Contents – September 2003

News

NICE revises guidance on glitazone therapy in type 2 diabetes

DoH launches pneumococcal immunisation programme for elderly patients

In Reply

Can you help us promote evidence-based practice?

A reader asks for help in developing a strategy to implement evidence-based practice

Personal View

Listening to patients helps improve heart failure care

Patients’ views were vital in developing the NICE guideline on heart failure, says Victoria Thomas of the Patient Involvement Unit for NICE

Guideline Development

NICE guideline will improve heart failure management

NICE recommendations on heart failure will improve diagnosis and treatment as well as reduce regional variation in quality of care, says Professor Martin Cowie

Local Initiative

Practice’s structured approach improves management of epilepsy

Epilepsy demands structured management but few patients are keen to attend clinics. Dr Andrew Orr and Aileen Mackenzie describe their practice’s solution

NEW SERIES: New GP Contract

Tackling the clinical indicators: secondary prevention of CHD

By introducing incentives to achieve clinical indicators for secondary prevention, the new GMS contract will raise standards of CHD care, says Dr Alan Begg

Making the contract work: patient records and information

Dr Nigel Watson explains how GPs can achieve maximum points in the patient records area of the organisational domain of the new GMS contract

Getting to grips with medico-legal aspects of the new GP contract

The new GMS contract will bring many changes to primary care. Dr Gerard Panting explains what it will mean from a medico-legal standpoint

Focus on CME

Guidelines in Practice CME questions: 25

Download the PDF, answer the questions and keep the pages in your personal development plan

Medico-legal Issues in Practice

Where does the GP’s responsibility end and the patient’s begin?

A patient can be held responsible for the harm he or she has suffered, but only if the doctor can prove every effort was made to avert it, says Dr Gerard Panting

Your Problems Solved: Audit

Our panel of experts answer your questions on audit

Dr Mark Charny advises on how to prioritise topics for audit and the importance of measuring outputs and outcomes

Patient Information

SIGN notes for discussion with patients 12. Cutaneous melanoma

Out of Hours

Gene genie

Dr Phil Hammond, GP and broadcaster