scholarly journals Acceptance of Screening for Colorectal Cancer by Flexible Sigmoidoscopy

1995 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Cockburn ◽  
R J S Thomas ◽  
S J McLaughlin ◽  
D Reading

Objective — To determine the acceptance rate of screening by flexible sigmoidoscopy in a sample of general practice patients aged 50 to 60, and the acceptability of the procedure among those undergoing the test. Setting — Recruitment took place in selected general practices in Melbourne, Australia. Flexible sigmoidoscopies were performed at the local public hospital. Patients and methods — 187 patients aged between SO and 60, and without bowel symptoms, were seen by one of 12 non-randomly selected general practitioners during the study period. At the conclusion of routine consultation general practitioners discussed colorectal screening with eligible patients and recommended that they attend a free screening clinic at the local hospital. The patients who attended the clinic underwent flexible sigmoidoscopy performed by experienced endoscopists. Clinic attenders completed a questionnaire which measured perceptions of the screening visit. Results — The attendance rate was 49%. All clinic attenders were satisfied with the care received at clinic. Sixty five per cent of people experienced either no discomfort or mild discomfort, while 15% of people experienced moderate or severe pain. A bloated feeling was common (80%), with around 36% of people experiencing moderate or extreme bloating. Most people said that they were not at all embarrassed (64%), though 9% reported moderate or extreme embarrassment. Seventeen people (19%) were found to have polyps. Conclusions — Although the procedure was acceptable to those who underwent the screening test, further research on effective recruitment strategies is required if a full scale flexible sigmoidoscopy screening programme is to be considered feasible.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
MH Núñez-Rodriguez ◽  
PD Redondo ◽  
F Riu ◽  
M Cimavilla ◽  
RS Ocaña ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Broholm-Jørgensen ◽  
Siff Monrad Langkilde ◽  
Tine Tjørnhøj-Thomsen ◽  
Pia Vivian Pedersen

Abstract Background The aim of this article is to explore preventive health dialogues in general practice in the context of a pilot study of a Danish primary preventive intervention ‘TOF’ (a Danish acronym for ‘Early Detection and Prevention’) carried out in 2016. The intervention consisted of 1) a stratification of patients into one of four groups, 2) a digital support system for both general practitioners and patients, 3) an individual digital health profile for each patient, and 4) targeted preventive services in either general practice or a municipal health center. Methods The empirical material in this study was obtained through 10 observations of preventive health dialogues conducted in general practices and 18 semi-structured interviews with patients and general practitioners. We used the concept of ‘motivational work’ as an analytical lens for understanding preventive health dialogues in general practice from the perspectives of both general practitioners and patients. Results While the health dialogues in TOF sought to reveal patients’ motivations, understandings, and priorities related to health behavior, we find that the dialogues were treatment-oriented and structured around biomedical facts, numeric standards, and risk factor guidance. Overall, we find that numeric standards and quantification of motivation lessens the dialogue and interaction between General Practitioner and patient and that contextual factors relating to the intervention framework, such as a digital support system, the general practitioners’ perceptions of their professional position as well as the patients’ understanding of prevention —in an interplay—diminished the motivational work carried out in the health dialogues. Conclusion The findings show that the influence of different kinds of context adds to the complexity of prevention in the clinical encounter which help to explain why motivational work is difficult in general practice.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. e046865
Author(s):  
Gorkem Sezgin ◽  
Ling Li ◽  
Johanna Westbrook ◽  
Elisabeth Wearne ◽  
Denise Azar ◽  
...  

Background and objectiveSerum iron results are not indicative of iron deficiency yet may be incorrectly used to diagnose iron deficiency instead of serum ferritin results. Our objective was to determine the association between serum iron test results and iron-deficiency diagnosis in children by general practitioners.Design, setting, patients and main outcome measuresA retrospective observational study of 14 187 children aged 1–18 years with serum ferritin and serum iron test results from 137 general practices in Victoria, Australia, between 2008 and 2018. Generalised estimating equation models calculating ORs were used to determine the association between serum iron test results (main exposure measure) and iron-deficiency diagnosis (outcome measure) in the following two population groups: (1) iron-deplete population, defined as having a serum ferritin <12 µg/L if aged <5 years and <15 µg/L if aged ≥5 years and (2) iron-replete population, defined as having a serum ferritin >30 µg/L.Results3484 tests were iron deplete and 15 528 were iron replete. Iron-deplete children were less likely to be diagnosed with iron deficiency if they had normal serum iron levels (adjusted OR (AOR): 0.73; 95% CI 0.57 to 0.96). Iron-replete children had greater odds of an iron-deficiency diagnosis if they had low serum iron results (AOR: 2.59; 95% CI 1.72 to 3.89). Other contributors to an iron-deficiency diagnosis were female sex and having anaemia.ConclusionSerum ferritin alone remains the best means of diagnosing iron deficiency. Reliance on serum iron test results by general practitioners is leading to significant overdiagnosis and underdiagnosis of iron deficiency in children.


2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 83-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sh Lo ◽  
G Vart ◽  
J Snowball ◽  
Sp Halloran ◽  
J Wardle ◽  
...  

1994 ◽  
Vol 165 (4) ◽  
pp. 533-537 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Turrina ◽  
R. Caruso ◽  
R. Este ◽  
F. Lucchi ◽  
G. Fazzari ◽  
...  

BackgroundWe investigated the prevalence of depression among 255 elderly general practice patients and the practitioners' performance in identifying depression.MethodElderly patients attending 14 general practices entered a screening phase with GHQ-12 and MMSE. Those positive were then interviewed with GMS and HAS.ResultsDSM-III-R major depression affected 22.4%, dysthymic disorder 6.3%, not otherwise specified (n.o.s.) depression 7.1 %. General practitioners performed fairly well: identification index 88.4%, accuracy 0.49, bias 1.85.ConclusionsDepression was markedly high. A selective progression of depressed elderly from the community to general practitioners is implied.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley Gray ◽  
Maria Stubbe ◽  
Lindsay Macdonald ◽  
Rachel Tester ◽  
Jo Hilder ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION Obesity is overtaking tobacco smoking in New Zealand as the leading potentially modifiable risk to health. International obesity guidelines recommend that health professionals opportunistically encourage weight management with their patients. However, research shows consistently low rates of weight management discussion, suggesting that health professionals may not be realising their full potential to address obesity. AIM To identify communication strategies used by General Practitioners (GPs) to open the topic of weight and weight management in routine consultations. METHODS A secondary analysis was conducted of 36 video-recorded consultations in general practices, selected for relevance from a database of 205 consultations. Content and interactional analysis was conducted in the context of the entire consultation. RESULTS The topic of weight was initiated more often by GPs than patients and was raised mostly once or twice in a consultation and occasionally as many as six times. GPs employed opportunistic strategies twice as often as they used structured strategies. DISCUSSION This study of naturally occurring consultations confirmed GPs do engage in opportunistic discussions about weight. However, such discussions are challenging and interactionally delicate. Highlighting the clinical relevance of weight appears to be effective. The high frequency of patient contact with GPs provides opportunity to reach and work with people at risk of chronic conditions associated with excess weight. Further research is required to identify suitable training and brief intervention tools for use in routine consultations that may be beneficial for both GPs and patients.


Author(s):  
Patricia Deering ◽  
Arthur Tatnall ◽  
Stephen Burgess

ICT has been used in medical General Practice throughout Australia now for some years, but although most General Practices make use of ICT for administrative purposes such as billing, prescribing and medical records, many individual General Practitioners themselves do not make full use of these ICT systems for clinical purposes. The decisions taken in the adoption of ICT in general practice are very complex, and involve many actors, both human and non-human. This means that actor-network theory offers a most suitable framework for its analysis. This article investigates how GPs in a rural Division of General Practice not far from Melbourne considered the adoption and use of ICT. The study reported in the article shows that, rather than characteristics of the technology itself, it is often seemingly unimportant human issues that determine if and how ICT is used in General Practice.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 373
Author(s):  
Steven Lillis ◽  
Liza Lack

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTIONRepeat prescribing is common in New Zealand general practice. Research also suggests that repeat prescribing is a process prone to error. All New Zealand general practices have to comply with requirements to have a repeat prescribing policy, with the details of the policy to be designed by the practice. AIMTo inform the development of practice policy, research was undertaken with experienced general practitioners to identify and mitigate risk in the process. METHODSAt the 2019 annual conference of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, a workshop was held with 58 experienced general practitioner participants. The group was divided into six small groups, each with the task of discussing one aspect of the repeat prescribing process. The results were then discussed with the whole group and key discussion points were transcribed and analysed. RESULTSIssues identified included: improving patient education on appropriateness of repeat prescribing; having protected time for medicine reconciliation and the task of repeat prescribing; reducing the number of personnel and steps in the process; and clarity over responsibility for repeat prescribing. DISCUSSIONThis research can inform the local development of a repeat prescribing policy at the practice level or be used to critique existing practice policies. Attention was also drawn to the increasing administrative burden that repeat prescribing contributes to in general practice.


1996 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Fairhurst ◽  
Christopher Dowrick

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of counselling in the management of minor psychiatric morbidity in general practice, and to explore the reasons for difficulties in recruiting patients to such an evaluation. Methods: We attempted to conduct a randomized controlled trial of counselling in eight general practices in one NHS family health services authority area in England. Having experienced significant problems recruiting patients, we conducted semi-structured telephone interviews ( n = 8) with participating GPs to explore the reasons for these difficulties. Results: Five months after the start of the study only one patient had been recruited. The main reasons identified as contributing to the recruitment problems were: General practitioners' motivation for involvement in the study; their ethical doubts about the randomization process; the perceived lack of a viable non-counselling intervention; and their existing practical commitment to counselling. Conclusion: Although methodological modification might enhance the potential for success in future studies of this sort, more fundamental difficulties concerning general practitioners' attitudes to research and their professional responsibilities lie at the heart of our recruitment problems.


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