scholarly journals Trends in end digit preference for blood pressure and associations with cardiovascular outcomes in Canadian and UK primary care: a retrospective observational study

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. e024970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Greiver ◽  
Sumeet Kalia ◽  
Teja Voruganti ◽  
Babak Aliarzadeh ◽  
Rahim Moineddin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Diastolic Pressure ◽  
Cardiovascular Outcomes ◽  
Retrospective Observational Study ◽  
Digit Preference ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Primary Care Practices

ObjectivesTo study systematic errors in recording blood pressure (BP) as measured by end digit preference (EDP); to determine associations between EDP, uptake of Automated Office BP (AOBP) machines and cardiovascular outcomes.DesignRetrospective observational study using routinely collected electronic medical record data from 2006 to 2015 and a survey on year of AOBP acquisition in Toronto, Canada in 2017.SettingPrimary care practices in Canada and the UK.ParticipantsAdults aged 18 years or more.Main outcome measuresMean rates of EDP and change in rates. Rates of EDP following acquisition of an AOBP machine. Associations between site EDP levels and mean BP. Associations between site EDP levels and frequency of cardiovascular outcomes.Results707 227 patients in Canada and 1 558 471 patients in the UK were included. From 2006 to 2015, the mean rate of BP readings with both systolic and diastolic pressure ending in zero decreased from 26.6% to 15.4% in Canada and from 24.2% to 17.3% in the UK. Systolic BP readings ending in zero decreased from 41.8% to 32.5% in the 3 years following the purchase of an AOBP machine. Sites with high EDP had a mean systolic BP of 2.0 mm Hg in Canada, and 1.7 mm Hg in the UK, lower than sites with no or low EDP. Patients in sites with high levels of EDP had a higher frequency of stroke (standardised morbidity ratio (SMR) 1.15, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.17), myocardial infarction (SMR 1.16, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.19) and angina (SMR 1.25, 95% CI 1.22 to 1.28) than patients in sites with no or low EDP.ConclusionsAcquisition of an AOBP machine was associated with a decrease in EDP levels. Sites with higher rates of EDP had lower mean BPs and a higher frequency of adverse cardiovascular outcomes. The routine use of manual office-based BP measurement should be reconsidered.

scholarly journals Trends in systematic recording errors of blood pressure and association with outcomes in Canadian and UK primary care data: a retrospective observational study

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sumeet Kalia ◽  
Michelle Greiver
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Nearest Neighbor ◽  
Bootstrap Method ◽  
Cardiovascular Outcomes ◽  
Retrospective Observational Study ◽  
Optimal Decision ◽  
Systematic Bias ◽  
K Nearest Neighbor

IntroductionEnd digit preference (EDP) or systematic bias in the recording of blood pressure (BP) measurement is prevalent in primary care: up to 60% of BP readings end in zero. High blood pressure (BP) is a leading cause of increased morbidity in adults and errors in measurement may contribute to increased rate of adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Objectives and ApproachWe studied EDP trends, uptake of Automated Office BP (AOBP) measurement, and cardiovascular outcomes in the UK and Canada.This is a retrospective observational study using routinely collected Electronic Medical Record data for patients age 18 or more. We used bootstrap method to estimate the odds ratios where logistic regression was fitted on one thousand independently sampled replicates of the CPCSSN and RCGP datasets. We implemented the unsupervised algorithm of k-nearest neighbor across all sites to find the optimal decision boundary to classify the sites into the three categories: (1) strong EDP; (2) some EDP; (3) no EDP. ResultsThe mean rate of end digit zero for both systolic and diastolic BP decreased from 26.6% in 2006 to 15.4% in 2015 in Canada and from 24.2% in 2001 to 17.3% in 2015 in the U.K. There was a gradual decline in EDP in the three years following the purchase of an AOBP machine. Sites categorized as having high levels of EDP had lower mean sBP levels than sites with potentially no EDP in both Canada and UK. Patients in sites with high levels of EDP had higher yearly prevalence of stroke (Standardized morbidity ration or SMR 1.11), myocardial infarcts (SMR 1.15), and angina (SMR 1.27) than patients in sites with no EDP. Conclusion/ImplicationsThere is systematic recording errors including rounding down of BP readings associated with higher rates of EDP and presumably more use of manual BP measurement. Higher rates of EDP were associated with greater prevalence of adverse cardiovascular outcomes. Consideration should be given to using AOBP machines in primary care.

Observational study of ezetimibe discontinuation in primary care practices in the UK

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (12) ◽  
pp. 1737-1745
Author(s):  
Gillian C. Hall ◽  
Vian Amber ◽  
Chris O’Regan ◽  
Kevin Jameson
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Care Practices ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Primary Care Practices

scholarly journals Implications of comorbidity for primary care costs in the UK: a retrospective observational study

2013 ◽  
Vol 63 (609) ◽  
pp. e274-e282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel L Brilleman ◽  
Sarah Purdy ◽  
Chris Salisbury ◽  
Frank Windmeijer ◽  
Hugh Gravelle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Retrospective Observational Study ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Care Costs

scholarly journals Changes in cardiovascular disease monitoring in English primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic: an observational cohort study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare R Bankhead ◽  
Sarah Lay-Flurrie ◽  
Brian D Nicholson ◽  
James P Sheppard ◽  
Chris P Gale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Disease Monitoring ◽  
White Ethnicity ◽  
Electronic Health ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Primary Care Practices ◽  
The Impact

AbstractObjectiveTo quantify the impact and recovery in cardiovascular disease monitoring in primary care associated with the first COVID-19 lockdown.DesignRetrospective nationwide primary care cohort study, utilising data from 1st January 2018 to 27th September 2020.SettingWe extracted primary care electronic health records data from 514 primary care practices in England contributing to the Oxford Royal College of General Practitioners Clinical Informatics Digital Hub (ORCHID). These practices were representative of English primary care across urban and non-urban practices.ParticipantsThe ORCHID database included 6,157,327 active patients during the study period, and 13,938,390 patient years of observation (final date of follow-up 27th September 2020). The mean (SD) age was 38±24 years, 49.4% were male and the majority were of white ethnicity (65% [21.9% had unknown ethnicity])ExposureThe primary exposure was the first national lockdown in the UK, starting on 23rd March 2020.Main outcome measuresRecords of cholesterol, blood pressure, HbA1c and International Normalised Ratio (INR) measurement derived from coded entries in the primary care electronic health record.ResultsRates of cholesterol, blood pressure, HbA1c and INR recording dropped by 23-87% in the week following the first UK national lockdown, compared with the previous week. The largest decline was seen in cholesterol (IRR 0.13, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.15) and smallest for INR (IRR 0.77, 95% CI 0.72 to 0.81).Following the immediate drop, rates of recorded tests increased on average by 5-9% per week until 27th September 2020. However, the number of recorded measures remained below that expected for the time of year, reaching 51.8% (95% CI 51.8 to 51.9%) for blood pressure, 63.7%, (95% CI 63.7% to 63.8%) for cholesterol measurement and 70.3% (95% CI 70.2% to 70.4%) for HbA1c. Rates of INR recording declined throughout the previous two years, a trend that continued after lockdown. There were no differences in the times series trends based on sex, age, ethnicity or deprivation.ConclusionsCardiovascular disease monitoring in English primary care declined substantially from the time of the first UK lockdown. Despite a consistent recovery in activity, there is still a substantial shortfall in the numbers of recorded measurements to those expected. Strategies are required to ensure cardiovascular disease monitoring is maintained during the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals The effect of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown on consultation numbers, consultation reasons and performed services in primary care: results of a longitudinal observational study

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingmar Schäfer ◽  
Heike Hansen ◽  
Agata Menzel ◽  
Marion Eisele ◽  
Daniel Tajdar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Longitudinal Observational Study ◽  
Multivariable Analyses ◽  
Gastrointestinal Complaints ◽  
Urban And Rural Areas ◽  
Quota Sampling ◽  
Primary Care Practices

Abstract Objectives The aims of our study were to describe the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown on primary care in Germany regarding the number of consultations, the prevalence of specific reasons for consultation presented by the patients, and the frequency of specific services performed by the GP. Methods We conducted a longitudinal observational study based on standardised GP interviews in a quota sampling design comparing the time before the COVID-19 pandemic (12 June 2015 to 27 April 2017) with the time during lockdown (21 April to 14 July 2020). The sample included GPs in urban and rural areas 120 km around Hamburg, Germany, and was stratified by region type and administrative districts. Differences in the consultation numbers were analysed by multivariate linear regressions in mixed models adjusted for random effects on the levels of the administrative districts and GP practices. Results One hundred ten GPs participated in the follow-up, corresponding to 52.1% of the baseline. Primary care practices in 32 of the 37 selected administrative districts (86.5%) could be represented in both assessments. At baseline, GPs reported 199.6 ± 96.9 consultations per week, which was significantly reduced during COVID-19 lockdown by 49.0% to 101.8 ± 67.6 consultations per week (p < 0.001). During lockdown, the frequency of five reasons for consultation (-43.0% to -31.5%) and eleven services (-56.6% to -33.5%) had significantly decreased. The multilevel, multivariable analyses showed an average reduction of 94.6 consultations per week (p < 0.001). Conclusions We observed a dramatic reduction of the number of consultations in primary care. This effect was independent of age, sex and specialty of the GP and independent of the practice location in urban or rural areas. Consultations for complaints like low back pain, gastrointestinal complaints, vertigo or fatigue and services like house calls/calls at nursing homes, wound treatments, pain therapy or screening examinations for the early detection of chronic diseases were particularly affected.

scholarly journals Elbow joint disease in dogs attending primary-care practices in the UK

2017 ◽  
pp. 492-493
Author(s):  
Rebecca Hodge ◽  
Richard Meeson ◽  
David Brodbelt ◽  
David Church ◽  
Dan O’Neill
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Elbow Joint ◽  
Joint Disease ◽  
Care Practices ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Primary Care Practices

Off-label prescribing to children in primary care: retrospective observational study

2004 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzie Ekins-Daukes ◽  
PeterJ. Helms ◽  
ColinR. Simpson ◽  
MichaelW. Taylor ◽  
JamesS. McLay
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Retrospective Observational Study ◽  
Off Label

scholarly journals Primary care chaplaincy: an intervention for complex presentation

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon W. Macdonald
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Retrospective Observational Study ◽  
Holistic Care ◽  
Presenting Symptoms ◽  
Routinely Collected Data ◽  
Mental Well Being

Abstract Aim To determine the responsiveness of primary care chaplaincy (PCC) to the current variety of presenting symptoms seen in primary care. This was done with a focus on complex and undifferentiated illness. Background Current presentations to primary care are often complex, undifferentiated and display risk factors for social isolation and loneliness. These are frequently associated with loss of well-being and spiritual issues. PCC provides holistic care for such patients but its efficacy is unknown in presentations representative of such issues. There is therefore a need to assess the characteristics of those attending PCC. The effectiveness of PCC relative to the type and number of presenting symptoms should also be analysed whilst evaluating impact on GP workload. Methods This was a retrospective observational study based on routinely collected data. In total, 164 patients attended PCC; 75 were co-prescribed antidepressants (AD) and 89 were not (No-AD). Pre- and post-PCC well-being was assessed by the Warwick–Edinburgh mental well-being score. Presenting issue(s) data were collected on a separate questionnaire. GP appointment utilisation was measured for three months pre- and post-PCC. Findings Those displaying undifferentiated illness and risk factors for social isolation and loneliness accessed PCC. PCC (No-AD) was associated with a clinically meaningful and statistically significant improvement in well-being in all presenting issues. This effect was maintained in those with multiple presenting issues. PCC was associated with a reduction in GP appointment utilisation in those not co-prescribed AD.

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