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Primary care for the 21st century

"Although independent practitioner associations in New Zealand have not held budgets on the scale of that planned for clinical commissioning groups in England, they nevertheless demonstrate the significant potential of organised general practice to enable innovation and expansion in the local provision of care."

Primary care for the 21st century
R Thorlby, J Smith, P Barnett, N Mays
Nuffield Trust
September 2012

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Associations between demographic, disease related, and treatment pathway related variables and health related quality of life in primary care patients with coronary heart disease

"In the context of this feasibility study the objective of the present research was to investigate the contributions of different disease related (e.g. prior myocardial infarction), pathway related (e.g. basic medication) and demographic variables on patients` perceived health related quality of life (HRQoL) as a relevant and widely used outcome measure in cardiac populations."

Associations between demographic, disease related, and treatment pathway related variables and health related quality of life in primary care patients with coronary heart disease
L Kramer, O Hirsch, K Schlossler, S Trager, E Baum, N Donner-Banzhoff
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 2012, 10:78

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