Essential Primary Care

Even though primary and community care managers face the same challenges as their hospital counterparts they’ve never had an equivalent range of methods for evaluating workforce size and mix. So this book aims to set the record straight by explaining community demand and supply side workforce planning and development. Eight chapters set out the main variables, from dependency and workload, activity and performance, staff education, recruitment and retention, before the most recent data are synthesised into a set of software-supported algorithms that managers can easily adopt. The book and software enable readers to not only compare their organisations with those in the same socio-economic group but also against ‘best-practice’ staffing and performance. Both help managers determine if their stock of workers is equitable, efficient and effective. Finally, a large annotated bibliography helps users locate relevant publications, and readers should look out for workshops in 2006 designed take them through the book’s methods.

Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of musculoskeletal disability, affecting five million people in Britain. By far the majority of cases are managed in the community. A considerable proportion of patients self-medicate, while others are treated by a GP and the primary health care team. This book provides an overview of the condition, its causes and natural history. Diagnosis of osteoarthritis is also explained including descriptions of joint examination, monitoring of progression and assessment of disability. The book advocates a practical approach to osteoarthritis care, the mainstay of which is patient education and symptom management. It provides advice on both pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain management, the use of exercise, physiotherapy and weight loss where necessary. Topics discsussed also include: informing the patient of the disease and its prognosis; ways in which patients can adapt their home and their lifestyle to work within their physical capabilities; and surgery options.

As both [practice and walk-in centre] nurses continue to adapt to the constant on-going change demanded by both the public and the government paymasters they will face ever-growing self questioning about their role responsibilities and their need to remain competent, knowledgeable and safe practitioners. From the foreword by Professor Dame Betty Kershaw, DBE, FRCN, Education Advisor, The Royal College of Nursing, President of the Scholarship Society for Nurses and Midwives This book enables nurses to get to grips with the professional issues that affect their practice in primary care. It is structured around the RCN domains of practice and considers a wide variety of issues including health promotion, reflective practice and leadership. Part One sets the scene for the domains of practice which follow and considers the unique aspects of practice and walk-in centre nursing. Part Two considers practical aspects of each of the RCN domains of practice in turn and is centred around nurse–patient relationships. Provides greater understanding of issues that affect the nature of practice Addresses the considerable changes in practice nursing and walk-in centres Evidence-based but also contains personal experiences Suitable for nurses undertaking community specialist practitioner degree courses, qualified practice nurses and walk-in centre staff

Until recently COPD was largely neglected by health professionals and viewed as the Cinderella of respiratory conditions. Many patients were seen as heart-sink cases with a self-inflicted disease. But views are now changing and COPD, like other chronic conditions managed within primary care, has taken on a higher profile within the Government and NHS agenda. This book reflects that change. It looks at the treatment of COPD in primary care: in the GP surgery, in outpatient clinics, and through district and community nursing. COPD management does not depend on purely medical intervention; much can be done to help these patients from a psychological, social and holistic perspective to cope with their everyday activities. Patients lead a frightening existence, struggling to breathe and to cope with their symptoms. The book helps nurses and other healthcare professionals to support these patients.

Obesity is undoubtedly the major nutritional disorder of the western world. It has such a major impact on mortality, morbidity and the quality of life that it most certainly merits consideration as a disease in its own right and should be managed as such. Obesity and Weight Management in Primary Care covers all the evidence on the disease of obesity which impacts both quality of life and health. It reviews the links to long-term illness, especially diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and dedicates much to the current management strategies and treatment of obesity. This book aims to make the task of tackling obesity less daunting for both patients and the health care professionals who treat them.

What you really need to know, but no-one told you.   The best-selling  Essential Guide to Acute Care  contains everything you need to know about acute care that you can’t find in a standard textbook. The third edition has been extensively revised and updated, presenting new oxygen guidelines, updated evidence and practice around sepsis, fluid balance and volume resuscitation, acute kidney injury, perioperative care, and much more.  The third edition retains the accessible style and comprehensive coverage that has made  Essential Guide to Acute Care  essential reading for those who look after acutely ill adults. Throughout the book, ‘mini-tutorials’ expand on the latest thinking or controversies, and there are practical case histories to reinforce learning at the end of each chapter. The chapters are designed to be read by individuals or used for teaching material in tutorials.  This new edition of  Essential Guide to Acute Care :  Provides up-to-date and practical guidance on the principles of acute care, written by experienced teachers and clinicians Offers a unique approach to the subject that focuses on understanding rather than lists and ‘recipes’ Explains the altered physiology that accompanies acute illness in adults Includes learning objectives, self-assessment questions, and illustrative examples related to clinical practice  Essential Guide to Acute Care   is an indispensable volume for medical students and newly graduated doctors; doctors training in medicine, surgery, anaesthesia and emergency medicine; advanced clinical practitioners; nurses and allied health professionals working in acute and critical care; and teachers.

What you really need to know, but no one told you. The Essential Guide to Acute Care contains everything you really need to know about acute care that you can’t find in a standard textbook and have probably never been taught before. Starting with the concept of patients at risk, the Essential Guide to Acute Care explains how to recognise and manage the generic altered physiology that accompanies acute illness. The principles of acute care are explained simply yet comprehensively. Throughout the book ‘mini-tutorials’ expand on the latest thinking or controversies, and practical case histories reinforce learning at the end of each chapter. The chapters are designed to be read by individuals or used for group tutorials in acute care. Extensively rewritten and updated, this second edition is essential reading for anyone who looks after acutely ill adults, including: Foundation Programme trainees and trainers Trainees in medicine, surgery, anaesthesia and emergency medicine Final year medical students Nursing staff and allied professionals working in critical care

The Complete Guide to Nutrition in Primary Care Edited by Darwin Deen, MD, MS Lisa Hark, PhD, RD Clinicians and patients agree that primary care office visits should include routine nutrition assessment and counseling. But how do you fit it into an already crowded consultation? And what is the most up-to-date advice? With The Complete Guide to Nutrition in Primary Care, Drs. Deen and Hark provide the necessary tools. This comprehensive overview of nutrition answers your questions on: • Nutrition as Preventive Medicine • Nutrition through the Lifecycle • Improving Health by Changing Diet and Lifestyle Behaviors • Vitamins, Minerals, Dietary Supplements, and the Alternative • Successful Changes to the Environment This timely paperback contains everything the primary care clinician needs to counsel patients on diet and lifestyle issues. Keep it close at hand for the frequent consultation it is sure to receive. Dr. Darwin Deen is one of the nation’s foremost authorities on nutrition. Currently Professor of Clinical, Family and Social Medicine and Director of Medical Student Education at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, he has trained a generation of physicians on the connection between nutrition and health. He has played a leading role in revising medical school curricula to incorporate nutrition training. An award-winning teacher and noted author, he serves as Chair of the Task Force on Medical Nutrition Education of the American College of Nutrition and co-chairs the Group on Nutrition of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. His years of experience as a family physician make him perfectly suited to advise clinicians on counseling their patients on diet and lifestyle. Dr. Lisa Hark is a renowned family nutrition expert, with more than 20 years of experience in nutrition counseling and promoting the benefits of healthy eating in children and adults. As Director of the Nutrition Education Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, she developed a model medical school curriculum and textbook, Medical Nutrition and Disease, which has become one of the most widely used texts in nutrition education. She was given the Excellence in Medical/Dental Nutrition Education award from the American Society for Nutrition. Dr. Hark was also the host of the TV show, “Honey, We’re Killing the Kids,” which airs on TLC, and is a widely sought after speaker who communicates nutrition concepts effectively to health professionals, patients, and the media. www.blackwellmedicine.com

How to Succeed on Primary Care and Community Placements offers practical advice on how to get the most from your time on community visits, within patient consultations, and with the practice team. It highlights the unique opportunities and challenges you will face on placement, from using clinical information systems, to home visits and long term patient relationships, and how to take advantage of new ways of learning with web-based tools, mobile devices and social networking. Key features include: • Learning outcomes at the start of each chapter with links to web-based learning, case examples, and tasks to undertake whilst on placement • An evidence-based, practical approach to improving learning, teaching, assessment and feedback in community settings Written by a team of experienced community-based medical education specialists, it is ideal for all medical students, whether on early clinical placements or later in training, and for tutors and preceptors looking for novel ways to engage their students.