BACKGROUND Research on patient safety has focused largely on secondary care settings, and there is a dearth of knowledge relating to safety culture or climate, and safety climate improvement strategies, in the context of primary care. This is problematic given the high rates of usage of primary care services and the myriad of opportunities for clinical errors daily. The current research program...

Recent policy initiatives have focused on shifts in the balance of care from secondary care to primary care. A consequence of such shifts is increased workload in primary care. The aim of this paper is to appraise the literature critically to assess whether changes in the balance of care have led to additional work for general practices. In particular, the implications of this literature for th...

AIM We present the approaches used in and outcomes resulting from integrated community case management (iCCM) programmes in Niger and Mozambique with a strong focus on demand generation and social mobilisation. METHODS We use a case study approach to describe the programme and contextual elements of the Niger and Mozambique programmes. RESULTS Awareness and utilisation of iCCM services and ...

BACKGROUND Evidence based practice (EBP) is being increasingly utilized by health care professionals as a means of improving the quality of health care. The introduction of EBP principles into the chiropractic profession is a relatively recent phenomenon. There is currently a lack of information about the EBP literacy level of US chiropractors and the barriers/facilitators to the use of EBP in ...

OBJECTIVE To identify the perceived strengths that international medical graduate (IMG) family medicine residents possess and the challenges they are perceived to encounter in integrating into Canadian family practice. METHODS This was a qualitative, exploratory study employing focus groups and interviews with 27 participants - 10 family physicians, 13 health care professionals, and 4 family ...

Asthma affects many people across the United States and consumes millions of dollars in healthcare expenditures each year. The Division of Medical Assistance (DMA) has noted a steady increase in asthma prevalence in the North Carolina Medicaid population and has taken steps to improve care for persons with asthma. This study is an evaluation of a primary care provider-based intervention support...

(JIC) was formed to harness the enthusiasm of early career GPs (Associates in Training [AiTs] and First5 ® GPs) for international health activities. The aim is to promote a global approach to primary care to better prepare a new generation for delivering general practice in an increasingly multicultural and interconnected world. The JIC is a subcommittee of the RCGP International Committee, wor...

BACKGROUND The objective is to compare the performance of the MHI-5 and GHQ-12, both measures of general mental health. Therefore, we studied the relationship of the GHQ-12 and MHI-5 with sociodemographic characteristics, self-reported visits to general practice and mental health care, and with diagnoses made by the general practitioner. METHODS Data were used from the Second Dutch National S...

In the past 30 years Denmark has experienced immigration from non-Western countries, but little is known about immigrants' use of health care. The purpose of this study was to compare and quantify the contact patterns with general practice and casualty departments of immigrants of non-Western origin and non-immigrants in Copenhagen City, Denmark. Descriptive register-based study including 2,041...