Resource use and cost of annual health checks in primary care for people with intellectual disabilities.

BACKGROUND: The annual health check (AHC) programme, as part of a Directed Enhanced Service, offers an incentive to general practitioners in England to conduct health checks for people with intellectual disabilities (IDs). The aim of this analysis was to estimate the impact on health care costs of AHCs in primary care to the National Health Service in England by comparing adults with ID who did or did not have AHCs using data obtained from The Health Improvement Network. METHODS: Two hundred eight records of people with ID from The Health Improvement Network database were analysed. Baseline health care resource use was captured at the time the first AHC was recorded (i.e. index date), or the earliest date after 1 April 2008 for those without an AHC. We examined the volume of resource use and associated costs that occurred at the time AHCs were performed, as well as before and after the index date. We then estimated the impact of AHCs on health care costs. RESULTS: The average cost of AHC was estimated at £142.57 (95%CI £135.41 to £149.74). Primary, community and secondary health care costs increased significantly after the index date in the no AHC group owing to higher increase in resource utilisation. Regression analysis showed that the expected health care cost for those who have an AHC is 56% higher than for those who did not have an AHC. Age and gender were also associated with increase in expected health care cost. CONCLUSION: The level of resource utilisation increased in both (AHC and no AHC) groups after the index date. Although the level of resource use before index date was lower in the no AHC group, it increased after the index date up to almost reaching the level of resource utilisation in the AHC group. Further research is needed to explore if the AHCs are effective in reducing health inequalities.

Why did you choose psychiatry? a qualitative study of psychiatry trainees investigating the impact of psychiatry teaching at medical school on career choice.

BACKGROUND: There is no consensus regarding the optimal content of the undergraduate psychiatry curriculum as well as factors contributing to young doctors choosing a career in psychiatry. Our aim was to explore factors which had influenced psychiatry trainees' attitudes towards mental health and career choice. METHOD: Qualitative in-depth interviews with 21 purposively sampled London psychiatry trainees analysed using the Framework method. RESULTS: Early exposure and sufficient time in undergraduate psychiatry placements were important in influencing psychiatry as a career choice and positive role models were often very influential. Integration of psychiatry with teaching about physical health was viewed positively, although concerns were raised about the potential dilution of psychiatry teaching. Foundation posts in psychiatry were very valuable in positively impacting career choice. Other suggestions included raising awareness at secondary school level, challenging negative attitudes amongst all medical educators, and promoting integration within medical specialties. CONCLUSIONS: Improvements in teaching psychiatry could improve medical attitudes and promote recruitment into psychiatry.

Randomised feasibility study of physiotherapy for patients with functional motor symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial of a specialist physiotherapy intervention for functional motor symptoms (FMS). METHODS: A randomised feasibility study was conducted recruiting patients with a clinically established diagnosis of FMS from a tertiary neurology clinic in London, UK. Participants were randomised to the intervention or a treatment as usual control. Measures of feasibility and clinical outcome were collected and assessed at 6 months. RESULTS: 60 individuals were recruited over a 9-month period. Three withdrew, leaving 29 intervention and 28 controls participants in the final analysis. 32% of patients with FMS met the inclusion criteria, of which 90% enrolled. Acceptability of the intervention was high and there were no adverse events. At 6 months, 72% of the intervention group rated their symptoms as improved, compared to 18% in the control group. There was a moderate to large treatment effect across a range of outcomes, including three of eight Short Form 36 (SF36) domains (d=0.46-0.79). The SF36 Physical function was found to be a suitable primary outcome measure for a future trial; adjusted mean difference 19.8 (95% CI 10.2 to 29.5). The additional quality adjusted life years (QALY) with intervention was 0.08 (95% CI 0.03 to 0.13), the mean incremental cost per QALY gained was £12 087. CONCLUSIONS: This feasibility study demonstrated high rates of recruitment, retention and acceptability. Clinical effect size was moderate to large with high probability of being cost-effective. A randomised controlled trial is needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02275000; Results.

Beliefs about the causes of osteoarthritis among primary care patients.

OBJECTIVE: Beliefs about the causes of osteoarthritis (OA) have been examined infrequently. The purpose of this study was to provide insight into patients' beliefs about the causes of OA in a primary care population. METHODS: This study involved 31 individuals with OA who were purposively sampled to reflect age, sex, and self-efficacy scores from the intervention arm of a randomized controlled trial examining the effectiveness of an arthritis self-management program in primary care. Participants took part in face-to-face interviews. Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenologic analysis. RESULTS: A total of 31 patients with OA (17 [55%] men) with a median age of 68 years (range 56-84 years) were recruited. OA and painful joints were considered to be an inevitable aspect of aging rather than an indication of disease. Participants attributed the cause of OA to multiple factors, the most commonly reported being wear and tear. CONCLUSION: Insight into beliefs about the causes of OA among older people may help explain attitudes towards the uptake of health care among this group of patients.

General practitioner psychological management of common emotional problems (I): Definitions and literature review.

General practitioners' (GPs') treatment of patients with common emotional problems often includes some form of psychological management within the consultation. Such psychological management may be limited to listening and discussion or may also include more specific psychological approaches, such as use of counselling, problem-solving, or cognitive-behavioural techniques. This paper defines GP psychological management and reviews what is known about its frequency and effectiveness. MEDLINE and PsychLIT searches were undertaken of empirical studies of the psychological management of emotional problems by GPs in routine consultations published up to 1998. Thirty-six studies were identified. Most lacked details of the nature of the psychological management reported, making it difficult to compare studies. The frequency of use of psychological management by GPs was found to be generally less when rated by external observers than when assessed by GP self-report. There is preliminary evidence from a few studies of the clinical effectiveness of GP psychological management in routine consultations.

General practitioner psychological management of common emotional problems (II): A research agenda for the development of evidence-based practice.

The majority of patients with common emotional or psychological problems are treated solely by general practitioners (GPs). Such treatment frequently includes some form of psychological management within the consultation, whether limited to listening and discussion or involving more specific techniques. This paper sets out a research agenda for the development of effective approaches to GP psychological management. Evidence is reviewed on three core components of all psychological treatments: establishing a positive therapeutic relationship, developing a shared understanding of the problem, and promoting change in behaviour, thoughts or emotions. The application of these components in GP psychological management is outlined and methodological issues in the development and evaluation of GP management approaches are discussed. Since the number of patients with emotional problems seen by each GP is so large, the population effects of even small improvements in psychological management would be sizeable.

Schizophrenia and the environment.

Schizophrenia is more prevalent in urban than rural areas. For a generation this difference was thought to be due to the downward social drift of affected individuals. Recent research suggests that being born and brought up in an inner-city area increases the risk of developing the illness, and brings into question the role of environmental hazards and social factors.