Oxford General Practice Series – serie

A significant number of patients seen by general practitioners are suffering from infections. Although many of these are minor and self-limiting, they provide an important opportunity for improving the doctor's own understanding of the patient's response to illness, and for enabling the GP to educate the patient in ways in which certain infections may be prevented. Infectious diseases are also a major cause of mortality and morbidity in the modern developed world and, with more people travelling internationally than ever before, there is an increased risk of the spread of serious, non-endemic disease. An important part of the primary health care team's work is directed towards the prevention of infection through health education, immunization, or a combination of both these approaches.Infection provides a unique insight into the role of infection, seen from the combined perspective of GPs, an infectious diseases physician, and a medical microbiologist. It provides detailed information on the wide range of infections which are seen by GPs, including trivial viral infections, life-threatening acute bacterial meningitis, and imported infections such as malaria or typhoid fever. Included are case histories which reflect common practice both in primary care and within the hospital setting, as well as proposed guidelines for the management of infections which may present in general practice. Throughout the authors emphasize the role of teamwork as well as prevention in contemporary primary care through improved patient education.

The demand for quality control of medical care has increased dramatically in recent years. In response to higher public awareness and political trends, the implementation of audit has swept through general practice in the UK, fuelled by the appearance of improved data collection systems and the greater sophistication of primary care teamwork.This concise yet comprehensive guide to the theory and practice of medical audit in the primary health care setting is edited by two university lecturers who are also practising GP's. It includes contributions from a range of practitioners who have experience of audit in action, and an appreciation of the potential pitfalls involved. This theoretical and practical guide to the challenge of medical audit has proved to be and will continue to be of value to general practitioners, trainees, and all members of the primary health care team.

Cardiovascular disease remains the greatest cause of morbidity and mortality. Over the past 10-15 years many studies have clarified the risks that are important, and the interventions which are effective.This book breaks new ground in both providing clear recommendations on what should be done, and the evidence on which these recommendations are based. It accords with current views that guidelines should be based on evidence, and that the evidence should be clear. The book is split into three sections: the first reviews the risk factors for cardiovascular disease and the clinical effectiveness of reducing them; the second examines methods of implementation in practice; and the final section makes practical recommendations, explicitly based on the evidence in the fist two sections.

This tremendously popular guide to caring for children's health in the primary care setting has been completely revised and updated for the new edition. It includes guidance on the implications of the Children Act and child protection, Health for All Children, screening in pregnancy, asthma management, and other recent changes in practice and in the law. This is the most reliable and up-to-date book available for the primary health care team.

Peer review is especially effective in inducing change and improvement in practice in the long term, and is particularly appropriate in the UK and Europe - it is relevant, locally based, simple and educational. The original Dutch book from which this book was developed was well reviewed. The ideas presented in this book are mainstream and challenging and will help to extend the audit debate as well as to further progress in continuing medical education.

Although men consult their GPs much less frequently than women, they are much more prone to accidents, violence, cancer, and cardiovascular disease (all of which will affect them in the most productive period of their lives). However, as the pressure mounts both at work and at home, men are expected to make heavier demands on their GPs. This book, the first to be published on men's health in primary care, has been put together by a team of general practitioners, psychologists, sociologists, and epidemiologists. It brings together all the latest research on specifically male health problems during childhood, adolescence, adulthood and later life, and adds practical guidelines for GPs, other members of the primary health care team, and patients themselves. Clear management and referral protocols are provided, along with relevant case histories, bulleted lists for ease of reference, and informative illustrations.

Vocational training for general practice has been tremendously successful over the past two decades, but the need became apparent at the beginning of the 1990s for revision of the education of GP trainers already experienced in setting up a training practice, who were demanding a fresh, more detailed consideration of the educational aspects of vocational training.The authors of Professional Education for General Practice comprise general practitioners from training practices, regional advisers in primary care, and an expert in adult education. They describe the history of vocational training and examine the educational requirements of adult learners, then go on to discuss particular aspects of curriculum design, assessment, teaching methods, trainer-trainee relationships, and evaluation, followed by an appraisal of what changes are needed in training for general practice in the future. Throughout the preparation of the book the authors worked closely with general practice trainers and trainees as well as their educators, thus ensuring that the book is completely appropriate for these groups.This book is essential for everyone involved in teaching GP trainers as well as for the trainers themselves, and will be of interest to doctors training in primary care.

This book is for all those who teach general practice to medical students, both those based in academic departments and `service' general practitioners. It aims to combine the theoretical basis for teaching with practical material, and explores the extent to which general practice can and should take on teaching traditionally carried out in hospital (e.g. basic clinical skills training).

This book brings together in one handy volume all the information needed to understand - and to adapt to - the present prescribing climate, offering practical guidance and comprehensive, authoritative coverage. Various initiatives designed to influence primary care prescribing are described, as well as current national (UK) and international prescribing patterns. Chapters on the development, licensing, and marketing of drugs provide important background for all those making prescribing choices. Research on how doctors choose drugs is reviewed, to help prescribers understand their current prescribing choices and make the best decisions possible. However, `rational prescribing' is broader than just choosing the right drug, and this is dealt with in all its aspects. The authors have drawn from a range of backgrounds and include practising general practitioneers, primary care academics, and pharmaceutical company advisers. Topics covered include: the economics of prescribing, the impact of NHS reforms, the use of over- the-counter medicines, the role of the pharmacist, and the use of homeopathic remedies. This concise guide will be a valuable reference for all those involved in prescribing, including GPs, nurse prescribers, pharmacists, and pharmaceutical company staff.

This important book makes the case for placing maternity care in the community. It has been written by a multidisciplinary group. The first section considers the role and function of the participants in community-based maternity care; the woman, the midwife, and the GP. The second section discusses four major contemporary issues: the radically changing social background, the economics of care, audit, and education of the carers. Next the major clinical challenges in maternity care are tackled: how to reduce the differences in morbidity and mortality which are associated with differences in age, social class and ethnicity; the care of disadvantaged groups; prematurity and low birth weight and their prevention; technology used in childbirth; and the fetal origins of adult disease. Finally, all aspects of the clinical care carried out by Gps and midwives are covered. The editors hope that after reading this book midwives, Gps, and obstetricians should find the theory underpinning their work has been sharply defined and that their work will be more effective and evidence-based. The editors, a GP and a midwife, anticipate the resolution of the current tensions between midwife, GP, and obstetrician and look forward to a responsive, effective and sensitive service for mothers and babies in the next millennium.

Primary Care for Older People is a contemporary reference work on health problems in later life written exclusively by primary care professionals for primary care professionals that: integrates nursing and medical perspectives on clinical practice and service organisation. understands that well-intentioned changes in practice and service provision can have harmful effects on patients, professionals and the health service is still able to offer positive guidance to individual practitioners, practices and Primary Care Groups, about best practice and innovative multi-disciplinary care for an ageing population. It is aimed at doctors, nurses, health visitors and social workers who are trying to combine care of individuals with an understanding of the needs of whole communities. Its themes are relevant to teachers in different professional disciplines, to members of Primary Care Group and Trust Boards, to planners and managers of primary care services, as well as to practitioners. The authors bring to this book their experience in general practice and community nursing, their expertise in service development and management, and their awareness of primary care research. Dr. Steve Iliffe has been an inner-city general practitioner in London since 1978, and is Reader in General Practice at the Royal Free and University College Medical School, where he is co-director of the Centre for Ageing Population Studies (CAPS) and manages the Primary Care for Older People research and development programme. He can be contacted at s.iliffe@ucl.ac.uk. Vari Drennan has been a community health service manager , specialist health visitor for older people and health visitor since 1980 and is currently a senior lecturer in primary care nursing in the Department of Primary Care & Population Sciences at the Royal Free and University College Medical School. She can be contacted at v.drennnan@ucl.ac.uk,