What can we do about Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy? James Bailey and his colleagues report on the outcome of their initiative in an East London Practice.
New Zealand doesn’t always appear on world maps but the country has been centre stage during the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to its success in flattening the epidemic curve. Here’s my take on New Zealand's COVID-19 journey to date, its impact on general
The concept of the family doctor has helped to create a false dichotomy: between medical science and technology on one hand and caring and compassion on the other. Yet those heralding the transformation of general practice should beware of what they wish
Simon Morgan offers some little known facts about viruses with a handy mini-primer on virology to get you up to date (at least since that last lecture in medical school).
Practising medicine was wearing me out. Trapped under referrals, a witness to patients' unsolvable tragedies and angered by poor funding, I had begun to question whether this was still my life’s work. My renaissance came in the most unexpected of ways.
Will the COVID-19 pandemic trigger the expression of HERV proteins in some patients and lead to the emergence of new diseases as it wanes, just as occurred after the 1918 flu pandemic?
Coronavirus is exposing and exaggerating deep inequities in our society. Even though it is clear that viruses do not discriminate, data from across the US and UK demonstrate that the neighbourhoods of colour are impacted differently by COVID-19.
Do you find remote consulting tiring? There is no argument about the current utility of remote consulting but we must recognise that we are thinking differently, and then to ask why and at what cost? We should explicitly recognise the effort in
Many GPs and NHS staff have died from COVID-19. Whether our colleagues contracted the virus at work or whether they were provided with adequate protection in their workplaces is, at present, not known. Without adequate investigations into these deaths, these questions will
The lure of new video consulting technology is enticing. Nationally recognised figures have even suggested that video consulting is just the same as a face-to-face consultation, but with some added tech at the beginning. It is not that simple. We publish guidance
Whilst humanity has been on lockdown, air quality in major cities around the world has significantly improved. It is a chance to reflect on how we have allowed our air to become so dirty, and why it has taken a global pandemic
Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic has caused disturbance to primary care education for medical students across the country with GP placements being cancelled, it offers potential for long-term benefits.
As the UK COVID-19 lockdown came into force, medical students across the UK were sent home from their respective universities and teaching hospitals. Incorporating medical student volunteering into general practice can be of great benefit.
GPs know that communication is the glue that holds medicine together; from building trust to getting to the heart of a patient’s problems and working safely as a team. In the current COVID-19 crisis, effective communication has become even more critical. We’ve
Ramadan is considered an obligatory ritual for all healthy adults. Exemptions are given for those who are advised that they will come to harm due to an acute illness or from complications related to pre-existing chronic conditions. Some people may run into
NHS England has launched a new primary care initiative to promote resilient working in our teams, to enable us to stay well and maintain the frontline delivery of primary care.
I find myself now a GP questioning the war metaphor for COVID-19 and its relevance. What does it mean to be at war with a virus? As our metaphors both reflect and shape our experience, we would do well to choose them
The many and varied consequences of COVID-19 are felt disproportionally by those with less resources, both external and internal. We would do well to establish Far End practices and networks akin to our Deep End siblings. We should reach out to the
The current pandemic has provided an incredible catalyst for change throughout health care, however, change for change’s sake will result in upheaval for staff, confusion for patients and unnecessary investment. By developing an exit strategy early, we can ensure, that general practice
We anticipate that after the pandemic, the modus operandi of general practice will be changed, for the better. Once the dust has settled, the lessons learnt from remote consultations should be communicated to the next generation.
These screens are not intended for use by caregivers and should not be recommended for use by them. Their objective is the same as that of the surgeon in the operating room: to avoid contaminating the environment. This is a paradigm shift
Bahrain is a sparkling jewel of an island, much less bling than Dubai, much more laid back and tolerant than many places in this region. Bahrain is coping remarkably well with Covid. But the two big challenges are the 2,000 Bahrainis returning
On the 14th March 2020, the emergency plan for family practice started in Belgium. Primary care networks are already proving that they have an added value through communication of relevant news, fostering local peer review and creating the sense of belonging to
Three weeks into the job the thing that keeps me awake at night are the vulnerable patients at risk of domestic abuse confined in their homes. Primary care is the common ground that these patients cross most frequently.
When we finally emerge from the current pandemic, more women and children (throughout the world) will have suffered from and be experiencing the consequences of domestic abuse than ever before. Therefore, during this COVID-19 lockdown and afterwards we need to stay alert
Australia now has one of the flattest COVID-19 curves in the world, one of the lowest death rates. Maybe much of our success is based again on luck. The response of the government to the epidemic was initially a little lethargic, but
What does it mean to be human? Philosophers and scientists alike have struggled since time immemorial to capture the vastness of the human experience and answer this very question. Let us start with the fundamentals — we are a primate. Not the
At the time of writing the government and the NHS are reeling from the dramatic suddenness of a contagious crisis for which we are largely unprepared. Within a few days the necessary perspectives and needs of public health have prevailed: autarkic NHS
Over the past few years we have heard a lot about burnout, about the importance of looking after ourselves and our teams, and about the impact feeling burnt out can have on our patients as well as ourselves. How do we bring
The differences between US general practice and GPs in the NHS could not be more stark. The NHS supports the ability for GPs to adapt to changes, even catastrophic ones, without threatening to bring the entire system down. Once we are beyond
For decades, digital health has promised to help address many of the challenges of primary care. Digital-first approaches, using either telephone, video or online technologies to deliver care, have the potential of improving efficiency and patient safety, and reducing health inequities by
Ambra Abate MD is an Italian doctor working at Ambulatorio Polispecialistico Casazza in northern Italy. He describes his primary care clinical experience with COVID-19.
The NHS put out a call for all recently retired doctors and nurses. There is however another potentially untapped resource. Many GPs are well but self-isolating due to household members. Learn more about volunteering to work at home and with NHS 111.
Rather than re-invent the wheel, the GPs at Penshurst Gardens Surgery are utilising the established Kübler-Ross stages of grief in an innovative way to help diagnose COVID mental health problems and explore the available options to guide personalised, compassionate care.
The government has highlighted patients most at risk in the COVID-19 pandemic due to their physical health problems. In primary care we will also be aware of patients who are particularly vulnerable due to social circumstances. We know that women involved in
Is the best strategy to strike hard and wipe out the pandemic early in a country or to let it go on and flatten the curve until herd immunity develops? The Swedish strategy is based on thorough information and gentle advice trusting
Like many, I’ve always had a slight mental block with telephone consulting as there is so much value for the both the patient and the doctor in real contact. However, I want to take a positive approach to change, and be part
We propose the following near telemedicine protocol for GPs – a modified version of that recently proposed by Gunasekera for ophthalmologists.
Upon hearing the World Health Organization report° that a novel coronavirus had caused a respiratory illness in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, I didn’t think it would have much of an effect on me as a GP working in inner city London. How
Jason Sarfo-Annin is a GP Registrar and ACF in Primary Care at the University of Bristol. he role of GP registrars during the pandemic will be important. Registrars will be at varying levels of comfort with telephone triage and they are now
Samuel Trethewey is a Clinical Research Physician working in general practice in Cornwall. His interests include clinical research and combatting medical misinformation online. Kathryn Beck is a Research Nurse and coordinates the running of clinical trials at a general practice in Cornwall.