To examine beliefs about irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) management among primary care physicians.

There have been considerable advances in evidence synthesis concerning management of IBS in the last five years, with guidelines for its management in primary care published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

This was a cross-sectional web-based questionnaire survey of 275 primary care physicians. We emailed a link to a SurveyMonkey questionnaire, containing 18 items, to all eligible primary care physicians registered with three clinical commissioning groups in Leeds, UK. Participants were given one month to respond, with a reminder sent out after two weeks.

One-hundred and two (37.1%) primary care physicians responded. Among responders, 70% believed IBS was a diagnosis of exclusion, and >80% checked coeliac serology often or always in suspected IBS. Between >50% and >70% believed soluble fibre, antispasmodics, peppermint oil, and psychological therapies were potentially efficacious therapies. The respondents were less convinced that antidepressants or probiotics were effective. Despite perceived efficacy of psychological therapies, 80% stated these were not easily available. Levels of use of soluble fibre, antispasmodics, and peppermint oil were in the range of 40% to >50%. Most primary care physicians obtained up-to-date evidence about IBS management from NICE guidelines. Most primary care physicians still believe IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion, and many are reluctant to use antidepressants or probiotics to treat IBS. More research studies addressing diagnosis and treatment of IBS based in primary are required.

To describe experiences of well-being among people with moderate to very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Living with COPD is related to a complex life situation, and quality of life (QOL) is shown to decrease because of respiratory symptoms and fatigue. However, studies describing well-being in COPD as a subjective description of QOL are rare.

Ten participants with moderate to very severe COPD from the Obstructive Lung Disease in Northern Sweden (OLIN) COPD study were interviewed about their experiences of well-being. A latent qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data.

To achieve well-being despite breathlessness, the participants had to adapt to their limitations and live towards the future. They created a balance between breathing and viability by adjusting to a lifelong limitation, handling variations in illness, relying on self-capacity and accessibility to a trustful care. The participants adjusted to lifelong limitations through acceptance and replacement of former activities. They handled variations in illness by taking advantage of the good days and using emotional adaptation strategies. The participants relied on their own self-capacity, feeling that smoking cessation, physical activity and breathing fresh air increased their well-being. They requested accessibility to a trustful care and highlighted the need for continuous care relationships and access to medications. These findings can enhance health-care professionals’ understanding of the possibilities for increased well-being for people living with COPD.

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether an intervention which focused on enhancing the quality of the mother-infant relationship would prevent the development of postnatal depression (PND) and the associated impairments in parenting and adverse effects on child development.

Recent meta-analyses indicate modest preventive effects of psychological treatments for women vulnerable to the development of PND. However, given the strong evidence for an impact of PND on the quality of the mother–infant relationship and child development, it is notable that there are limited data on the impact of preventive interventions on these outcomes. This is clearly a question that requires research attention. Accordingly, a randomised controlled trial (RCT) was conducted of such a preventive intervention.

A large sample of pregnant women was screened to identify those at risk of PND. In an RCT 91 were randomly assigned to receive the index intervention from research health visitors, and 99 were assigned to a control group who received normal care. In an adjacent area 76 women at risk of PND received the index intervention from trained National Health Service (NHS) health visitors. The index intervention involved 11 home visits, two antenatally and nine postnatally. They were supportive in nature, with specific measures to enhance maternal sensitivity to infant communicative signals, including items from the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale. Independent assessments were made at 8 weeks, 18 weeks, and 12 and 18 months postpartum. Assessments were made of maternal mood, maternal sensitivity in mother–infant engagement, and infant behaviour problems, attachment and cognition.

The RCT revealed that the index intervention had no impact on maternal mood, the quality of the maternal parenting behaviours, or infant outcome, although there were suggestions, on some self-report measures, that those with a lower level of antenatal risk experienced benefit. This was also the case for the intervention delivered by trained NHS health visitors. The findings indicate that the approach investigated to preventing PND and its associated problems cannot be recommended.

This study aimed to determine factors associated with negative/positive home-based caregiving appraisals by informal carers of older people in Japan to consider which family carers’ community health nurses should focus on.

Because of the increasing older population in Japan, those needing a high level of care have become more dependent on informal carers. Carers’ health is an important aspect of caregiving. Community health nurses play an important role in assessing carers’ health, and carer appraisals, that is, how carers perceive their caregiving work, may help them better understand the health state of carers.

This quantitative study examined 192 primary carers of the elderly (care level >3) who used home-visiting nursing services in both rural and urban Japanese communities. The Japanese version of the Zarit scale (22 items) was used for negative appraisal and a positive caregiving appraisal scale (14 items) for positive appraisal. Participants with above-median scores (care burden, 30.0; positive caregiving appraisal, 39.0) were categorized as having a high care burden and high positive appraisal. To determine factors associated with appraisals, multinomial regression analysis was performed. Negative/positive appraisals were separately set as a dependent variable, and 17 items relating to carer characteristics, care-recipient characteristics, and external variables were set as independent variables. This was followed by stepwise regression and backward elimination.

With respect to care burden, positively associated factors were sekentei or social pressure [odds ratio (OR) 4.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.39–13.04], caregiving obligation (OR 3.11, 95% CI 1.43–6.77), spouse carer (OR 2.58, 95% CI 1.05–6.35), daughter-in-law carer (OR 3.68, 95% CI 1.31–10.34), and depression (OR 50.58, 95% CI 13.85–184.67). With respect to positive appraisal, negatively associated factors were caregiving obligation (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.15–0.53), male carer (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.21–0.92), and daughter-in-law carer (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.12–0.74).

Black and minority ethnic (BME) groups are particularly susceptible to diabetes and its vascular complications in the United Kingdom and most western societies. To understand potential predisposition and tailor treatments accordingly, there is a real need to engage these groups in diabetes research. Despite this, BME participation in research studies continues to remain low in most countries and this may be a contributory factor to reduced health outcomes and poorer quality of life in these groups. This study explores the barriers BME groups may have towards participation in diabetes research in one area of East London, and includes local recommendations on how to improve this for the future.

A questionnaire designed from previously reported exploratory work and piloted in several BME localities was distributed at the East London Bangladeshi Mela and similar cultural and religious events in London, UK. People were asked opportunistically to complete the survey themselves if they understood English, or discuss their responses with an advocate. The purpose of the questionnaire was to understand current local awareness with regards to diabetes, identify specific BME barriers and attitudes towards diabetes research by ethnicity, gender and age, and gain insight into how these barriers may be addressed.

Of 1682 people surveyed (16–90 years; median age 40 years), 36.4% were South Asian, 25.9% White, and 11.1% Black and other ethnicities; 26.6% withheld their ethnicity. Over half cited language problems generally (54%) and lack of research awareness (56%) as main barriers to engaging in research. South Asian groups were more likely to cite research as too time consuming (42%) whereas Black groups were more concerned with potential drug side effects in research (39%). Participants expressed a general mistrust of research, and the need for researchers to be honest in their approach. Recommendations for increased participation in South Asian groups centred round both helping the community (61%) and improving health (55%). With regards to gender influences, females (34.6%) were significantly more likely to fear drug side effects than males (23.8%), P<0.001. Females were also significantly more likely not to participate in research due to fear of experimentation (25.8%) compared with males (18.9%) P=<0.001.

Initial findings from the study demonstrate that in East London research barriers are focused on time, drug side effects, lack of awareness and language. There is a perception that research is time consuming even though the majority of those surveyed had not taken part in a research study. Further potential solutions from the survey have suggested that researchers also need to involve BME community leaders in their study strategy and indicate any individual health benefits to participation in research. Accessible studies with regards to time and advocacy provision need to be included in the design.

The aim of this study is to illuminate primary health care (PHC) nurses’ experiences of physical activity referrals (PARs).

Despite extensive knowledge about the substantial health effects physical activities can produce, fewer and fewer people in our modern society regularly engage in physical activity. Within health care and, particularly, within the PHC arena, nurses meet people on a daily basis who need help to engage in a healthier lifestyle. The possibility of issuing written prescriptions for physical activities, often referred to as PARs, has been introduced as a tool to support such lifestyles. However, even though PHC nurses can prescribe physical activities, studies investigating their experience in this type of nursing intervention are rare.

For this study, 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted with PHC nurses, and the transcribed texts were analysed using a qualitative content analysis.

Two categories – PARs, an important nursing intervention, and PARs, the necessity of organisational support – reflected the nurses’ experiences in using PARs.

Our findings suggest that viewing the PAR as a complex intervention, with all that this entails, might be one approach to increasing the number of PARs being issued. Simpler systems, more time and the potential for testing the effectiveness of follow-ups could be possible ways of achieving this.

Research suggests that patient-perceived culturally sensitive health care encompasses multiple components of the health care delivery system including the cultural sensitivity of front desk office staff. Despite this, research on culturally sensitive health care focuses almost exclusively on provider behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge. This is due in part to the paucity of instruments available to assess the cultural sensitivity of front desk office staff. Thus, the objective of the present study is to determine the psychometric properties of the pilot Tucker-Culturally Sensitive Health Care Office Staff Inventory-Patient Form (T-CSHCOSI-PF), which is an instrument designed to enable patients to evaluate the patient-defined cultural sensitivity of their front desk office staff.

A sample of 1648 adult patients was recruited by staff at 67 health care sites across the United States. These patients anonymously completed the T-CSHCOSI-PF, a demographic data questionnaire, and a patient satisfaction questionnaire.

Confirmatory factor analyses of the TCSHCOSI-PF revealed that this inventory has two factors with high internal consistency reliability and validity (Cronbach’s αs=0.97 and 0.95).

It is concluded that the T-CSHCOSI-PF is a psychometrically strong and useful inventory for assessing the cultural sensitivity of front desk office staff. This inventory can be used to support culturally sensitive health care research, evaluate the job performance of front desk office staff, and aid in the development of trainings designed to improve the cultural sensitivity of these office staff.

The aims of this study were twofold: (a) to explore whether specific components of shared decision making were present in consultations involving nurse prescribers (NPs), pharmacist prescribers (PPs) and general practitioners (GPs) and (b) to relate these to self-reported patient outcomes including satisfaction, adherence and patient perceptions of practitioner empathy.

There are a range of ways for defining and measuring the process of concordance, or shared decision making as it relates to decisions about medicines. As a result, demonstrating a convincing link between shared decision making and patient benefit is challenging. In the United Kingdom, nurses and pharmacists can now take on a prescribing role, engaging in shared decision making. Given the different professional backgrounds of GPs, NPs and PPs, this study sought to explore the process of shared decision making across these three prescriber groups.

Analysis of audio-recordings of consultations in primary care in South England between patients and GPs, NPs and PPs. Analysis of patient questionnaires completed post consultation.

A total of 532 consultations were audio-recorded with 20 GPs, 19 NPs and 12 PPs. Prescribing decisions occurred in 421 (79%). Patients were given treatment options in 21% (102/482) of decisions, the prescriber elicited the patient’s treatment preference in 18% (88/482) and the patient expressed a treatment preference in 24% (118/482) of decisions. PPs were more likely to ask for the patient’s preference about their treatment regimen (χ2=6.6, P=0.036, Cramer’s V=0.12) than either NPs or GPs. Of the 275 patient questionnaires, 192(70%) could be matched with a prescribing decision. NP patients had higher satisfaction levels than patients of GPs or PPs. More time describing treatment options was associated with increased satisfaction, adherence and greater perceived practitioner empathy. While defining, measuring and enabling the process of shared decision making remains challenging, it may have patient benefit.

Patient adherence to medical treatment recommendations can affect disease prognosis, and may be beneficially or deleteriously influenced by psychological factors.

We examined the relationships between both adaptive and maladaptive psychological factors and treatment adherence among a sample of primary care patients.

One hundred and one rural, primary care patients completed the Life Orientation Test-Revised, Trait Hope Scale, Future Orientation Scale, NEO-FFI Personality Inventory (measuring positive and negative affect), and Medical Outcomes Study General Adherence Scale.

In independent models, positive affect, optimism, hope, and future orientation were beneficially associated with treatment adherence, whereas pessimism and negative affect were negatively related to adherence. In multivariate models, only negative affect, optimism and hope remained significant and, in a comparative model, trait hope was most robustly associated with treatment adherence.

Therapeutically, addressing negative emotions and expectancies, while simultaneously bolstering motivational and goal-directed attributes, may improve adherence to treatment regimens.

To evaluate a training intervention for general practice-based doctors and nurses in terms of the identification, documentation, and referral of male patients experiencing or perpetrating domestic violence and abuse (DVA) in four general practices in the south west of England.

Research suggests that male victims and perpetrators of DVA present to primary care clinicians to seek support for their experiences. We know that the response of primary care clinicians to women patients experiencing DVA improves from training and the establishment of referral pathways to specialist DVA services.

The intervention consisted of a 2-h practice-based training. Outcome measures included: a pre-post, self-reported survey of staff practice; disclosures of DVA as documented in medical records pre-post (six months) intervention; semi-structured interviews with clinicians; and practice-level contact data collected by DVA specialist agencies.

Results show a significant increase in clinicians’ self-reported preparedness to meet the needs of male patients experiencing or perpetrating DVA. There was a small increase in male patients identified within the medical records (6 pre- to 17 post-intervention) but only five of those patients made contact with a specialist DVA agency identified within the referral pathway. The training increased clinicians’ confidence in responding to male patients affected by DVA. The increase in recorded identification of DVA male patients experiencing or perpetrating DVA was small and contact of those patients with a specialist DVA support service was negligible. We need to better understand male help seeking in relation to DVA, further develop interventions to increase identification of male patients experiencing or perpetrating DVA behaviours, and facilitate access to support services.

To test the feasibility of written emotional disclosure (WED) for UK primary care patients with Type 2 diabetes.

WED holds potential to address depressive symptoms in diabetes, yet its feasibility, and potential benefit, for primary care patients has not been established.

Forty-one adults with Type 2 diabetes were randomised to WED (n=23) or neutral writing (n=18). Principal outcomes were feasibility of recruitment, compliance, acceptability and intervention fidelity. Potential benefit was assessed on between-group differences in depressive symptoms (Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale), diabetes distress (Problem Areas in Diabetes scale), diabetes self-management behaviours (Summary of Diabetes Self-care Activities questionnaire) and perceived health status (EQ-5D) at three-month follow-up.

Recruitment was modest (6%), yet an unmet treatment need was identified. Fourteen intervention (61%) and 13(72%) control participants returned their writing, while 12 in each group (89%) then completed all sessions. Intervention fidelity was confirmed. Acceptability to patients was mixed. Exploratory effectiveness analyses suggested that relative to improvement in controls, WED is associated with a potentially clinically important worsening in depressive symptoms (P=0.006) and a non-significant trend for a reduction in healthy dietary behaviour (P=0.057). There was no significant effect on other outcomes. The exploratory nature of the study, however, necessitates that the observed effects are interpreted with caution, and both the feasibility and effectiveness findings may be an artefact of the sample obtained. The evidence for the feasibility of WED in primary care diabetes was hence mixed, and in an unevaluated environment it may cause iatrogenic harm. On balance, WED is apparently not appropriate for use in this context in its current format. At most, further research with a more appropriate sample is required. The feasibility that was demonstrated and the unmet need identified suggest that this may be a worthy endeavour.

The aim of this study is to investigate factors contributing to the failure of a randomized clinical trial designed to implement and test clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of depression in primary health care (PHC).

Although the occurrence of depression is increasing globally, many patients with depression do not receive optimal treatment. Clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of depression, which aim to establish evidence-based clinical practice in health care, are often underused and in need of operationalization in and adaptation to clinical praxis. This study explores a failed clinical trial designed to implement and test treatment of depression in PHC in Sweden.

Qualitative case study methodology was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants from the clinical trial researcher group and 11 health care professionals at five PHC units. Additionally, archival data (ie, documents, email correspondence, reports on the clinical trial) from the years 2007–2010 were analysed.

The study identified barriers to the implementation of the clinical trial in the project characteristics, the medical professionals, the patients, and the social network, as well as in the organizational, economic and political context. The project increased staff workload and created tension as the PHC culture and the research activities clashed (eg, because of the systematic use of questionnaires and changes in scheduling and planning of patient visits). Furthermore, there was a perception that the PHC units’ management did not sufficiently support the project and that the project lacked basic incentives for reaching a sustainable resolution. Despite efforts by the project managers to enhance and support implementation of the innovation, they were unable to overcome these barriers. The study illustrates the complexity and barriers of performing clinical trials in the PHC.

Patient and Public involvement (PPI) in health care occupies a central place in Western democracies. In England, this theme has been continuously prominent since the introduction of market reforms in the early 1990s. The health care reforms implemented by the current Coalition Government are making primary care practitioners the main commissioners of health care services in the National Health Service, and a duty is placed on them to involve the public in commissioning decisions and strategies. Since implementation of PPI initiatives in primary care commissioning is not new, we asked how likely it is that the new reforms will make a difference. We scanned the main literature related to primary care-led commissioning and found little evidence of effective PPI thus far. We suggest that unless the scope and intended objectives of PPI are clarified and appropriate resources are devoted to it, PPI will continue to remain empty rhetoric and box ticking.

To examine the effect of previous PPI initiatives on health care commissioning and draw lessons for future development.

We scanned the literature reporting on previous PPI initiatives in primary care-led commissioning since the introduction of the internal market in 1991. In particular, we looked for specific contexts, methods and outcomes of such initiatives.

1. PPI in commissioning has been constantly encouraged by policy makers in England. 2. Research shows limited evidence of effective methods and outcomes so far. 3. Constant reconfiguration of health care structures has had a negative impact on PPI. 4. The new structures look hardly better poised to bring about effective public and patient involvement.

To investigate the attitudes to health and work of general practitioners (GPs) with training in occupational medicine (OM) compared with non-OM trained GPs, since the introduction of the fit note.

Changes to the UK sickness certification system since 2010 and the introduction of the fit note required GPs to change their focus to what patients can do, rather than what they cannot do in relation to work. In an effort to reduce the UK sickness absence burden, GPs completion of the fit note should help to keep people in work, or assist patients to return to work as quickly as possible after a period of absence.

Questionnaire data were collected via the 7th National General Practitioner Worklife Survey.

Results indicate that responses from GPs who had undertaken training in OM, and GPs having received some form of work and health training in the 12-month period before the study were associated with significantly more positive attitudes to patients’ returning to work and to the fit note. This study reveals evidence of a difference between trained and non-trained GPs in their attitude to the fit note, and to work and health generally. Further work investigating the effect of specific training in OM on the management and recognition of ill-health by GPs is recommended.

Improving the informational quality of referrals from primary to secondary care and appropriately re-directing referrals is an important goal of clinical commissioning groups in England. Based on the available empirical evidence, a referral management and booking service that combined referral guidelines, online referral templates and administrative and clinical triage, was developed by a primary care trust in southeast London.

A pilot study of 13 out of 46 practices in the trust was conducted using a mixed methods approach. Referral numbers were investigated by analysing changes in practices’ rates of first outpatient attendances in secondary care. Informational referral quality was assessed by analysing triage outcomes. Semi-structured interviews were used to inquire about practices’ evaluation of the new system. Structured telephone interviews were conducted to assess patients’ satisfaction.

Overall rates of first outpatient attendances declined more strongly for pilot practices than controls. The number of referrals challenged for being incomplete or having insufficient clinical information decreased. The rate of referrals challenged by clinical triage for not conforming to referral guidelines was well below the rate of inappropriate referrals published in the literature. Interviews with practices revealed a number of themes and a broad range of attitudes. Patients were highly satisfied.

Findings provided favourable evidence for the effectiveness of the new referral management system. They were, however, preliminary. If referrals into secondary care continued to be reduced on a long-term basis, the system would be cost effective despite the time and effort required for clinical triage.

To describe experiences with and knowledge of minor illness, self-care interventions used in minor illness and channels of information used when providing self-care for minor illness.

Although minor illness is self-limiting, symptoms can be substantial and have a great impact on the affected person’s wellbeing. Possibilities to seek and find information about health and self-care have significantly increased through internet-based communities, forums, and websites. Still, a considerable number of consultations with general practitioners are for conditions that are potentially self-treatable. Seeking advanced care for minor illnesses is costly for society and can create discomfort for patients as they are down-prioritized at emergency departments.

Study participants were recruited randomly from the Swedish Adress Register. A questionnaire was sent out, and the final sample included 317 randomly selected persons aged 18–80 and living in Sweden.

Having experienced a specific illness correlated with self-reported knowledge. Preferred self-care interventions differed between different conditions, but resting and self-medicating were commonly used, along with consulting health care facilities. Compliance to advice was the highest for official information channels, and family members were a popular source of advice.

Primary care is an important area in which to confront situations of food and nutrition insecurity. To undertake action in this area, well-prepared professionals are necessary. Courses of health training are not yet, however, equipped to offer the necessary preparation.

To analyse the topics taught in nutrition graduation courses related to the abilities and competencies demanded by professional work in this area.

The curricula of the nutrition courses offered in the municipality of São Paulo, Brazil were analysed. Nutritionists and teachers were interviewed. The triangulation of the data obtained was undertaken by means of a qualitative approach taking the theory of social representations as the frame of reference.

The concepts necessary to act within the context of food and nutrition security are related to a humanistic approach, the unity of theory and practice, the nutritionist’s role as educator, teamwork and reflection on public health.