General Practice
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The Discipline of General Practice is part of the School of Population Health and Clinical Practice
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Item Metadata only Paracetamol for fever in children(Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, 1988) Frank, O.; Coulthard, K.This paper outlines the importance of giving adequate doses of paracetamol to febrile children. The reported lack of efficacy of this drug is due invariably to underdosage.Item Metadata only Screening alcohol & drug use in a general practice unit: a comparison of computerised and traditional methods(Public Health Association of Australia, 1989) Bungey, J.; Pols, R.; Mortimer, K.; Frank, O.; Skinner, H.Systematic screening of patients for areas of health risk in their lifestyle has much potential for primary health care clinicians as a cost-effective and time saving means to identify 'at risk' individuals. In the area of alcohol and drug problems, such early identification increases the likelihood of successful intervention. The present study, conducted at a general practice unit, compared the use of a computer to screen for alcohol and drug use with the two more traditional assessment methods of face-to-face interview and paper and pencil questionnaire. It was found that levels of reported consumption were similar across assessment methods. Although the interview method was strongly preferred overall, patients' preference for the computer increased significantly after use. The computer was also found to be more acceptable to patients reporting non-medical drug use, a potentially threatening and sensitive issue. There was a low refusal rate and most patients were willing to allow their doctor to see the assessment results. This indicates that screening for alcohol and drug use is acceptable to general practice patients, and that the computer can play a useful role as a prevention aid.Item Metadata only Medical reference filing systems(Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, 1991) Frank, O.The author reviews a simple manual system and several computerised ones that use the concepts of key words and an 'accession number' to make it possible to find 'that article I read last month'Item Metadata only Capitation: a service by another name(Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, 1992) Frank, O.Fee for service and capitation systems are usually regarded as different methods of medical remuneration, however, they can be seen to differ mainly in the degree to which they 'bundle' or 'package' medical services. A capitation system for general practice services in Australia could be established by the creation of a Medicare item and benefit for a year's general practice care. This would allow doctors to assess the benefits of capitation without a total and potentially traumatic commitment, and may encourage innovation in the efficient delivery of primary health care.Item Metadata only Guidelines for care of older people in nursing homes(RACGP, 1995) Darzins, A.Item Metadata only An Australian medical record linkage project(Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, 1995) Marley, J.; Walker, D.Item Metadata only Factors influencing the success of withdrawal of antihypertensive drug therapy(Blood Pressure, 1995) Jennings, G.; Reid, Catherine; Sudhir, K.; Laufer, E.; Korner, P.Item Metadata only Terbinafine in toenail onychomycosis: A novel treatment protocol(C.V. Mosby, 1995) Watson, A.; Marley, J.; Ellis, D.; Williams, T.Item Metadata only The organised approach to cervical screening - Coordinating local general practitioner systems and newly established central registers(Australasian Medical Pub. Co., 1995) Beilby, J.; Wakefield, M.; Maddox, A.Item Metadata only Balancing the specialist forensic medical witness(Butterworth, 1995) McCleave, N. R.Item Metadata only Some practical aspects of teaching and researching communication skills with standardised patients(Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, 1995) Moorhead, R.Item Metadata only After Suicide. Help for the Bereaved(Hill of Content, 1995) Clark, Sheila E.; School of Population Health and Clinical Practice : General PracticeItem Metadata only Prescription drug utilisation trends in the Australian Community 1990-1994(Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, 1995) Marley, J.; McManus, P.; Birkett, D.; Linder, J.Item Metadata only Confidentiality in general medicine and police service medicine(Australian College of General Practitioners, 1995) McCleave, N. R.Item Metadata only General practitioner knowledge and use of living wills(British Medical Association, 1995) Ashby, M.; Wakefield, M.; Beilby, J.Item Metadata only Cardiovascular risk reduction: A randomised controlled trial of two health promotion strategies for lowering risk factors in a community with low socioeconoic status(Journal of Cardiovascular Risk, 1995) Reid, Christopher M.; McNeil, John James; Williams, Fiona; Powles, JohnItem Metadata only Quality of life measurement in the second Australian National Blood Pressure Study (ANBPS2)(John Wiley & Sons, 1995) Moss, J.; Marley, J.; Wing, L.Item Metadata only Famciclovir for the treatment of acute herpes zoster: Effects on acute disease and post-herpetic neuralgia(Annuals of Internal Medicine, 1995) Tyring, S.; Barbarash, R.; Nahlik, J.; Cunningham, A.; Marley, J.; Heng, M.; Jones, T.; Rea, T.; Boon, R.; Saltzman, R.Objective
To document the effects of treatment with famciclovir on the acute signs and symptoms of herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia.Design
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial.Setting
36 centers in the United States, Canada, and Australia.Patients
419 immunocompetent adults with uncomplicated herpes zoster.Intervention
Patients were assigned within 72 hours of rash onset to famciclovir, 500 mg; famciclovir, 750 mg; or placebo, three times daily for 7 days.Measurements
Lesions were assessed daily for as long as 14 days until full crusting occurred and then weekly until the lesions healed. Viral cultures were obtained daily while vesicles were present. Pain was assessed at each of the visits at which lesions were examined and then monthly for 5 months after the lesions healed. Safety was assessed throughout the study.Results
Famciclovir was well tolerated, with a safety profile similar to that of placebo. Famciclovir accelerated lesion healing and reduced the duration of viral shedding. Most importantly, famciclovir recipients had faster resolution of postherpetic neuralgia (approximately twofold faster) than placebo recipients; differences between the placebo group and both the 500-mg famciclovir group (hazard ratio, 1.7 [95% CI, 1.1 to 2.7]) and the 750-mg famciclovir group (hazard ratio, 1.9 [CI, 1.2 to 2.9]) were statistically significant (P = 0.02 and 0.01, respectively). The median duration of postherpetic neuralgia was reduced by approximately 2 months.Conclusions
Oral famciclovir, 500 mg or 750 mg three times daily for 7 days, is an effective and well-tolerated therapy for herpes zoster that decreases the duration of the disease's most debilitating complication, postherpetic neuralgia.Item Metadata only Issues for fund holding in Australian general practice(AUSTRALASIAN MED PUBL CO LTD, 1996) Beilby, J.; Pritchard, D.Experience with fundholding in other countries, particularly Great Britain, raises important issues when considering if as a funding model for Australian general practice.Item Metadata only Ace inhibitor cough in the Australian Pink Galah(1996) Watts, R. W.