Research in Hong Kong shows that air pollution concentrations are significantly associated with the number of consultations for upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs), contributing to the burden on primary care services.
Web- and telehealth-based delivery of cognitive behavioral therapy is effective for treating chronic insomnia, giving rural-dwelling adults more choice and better access to services, researchers report.
Researchers from Sweden say that women who have been treated for cervical precancer should receive lifelong follow-up, after finding that their risk for dying from vaginal or cervical cancer markedly increases after the age of 60 years.
An interactive booklet given to parents in primary care can help them to be more knowledgeable and feel more confident about when and when not to consult a doctor for their child’s respiratory tract infections.
Low vitamin D status is a marker of ill health rather than an underlying cause of disease, say the authors of a systematic review published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology.
Researchers have found that functional exercise capacity does not reflect physical activity among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients treated in primary care.
US physicians have raised concerns over the diagnosis and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease in small children, especially among infants for whom regurgitation is normal and likely to resolve with conservative treatment
A disease management program for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease based on the Chronic Care Model leads to greater patient satisfaction with care than standard disease management, a randomized trial suggests.
Research published in the BMJ shows that clinical score is as good a guide for antibiotic prescribing as rapid streptococcal antigen detection tests in patients presenting to primary care with sore throat.
Researchers from Italy say that the majority of hospitalizations for pediatric asthma reflect inadequate disease management rather than disease severity.
Research shows that pediatric recurrent community-acquired pneumonia in different lung areas is most commonly associated with mild conditions like rhinosinusitis and asthma, and not severe underlying disease.
A study in the primary care setting shows that clinical factors have the greatest influence on improving health-related quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The Framingham Heart Study model for predicting short-term risk for hypertension has good discriminatory ability in a biracial population of young adults, say researchers.
Providing financial incentives to general practitioners goes some way toward improving hypertension control in their patients, shows research published in JAMA.
Researchers from Australia have found that even brief phone contact from medical professionals can provide benefits to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Better education and training for management of sleep problems is needed, including a clear primary care pathway to treatment, suggests the experience of patients and clinicians in the UK.