The Primary Care Women’s Health Forum is now over one year old. When we met to establish the Forum, we set ourselves several aims and objectives. As we celebrate our first anniversary, our membership continues to grow and we are beginning to deliver on our major objectives: to be the voice for women and improve their healthcare.
Vaginal thrush (Candidiasis)
COPD: Serious, chronic and becoming more common in women
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a largely preventable, slowly progressive, inflammatory disease. Rates of COPD are rising faster in women than in men, yet women are less likely to be diagnosed. There is currently no cure, but best-practice management outlined in recently updated NICE guidelines can help to improve patients’ symptoms and quality of life.
Identifying and supporting women with puerperal psychosis
The birth of a new baby is usually seen as a cause for celebration. But following delivery, a woman has a greater likelihood of psychiatric admission to hospital than at any other point in her life. This is often due to puerperal psychosis, a serious mental illness requiring prompt recognition and medical treatment. Primary care professionals are well placed to identify early symptoms to minimise risks to mother and baby.
Take a sexual history in primary care
Many primary care clinicians worry about how to take an appropriate sexual history. Raising the issue seems straightforward when a woman has symptoms or when contraception or cervical screening feature in a consultation. The challenge occurs when the possibility of sexual health issues may not be so apparent to the patient.
Training for nurses improves care for women
Many advanced nurse practitioners (ANPs) are working in innovative ways to enhance patient care in general practice. But little specific training has been available for ANPs in women’s health. This article outlines how a training course was developed specifically to improve and maintain local ANPs’ competencies in managing women’s health in primary care.
Older people and HIV: A call to action
Thanks to effective treatment, people with HIV are living longer than ever. Older people are now the fastest growing group with HIV in the UK, and as many as one in five adults accessing care is now aged over 50 years. But treatment does not mean cure, and a targeted approach to support is needed, as well as action to halt the growing numbers of older women and men affected by HIV.
PCOS or overweight? Solving the diagnostic dilemma
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the commonest endocrinopathy, affecting 5-12% of women. Every aspect has been controversial from its nomenclature to its management. But accurate diagnosis based on consensus guidelines ensures that treatment can be tailored effectively to each woman’s symptoms and needs.
Stroke prevention in atrial fibrilliation: How can we improve management in primary care?
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an important – yet preventable – cause of stroke. About 12,500 strokes each year are thought to be directly attributable to AF.1 Cost-benefit analysis from the Department of Health suggests that for stroke patients with AF there are about 4,300 deaths in hospital, 3,200 discharges to residential care and 8,500 deaths […]
Liraglutide in type 2 diabetes: what NICE recommends?
One in 20 of the UK population—or 2.8 million people—have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, according to a recent report based on the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) exception data. Most of these patients will have been identified in primary care, and GPs and practice nurses will be only too well aware of the burden of illness associated with the cardiovascular and microvascular complications of diabetes. The most effective means of reducing the risk of these microvascular complications is to ensure that each patient achieves and maintains their individualised glycaemic target. Recent guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) provides recommendations on using liraglutide (Victoza), a new option for patients who do not achieve their target HbA1c using currently available therapies.
Very low energy diets: the key facts
In recent years it seems as if there has been an increase in the popularity of very low energy diets (VLEDs) and new programmes are readily available to our patients on the high street. This article explains the background and theory behind VLEDs so that you can better inform and support your patients if they are considering one of these diets.
How to advise patients on fortifying their diet
Adequate nutrition is an important part of keeping healthy. Some patients – particularly the elderly – may find it difficult to consume an adequate diet to provide all the components to maintain good health. In this case, fortifying the diet may be helpful. Our keep and copy guide over the page provides practical tips for you to photocopy and give to patients and their carers on how to fortify their diet without using oral nutritional supplements.
