A TEXTBOOK OF

GENERAL PRACTICE
Third edition
An essential guide to general practice and being a general practitioner, A Textbook
of General Practice is written specifically with the medical student and foundation
doctor in mind, reflecting current teaching practice. Readers are encouraged to

GENERAL PRACTICE
A TEXTBOOK OF
learn through practice, with exercises provided throughout the book. Student and
tutor quotes offer insights into personal experience, while thinking and discussion
points encourage reflection.

Comprehensive – everything the undergraduate student or foundation

doctor needs for a general practice module or rotation

 idely applicable – skills and knowledge honed in reading this textbook can
W

A TEXTBOOK OF
usefully be applied to all areas of clinical practice

Relevant – encourages and supports experiential learning and reflective

practice, now acknowledged as a highly effective method of learning

GENERAL PRACTICE
E asy to read with numerous text features – learning objectives, student and
tutor quotes, practical exercises, and thinking and discussion points

Third edition
New for this edition – improved organisation, ‘red flag’ pointers to serious
illness and SBA-style self assessment questions

With content entirely updated to reflect the latest recommendations from

Third edition
Tomorrow’s Doctors, the third edition of A Textbook of General Practice is the
number one choice for undergraduates seeking a narrative introduction to this
important discipline. Edited by

Stephenson
About the Editor Anne Stephenson
Anne Stephenson MBChB MRCGP Dip. Obst. PhD (Medicine) FHEA is Senior
Lecturer in General Practice & Director of Community Education, Department
of Primary Care and Public Health Sciences, King’s College London School of
Medicine, UK

I S B N 978-1-444-12064-6

9 781444 120646

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 A TEXTBOOK OF
GENERAL PRACTICE

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 A TEXTBOOK OF
GENERAL PRACTICE
Third edition

Edited by

Anne Stephenson
MBChB MRCGP Dip. Obst. PhD (Medicine) FHEA
Senior Lecturer in General Practice & Director of Community Education,
Department of Primary Care and Public Health Sciences,
King’s College London School of Medicine,
King’s College London, London, UK

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CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
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© 2011 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
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Version Date: 20121026

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 CONTENTS

Contributors vii
Preface ix
Acknowledgements xi
Introduction xiii
Chapter 1 Learning in general practice: why and how? 1
Mary Seabrook and Mary Lawson

Chapter 2 General practice and its place in primary healthcare 9

Anne Stephenson

Chapter 3 The general practice consultation 19

Anne Stephenson

Chapter 4 General practice skills 33

Helen J. Graham

Chapter 5 Diagnosis and acute management in general practice 91

Paul Booton

Chapter 6 Prescribing in general practice 113

Paul Booton

Chapter 7 Common illnesses in general practice 139

Mark Ashworth and Joanna Collerton

Chapter 8 Psychological issues in general practice 153

Roger Higgs and Anne Stephenson

Chapter 9 Chronic illness and its management in general practice 171

Patrick White

Chapter 10 Treating people at home 189

Patrick White

Chapter 11 Health promotion in general practice 201

Ann Wylie

Chapter 12 Healthcare ethics and law 219

Roger Higgs and Maggie Rose

Chapter 13 Quality assurance in general practice 237

Graham Hewett

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 vi CONTENTS

Chapter 14 The management of general practice 251

Gael Ogunyemi

Chapter 15 Preparing to practise 265

Richard Phillips and Ruth Sugden

Chapter 16 Being a general practitioner 285

Jackie Tavabie

Answers to Single Best Answer questions 303

Glossary 315
Index 323

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 CONTRIBUTORS

Mark Ashworth BM MRCP DTM&H DM FRCGP Maggie Rose MBBS BSc Paediatric Trainee
Clinical Senior Lecturer, Department of Primary Doctor, London Deanery. Junior doctor observer,
Care and Public Health Sciences, Guy’s Campus, The Institute of Medical Ethics
King’s College London, London, UK Mary Seabrook BEd DMS PhD (Education)
Paul Booton BSc (Hons) MB BS MRCP MRCGP Freelance Education and Training Consultant and
Department of Primary Care and Public Health Professional Life Coach, London, UK
Sciences, King’s College London School of Anne Stephenson MBChB MRCGP Dip. Obst.
Medicine, King’s College, London, UK PhD (Medicine) FHEA Senior Lecturer in General
Joanna Collerton BM BCh MRCP MRCGP Practice and Director of Community Education,
Senior Research Fellow, The Institute for Ageing King’s College London Undergraduate Medical
and Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle Education Team, Department of Primary Care
upon Tyne, UK and Public Health Sciences, King’s College
Helen J. Graham DCH FRCGP FHEA London School of Medicine, London, UK
Senior Lecturer and Learning and Teaching Ruth Sugden RGN DN Cert FPN MSc (Health
Co-ordinator, Department of Medical Education, Sciences) Senior Teaching Fellow and Phase
Guy’s Campus, King’s College London School of 5 Lead for General Practice, King’s College
Medicine, London, UK London Undergraduate Medical Education
Graham Hewett MSc BA (Hons) Clinical Team, Department of Primary Care and Public
Governance Development Manager, South East Health Sciences, King’s College London School of
London Shared Services Partnership, London, UK Medicine, London, UK
Roger Higgs MBE MA FRCP FRCGP General Jackie Tavabie MSc MBBS FRCGP DRCOG ILTN
Practitioner and Professor of General Practice and General Practitioner and GP Trainer, Ballater
Primary Care, Department of Primary Care and Surgery, Orpington, Kent, UK
Public Health Sciences, King’s College London, Patrick White MD MRCP FRCGP Senior
London, UK Lecturer, Department of Primary Care and Public
Mary Lawson BSc (Hons) Director of Education, Health Sciences, King’s College London School of
Australasian College of Emergency Medicine, Medicine, King’s College London, London, UK
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Ann Wylie PhD MA FRSPH FAcadMEd FHEA
Gael Ogunyemi Department of Primary Care and Deputy Director of Community Education,
Public Health Sciences, King’s College London King’s Undergraduate Medical Education in the
School of Medicine, King’s College London, Community Team (KUMEC), Senior Teaching
London, UK Fellow, Phase 4, Health Promotion and SSC
Lead and Head of Phase 4 SSC Sub-Committee,
Richard Phillips MA MRCP ILTM Senior
Department of Primary Care and Public Health
Lecturer, Department of Primary Care and Public
Sciences, King’s College London School of
Health Sciences, King’s College London School of
Medicine, London, UK
Medicine, King’s College London, London, UK

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 PREFACE

This third edition is primarily intended for undergraduate medical students. However, it will also
be useful for new doctors, general practitioners (especially teachers) and other health professionals.
As a medical student 35 years ago, I was very keen to meet patients and experience the full range of
conditions that I would face as a medical practitioner. I was also aware that my time as an undergraduate
was limited. It was therefore important for me to gather a kernel of knowledge, skills and professional
behaviour to allow me to be a good and safe-enough doctor. However, at that time, either in the way
that I perceived it or in the way that it was presented to me, general practice seemed to be such a vast and
loosely determined discipline as to be too difficult to be used in this process. On the other hand, it also
appeared to have the dimensions and potential that I needed to explore the realms of health, illness and
healing. Now, as a teacher and practitioner of general practice, I have been able to revisit the discipline
from a new perspective and in a much more productive way.
Over the past 35 years the discipline of general practice has been greatly developed and refined so
that departments of general practice are now in the forefront of medical education. The broad base
of knowledge and wide range of skills that general practitioners (GPs) hold and the opportunities
that primary care affords in terms of an understanding of health and illness, together with the great
organizational advancements that have occurred in primary care, are now widely recognized to offer
a rich learning resource for budding clinicians. Undergraduate education, generally, also continues to
be in a phase of rapid development. In Britain this is being promoted by the General Medical Council,
which has outlined recommendations most recently revised in 2009 in Tomorrow’s Doctors. It sees the
development of personal and professional values as being as important as the acquisition of knowledge,
understanding and skills. It encourages clinical experience, opportunities to learn from patients from a
range of backgrounds, learning from other health professionals, and the promotion of small-group and
self-directed learning, with regular information about progress. Departments of general practice have
been prime movers in these directions.
This book reflects this development. It is a distillation of what is necessary for a medical student and a
new doctor to know and understand about general practice and being a GP. The chapters from the second
edition have been updated, some quite substantially. The book is designed to encourage deep learning –
a clearly presented and interesting text with a core of important information, and opportunities to reflect
and experiment with the ideas in order to integrate and commit them to memory. In this edition single
best answer questions at the end of most chapters help this process, as do red flags, which mark essential
information. It is left to your GP teachers and other specialists to provide the detail with which you can
build on what is presented here.
The book ends with two chapters about your intended life as a doctor, included to emphasize the
fact that all the clinical knowledge and skills in the world do not, on their own, lead to a healthy and
fulfilling life. In the demanding world of medicine, this can be easily forgotten. It is with this sentiment
that I present this book, as well as with the wish that, as lifelong learners, we continue to experience the
fulfilment that a life in medicine can provide.

Anne Stephenson

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Editing the third edition of this book has, once ■■ The students who, through their feedback,
again, been a good process. My thanks go to the encourage us to provide the best learning envi-
contributors and the publishers for their hard ronment possible.
work and patience. ■■ The patients who were patient with us when we
I also acknowledge and value the help the fol- were student learners and who teach us.
lowing people gave to me and the contributors in ■■ The various authors and publishers for permis-
writing this book. sion to reproduce material.
■■ The undergraduate general practice teachers at ■■ Ms Karen Fuchs who took the photographs
what was the King’s College School of Medicine and the medical students, general practice staff
and Dentistry and The United Medical and and patients who allowed the photographs to
Dental School and is now, after merger, the be taken.
King’s College London School of Medicine.
They have, over the years, developed the I am grateful to Amadis and Meera for being so
teaching philosophy and skills that are reflected generous in their support.
in this text. Finally, I dedicate this book to Mum and Dad.

Anne Stephenson, 2011

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 INTRODUCTION

General practice is an important place for the edu- medical teachers are now aware of the ‘experien-
cation and training of medical students. Not only tial learning cycle’ (Figure I.1) and use it in their
does it offer a large number of training opportuni- teaching. Students learn by doing: active learning
ties in which medical knowledge can be applied, experiences are provided for the student and time
basic clinical skills acquired and attitudinal and is given for reflection on what actually happened.
ethical concerns explored, it also provides a wide The student is then encouraged to think about
variety of learning situations in which sound and make sense of the experience, identifying
management decisions can only be made when principles and generalizations that can be taken
this knowledge and skill are integrated with the forward into new situations. Other experiences
experience and understanding of the practitioner, can then be planned to support and further
the patient and the community in which they explore insights around these topics. Although
reside. This textbook seeks to support and reflect this approach appears obvious, it is not always
this process. followed or valued. However, experiential and
The information that this textbook provides is reflective learning is profound. Students who are
largely generic in that it can be applied to all areas encouraged to learn in this way have the potential
of medicine. In fact, general practice is a good to understand that every patient encounter is
teacher of the basic principles without which the unique and that their education cannot provide
more in-depth information provided by other definite answers to every question, only ways of
specialisms cannot be understood. Although the approaching patients and clinical situations. In
book is largely based on the British experience, this process, the individual student’s experiences
it is recognized that readers will be drawn from and insights are valued and can be developed
other countries and so the contents are relevant to through self-directed learning, essential for ongo-
any medical system. ing professional development.
The learning style of the book is based on expe-
riential and reflective principles, cornerstones Tutor quote
of modern educative theory and practice. Most I shall tell you about these American students. I think
it is about my own hang-up about using certain new
words and trying new skills. You have got to try them
Active learning and this applies to other tutors. This situation was
experience
after the course that we attended. The homework
was to try to use reflection in your practice when
you are teaching. I had these American students
who had been with me all day and there were two
Planning further Reflection on the
learning experience experience of them and maybe it was because there were two of
them I didn’t particularly talk with them. It seemed
quite difficult to do and I was sitting in the car with
them after the surgery and I wondered whether
Making
sense of the
I should use the word ‘reflection’ or should I say,
experience ‘Can you first remember what happened and then
can you remember what was in it that you learnt?’
Figure I.1 The experiential learning cycle. . . . something like that. Then I debated that briefly

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 xiv INTRODUCTION

and then I thought, ‘No, let us just throw it in’, and The Practical Exercises give you a structure with
I said, ‘Could you reflect on what we did today?,’ which to investigate further a particular topic.
and that was it, and for the whole journey there was Examples here are: ‘A way of evaluating the effec-
all this information coming through. I was amazed tiveness of a consultation’ or ‘How to find out
at the detail and the maturity and that that word more about a particular medical condition’. These
was enough. There was no need to dress it up, no need to be carried out in tandem with your tutor,
need to assume that they wouldn’t understand. We and some exercises have extra guidance for your
sometimes do not give them the credit they deserve. tutor so that they can run more smoothly. Once
So I think for me what there is to learn is to try new again, the text often gives extra help in what you
things, techniques; some might fail, some might suc- might get out of the exercise.
ceed spectacularly and that one was a very good one.
I enjoyed that.
(It should be noted that the tutor quotes that Case studies
appear throughout the book have not been quoted
from the authors of the chapters.) Case studies have been included to make the
information more real. All of these are based on
real experiences or an amalgam of real experi-
ences. Where the stories are about people, many
Ways of using this book identifying characteristics have been changed to
For the reasons explained above, this book is protect confidentiality.
a mixture of textbook and workbook. It is not
necessary to work through the book from the
first to the last page. Rather, we encourage you References and further reading
to work with the chapters that are relevant to
your course and stage of development and of As mentioned previously, the factual content
interest to you and your tutor. However, as each of the book has been kept to a minimum. The
chapter works as a unit, it may be of greatest focus has been placed on you experiencing and
use to you if you read the chapter as a whole researching relevant clinical areas. To this end,
before you decide how to use it to structure your references and further reading have been placed
learning experiences. at the end of each chapter. We strongly encour-
age you to spend time capitalizing on your
practical learning by reading around the topics
that have been thrown up by clinical situations.
Hints for conducting the exercises As with other medical teaching, there are
The exercises are of two main types: Thinking and times when your tutor is unable to take much
Discussion Points and Practical Exercises. The of an active role in your learning. You may
Thinking and Discussion Points encourage you, on sometimes feel at a loss to know how to use
your own or with your tutor and colleagues, to your session in general practice most wisely. If
reflect on your knowledge and experiences around this happens, flick through the book and pick
a particular topic. Examples are: ‘What has influ- out an area that interests you. Read through the
enced your views on general practice?’ or ‘What chapter and the exercises. You may be able to
questions would you like to ask a patient before go to the practice library or online to research a
you decide whether or not to visit them at home?’ subject, interview a member of the practice staff
This type of exercise is generally used to introduce about a topic that interests you, discuss one of
a topic. It values your personal insights and past the thinking points with a colleague, prepare a
experience as highly relevant to your understand- presentation for your next seminar, or just have
ing of the topic and to how you might approach a cup of tea and relax until your tutor returns.
further learning around the topic. The text often We hope that this book can be a companion to
gives you pointers to help you in your thinking. you in such situations.

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 The chapters xv

The chapters often omitted teaching around illnesses that are

perceived as not important by virtue of being
This book celebrates the differences and variety in either minor or self-limiting. However, the bulk
the way that general practitioners (GPs) and gen- of illnesses presenting to the healthcare system are
eral practices work. Thus every chapter, although of these types. Chapter 7 describes the common
structured along the same lines, is presented in a illnesses that people present to general practice,
slightly different way, dependent on the topic and many of which will never need hospital care and
the writers’ approach. Chapters are of different yet are important for any doctor to know about.
lengths and some are more discursive and philo- This chapter also gives guidance to students on
sophical, others more practical and factual. In the how to access information on these illnesses.
development of the book the writers frequently Psychological issues are given a special chapter,
shared their ideas on what each chapter might Chapter 8, as they are of particular relevance
contain, so we hope that the book appears cohe- in a general practice setting where knowledge
sive and that links between chapters are evident. of patients and their inner and outer environ-
The book opens with a chapter on learning in ment provides insights into the nature of all
general practice that is a useful starting point for patient presentations.
all readers as it outlines the learning opportunities Chapter 9 addresses the management of the
that may be offered in the general practice setting chronically ill. This essential clinical subject may
as well as some of the challenges that may present. be seen as not as exciting or as fulfilling as areas
Chapter 2 provides a brief overview of the place of of acute medicine, and the mention of long-term
general practice in the wider primary healthcare illness may even lead to a feeling of hopelessness
system, particularly with reference to Britain, but or failure on the part of the clinician. However,
with some reference to other countries. chronic illness has a profound effect on the lives
The next four chapters outline the basic skills of of patients and their families. Structured care in
a GP. Chapter 3 introduces the central activity of such situations is now being seen to provide great
a GP, the consultation. To have some understand- advantage, and general practice is at the forefront
ing of what happens when a patient and a doctor of these developments.
meet is essential to an effective outcome. The ear- Treating people at home can provide unique
lier a student can understand the basic principles insights into their illness and treatment. General
behind such professional communications, the practice can provide such opportunities and
easier it will be to develop this most important Chapter 10 gives an introduction to how a medical
skill. The most frequent practical skills required student can best benefit from such an experience.
of a GP and useful for any doctor are described, in Health promotion is discussed in Chapter
detail, in Chapter 4. These descriptions are often 11. This is an area of clinical work – logically
missed out of medical texts and should provide more important than treating illness once it has
a helpful introduction to the supervised practice occurred – often cited as important by medical
of these skills. Chapter 5 explores the diagnostic teachers and yet very often, in practice, ignored or
and acute management processes on which a GP’s approached badly with poor outcomes.
work is based. Chapter 6 discusses the topic of Chapter 12, ‘Healthcare ethics and law’, is
prescribing, such an important area of a doctor’s included because the ‘broader questions about
work both in terms of patient well-being and what is best for patients or staff, what it is
economic burden. The information and exercises right to do, or whether we are acting within
contained in these chapters can be generalized the law commonly arise in practice for anyone
to any clinical situation and so have relevance to who reflects on their work.’ This chapter sug-
other medical disciplines. gests ways of approaching ethical and legal issues
One of the commonest questions that students and reaching conclusions that are satisfactory for
ask when they enter general practice is how the all concerned.
presentation of illness differs from that of hospital Medical knowledge is increasing at a rapid rate
medicine. Undergraduate medical curricula have and, looking from the outside, it must sometimes

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 xvi INTRODUCTION

seem to medical students that the task of becom- around clinical reasoning, written communi-
ing a competent doctor in a few short years is cation skills, teamwork, organizational skills,
impossible. Where does one begin? We hope, uncertainty and personal limitation, working with
in this textbook, not to alarm you further. We constructive criticism, professional conduct and
have deliberately kept facts to a minimum and lifelong learning, explore areas of professional
concentrated on important principles rather than development that are essential for the safety of a
dazzle you (or frighten you) with detail. Actually, new doctor.
you will get there, and much more easily if you Finally, whether or not you are an aspiring GP,
start with the basics, fully understand them and Chapter 16 talks about the life of a GP to remind
have carefully structured experiences on which to us that a personal and a professional life are inex-
hang them. But how do we keep up with research tricably intertwined and to concentrate on one
evidence and relating this to improvements in without regard for the other will only lead to dis-
patient care? Chapter 13, on quality assurance, content. Whatever branch of medicine you enter,
examines ways in which you can cope with change we hope that, by reading this chapter, you will be
and the acquisition of knowledge and skills and encouraged to consider how you live your life so
ensure that new treatments are instituted effec- that you experience fulfilment both professionally
tively with risks to patients kept to a minimum. and personally.
The business side of medicine has long been We have put red flags against some points in the
seen as perhaps necessary but not relevant to a text which we judge to be essential to be aware of
medical student’s education. With the recent in terms of patient or practitioner safety.
increase in the complexity of health service deliv- Most chapters end with five Single Best Answer
ery, a working knowledge of medical manage- questions to test your understanding. These ques-
ment is no longer an option but an essential part tions may need extra ‘research’ if your subject-
of every medical student’s training. Chapter 14 specific learning is so far incomplete. We have
provides an introduction to this subject using ‘the chosen what we think are the best answers (see the
general practice’ as a manageable unit with which Appendix) – for some of the questions you may
to explore this area. argue them with your tutor and peers.
Chapter 15, ‘Preparing to practise’, is aimed at Finally a glossary has been added to help with
the later years of a medical student’s progression the definitions of terms common to the work
to becoming a doctor. Nine learning objectives, of GPs.

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 CHAPTER

1 Learning in General Practice:

Why and How?

■■ Introduction ■■ Ten tips for learning in general practice

■■ Frequently asked questions about learning in ■■ Common problems and dilemmas for stu-
general practice dents in general practice
■■ Suggested preparation/early orientation ■■ Summary points

The structure, culture, atmosphere and pace of general practice are different from those of other healthcare
settings. General practice provides an opportunity to learn new things and to compare different approaches
to healthcare. This chapter will help you to plan how to get the most out of general practice.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this chapter you will be able to:
■■ identify what can best, or only, be learnt in general practice;
■■ compare the hospital and general practice settings from the perspective of doctors, patients and students;

■■ plan ways of learning effectively in general practice.

Introduction Student quotes

‘It will be good to have a bit of independence rather
Students often have preconceptions about what than six or so students stood around one patient and
they are going to learn in general practice. The being questioned.’
following expectations were expressed by students ‘Patients may actually like to talk to us. In hospital
preparing for their attachments. they get a bit sick of seeing students.’
‘Being involved at a more personal level with the
Student quotes patients, e.g. many GPs seem to know their patients
‘It will be nice to see a broader spectrum of the com- and families very well and the GP is someone seen
munity – in hospital it’s mostly older people. I’m as a friend too.’
looking forward to seeing children and babies.’ Students can also have concerns about learning
‘Seeing a wide spectrum of people and problems, not in general practice. Here are some of the com-
knowing what sort of problem is going to present mon concerns.
next. Being able to use all your medical knowledge.’
‘Improving my interviewing and diagnostic skills.’ Student quotes
‘Experience to observe some more social skills, e.g. ‘I might get a GP who’s not keen on teaching and
breaking bad or unwelcome news.’ just leaves you sitting there.’
‘Seeing what a GP’s life is like. Good to check out ‘Dealing with ailments that are mundane and medi-
career options.’ cally uninspiring.’
Others commented on aspects of the learning ‘Feeling isolated or not liking the GP with whom I
process they thought they would enjoy. am spending my time.’

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 2 LEARNING IN GENERAL PRACTICE: WHY AND HOW?

‘The fact that the problem presenting can be almost all the services available in primary care and how
anything – how do you come to a diagnosis in such to access them. Without a detailed knowledge of
a short amount of time?’ what is available within your area, you will not
‘I am worried about the level of knowledge that is be able to refer patients appropriately, and thus
required and the degree of autonomy given.’ provide the best care for them.
‘Difficulty in getting to the place as I don’t have any
transport.’ How will it help when I start work?
To address these points, we include below a list Many Foundation Year 2 doctors (pre-specialty
of frequently asked questions. training) do a three or four month placement
in general practice and there are plans for all
FY2 doctors to do so. Studies of general prac-
Frequently asked questions about tice teaching suggest that it promotes a patient-
learning in general practice centred approach to medicine which will be
useful in any specialty. It should help doctors
Why learn in general practice?
to acquire knowledge of primary and commu-
In recent years, major components of healthcare nity services, enabling hospital patients to be
have been transferred out of the hospital and are discharged effectively and receive the appropri-
now only found in the community. For example, ate care in the community, and should reduce
community rehabilitation has increased enor- unnecessary readmission.
mously as patients often leave hospital shortly
after their operations or treatment. Chronic or
long-term diseases, such as hypertension, asthma How will it help to pass examinations?
and diabetes, are managed primarily in the com- This depends on individual medical schools and
munity, as is much terminal care. Hospitals are the nature of their assessments. General practice
offering increasingly specialized care, and patients provides the opportunity to experience a lot of
are often only in hospital during particular, criti- common illnesses. These will be central to the
cal stages of their illness. Without community core curricula which medical schools assess. In
experience, students would see little of many addition, general practice commonly provides
common conditions and snapshots of disease and one-to-one or small group teaching, which allows
treatment rather than natural progression and for the possibility of teaching tailored to particu-
long-term management. General practice also lar learning needs. Thus it is a good opportunity
provides a good context for learning particular to ask for help and experience in the areas you
skills and aspects of medicine (see ‘What will I find most difficult. It is also a good environ-
learn in general practice?’). ment in which to get supervised practice of the
sort of clinical skills that are tested in Objective
Is general practice relevant for those going Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) and
into hospital careers? other clinical examinations.
Many factors influence a medical student’s choice
of specialty, but more graduates will eventually What will I learn in general practice?
enter general practice than any other specialty.
Key areas for learning in general practice include
Some decide early that they want to take this
the following:
option; others plan a career in hospital medicine
but find, for various reasons, that they switch to 1. The range of statutory and voluntary services
general practice at a later stage. Before deciding which contribute to health and well-being, and
on a career path, it is important to explore all the how to access them:
options, and general practice attachments will give ■■ the structure, functioning and funding of

insight into this branch of medicine. community health and social services,
Whatever your choice of specialty, it will be ■■ when, how and to whom to refer patients,

important that you have a good understanding of and who can refer to whom,

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 Frequently asked questions about learning in general practice 3

■■ understanding of what voluntary sector serv- signs of risk such as pre-eclampsia, deciding
ices offer patients and how this contributes whether a rash on a child is due to measles,
to health. meningitis or an allergy,
2. The effects of beliefs and lifestyle factors on ■■ practical skills, such as measuring blood pres-

health: sure, giving an injection, examining an ear

■■ how patients’ beliefs, understanding and atti- and immunization regimes.
tudes towards health affect their use of serv- 6. A different model of healthcare practice:
ices, e.g. why people don’t take medication, ■■ a different approach to patients and their

the impact of religious and cultural beliefs, healthcare needs,

attitudes towards complementary therapies, ■■ a different model of inter-professional work-

■■ how to involve patients in decision making, ing,

e.g. healthy lifestyle choices, ■■ a different organizational structure,

■■ health promotion and disease prevention ■■ learning to function in a primary care team.

skills and strategies.

Below, students describe some of the things they
3. Environmental, social and psychological factors
have learned in general practice.
affecting health:
■■ reasons for the differential morbidity and
Student quotes
mortality rates in different geographical areas,
‘You got more of a view of the whole patient – the
■■ causes of health inequalities between differ-
GP tends to know the whole family.’
ent groups of people, e.g. reasons for differ-
‘You learn to rely less on investigations.’
ential rates of mental illness diagnoses among
‘They let you go and clerk and examine and they
different cultural/gender groups,
come in and you present, and that was excellent
■■ learning to recognize and explore the impact
because it gets your clerking and examining skills
of psychological as well as ­physical ­causes
up to scratch and it’s a different type of clerking
of illness, e.g. social isolation, stress
than in the hospital. It’s got to be done in about
in the workplace, unemployment and
a minute or two. It makes you learn hopefully to
­family dynamics.
home-in on something. You learn to sort what is
4. The management of common conditions:
most important.’
■■ diagnosis and ongoing management of com-
‘Dealing with a wide variety of cases and a wide
mon conditions, e.g. depression, hyperten-
range of patient groups.’
sion, diabetes,
‘You don’t actually understand what other people in
■■ detecting and preventing long-term compli-
the team do until you see it and how useful it is. . . it
cations,
opens your eyes and you realise medicine is not the
■■ experience of the progression of illness and
be-all and end-all of the thing.’
its impact on the lives of patients and their
‘It changed the way I take histories quite dramati-
families,
cally – you learn to always have a hypothesis in your
■■ the differing roles of the general practitioner
head and always be thinking, formulating differen-
(GP) and other members of the practice
tial diagnoses earlier basically, and taking a more
team, hospital team and social services,
directed and useful history.’
■■ practical ways of supporting patients and

carers, In general then, we suggest that general practice

■■ ongoing monitoring and screening of is the best place to learn about:
patients. ■■ the range of primary care services and how to
5. Specific skills: access them,
■■ the skills required to distinguish between seri- ■■ the effects of patient beliefs and lifestyle factors
ous and non-serious conditions, e.g. whether on health,
a depressed patient is at risk of suicide or ■■ environmental, social and psychological factors
self-harm, whether a methadone patient is at affecting health,
risk of relapse, monitoring a pregnancy for ■■ the management of common conditions,

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 4 LEARNING IN GENERAL PRACTICE: WHY AND HOW?

■■ the skills required to distinguish between seri- suspected case of meningitis, and I’m not sure if it
ous and non-serious conditions. was or not, but that was interesting.’
‘The best thing was going to visit patients in their
Why can’t I stick to ‘real’ medicine? own homes. Patients behave differently in their own
By ‘real’ medicine, students usually mean patients homes than in surgery.’
with good signs and symptoms, with an acute ‘I saw a patient at home with classic signs of asthma
illness that can be cured by the doctor, often by attack.’
some ‘high-tech’ intervention. In fact, only a tiny ‘I was actually being helpful. I wasn’t in the way.
proportion of healthcare actually takes place in I was doing stuff that other people couldn’t do and
the hospital, and teaching hospitals in particular that was really nice. People were listening to you.’
are very specialized, often taking very rare cases. ‘As we got to know the patients, they came back and
Despite advances in technology and treatment, made appointments to see me especially and so I sort
many conditions cannot be cured, and the doc- of built up a relationship with them in a short time.’
tor’s role is often one of providing long-term care,
support and symptomatic relief. Spending time in How can I make the most of my time in
general practice provides a more realistic picture general practice?
of the healthcare required to manage conditions In most jobs, you become more proficient
with high mortality and morbidity rates. It is also with experience. Many students enjoy learn-
a myth that there is no acute medicine in gen- ing in general practice because they get more
eral practice. For example, most heart attacks and direct supervision (often one-to-one teaching),
acute psychiatric crises occur outside the hospital. which can be closely tailored to their individual
Traditionally, medical education was based almost learning requirements.
exclusively in hospitals. This is changing to reflect Students in general practice have to accept the
current patterns of care, and to provide a better limitations of the clinical environment, and recog-
balance of experience. nize that their learning cannot always be a prior-
ity. For example, teachers may be called away at
What will I do in general practice? short notice or there may be no diabetic patients
General practice attachments at different stages of available on the day students plan to examine or
the medical course may be designed to fulfil dif- interview them. Students have to find ways to
ferent purposes, for example learning about gen- gain the experience they need within the existing
eral practice as a potential career, learning specific structures. This section looks at what you can do
skills, accessing a wide range of patients or facili- to make the most of your time in general practice
tating the long-term follow-up of an individual and to cope with any problems that may arise.
patient or family. The purpose of the attachment
will dictate to a large extent whether you spend
your time observing practice, practising skills,
Suggested preparation/early
interviewing patients, collecting information for a orientation
project (e.g. audit data) or doing other activities.
Before the placement starts, you will need to con-
The quotes below reflect the variety of learning
sider practical issues, such as transport, access,
a student may experience at different times within
security and personal safety, particularly if you
the medical course in general practice.
are on an individual placement. There are many
Student quotes resources on which you can draw within a general
practice. At the start of your attachment, we sug-
‘It was good for learning a lot of specific procedures
gest that you undertake the following.
like taking blood pressure, looking in ears and eyes,
giving injections.’ ■■ Introductions: Introduce yourself to everyone
‘You can see how the team work, how they inter- for courtesy and security reasons, and so that
act. It gives you more understanding of their role you can return when you need help. Remember
and what actually the patients go through. I saw a to include part-time and non-clinical staff, such

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 Ten tips for learning in general practice 5

as visiting or associated counsellors, health tips for having a successful attachment in general
visitors, midwives, hospital consultants pro- practice; these have been devised by teachers and
viding outreach clinics, child psychologists, students. Most will also be applicable in other
complementary therapists, behavioural thera- clinical settings.
pists, community pharmacists or community
psychiatric nurses. 1. Attend: There is, unsurprisingly, a high cor-
■■ Staff in the practice: Find out what their roles relation between students who attend regu-
and responsibilities are, when they work and larly and those who do well in finals and
what training and experience they have. other examinations. Arrive punctually and
■■ Patient notes: Find out where these are stored, let the practice know if, for any reason, you
in what format (paper or electronic) and how to cannot attend.
access specific sorts of information. Remember 2. Set yourself clear and realistic goals: Try to
to consider issues of confidentiality. Check the identify specific objectives for your time in
practice guidelines on this. general practice, in consultation with your
■■ Patients: There are opportunities for meeting GP and the medical school. Clarify at the
patients outside the actual consultation, e.g. in beginning what you should have achieved by
the waiting room, patients coming in to collect the end, and keep your goals under review.
prescriptions, make appointments or see other Mark off items you have achieved and add
members of the practice team. Be careful not new ideas as you go along.
to upset the appointments system, so make 3. Base your reading around the patients you
sure that the relevant staff know what you are see: Many doctors vividly remember patients
doing, where you will be and how long it will they met as students and what they learnt
take. Some practices may have a spare room. from them. The patient provides a hook on
Remember to consider issues of confidentiality, which you can hang your knowledge and will
informed consent and privacy. help you to relate theory to practice.
■■ Relatives and friends: A patient’s relative or 4. Say hello to everyone every day: This may
friend may also provide useful opportunities sound silly, but a little goodwill goes a long
for finding out about the impact of illness, use way and will help you to fit in. Also think
of services, etc. about how you present yourself, e.g. dress-
■■ Clinics and other activities: Find out what else ing in a way that patients and GPs will
happens in your general practice and when. find acceptable.
For example, there may be special health pro- 5. Ask questions: Teachers often say that they
motion or disease-related clinics, meetings of wish students would ask more questions as it
patients’ or carers’ support groups, staff meet- helps them to teach at the right level. It also
ings or voluntary groups which you can ask shows that you are interested and enthusi-
to attend. astic.
■■ Other resources: Find out what other resources 6. Ask for teaching, supervision and feedback:
are available. These may include health educa- In the rush to get things done, teachers may
tion leaflets for patients, clinical books and overlook opportunities for you to practise
journals for staff, videos or computer programs skills or learn about something new. If you
and postgraduate learning events. see such opportunities, ask if you can gain
experience and then ask for feedback on how
you did.
Ten tips for learning in general 7. Choose your timing and don’t react personally:
Most people are willing to help and will often
practice go out of their way to do so. However, certain
In general practice, as in many other situations, times are better than others. Don’t ask for
how people present and conduct themselves will things when people are obviously rushed off
affect how they are treated. Below are listed ten their feet. Try to help out wherever possible.

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 6 LEARNING IN GENERAL PRACTICE: WHY AND HOW?

If someone appears unhelpful, it may be Student quote

because they are under stress, so don’t take ‘The patient refused to see me so I had to leave.’
it personally. Choose your timing and, if
there is someone who always seems busy, ask In general practice, patients often feel able to
when would be the best time for you to talk say ‘no’ to things which they might not in hospi-
to them. tal. Don’t take it personally. Make sure your GP
8. Recognize the potential of those around you knows if you need experience in a particular area
to teach: The GP is an obvious source of so that he or she can try to identify another oppor-
help, but many other people have expertise tunity.
which may not be immediately obvious.
Look on everyone you meet in the practice as Student quote
a potential teacher. Receptionists, for exam- ‘The worst thing was meeting angry patients. One
ple, may be skilled in communicating with patient was really annoyed by my presence out of
angry patients. Patients and their relatives no reason.’
may be enormously knowledgeable about
There may be a reason that you’re not aware
their particular conditions and the local serv-
of – again, don’t take it personally unless you
ices available.
know that you have contributed to the situation,
9. Thank people when they devote their time to
perhaps inadvertently. Some patients may feel
teaching you.
inhibited or embarrassed or unwilling to have a
10. See the wood and the trees: During your
student present, particularly for personal worries
time in general practice, you will probably
or intimate examinations.
meet many patients and hear lots of indi-
vidual stories. While it is important to see
and respect each person as an individual,
Student quote
you also need to relate your experience to ‘It was the same patients every time with trivial
more general principles and concepts you complaints, much less exciting than in hospital.’
have learnt in other parts of the course. Learning to distinguish the genuinely trivial
Think about how the basic science, soci- from early signs of something more serious is an
ology, psychology, communication, public important skill to develop, as described above.
health medicine, ethics and law, etc. which Is a headache a sign of stress, period pains or
you have covered apply to each patient an incipient brain tumour? Sometimes patients
you meet. present with a seemingly trivial symptom as a
cover for something that is really worrying them.
When you see patients with trivial complaints,
Common problems and dilemmas think about what would signal to you that this
for students in general practice could be something more serious? Draw up a dif-
ferential diagnosis and rank in terms of likelihood.
General practices vary greatly, for example in size, Also consider what has motivated the patient to
style, provision, ethos and staffing. There is prob- bring this complaint to the GP and how this need
ably no such thing as a ‘typical’ general practice. could be addressed.
Equally, undergraduate courses vary in terms of
the amount of time you will spend in general prac- Student quote
tice, what you are expected to learn, who teaches
‘The GP couldn’t be bothered. I just had to sit in the
you and how well it integrates with the rest of
corner and listen.’
your studies.
In this section we look at some difficulties In these situations, it is a good idea to have
encountered by students in general practice and some activities in mind which you can use to fill
how you could deal with them if they happened this time. Throughout this book there are various
to you. exercises that you could use in this way, or you

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 Summary points 7

may think of your own. However, your tutor ■■ ask if you can clerk and present some patients,
should also guide and facilitate your learning. If ■■ ask if you could gain some practical experience
you are not satisfied, you should first make an as you feel you learn better that way,
attempt to improve things for yourself. For exam- ■■ read up about certain areas the previous evening
ple you could: and then look out for these in the consultations,
■■ approach another member of the practice team
■■ ask questions of the GP following the consulta-
and ask for help.
tions,
■■ tell your GP that you’re not clear what you If you have made efforts to improve the situation
should be getting out of the sessions and ask and are still feeling unhappy, you should probably
for clarification, now approach the course organizer for help. You
■■ ask the GP how he or she feels you are getting are entitled to expect a certain minimum standard
on, of teaching from your GP.
■■ tell the GP you’re worried that you’re not learn-
ing enough and ask for suggestions as to what
you should do,

SUMMARY POINTS
To conclude, the most important messages of this chapter are as follows:
■■ General practice provides an opportunity to see a large volume of undifferentiated patient problems,
which will give you a broader overview of illness patterns and allow you to develop your diagnostic and
‘sifting’ skills. About half of medical students eventually practise as a GP.
■■ General practice provides the best opportunity to see the progression and management of disease, to
study common illnesses and to practise many clinical skills. It provides insight into environmental, social
and psychological factors which contribute to ill-health, and represents a different model of care from
that of hospital medicine.
■■ Students can take steps to make their time in general practice productive.

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This page intentionally left blank
 CHAPTER

2 General Practice and its Place

in Primary Healthcare

■■ What is primary healthcare and what is it ■■ What is the future for general practice and
aiming to achieve? primary healthcare?
■■ Who are the principal members of the pri- ■■ Summary points
mary healthcare team? ■■ References
■■ How do general practice and the GP contrib- ■■ Further reading
ute to primary healthcare? ■■ Single best answer questions
■■ How do we ensure that the patient receives
most benefit from general practice and the
primary healthcare service?

The work of the general practitioner (GP) and the general practice team takes place within the context of the
primary healthcare setting. To make sense of general practice, the student needs to understand something
of its relationship to the primary healthcare system. The central figure in regard to care within the system
must be the patient.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this chapter you will be able to:
■■ define primary healthcare and list what it is broadly aiming to achieve;
■■ name a few of the principal members of the primary healthcare team and briefly describe their roles and

training;
■■ place general practice in the context of the primary care service;

■■ describe the role of the GP in the functioning of general practice;

■■ list the kinds of things that a patient requires of general practice and the primary care service in order to

receive most benefit from it;

■■ consider the possible future of general practice and primary care.

What is primary healthcare and any health service. In some countries primary
what is it aiming to achieve? healthcare systems look after the great majority
of most people’s health issues. In other, more
Primary healthcare – that which provides affluent, countries, secondary and tertiary services
healthcare in the first instance – is present in play a larger part in the delivery of healthcare.
one form or another for all peoples in the world. However, it is widely recognized that a substantial
Whether it be for someone who needs antenatal and effective primary healthcare service is the
care, an immunization, a dressing for a minor cornerstone of a healthy population and that,
injury, a blood pressure check or an immediate without this, the provision of healthcare is an
assessment and referral for suspected appendicitis, expensive and ineffectual exercise (Rawaf et
primary care systems are an essential part of al., 2008).

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 10 GENERAL PRACTICE AND ITS PLACE IN PRIMARY HEALTHCARE

■■ It must be able to identify the health needs of

Thinking and Discussion Point a population.
Think about experiences that you or someone ■■ It must make the most cost-effective use of

else you know has had when obtaining health- its resources.
care in situations other than in hospital. List the Obviously, given that resources are limited, all
places in which this care was received. these objectives cannot be perfectly met. However,
these are goals that we can aim towards.
People need to be able to see their doctor (or
What is the definition of primary care? another health professional) when necessary with-
out having to wait unduly for an appointment.
It is not something that is done in one place or by
The distance between the patient’s home and the
one type of health professional. It is a network of
healthcare centre should be as short as possible.
community-based healthcare services, supported
Where the patient has difficulty in getting to the
by a network of social services that provides
healthcare centre, a home-visiting service should
over 90 per cent of healthcare in the UK. In
be provided. All efforts should be made to enable
its most restricted sense, it means ‘first contact
the patient and professional staff to communi-
care’ and this can be provided by any number of
cate effectively.
different healthcare workers. However, primary
In terms of acceptability, regular reviews of serv-
health services have a much wider role than this.
ices must include a measure of patient and profes-
Their role includes health maintenance, illness
sional satisfaction. The rights and responsibilities
prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management
of both patient and health professional need to be
of acute and chronic illness, rehabilitation, the
considered and made clear to both parties. This
support of those who are frail or disabled, pastoral
process is a constant and developing one.
care and terminal care.
In setting up mechanisms to identify a popu-
lation’s health needs, we get away from just
responding to demand to a position where we
Thinking and Discussion Point can start properly to distinguish priorities in the
Carrying on from the previous thinking and services we provide. Strategic planning based on
discussion point, select one situation that you need rather than demand will make the best use
remember well. of limited resources.
■■ Why does this event stick in your memory? Given that we (as provider and user) have decid-
■■ What were the factors that made this either ed on the minimum standards we wish to uphold
a positive or a negative experience for you? and the priorities for service provision and devel-
■■ How specific or general is this experience? opment, we then need to determine the resources
Extend your thinking and list some of the that are available for healthcare and decide how to
attributes that a primary healthcare service apportion them. To provide all desirable services
should have in order to make it most acceptable would be impossible, so judgements need to be
to patients and professionals. What attributes made as to the most cost-effective use of limited
should it have in order to make the most of person-power, money and effort. This kind of
limited resources? decision is bound to be made partly on guesswork,
as it is rare that all the information required to
make such decisions is available.

What is primary healthcare aiming to achieve?

There are four main objectives of a primary Who are the principal members
healthcare service (Marson et al., 1973): of the primary healthcare team?
■■ It must be accessible to the whole population. In the UK National Health Service (NHS), there
■■ It must be acceptable to the population. are two main providers of primary care: general

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 Who are the principal members of the primary healthcare team? 11

practice and community health services. Other They also provide support to general practices
providers, such as accident and emergency with all these activities, as well as providing staff
departments, dentists, pharmacists, opticians such as health visitors, district nurses, community
and optometrists, will not be mentioned here. midwives and community psychiatric nurses who
In addition, out-of-hours services offer general work with general practices.
practice care; UK NHS Direct, which opened
in 1998, offers 24-hour advice about personal Principal members: who they are and what
healthcare; and NHS walk-in centres, the first of they do
which opened in 2000, offer free health advice and
Members of the primary healthcare team are
treatment for minor injuries and illnesses and are
many and various. Table 2.1 lists some of the more
open and available for anyone.
well-known UK professionals, particularly those
General practice (family practice) provides
who work with general practice. The role of the
first contact, patient-centred, comprehensive
GP is discussed later in this chapter.
and continuing care to a patient population.
The general practice tasks are to promote health
and well-being; treat illness in the context of Boundaries
the patient’s life, belief systems and community; In the UK, as in many other countries, increased
and work with other healthcare professionals to importance (and thus resource) is being placed on
coordinate care and make efficient use of health the primary care sector of the health service. With
resources. It has responsibility for a population of this has come the realization that we must become
people and is activated by patient choice. much clearer about the responsibilities of each
Community health services are provided by a of its professional groups. Within the primary
variety of generalist and specialist staff who have care service there are many health professions,
particular functions, such as the multidisciplinary often with very different ways of working. Their
care of the long-term ill, continuing care for connection with secondary health services may
those discharged from hospital, services for well also become troublesome if communication is
people (including school health, child health and not very clear. A ‘seamless service’ is a concept
sexual health/family planning), care for particular often mentioned, but we are in danger of ever-
groups of the population at risk (for example the increasing fragmentation if we do not respect and
homeless, refugees) and the provision of such know about each other’s skills, and work together
things as training or equipment on a wide scale. in developing and delivering services.

Table 2.1 A selection of the members of the UK general practice team

Name Employed by Role includes Training
Receptionist General practice Reception and telephone duties, Various
filing
Practice manager General practice Planning, organizing, managing a Various
general practice
Practice nurse General practice Assessment, diagnosis, Registered General Nurse (RGN),
treatments, health promotion, nursing experience
special extended roles
District nurse Primary care trust Assessment, dressings, stoma RGN, nursing experience,
care, arranging services, support specialist training
Health visitor Primary care trust Antenatal, ‘under 5’ care, RGN, nursing experience,
sometimes elderly care specialist training
Community Primary care trust Assessment, management and RGN, nursing experience,
psychiatric nurse support of the mentally ill specialist training

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 12 GENERAL PRACTICE AND ITS PLACE IN PRIMARY HEALTHCARE

Case Study 2.1 of healthcare has been widened to include

Mrs C, a 95-year-old woman, lives with her consideration of such things as population-
daughter. She wakes one morning and finds based health promotion (as well as diagnosis
herself unable to talk properly or move her right and treatment) and care of populations (as well
arm. Her daughter, on finding her like this, as individuals), the role of general practice has
rings their general practice and speaks to the changed and that of the GP has become less
receptionist, who arranges for their GP to visit. clear. (See more in Chapter 16, ‘Being a general
The GP visits and finds Mrs C peaceful and practitioner’.)
adamant that she does not want to be hospitalized.
The daughter agrees with this and is willing, with
support, to care for her mother at home. The GP Thinking and Discussion Point
contacts the district nurse for an assessment of the
nursing needs. ■■ What do you see your GP doing?
■■ What connections does he or she make?
Many situations like this occur in general
■■ What do you see as the advantages and dis-
practice and require the cooperation of patients,
advantages of your GP’s role?
their informal carers and several members of the
healthcare team.

Case Study 2.2 Core values of GPs

Ms F, a 28-year-old woman on medication for The majority of GPs would see their central
schizophrenia, presents to her GP pregnant. She activity as the consultation in which doctor
wishes to keep the baby. With the woman’s and patient meet and work together to make
consent, the GP contacts her psychiatrist and decisions regarding the patient’s health and life
community psychiatric team, who make plan (see Chapter 3). However, with the mounting
arrangements to see her, check her medication complexity of health service provision, this role is
and arrange for close follow-up. The GP also increasingly in conflict with other administrative
makes an appointment for her with the hospital and population-based responsibilities. The same
antenatal services. The woman offers to come can be said of the role of other primary care
back and see the GP the next week with her practitioners, for example the practice nurse, the
partner, the father of the baby, to talk about the speech therapist or the audiologist.
pregnancy further.
Sometimes, the kind of care required can be very
resource intensive. What do you think enabled Practical Exercise
this woman to obtain such integrated care so
Spend 10 minutes discussing with your GP tutor
quickly and efficiently?
what areas of his or her work are most impor-
tant and/or satisfying. Pick the top three and list
How do general practice and them in order of priority.

the GP contribute to primary

healthcare? Core values of the practice
Traditionally, general practice, with its The major responsibility of the general practice,
central figure, the GP, and its central activity, on the other hand, is to its practice population
the consultation, has been the cornerstone of as a whole, ensuring that its patient population
primary healthcare. Historically, this has obtains the best service possible and that the
developed from ‘the doctor working alone’ to general practice is organized and managed to meet
‘the practice as an organization’. As this model this responsibility (see Chapter 14).

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 How do we ensure that the patient receives most benefit from general practice and the primary healthcare service? 13

the practitioner and the practice. Practitioners

Practical Exercise usually see their major responsibility as being
‘their’ patients and, in theory at least, aim to
Spend 10 minutes discussing with the practice
empower patients as much as possible. They are
manager what areas of his or her work are most
mainly accountable to their patients and to their
important. Pick the top three and list them in
peers. The practice, on the other hand, is mainly
order of priority.
responsible for the practice population and may
need to have ‘power over’ the decisions of a few to
benefit the whole. Accountability for the practice
Is personal care compatible with teamwork? is to the practice population and, in Britain,
As GPs have traditionally been the leaders nationally to the Secretary of State for Health
in their general practices, the new and more for General Medical Services (GMS) practices
time-consuming responsibilities of running a and locally to the Primary Healthcare Trusts for
practice have often resulted in confusion and Personal Medical Services (PMS) practices. (See
dissatisfaction amongst GPs and other practice more about these arrangements, and possible
staff. Is the traditional role of a GP compatible changes in contracts with the changes to the NHS,
with the more population-based role of ‘new’ in Chapters 14 and 16.)
general practice? Increasingly, other professionals,
such as practice managers, are being brought in to
complement the GP’s work and deal with areas of How do we ensure that the
work not directly connected with the consultation patient receives most benefit
(see Chapter 14).
from general practice and the
Power, ethics, accountability primary healthcare service?
Difficulties in working relationships may arise
because of the differences in power structures,
ethical considerations and accountability between Thinking and Discussion Point
■■ As a patient, what qualities do you most
Thinking and Discussion Point require of your GP?
■■ As a student doctor, what qualities do you
It is a busy surgery on a Monday morning. most require of a patient?
A patient is demanding that the GP sees him
immediately. The receptionist is very rushed
and is hurriedly explaining that there are no ‘Patients as experts’
appointments free for that morning but that For a consultation to work, doctors and patients
she will speak with the doctor about seeing the need to see themselves as experts in their own
patient urgently. The doctor, at that moment, right, meeting to share ideas and come to an
comes into the waiting area and, without refer- understanding of what is happening and what
ring to the receptionist, warmly welcomes needs to be done in a particular situation (more
the patient and ushers him into her consult- on this in Chapter 3). The patient comes to
ing room. a consultation with knowledge of the nature
■■ What do you think led the GP to this action? of the presenting issue and the historical and
■■ How do you think the receptionist felt as a psychosocial context in which it is embedded. The
result of this action? patient also has the power to decide, ultimately,
■■ What measures could be taken to ensure what the outcome will be. The doctor, on the
that the receptionist and doctor support other hand, has access to specialist biomedical
each other’s work? information and to services. Without a sharing of
these pieces of information, the course of action

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 14 GENERAL PRACTICE AND ITS PLACE IN PRIMARY HEALTHCARE

that is best for the patient, and most cost effective, Local Involvement Networks that provide the
may not be followed. public with an opportunity to become involved in
improving health and social services.
Case Study 2.3
Mr S, a 69-year-old man, has been taken to hospital
by ambulance, very frightened, after suffering a What is the future for general
sudden attack of light-headedness. This clears practice and primary healthcare?
before the doctor has seen him, enabling him to be
sent home. He is later told that this symptom is a The British situation
side effect of the anti-hypertensive drug on which In Britain, since the beginning of the 1990s,
he has recently been started. Once he knows this, the pace of primary care development has been
he deals effectively with the symptom, which, after extremely rapid and, since April 1996, the
a little time, becomes much less of a problem. development of the NHS has been led by primary
care. The central place of general practice in the
The importance of communication provision of primary healthcare services has not
An explanation of the possible side effects of his been challenged. However, there has been an
medication on initiation of treatment would have increasing reliance on general practice to continue
prevented unnecessary distress and an expensive to develop and provide free and equal access to
trip to hospital for this man. healthcare in the face of greater restraints on
resources. This has placed an enormous strain on
What patients can teach practitioners general practice providers. In spite of this, a large
It is important for doctors and students to listen range of primary care activities and organizations
and learn from patients and to understand illness has been developed and introduced to meet the
as a human experience rather than just a cluster of challenges and to support general practice. These
symptoms and signs. have included a move towards integrating health
and social services in primary care; primary care-
Case Study 2.4 led purchasing; a greater accountability of general
Mr G, an 84-year-old widower who lived alone, practice to the NHS; general practice fund-
had mild non-insulin-dependent diabetes melli- holding; the development of paperless general
tus. His GP was constantly frustrated by the man’s practice systems, morbidity databases and audit;
refusal to adjust his diet. One day Mr G asked the the development of general practice management;
GP to visit him at home. He spoke with the GP the introduction of the nurse practitioner; and
about his life and the few pleasures left to him, of experimentation with different types of integrated
which sweets and biscuits were one. The GP was community care centres. In the UK, with the
able to see that the problem was her inability to increasing demand for primary care, government
accept the more limited but possible and reason- plans are to increase the proportion of GPs from
able goals of the patient. one third, as it is now, to at least half of all
graduates (Department of Health, 2008). A new
Consulting the patient scheme is currently (2011) being introduced
An encouraging sign in the development of which will involve GPs, in groups or consortia,
primary care services has been the inclusion of in commissioning care. GPs are being asked to
‘patients’ in the development process. User and prioritize NHS services and apportion NHS funds
community participation at all levels of practice (Department of Health, 2010). How successful
development has led to the setting up of patient- this will be is yet to be ascertained.
participation groups and dialogue between service
providers and ‘users’; self-help and community The international situation
groups which provide information and support All around the world primary care is being
for those with particular conditions or in increasingly recognized as central to a good health
particular situations; and government-funded service, needing to be supported by secondary

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 References 15

and tertiary services rather than being domi- research in order to identify effective methods for
nated by them. The WHO–UNICEF meeting in strengthening primary healthcare and linking it
Alma-Ata in 1978 (World Health Organization, to overall improvement of the healthcare system.
1978) underlined this principle, and the Alma-Ata Of particular importance is whether or not the
Declaration, in which many countries including role of the primary care practitioner as gate-
Britain committed themselves to raising the pro- keeper is supported. In European countries such
file of primary care, was an important catalyst in as Britain or Denmark where this is so, there is
the development of primary care. generally control of the geographical distribution
The international exchange of ideas in this of doctors, registration of patients, paying of GPs
field has been very active since then, and shared by capitation and salary, and essential 24-hour
challenges and responses to these challenges are patient-care coverage. In European countries
evident. Particular demographic developments where the primary care doctor is not a gatekeep-
are common shared problems internationally, er, such as Germany and Sweden, these charac-
such as an increasingly ageing population; esca- teristics commonly do not exist, and the role of
lating costs of healthcare, particularly with new the primary care generalist is not as developed or
technologies; greater restraints on spending; an valued. Outside Europe, for example in Canada
over-supply and/or a maldistribution of doc- and Australasia, these grouped correlations are
tors; a devaluing of the primary care generalist not as evident. In the USA, a useful distinction
and a greater administrative burden on health- exists between the gatekeeping role of the prac-
care workers. The WHO 2003 International titioner within a health maintenance organiza-
Conference on Primary Healthcare in Alma- tion (HMO) and the non-gatekeeping role of
Ata, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 1978 the private primary care practitioner. It has been
meeting at which the Alma-Ata Declaration was shown that fee-for-service practitioners have a 40
presented, requested member states to continue per cent excess of hospital admissions over HMO
to work towards providing adequate resources practitioners. However, the relationship between
for primary healthcare; tackling the rising bur- different systems and quality of care is extremely
den of chronic conditions; supporting the active difficult to measure past very crude parameters
involvement of local communities and voluntary such as life expectation. Assessing quality is the
groups in primary healthcare; and supporting present-day task.

SUMMARY POINTS
To conclude, the most important messages of this chapter are as follows:
■■ A primary healthcare system provides healthcare in the first instance.
■■ A primary healthcare system aims to be accessible, acceptable, cost effective and responsive to
health needs.
■■ The GP works as a member of a general practice and of the primary healthcare team that has responsi-
bilities both to the individual and to the community as a whole.
■■ The patient and the health practitioner need to work together to ensure that health-related decisions
are optimal.

References
Department of Health 2008: A high quality workforce: NHS next stage review. London: Department
of Health.
Department of Health 2010: Equity and excellence: liberating the NHS. London: The Stationery Office.
Marson, W.S., Morrell, D.C., Watkins, C.J. and Zander, L.J. 1973: Measuring the quality of general prac-
tice. Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners 23, 23–31.

00-Textbook_GP_text-cccp.indd 15 01/11/2011 14:54

 16 GENERAL PRACTICE AND ITS PLACE IN PRIMARY HEALTHCARE

Rawaf, S., De Maesseneer, J. and Starfield, B. 2008: From Alma-Ata to Almaty: a new start for primary
health care. The Lancet 372(9647), 1365–7.
World Health Organization 1978: Primary health care. Geneva: WHO.

Further reading
Gregory, S. 2009: General practice in England: an overview. London: The King’s Fund.
Meads, G. (ed.) 1996: Future options for general practice. Oxford: Radcliffe Medical Press.
Pratt, J. 1995: Practitioners and practices – a conflict of values? Oxford: Radcliffe Medical Press.
The above two books from the Primary Care Development Series, published in association with King’s
Fund, London, focus on the development of general practice within the British primary healthcare
service. The discussions also include the international context.
With the constant development of primary care around the world, the following websites give some of
the most up-to-date information:
www.nhshistory.com/
www.nhs.uk/
www.who.int/
The following references are also worth reading:
Mathers, N. and Hodgkin, P. 1989: The gatekeeper and the wizard: a fairy tale. British Medical Journal
298, 172–4.
WONCA Europe 2002: The European definition of general practice/family medicine. www.globalfami-
lydoctor.com/publications/Euro-Def.pdf

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS

2.1 Primary healthcare is: a) General practitioners whose core role is to
manage a practice
a) A network of community and hospital serv-
b) Hospital outpatient staff who make appoint-
ices that provide essential care to patients
ments for patients from the community
b) Healthcare provided by general practitioners
c) Health visitors who look after the families of
(family physicians)
children under 5
c) The treatment of acute illness
d) Practice nurses who have to have achieved
d) Healthcare provided in the first instance by a
a degree-level practice nurse training pro-
variety of community-based services
gramme
e) That which provides about 50 per cent of
e) District nurses who manage all nursing serv-
healthcare in the UK.
ices in their area.
2.2 Primary healthcare aims to provide:
2.4 Power, ethics and accountability
a) Healthcare to whoever needs it at whatever
a) In the UK, as at April 2011, accountabil-
cost
ity of the practice is to the British Medical
b) Healthcare to those who can afford it
Association
c) Healthcare based on demand
b) The route to patient participation is through
d) Healthcare to those who can access it
practice-based patient groups
e) A service that is able to identify and prioritize
c) Practices are mainly responsible for their
a population’s health needs.
patient population rather than individual
2.3 The UK primary healthcare team includes: patients

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 Single best answer questions 17

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS CONTINUED

d) GMS and PMS contracts are between a GP b) Discuss the situation with the patient, explain
and their PCT (as at April 2011) to Mr G that the practice does not accept this
e) GPs are mainly accountable to their prac- type of behaviour, ask him to apologize to the
tice staff. receptionist, and explain that if this happens
again he is at risk of being removed from the
2.5 Mr G makes abusive remarks to a reception-
practice list?
ist. He has no mental illness. On witnessing this, c) Apologize to the receptionist and explain that
and as the doctor seeing Mr G for a routine it is the practice’s responsibility to care for all
appointment, do you: patients whatever their behaviour?
a) Quickly consult with Mr G without refer- d) Agree to Mr G relating to receptionist staff of
ring to what has gone on to save any more his choice?
trouble? e) Allow reception to sort the problem out?

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This page intentionally left blank
 CHAPTER

3 The General Practice

Consultation

■■ The general practice consultation ■■ The formal staging of a consultation

■■ The content and process of the consultation ■■ Behaviours that help or hinder a consultation
■■ Roles within the consultation ■■ The narrative approach to the consultation
■■ The doctor- and patient-centredness of the ■■ Summary points
consultation ■■ References
■■ The patient’s tasks in the consultation ■■ Further reading
■■ The doctor’s tasks in the consultation ■■ Single best answer questions

The central event in the general practitioner’s professional life is the consultation. There are a number of
perspectives and frameworks that you can employ to assess the effectiveness of consultations. From observ-
ing others’ consultations, you can begin to reflect upon how to make your own consultations more effective.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this chapter you will be able to:
■■ understand the qualities of the general practice consultation;
■■ define and view the content and process of a consultation, the roles within it and doctor-centred and

patient-centred approaches;
■■ view, document and reflect upon the patient’s and doctor’s tasks in the consultation;

■■ formally stage a consultation by using three given frameworks;

■■ consider behaviours that help or hinder a consultation;

■■ consider the narrative approach to the consultation.

The general practice consultation The general practice consultation has a set of
particular qualities that set it apart from other
About one million general practitioner (GP) con-
types of consultation:
sultations take place in the UK each working day
(Gregory, 2009). The meeting between a GP and ■■ The patient makes the decision to consult with
a patient, at which health-related issues are pre- the GP. This is an important difference from,
sented and explored and management decisions for example, the hospital-based consultation,
made, provides the material with which general in which patient contact is, in the UK, gener-
practice works. ally initiated by referral from another doctor.
Understanding what happens in a consultation Patients in primary care thus come with their
is key to understanding the role of the GP. To own agenda, often unknown by their GPs
focus on the consultation is a valuable and man- until presentation. Effective communication
ageable task from which further exploration of between GP and patient is the key to accurate
primary care medicine can follow. identification and discussion of the pertinent

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 20 THE GENERAL PRACTICE CONSULTATION

issues. The idea of the patient-centred consulta- fail to see this in the context of many such consul-
tion, in which the practitioner works with the tations over time leads to a limited understanding
person rather than the illness or the presenting of the process of general practice.
issue, is explored further later in this chapter.
■■ The general practice consultation is well situ-
ated for what is called ‘whole-person medicine’.
Thinking and Discussion Point
The GP is often the first and frequently the only Consider a type of consultation other than a
medical port-of-call for the patient, who might general practice consultation (e.g. a hospital-
present for a variety of reasons repeatedly and based consultation).
over a long period of time. The family, friends ■■ What are its particular qualities?
and community of the patient are also often ■■ How does it compare with the GP consulta-
known by the GP in a similar way. The GP can tion?
therefore often understand the patient and the ■■ What are the perceived strengths and weak-
presentation in the context of the fullness of the nesses of each type of consultation?
patient’s life. A great understanding of who the
patient is and the meaning of the presentations
can thus be achieved. As part of your training, especially initially,
■■ GPs and their patients are readily accessible you will do some ‘sitting in’ on GP consultations
to one another, often over many years. This (although we encourage you also to ‘sit in the
results in the opportunity for a kind of medi- doctor’s chair’ and interview patients under close
cine that allows for a developing professional supervision as early as possible). It is useful to
relationship between patient and doctor and have some frameworks with which to view and
provides for: experience this event. In this way, you will become
– an extended type of patient and doctor obser- a more active observer and your observations will
vation, allowing the collection and processing be of greater value to yourself, your tutor and,
of information over a period of time; ultimately, the patient. Observing and reflecting
– an extended type of diagnostic process which upon your tutor’s consultations will be a good
can be developed and altered over time and introduction to your own consulting and provide
which can incorporate many levels of infor- a template for thinking about consultations you
mation, including physical, psychological observe in other parts of your course.
and social aspects; There have been many frameworks set up for
– comprehensive care, which considers the describing a consultation; a few of the major ones
physical, psychological and social needs of are outlined below.
patient, family, carers and community; Before we look at some observation frame-
– continuing care, which can be initiated by the works, there are three concepts with which you
patient and flexibly adapt to unforeseen as need to be conversant in order to understand
well as foreseen needs; more fully what is going on.
– preventive care, where every presentation is 1. The difference between content and process in
an opportunity for health promotion. the consultation.
■■ The general practice consultation is a central
2. Roles within the consultation.
activity within the UK health service, as it is in 3. The doctor-centred and the patient-centred
the main through the GP that the patient gains approach to the consultation.
access to the more specialized and usually more
expensive health services. The GP thus has a
central role in the proper use and containment The content and process of the
of limited health resources. consultation
It is important to recognize these qualities and to There is a basic distinction between the tasks that
realize that to be party to a single consultation and are focused upon in a consultation (the content)

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 Roles within the consultation 21

and the behaviours that go on in the consulta- quite a few consultations and discuss with your
tion (the process). Obviously there are certain tutor these concepts in the context of what hap-
tasks that are accomplished within a consultation. pens before you fully understand the difference.
Examples are defining the reason for the patient’s An example is provided in Figure 3.1.
attendance and arriving at a management plan. The preceding exercise will help you to under-
This is the content of the consultation. However, stand the concepts of process and content.
the way that the consultation is conducted (the
process) is also very important and directly deter-
mines the effectiveness of the encounter. The Roles within the consultation
process describes the way that the doctor and the Traditionally, society has assigned to doctors
patient behave towards each other, verbally and and patients certain roles or ways of behaving.
non-verbally. Doctors have been given the power, authority
Let me put it another way. The content and and respect to attend to a patient’s needs and
process have parallels in both music and theatre. make certain decisions on behalf of the patient.
In music the content would be the score and The patient has been encouraged to give this
the process the dynamics. In theatre the content responsibility to the doctor and to enter into the
would be the script and the process the stage ‘sick’ or ‘dependent’ role, at least temporarily
directions. You will probably need to observe or partially. The tendency is for doctors and
patients to accept these behaviours and
expectations and invite them from the other
Practical Exercise
party. These assumptions are increasingly being
Sit in on two to four consultations. It would challenged, with many doctors working towards
be useful if you could observe in pairs for this becoming less autocratic and patients working
particular task so that you can take turns to towards retaining their autonomy. However, it
record either process or content in successive is essential that we, when we are in the doctor
consultations and put your findings together role, become aware of these roles and tendencies
afterwards. Otherwise you will need to concen- and, for each patient encounter, determine how
trate on content for one consultation (or part of much they are in the best interests of patient
a consultation) and process for another. Either well-being and when they are detrimental. At
way, compare notes with your tutor afterwards. times, for example when a patient is very acutely
You may wish to report on just part of a consul- and seriously ill, we may need to assume total
tation, as reporting on the whole may prove to responsibility for their care. However, in most
be too big a task. situations, seeing the consultation as a meeting
of two individuals, each with his or her own areas

Content Process
Doctor: Are you sure of your dates? Patient: Pregnant, little anxious.

Patient: Yes, I am 26 weeks. Doctor: Busy, but interested; trying to establish how
many weeks pregnant the patient is. (leans forward)
Doctor: You can't be! Patient: Very sure of dates.

Patient: Yes I am. Look at the ultrasound report. Doctor: Querying dates.

Doctor: When was the last one done? Patient: Slightly interested and tells doctor about ultrasound.

Patient: Today. Doctor: Relieved, slightly embarrassed. (sits back)

Figure 3.1 What happens in a consultation: an example of a recording sheet.

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 22 THE GENERAL PRACTICE CONSULTATION

Figure 3.2 The consultation – but who’s consulting whom?

of expertise, and focusing the consultation on patients are, in fact, much more knowledgeable
the patient’s ideas, concerns and expectations, about their illness or presenting issue than their
seems the healthiest option. Of course we are all, doctor, for example when they have a rare medi-
at times, patients, so it is also helpful to reflect cal condition or a condition that requires ongoing
upon any changes in behaviour that might occur self-management. For a consultation to be suc-
when we are in the patient role and how this cessful, the doctor and patient must work together
impacts on the satisfaction, process and outcome to agree on the issues that they are dealing with
of the consultation. and to share information about the issues and pos-
sible explanations and consequences (Figure 3.2).
That the patient plays an active role in the con-
The doctor- and patient- sultation and that the patient and doctor have a
centredness of the consultation dialogue and work together to come to a satisfac-
tory conclusion are the aims of a consultation. Of
The degree to which a consultation is doctor-­
most importance is the idea that the consultation
centred or patient-centred is related to the roles
is there to focus on patients and their ideas, con-
that the patient and doctor adopt in their inter-
cerns and expectations about what is happening to
change. It is measured by the extent to which the
them. This is what is termed a patient-centred con-
consultation agenda, process and outcome are
sultation.
determined by the doctor or the patient.
Obviously, the doctor has expert knowledge
diagnostically and therapeutically. However, Tutor quote
patients are also experts in that they bring with I had a female student here a year ago and I had an
them the information and experience with which unusual experience with her. She was sitting here
the consultation primarily works. At times, in this chair and I asked her to interview this guy

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 The patient’s tasks in the consultation 23

who was 60, 65 perhaps … an alcoholic with TB the continuum between doctor-centredness and
… very nice quiet man who had not been attending patient-centredness. Research shows that patients
for his treatment. He was always drunk and if you do want patient-centred care where doctors take
looked at him, you would think what a waste … into account ‘the patient’s desire for information
you know … you could see that he was trying to be and for sharing decision making and responding
a nice man but he came over as a bit of a funny sort appropriately’ (Stewart, 2001).
of chap … very sad case. I asked this student to take Given this background, and that you now have
a history and I sat down there. She couldn’t keep a a basic understanding of the concepts of content,
straight face … she was actually laughing or smiling process, roles and patient- and doctor-centredness
… she couldn’t concentrate on what she was ask- within a consultation, let us move on and look at
ing this man … it was really uncomfortable for me a few of the common ways of viewing, document-
and for the patient. The patient suddenly stopped ing, reflecting upon and learning from the tasks
and said, ‘Look young lady, you are laughing, you and stages of a particular consultation.
shouldn’t laugh’, and the odd thing was that I could
see there was a problem and I couldn’t cope with it,
yet this man coped with it so well. Honestly it was
Practical Exercise
so awkward. Then she said, ‘I am not laughing’, Read through the rest of this chapter and pick
and then she became very serious because she real- out the framework that most appeals to you to
ized there was something going on and there was a begin with. Perhaps talk with your tutor before
breakdown. He looked at me so all I could do was you sit in on a surgery, and discuss how you
take over. I talked to him and I didn’t know how I might like to start to focus on the consultations.
was going to take things forward and then, again, Once you have looked at what goes on using one
he saved us. He said, ‘I am sorry young lady but I perspective, you might like to try some different
had to tell you. Somebody has to tell you. You can’t ways of looking at the consultation. There may
laugh at patients. You have to be serious.’ Then he well be others that you discover or that your
carried on talking to her for a while and they had tutor suggests you explore further.
a conversation.
When he had finished, I mean, I was a bit shaken
by the whole thing, I felt very angry, sorry for him. We will first look at the patient’s task in a con-
I felt sorry for her but I didn’t know how to actually sultation and compare this with the doctor’s task
tackle her. So many issues. How do I tell her? Why in ensuring that the patient’s needs, perceived
was she laughing? Did I do that when I was young? and real, are met. Remember that, from both
That is where it is unresolved in my mind. I actually the patient’s and the GP’s perspective, the real
think she really did learn something from it and I and the perceived needs of the patient may not
definitely learnt something from it. I thought how always be the same. From here we will go on to
graceful the patients are and how wonderful despite consider a way of looking at a more formal staging
being alcoholic and how wise he was, you know, of a consultation. The final framework that will be
the way he dealt with it. I felt it was brilliant. She presented combines both the tasks and the formal
didn’t really put herself in his shoes. Maybe if I could staging of a consultation.
have told her that every time a patient comes in she
needed to try to see if she could put herself in their
shoes, she wouldn’t actually have that problem, but
The patient’s tasks in the
it was too late. consultation
Cecil Helman (1981), a medical anthropologist,
The consultation in which the doctor inter-
suggested that patients come to the doctor to
rogates the patient and determines diagnosis
answer six questions.
and further management without involving the
patient in the process is a doctor-centred con- 1. What has happened?
sultation. Most consultations lie somewhere on 2. Why has it happened?

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 24 THE GENERAL PRACTICE CONSULTATION

3. Why to me? all the questions could be answered by patient or

4. Why now? doctor and some of the others could be answered
5. What would happen if nothing were done only partially. However, the opportunity to air
about it? these most important issues with someone she
6. What should I do about it or who should I con- trusted went a little way towards relieving some
sult for further help? of the profound anger and fear that she was expe-
riencing.
The patient may not always ask all of these
questions in every case. For example, not eve- This is a rather extreme example, the like of
ryone would consider ‘why to me?’ and ‘why which, I expect, your tutor will not ask you to
now?’ after falling down stairs and spraining their consider at this stage of your training. However,
ankle (although they might be useful questions in it illustrates the depth into which consultations,
such cases). Also, some consultations are about at times, enter. An exercise will be suggested to
health promotion issues, for example pregnancy, explore this further, in a simpler way, after the doc-
contraception, well-man or well-woman care or tor’s task in the consultation has been ­considered.
immunization. However, particularly with more
serious or long-term illnesses or when illnesses
or accidents happen at inconvenient times, such The doctor’s tasks in the
as just before a wedding or in the midst of an consultation
important time of work, they may well be asked.
It is important that the doctor is aware that the Perhaps the simplest model, used in medical
patient may be considering them, as sometimes schools for all types of ‘medical encounters’, is
they loom large in a patient’s mind but may need a the ‘three function’ model (Gask and Usherwood,
bit of sensitive probing by the doctor to bring out 2002). The three parallel functions are to build the
into the open. On the other hand, the patient may relationship (with the patient), collect data and
prefer to discuss such issues with another person agree a management plan.
such as a close friend or mentor, and the doctor Roger Neighbour (2004), a GP, has looked at
also needs to be sensitive to this option. Here is an the tasks of a consultation purely from a doctor’s
example to illustrate the patient’s task. viewpoint and has listed them as follows.
1. To connect with the patient: does this consulta-
Case Study 3.1 tion feel comfortable?
2. To summarize and verbally check with the
Mrs G, a 56-year-old woman, had come to see
patient that the reasons for the attendance are
her GP two weeks earlier with a lump in her right
clear: my understanding is . . .
breast which had been present for some time and
3. To hand over and bring the consultation to a
which had been getting larger and more irregular.
close, checking out with the patient: does that
She had also noticed some similar, smaller lumps
cover it?
in her right axilla. It was obvious at this time that
4. To ensure that a safety net exists in that no seri-
she was extremely worried, as both her mother
ous possibilities have been missed: what if … ?
and her sister had suffered from breast cancer.
5. To deal with the housekeeping of recovery and
She was also just entering into a new and very
reflection: am I okay to start another consulta-
promising relationship after being divorced 10
tion?
years previously, and her life otherwise was flour-
ishing. Her GP referred her, urgently, to a special- Case study 3.2 is another example that illus-
ist for assessment and it was discovered that she trates this way of looking at a consultation.
did indeed have breast cancer. Together, the GP
and the patient made a long appointment to talk
about what all this meant. Indeed, she did wish to Case Study 3.2
talk around all of Helman’s six questions. A very Mr D went to see a GP with a two-week history of
moving and intense consultation took place. Not lethargy, associated with an extremely sore throat

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 The formal staging of a consultation 25

and slight diarrhoea. The GP had not seen him first meeting. However, it serves to illustrate the
before, although he had been a patient at the stages that Roger Neighbour lists in his model of
surgery for some time. Mr D’s usual doctor was the consultation from the doctor’s perspective.
on holiday. He was anxious as he told the GP that Below is an exercise that you can use to exam-
his partner had similar symptoms that had been ine how a consultation addresses the experience
tentatively diagnosed as glandular fever. Mr D had of both patient and doctor. It is composed of a
also recently started an exciting new job and did number of stages, which means that your tutor
not want to have to take time off. will need to organize things quite carefully before-
It was important for the GP first to connect in hand.
some way with Mr D, as this was a first meeting
and the patient was obviously worried about his
condition and needed to trust that the GP was
Practical Exercise
competent and had his best interests at heart. The For this exercise, your tutor will need to organ-
patient talked a little about his new job and the ize the following:
good relationship that he had with the surgery ❏❏ 45 minutes of lightly booked surgery;
and his usual doctor. The GP told him about ❏❏ a space for you to interview patient(s) before
other work that he was involved in at the hospital and after the consultation(s);
and how much time he spent doing sessions at ❏❏ time to discuss the process and the
the surgery. The GP then moved on to Mr D’s consultation(s) with you;
reasons for coming to see him, first checking that ❏❏ receptionists to understand and explain
he was clear about the presenting symptoms and the process to patients and to seek patient
anxieties. This checking out continued, at times, ­consent;
throughout the consultation. ❏❏ one or two patients who would be suitable
As the consultation moved on, the GP discov- for the exercise.
ered that Mr D was concerned about the slight This exercise requires you (the student) to:
possibility that he might have contracted HIV ❏❏ interview a patient briefly before they see
and they discussed this. Mr D also told the doc- the doctor about why they have come for a
tor that he and his partner were going through consultation;
a rocky patch in their relationship. He needed ❏❏ accompany the patient into the consultation
some comforting at this stage. After examining and observe what happens;
him and discussing what should be done, the GP ❏❏ talk with the patient afterwards about what
once again summarized and verbally checked that happened: find out whether they think their
his understanding matched the patient’s under- questions were answered and whether they
standing about future management.Throughout got what they wanted from the consultation;
the consultation, at times, the GP was mentally ❏❏ talk about the consultation with the doctor
checking that no serious possibilities were being in terms of his or her perception of what
missed, such as serious illness not considered or happened;
suicide risk. The GP brought the consultation to ❏❏ discuss your findings with your tutor (who
a close by checking with Mr D that his concerns will probably be the consulting doctor as
had been covered and by arranging to see him well in this case).
again once some initial investigations had been
carried out. Finally, the GP took a few minutes
out to have a cup of tea, as this consultation had
been quite exhausting. He then felt okay to start The formal staging of a
another consultation. consultation
This sounds rather an ideal consultation and, We have so far looked at the behaviours that
in reality, few consultations run so smoothly or occur and the tasks that patients and doctors
cover such ground so successfully, especially on a hope to address (to a greater or lesser extent) in

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 26 THE GENERAL PRACTICE CONSULTATION

consultations. Let us now examine the stages of order. It also talks about the patient’s problem. It
a consultation. By this is meant the route that is worth stressing here that consultations are not
the consultation takes in order to meet the tasks just about problems or illnesses. Some are about
that are set by patient and doctor. The simplest health rather than illness issues, such as a wanted
framework with which to stage consultations is pregnancy or healthcare for travelling. However,
that produced by Byrne and Long in 1976 after this model is included because it is comprehen-
they analysed more than 2000 tape recordings sive and you might be interested in looking at
of over 100 doctors’ consultations. They came consultations, in whatever situation, in a more
up with the following six stages, rarely strictly in detailed manner.
this order.
■■ Task 1: To understand the reasons for the
■■ Phase I: the doctor establishes a relationship
patient’s attendance, including:
with the patient.
1. the patient’s problem:
■■ Phase II: the doctor either attempts to dis-
– the nature and history of the problem
cover or actually discovers the reason for the
– its aetiology
patient’s attendance.
– its effects.
■■ Phase III: the doctor conducts a verbal or physi-
2. the patient’s perspective:
cal examination, or both.
– their personal and social circumstances
■■ Phase IV: the doctor, or the doctor and the
– their ideas and values about health
patient (in that order of probability), considers
– their ideas about the problem, its causes
the condition.
and its management
■■ Phase V: the doctor, and occasionally the
– their concerns about the problem and its
patient, details further treatment or fur-
implications
ther investigation.
– their expectations for information,
■■ Phase VI: the consultation is terminated, usu-
involvement and care.
ally by the doctor.
■■ Task 2: Taking into account the patient’s per-
spective, to achieve a shared understanding:
1. about the problem
Practical Exercise 2. about the evidence and options for manage-
ment.
Try looking at some consultations to see if these
■■ Task 3: To enable the patient to choose an
stages are in fact dealt with and, if so, in what
appropriate action for each problem:
order. Discuss this first with your tutor. You
1. consider options and implications
may also like to discuss whether and to what
2. choose the most appropriate course of
extent this order is ideal and how and why stages
action.
may be missed out or dealt with in a differ-
■■ Task 4: To enable the patient to manage the
ent order in different situations. You may also
problem:
like to observe and reflect with your tutor how
1. discuss the patient’s ability to take appropri-
patient-centred or doctor-centred the different
ate actions
stages of the consultation are.
2. agree doctor’s and patient’s actions and
responsibilities
3. agree targets, monitoring and follow-up.
A rather more comprehensive framework that ■■ Task 5: To consider other problems:
combines both the tasks and the staging of a 1. not yet presented
consultation was produced by Pendleton et al. in 2. continuing problems
1984 and updated in 2003. It details seven aims of 3. at-risk factors.
the consultation, from the doctor’s and patient’s ■■ Task 6: To use time appropriately:
viewpoints, which it puts together in a logi- 1. in the consultation
cal, although not necessarily always appropriate, 2. in the longer term.

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 Behaviours that help or hinder a consultation 27

■■ Task 7: To establish or maintain a relation- knowing that the consultation was not as effective
ship with the patient that helps to achieve the as it might have been.
other tasks. Three major skills which will assist a consulta-
tion are:
Practical Exercise 1. listening
2. getting to the real reason for presentation
Pick out one of these aims (for example ‘how 3. recognizing and understanding cultural differ-
time or resources were used’ or ‘involving the ences.
patient in management decisions’) as a focus
for a surgery session. Discuss with your tutor Listening carefully and respectfully to a patient’s
the extent to which you both thought this aim story, verbal and non-verbal, seems easy, but
had been achieved in a variety of consultations. appears difficult for many of us. Attentive listen-
ing will, in the long term, identify and deal with
Finally, McElvey (2010) has come up with problems more effectively than a hurried inter-
an interesting way to view the consultation, the rogation of the patient.
‘consultation hill’. The five stages of this model We all know that what the patient presents ini-
are the preparation, where the doctor, systems tially at a consultation is not always the principal
and environment are well prepared and set up problem or issue. For example, somatic problems
for the consultation; the ascent, where informa- are often easier to present than psychosocial prob-
tion is gathered and which is largely patient-led; lems and, in fact, the patient may use a somatic
a shared summit, where doctor and patient take a symptom in the initial presentation as a ‘ticket of
moment to reflect on where they have got to; the entry’. It has been shown that where a psychoso-
descent, where management options are discussed cial issue is initially presented, this is the principal
and follow-up agreed; and reflection on what went issue in nearly all cases. However, where a somatic
well, what could been done differently and what problem is initially presented, this is the principal
this might mean for future consultations with this problem in only 53 per cent of cases (Burack
patient and with others. and Carpenter, 1983). A more sensitive problem
may be presented only indirectly or left until last,
even until the patient is at the door. GPs usually
Behaviours that help or hinder a become quite adept at picking up these indirect
consultation messages. However, sometimes, in fact quite fre-
quently, the real reason or one of the reasons for
A number of different ways have been given consultation, if it does emerge, can surprise the
to assist you in observing consultations in a doctor, often at the end of a lengthy consultation
focused, structured and, it is hoped, helpful way. in the middle of a busy surgery.
To complete this chapter on ‘the consultation’,
what you might observe as behaviour that helps Tutor quote
or hinders a consultation is briefly summarized Mr H, a 45-year-old man, opened the consultation
and discussed. by asking for the result of a full blood count ordered
Consultations frequently go wrong when the by my partner because he had a very prolonged sore
doctor fails to determine the patient’s reason throat. The lymphocyte count was just below normal
for attending, when the doctor fails to grasp the and I spent a long time discussing its significance.
ramifications of the patient’s condition, or when I was immensely relieved that he was happy to do
the doctor fails to discuss and communicate the nothing and just put up with the nuisance of his
options for diagnosis and therapy properly. The sore throat. Then, just as I was about to say ‘Is there
patient goes out of the surgery feeling misunder- anything else?’ he flattened me with the observation,
stood and frustrated. The doctor is totally una- ‘Actually my main reason for coming is that I have
ware of this, is left with an uneasy feeling that the a discharge from my penis.’ No wonder he wasn’t
consultation did not go well, or is left dissatisfied bothered about his lymphopenia!

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 28 THE GENERAL PRACTICE CONSULTATION

been lifelong, and that was why she was always dis-
Practical Exercise gruntled and it was worse here.
Note the presenting symptoms and the principal
problems identified during some consultations. Practical Exercise
How often do they correlate? Can you detect
any indirect presentations? You may detect what Take every opportunity to share with your fel-
your tutor ­misses. low students and tutors your own beliefs and
cultural experiences, especially in the health-
related area. As tutors, particularly, we need to
A common cause of poor communication is
provide situations in which such information
cultural misunderstanding. If we consider the
can be discussed in a respectful atmosphere.
term ‘culture’ in its broadest sense, this includes
differences in the doctor’s and patient’s experi-
ence and understanding in terms of such things Very early on in your training, you will be
as age, gender, sexual orientation, physical dif- encouraged to be with patients and to listen to
ference, learning ability, educational background, their stories. As you get more skilled, you will be
ethnicity, socio-economic background and prior able to start consulting formally. At this stage,
health experiences and values. Often such behav- you will be looking at your own consultations in
iours and beliefs, on the part of both the doctor these ways and getting feedback from your tutor
and the patient, are not explicit and we are not to assist this process. You may also be given the
consciously aware of them. For other consulta- opportunity to use video recordings and audio-
tions, for example when the patient and doctor do tapes to record your consultations.
not share the same language, the differences are Take every opportunity to sit and talk with
obvious (see the ‘Special communication skills’ patients, and discuss with your tutor how to
sections of Chapter 4). It is important that we, accomplish this in the safest and most appro-
as doctors, are aware of difference, valuing diver- priate and effective way for both you and the
sity and finding pleasure in learning from those patient. Remember that to be a doctor or to be
of other cultural backgrounds. Valuing diversity a patient are just two of the many roles that you
also requires a heightened sensitivity to issues of have. Doctors are not exempt from being patients
stereo­typing and prejudice. at times.

Tutor quote
There is a guy with an Italian second name, nice Practical Exercise
guy, and he was a student here, ages ago. There was
this woman came in, he was sitting in, and she was A useful way of reflecting on consultations is to
an elderly Italian woman who I knew pretty well. write your experiences down and then discuss
She was always miserable and I said to the student them with fellow students and tutors. What
‘Look, why don’t you take her off into the room for we have found helpful with our students is
half an hour.’ So he said ‘Yes’, and so he did, and to create what we call a log diary of, say, four
later on in the morning I had sort of half forgotten consultations, each of one side of A4 paper (no
about it and I said absentmindedly, ‘Well, did you more than 500 words). We suggest the following
crack it then?’ and he said ‘Oh yeah’. ‘Well what framework:
is the scam?’ and he said ‘Oh, it is because she is ❏❏ brief description of presentation, content
from Venice and her husband is from one of the and process of the consultation (one para-
neighbouring rural villages and therefore this wasn’t graph),
acceptable in the villagers’ eyes, so it was all to do ❏❏ brief discussion of the outcome of the con-
with the sort of class system relating to, you know, sultation (one paragraph),
the village life in the Venice area.’ This was the basis ❏❏ your own response to the consultation
of her disgruntlement with her husband, which had (one paragraph),

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 The narrative approach to the consultation 29

Practical Exercise continued

❏❏ what you learnt from the consultation
(one paragraph).
In this exercise, the description of your response
to the consultation and what you learnt from the
consultation are as important as your descrip-
tion of patient presentation and outcome.
The following headings are suggestions for top-
ics you can use to describe your experience of
different consultations.
❏❏ Common self-limiting condition
❏❏ Long-term condition
❏❏ Disability
❏❏ Screening/prevention or health promotion
❏❏ Life event
❏❏ Health beliefs
❏❏ Prescribing
❏❏ Conflict
❏❏ Other.
It is also a good exercise to think of a caption
that encapsulates your sense of the consulta-
tion, for example ‘Nothing to fall back on – the
physical injury mirrors the emotional difficulty.’ Figure 3.3 Learning from the patient.
We have found it useful to discuss one or more
of these case studies in seminar groups, in order
to make the task of completing the remaining
and the patient’s family and community, the doc-
case studies more enjoyable and rewarding.
tor and society. Over the last 30 years generally
The resultant log diary can be used for assess-
and the last 15 years in the medical world, there
ment purposes.
has been an increasing interest in the idea of nar-
rative. This ‘study of story telling’ explores how
Remember that consultations have an emo- we construct our stories as individuals and com-
tional element and sometimes they can have quite munities, how we tell them to each other, and how
an effect on you and the patient. Share such expe- stories change over time. The narrative approach
riences with your tutor as they can hold informa- challenges ideas that we might have regarding
tion that can be important in your learning and reality and the authoritative voice of Western
may need to be followed up with the patient. The medicine in defining reality. Could even scientific
Balint Society, founded in 1969, was set up to help reality be just a set of stories that a group of people
GPs towards a better understanding of the emo- happen to believe for a period of time? The nar-
tional content of the doctor–patient relationship rative approach invites us as doctors to hold dual
(www.balint.co.uk). respect and an open mind for the worth of both
the medical story and the patient’s story, the sci-
entific and the patient’s explanation of reality and
The narrative approach to the of the meaning of health and illness.
consultation All our talk of the patient’s and doctor’s tasks
and the formal staging of consultations does
The ‘stuff’ of the consultation is the story, in fact perhaps give us a sense of order and control – of
the intersection of stories – those of the patient a process that can be understood and measured

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 30 THE GENERAL PRACTICE CONSULTATION

– and knowledge is power. However, is a more simply witnessing the patient telling their story
open-ended approach to the consultation, with a is all that is required (Figure 3.3). At other times,
resultant relinquishing of some of the power that the stages of the consultation may be reached
we hold as doctors, more valuable in making sense after many consultations. Even more widely, the
of health and illness? We, as doctors, may feel safer story that is told and the actions that follow may
following the rules of history taking or the staging belong to a family or a community. The narrative
of a consultation, but what if this differs from approach broadens our understanding of the con-
what the patient wants to reveal to us? At times, sultation.

SUMMARY POINTS
To conclude, the most important messages of this chapter are as follows:
■■ The consultation is the central activity of a GP.
■■ It is important to be able to distinguish between the content and process of a consultation.
■■ The roles that the patient and doctor adopt in the consultation are related to the degree of doctor- or
patient-centredness in that consultation.
■■ The tasks of the doctor and patient in a consultation have different emphases and, for a consultation to
be effective, the doctor and patient need to meet as experts.
■■ Listening, getting to the real reason for presentation and understanding cultural differences are three
key areas which contribute to an effective consultation.
■■ Valuing the stories that we hear helps us all to make sense of the patient’s journey.

References
Burack, R.C. and Carpenter, R.R. 1983: The predictive value of the presenting complaint. Journal of
Family Practice 16(4), 749–54.
Byrne, P.S. and Long, B.E.L. 1976: Doctors talking to patients. London: HMSO.
Gask, L. and Usherwood, T. 2002: ABC of psychological medicine. The consultation. British Medical
Journal 324, 1567–9.
Gregory, S. 2009. General practice in England: An overview. London: The King’s Fund
Helman, C.G. 1981: Disease versus illness in general practice. Journal of the Royal College of General
Practitioners 31, 548–52.
McElvey, I. 2010: The consultation hill: a new model to aid teaching consultation skills. British Journal
of General Practice 60(576), 538–40.
Neighbour, R. 2004: The inner consultation, 2nd edn. Newbury: Petroc Press.
Pendleton, D., Schofield, T., Tate, P. and Havelock, P. 2003: The new consultation. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Stewart, M. 2001: Towards a global definition of patient centred care. British Medical Journal 322, 444–5.

Further reading
Byrne, P.S. and Long, B.E.L. 1976: Doctors talking to patients. London: HMSO.
This is one of the ‘classics’ in general practice research and is well worth reading if you are interested
in the general practice consultation.
Fraser, R.C. 1999: Clinical method. A general practice approach, 3rd edn. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann.
This is a very useful and succinct British text of general practice that has two good chapters on the
consultation and the doctor–patient relationship.

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 Single best answer questions 31

Greenhalgh, T. and Hurwitz, B. (ed.) 1998: Narrative based medicine – dialogue and discourse in clinical
practice. London: BMJ Books.
This challenges our frameworks of the consultation and encourages us to think more deeply about the
construction of meaning.
Kai, J. 2003: Ethnicity, health and primary care. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
This is a concise and practical introduction to ethnicity and healthcare. The general principles outlined
in this book are readily transferable to other healthcare settings and issues of diversity.
Launer, J. 2002: Narrative-based primary care. Abingdon: Radcliffe Medical Press.
Both philosophical and practical, this is a good introduction to the narrative approach, challenging our
understanding of the consultation.
McWhinney, I.R. 2009: A textbook of family medicine, 3rd edn. New York: Oxford University Press.
This is a larger text than that of Fraser. It is based on the North American and British experiences
and is more philosophical in nature. It has some wonderful reading on all aspects of general practice,
including the consultation.
Morgan, M. 2008: The doctor–patient relationship. In: Scambler, G. (ed.) Sociology as applied to medi-
cine, 6th edn. London: Saunders Elsevier.
A good summary of sociological thinking around the doctor–patient relationship.
Pendleton, D., Schofield, T., Tate, P. and Havelock, P. 2003: The consultation. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
This is another of the classic general practice texts on the consultation.
Tate, P. 2010: The doctor’s communication handbook, 6th edn. Abingdon: Radcliffe Medical Press.
This concentrates on how to communicate with patients in whatever setting you meet them. It is easy
and fun to read.
Tuckett, D., Boulton, M., Olson, C. and Williams, A. 1985: Meetings between experts. London:
Tavistock Publications.
This thought-provoking book makes for useful reading for all clinicians and aspiring clinicians. From
a study of more than 1000 primary care consultations, questions about the objectives of such meetings
are asked and discussed.

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS

3.1 What is the best example of ‘process’ in the fol- b) The doctor takes a back seat and lets the
lowing descriptive excerpts from a consultation? patient decide on management
c) The doctor decides what is best for the patient
a) The patient reports hand pain
d) The doctor puts the patient in the centre of
b) The GP takes a history and examines the
their considerations on management
patient’s hand
e) The patient is most important in a holistic
c) The patient anxiously waits while the GP hur-
model of care.
riedly writes up the notes
d) The GP refers her to the musculoskeletal 3.3 In a consultation:
assessment clinic
a) At the start of the consultation the GP must
e) The GP provides a repeat script for medica-
establish a good relationship with the patient
tion for her baby’s eczema.
b) Discovering the reason for the patient’s
3.2 Patient-centredness is best defined as: attendance is crucial as a first step
c) A physical examination is an essential part of
a) The doctor takes into account the patient’s
the GP consultation
desire for taking an active role in the consul-
d) ‘Safety netting’ is making sure that the GP is
tation
working in a safe environment

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 32 THE GENERAL PRACTICE CONSULTATION

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS CONTINUED

e) It is important to reflect on your strong emo- c) Re-examine her and order more investiga-
tional responses in a consultation. tions
d) Talk with her about what else is going on in
3.4 Ms G. comes to see you and tells you that
her life
she has had three colds in the last two months. e) Teach her about the natural history and self-
You examine her and order some blood tests. care of the common cold.
She returns two weeks later. There is nothing
abnormal in her history, examination or inves- 3.5 The best way of learning about cultural issues
tigations that make you think there is a serious presenting in the consultation comes from:
physical cause for her recurrent colds. However a) Extensive undergraduate medical training
she is hesitant to leave the consultation. What is b) Information from books, newspapers and on
the most important thing you should you do in the internet
this situation? c) Listening to patients
a) Reassure her further d) Sharing information with colleagues
b) Reassure her and ask her to return if she has e) Seeking to experience as much cultural differ-
more colds ence as possible.

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 CHAPTER

4 General Practice Skills

■■ Skills and professional responsibilities ■■ Special communication skills

■■ Acquiring new skills ■■ Summary points
■■ How to use this chapter ■■ References
■■ Basic professional skills ■■ Further reading
■■ Skills used in clinical examination and ■■ Appendix: Assessing practical skills in general
diagnosis practice
■■ Skills used in clinical management and
treatment

Skills are essential to general practice. History taking and physical examination are the cornerstones of the
consultation and require good communication and examination skills for the satisfactory management of
patients. The general practitioner is expected to be competent in a range of skills, the most important of which
are explained in this chapter.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this chapter, in relation to each skill listed in the training plan below, you should:
■■ know what the skill entails;
■■ understand the basic science of that skill;

■■ know the clinical indications for the skill;

■■ know the key steps in performing the skill, having rehearsed the procedure on a model, or volunteer;

■■ be aware of avoidable pitfalls or hazards of performing the skill;

■■ know your level of competence by asking your clinical tutor or supervisor to assess you;

■■ feel competent to practise the skill in a variety of clinical settings;

■■ know that you treat patients with courtesy and respect when performing a skill.

Skills and professional to hospital. With busy work schedules in general

responsibilities practice, the management of patients is shared
with other members of the primary healthcare
Examining ears, measuring blood pressure, giv- team especially practice and community nurses.
ing injections, taking blood and syringing ears GP training demands high standards in skills
are all in a day’s work for a general practitioner performance as well as responsibility for ensuring
(GP). Some GPs extend their service to patients competence in staff to whom work is delegated.
by acquiring more specialized skills, for example Training in clinical skills involves the acquisi-
minor surgery, doing electrocardiograms (ECGs) tion of specific technical competencies and an
or rectal examination by proctoscopy – proce- appropriate professional approach, combining
dures for which other patients would be referred both the art and the science of medicine.

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 34 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

Patients should feel reassured and confident in ■■ How to maintain patient confidentiality (all
your ability: giving information about the proce- years)
dure and why it needs to be undertaken, giving ■■ How to obtain informed consent (all years)
your patient an opportunity to ask questions ■■ How to examine patients: following a code of
and discuss anxieties and, finally, obtaining your practice (all years).
patient’s informed consent. The basis of practice
is that patients should be actively involved in their Skills used in clinical examination and diagnosis
care. You have a responsibility to allow them the ■■ How to take a radial pulse (UG Year 1)
right to refuse examination and treatment. You ■■ How to measure blood pressure (UG Year 1)
also have a professional responsibility to ensure ■■ How to weigh and measure a patient (UG Years
that you are competent in all procedures per- 1, 2)
formed on patients, and that these competencies ■■ How to take a temperature (UG Year 1)
are maintained and updated throughout your ■■ How to examine an ear (UG Years 3, 4)
professional career. ■■ How to use urine and blood dipsticks (UG
Years 2, 3)
■■ How to use a mini-peak flow meter (UG Years
Acquiring new skills 2, 3).
When learning a new skill you will work through
a set of learning objectives, practise until you feel Skills used in clinical management and treatment
confident, and then perform the skill in a clinical ■■ Intradermal, subcutaneous and intramuscular
setting. By revising and applying relevant basic injections (UG Years 3, 4, 5)
science, you will gain a deeper understanding of ■■ How to syringe an ear (FY1+2)
the principles and the components of that skill. ■■ How to take a blood sample (venepuncture)
Working with patients is a real incentive for some (UG Year 3)
preparatory reading! ■■ How to write a prescription (UG Year 5,
Begin by practising on a model, then transfer FY1+2).
to the consulting room. The adage of ‘see one, do
one, teach one’ has been superseded by ‘prepare, Special communication skills
practise, perform and perfect’. When you feel
■■ How to write a referral letter (UG Year 5,
ready, ask your tutor to assess your competence.
FY1+2)
If you fail to achieve a satisfactory standard
■■ How to sign a Medical Certificate of Cause of
you should repeat the assessment. However
Death (death certificate) (UG Year 5 [observe],
disheartening this may be, minimum standards
FY1 + 2)
of competence are important for the safe practice
■■ How to consult with special age groups (chil-
of medicine.
dren and elderly people)
– children (UG Year 4)
How to use this chapter – elderly people (UG Years 3, 4)
■■ Communicating with patients with limited or
The skills described in this chapter are grouped no English (all years)
into three sections. The level of undergraduate ■■ How to do a home visit (UG Years 1, 2).
(UG) or postgraduate training in the Foundation
Years 1 and 2 (FY1, FY2) when you would be Each exercise takes you sequentially through the
expected to start performing the skill is indicated steps in performing that skill, and is designed as a
in brackets, although timing will vary according to self-directed learning tool away from your tutor.
the programme. Try first to observe a competent practitioner dem-
onstrate a specific skill. When you have worked
Basic professional skills through each exercise, get your tutor to check
■■ How to behave professionally (all years) your technique.

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 How to use this chapter 35

Each exercise has the following format: students who show little caring touches, like helping
an old lady to get dressed or helping somebody with
1. clinical indications for using the skill,
a backache off the couch rather than leaving them
2. background information on relevant basic science,
until they fall off. This somehow always helps me to
3. a list of equipment required,
spot those doctors I believe to be the caring doctors
4. a step-by-step outline of the procedure,
who won’t leave the nurses to go behind them to tidy
5. points of practice, highlighting commonly
up the patient.
encountered problems,
6. a practical exercise or thinking and discussion ■■ How do you handle difficult questions? Some
point to reinforce your learning. patients may confront you with questions that
challenge your experience. For example, if you
Questions to ask before you start each skills are asked ‘Have you done this before? I don’t
exercise want to be your guinea-pig’, you should be
honest. Over-confidently telling a patient you
■■ What background knowledge do you need have undertaken a procedure numerous times
to understand the procedure? Think of your when you are a novice is unacceptable. If you
basic science: the anatomy of the ear, the feel uncomfortable, consult your tutor.
biochemistry of blood glucose measurement, ■■ How can you improve? After performing a skill,
for example. ask your patient and tutor for feedback. If you
■■ Have you previous experience? Are you confi- feel out of your depth, ask for help. Keep calm
dent or do you need to improve and if so, how? throughout, even if you are having techni-
Whom should you ask for guidance? cal difficulties.
■■ What are your learning aims and objectives?
How should you do it? What standard of prac-
Tutor quote
tice is expected for minimum competence?
When should you ask to be assessed? I remember a student who was anxious about
■■ What equipment do you need? Check out what
examining patients, to the extent that she was worse
you need before you start. Get the equip- than I was when I took my first blood test. She was
ment ready. getting trembly and sweaty and I only realized
■■ How do you get started? Arrange for a ‘dummy-
when I watched her taking a blood pressure that
run’, preferably on a model, or staff or student she couldn’t really do it. We went through it and in
volunteer. When you feel confident, demon- the end we simplified things right down to the point
strate your skill to your tutor before transfer- where she just sat with me and checked patients’
ring to a patient. pulses until she felt calm about holding people’s
■■ How do you obtain consent from a patient to let
hands and touching people, and that always struck
you practise on them? Your tutor will introduce me as being such a small bit of learning in terms of
you to a patient and obtain his or her per- learning but so important as a hurdle to get over.
mission. Common courtesies are an integral ■■ How do you know when you are competent? Your
part of professional practice. Always introduce tutor can help you develop and improve your
yourself and explain what you intend to do skills by:
before and during the procedure. Offer to help – arranging equipment, suitable patients, and
patients who need help positioning themselves space to practise,
on the examination couch. Thank your patients – supervising you,
afterwards for their cooperation. – advising about correct techniques,
– monitoring your progress,
Tutor quote – checking your competence,
There are many students who surprise me with their – signing your personal training plan/skills
knowledge. It is also good to see when a student is record (see later in this chapter),
actually caring about patients and I have had lots of – giving you feedback from the patient.

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 36 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

Tutor quote ■■ Confidentiality should be maintained for all

Students with confidence … they can do everything time, even after a patient’s death.
… no problem … ‘Taking blood … leave it to me
Practical advice
… I’ll take the blood on this patient’. After a few
­minutes, I pop back to see how the student is get- As most patient files are now electronic, you will
ting on and I am horrified to see that there is blood need to arrange for password-protected access
all over the place. They have done the whole thing to patient information. You must not print or
wrong: they have kept the tourniquet on with the photocopy patient electronic records, and never
needle out … blood everywhere … student not save patient information on USB sticks, or paste
wearing gloves … a good example of how tutors into emails.
should make sure to supervise … somebody should ■■ Self-written notes on patients for study pur-
be watching the student. poses must be anonymized and secured in a
case or folder.
■■ If you photograph patients for projects, you
Basic professional skills must obtain their consent, and cover the eyes if
Throughout your medical career it is essential for used for presentation or publication.
professional practice that you have good relation- ■■ You must not discuss any patient’s personal or
ships with patients and colleagues: clinical details in a public place where confiden-
tial information can be overheard.
■■ always treat patients with politeness and con-
Remember:
sideration,
■■ every patient has a right to confidentiality,
■■ involve patients in decisions about their care,
■■ every student has an obligation to respect that
■■ show respect for patients and colleagues with-
right,
out prejudice with respect to background, lan-
■■ breaching confidentiality is a disciplinary
guage, culture and lifestyle,
offence.
■■ recognize the rights of patients, particularly with
regard to confidentiality and informed consent. How to obtain informed consent ⚑
Before you examine, treat or care for competent
⚑ How to maintain patient confidentiality adult patients, you must obtain their consent.
Throughout your medical career, you will have Adults include persons aged 16 years and over.
access to private and sensitive information about Consent must be given voluntarily and not under
patients. Personal details will be shared with you pressure from others. Consent may be written,
in total confidence on the understanding that oral or non-verbal. Children who understand
information will not be divulged to others except what is involved in the proposed procedure can
for the purposes of teaching and to other profes- also give consent, ideally with involvement of their
sionals involved in your patient’s care. Patients parents (General Medical Council, 2007).
have a right to expect that you will not pass on
■■ Before you take a history or examine a
confidential information without their consent
patient, obtain permission from your tutor or
(General Medical Council, 2006, 2009a).
supervisor.
■■ Confidentiality is central to the trust between ■■ Introduce yourself to your patient by your
patients and doctors. full name, stating you are a medical student,
■■ Confidential information includes all personal your course and place of study. Explain your
details and data disclosed verbally, in writing or intentions, whether you wish to take a history,
on computer. make an examination or carry out a procedure,
■■ Confidential information used for teaching explaining what is involved and the reason for
must be anonymized (i.e. all personal details doing it. Check that your patient understands
have been removed from clinical notes, written and ask if they have any questions. Assure
and oral presentations and project work). your patient of confidentiality and obtain their

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 Basic professional skills 37

c­ onsent to proceed. Explain that a patient has defence union. At most medical schools this
the right to decline examination, and that this is compulsory. Once qualified, you cannot be
will not affect their management. employed without membership of a medical
defence union.
Consent for student undertaking an intimate
examination of patient Consulting with patients in the surgery
■■ If examining an intimate area of the body, for ■■ As a student, always obtain permission from
example the breasts, genitalia, vagina or rec- a doctor or nurse before taking a history or
tum, in addition to obtaining verbal consent, examining a patient.
you must always offer the patient a chaperone, ■■ Privacy is essential. Patient conversations
preferably your supervisor or other profession- should not be overheard.
al. Record in the patient’s records your exami- ■■ The seating arrangement in the consulting
nation and findings and state that consent was room is important. It is preferable for the
given. Sign and date this entry. patient to be seated to the side of or at an angle
to the doctor’s chair rather than directly oppo-
Consent for student undertaking a surgical procedure site and separated by the desk in a confronta-
or an invasive examination on a patient tional way (Figure 4.1).
■■ It may be your medical school policy that stu- ■■ Using computers: patients prefer to see the
dents must obtain a patient’s written consent screen even if this means slightly turning your
before making an invasive examination. If so, back to the patient when inputting data.
ask your patient to sign and date a statement ■■ Introduce yourself to the patient by name.
of the procedure to be undertaken, or use an Explain your status – medical student or
official consent form. This should be counter­ Foundation Year doctor training in the prac-
signed by your tutor, and scanned into the tice. A student should never pose as a doctor.
patient’s health record. ■■ Non-verbal behaviour reveals much about you.
Maintain eye-to-eye contact throughout the
⚑ How to examine patients: following a code
of practice
consultation. Looking away momentarily is
acceptable, but always refocus on the patient’s
Patient consultations in general practice tend to face, even if not reciprocated. Encourage your
be more relaxed than in hospitals. Most GPs and patient to respond to questions. Listen atten-
practice nurses do not wear white coats or uni- tively, acknowledging you are hearing in an
forms. Such informality encourages good rapport interactive way, such as a nod of the head,
between patients and staff and facilitates patient- smile or murmur of assent. Ensure your body is
centred consultations. However, it is important relaxed, particularly your arms, which are best
that the patient–doctor relationship is maintained held open on your lap. Sitting forward, leaning
within professional boundaries, and staff need to on your desk or folding your arms across your
be aware that over-familiarity with patients may, chest suggests aggression and is not conducive
exceptionally, lead to misinterpretation of the to open conversation.
doctor–patient relationship in which allegations ■■ When your patient is talking, avoid interrupt-
of improper behaviour might arise. To avoid this, ing until there is a natural pause. If patients
it is essential that all healthcare staff follow a code talk incessantly or ramble, you may need to
of conduct in clinical settings. interrupt and summarize the salient points, to
refocus the consultation.
Being a student in general practice ■■ Keep discussion relevant. Avoid personal or
■■ Your identity badge should be prominently humorous comments or terms of endearment
displayed at all times. Check the accepted dress to your patient. It is unprofessional to refer to
code with your GP tutor or trainer before start- your own personal circumstances for illustrative
ing your placement. purposes, and preferable to phrase a personal
■■ You should be a member of a medical experience in the context of a third person.

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 38 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

Figure 4.1 Recommended seating in a GP consulting room showing doctor and patient.

■■ Avoid writing notes or entering data on the the examination and seek tutor or supervi-
computer while your patient is talking. sor advice.
■■ After the examination is completed, assist
Examining patients and professional etiquette the patient off the couch and ask them to
■■ Your patient should be allowed privacy to get dressed.
undress and dress. Explain which garments ■■ Explain your examination findings to your
should be removed, where they should be patient, and thank them for their cooperation.
placed. Draw the curtains around the exami- ■■ Ensure the examination couch has a clean cover
nation couch so you do not observe the for the next patient.

⚑
patient undressing.
■■ Cover the examination couch with clean paper.
When should you use a chaperone?
■■ Ask your patient to let you know when he or Students should never do an intimate examina-
she is ready for examination. Minimize patient tion without a supervising doctor or nurse present
exposure by providing a cover for exposed body who will act as chaperone. Doctors in training
parts when not being examined. You should such as FY1 should ask their clinical supervisor
avoid examining patients underneath their gar- or other supervising GP to act as chaperone and
ments. if unavailable should ask another professional in
■■ Keep discussion relevant to the examination. the practice (e.g. a practice nurse). This includes
■■ If your patient is uncomfortable, distressed or examination of the genitalia, rectum or female
aroused, withdraws consent, makes inappropri- breasts. Established GPs may have difficulty find-
ate remarks or you feel ill at ease, discontinue ing a chaperone in practice but a chaperone

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 Skills used in clinical examination and diagnosis 39

is essential if the GP is the opposite sex to the to the heart (i.e. the carotid, brachial and femoral
patient. One possibility is to offer an examination pulses). The normal adult pulse rate is 60–85
at a later time when the patient can return with a beats per minute. A rapid pulse, or tachycardia,
friend or relative as chaperone, or offer the patient is defined as a pulse rate of 100 beats or more
the option of examination by a doctor of the same per minute, and a slow pulse, or bradycardia, is
sex. Surveys have shown that adults of both sexes less than 60 beats per minute. The pulse rhythm
would prefer a nurse as chaperone and teenagers is the degree of regularity of the pulse. The pulse
would prefer a parent. If no chaperone is available, should be regular, although there may be a notice-
it is preferable to delay the examination rather able variation with respiration, known as sinus
than be placed at risk. arrhythmia. A pulse is reported as regular or irreg-
■■ Never examine an intimate body area of a patient ular. An irregular pulse is described as regularly
unnecessarily. This may be misinterpreted. irregular when the irregularities can be predicted,
■■ If you are a chaperone, observe the examina- such as in second degree heart block, or irregu-
tion from the side of the couch. If you have larly irregular, as in most cases of atrial fibrillation,
concerns, you should discuss with the examiner when there is an erratic pattern. Pulse volume is
and suggest the examination is stopped. difficult to assess at the radial pulse. However,
a low-volume pulse can be described as ‘weak’,
while a high-volume pulse can be described as
Skills used in clinical examination ‘bounding’. Peripheral pulse characteristics are
and diagnosis modified by the properties of the arteries, as in
arterial narrowing. Pulse form is a description of
How to take a radial pulse the character of the pulse wave (i.e. whether the
Taking an arterial pulse is one of the most fun- wave is slow to rise, as in stenosis [narrowing] of
damental skills in medical practice and is used the aorta, or falls rapidly, when it is known as a
in the baseline monitoring of a patient’s clinical collapsing pulse, as in aortic regurgitation).
condition. You will be introduced to this skill in
the first year of the undergraduate course. The Procedure for taking a radial pulse
arterial pulse can be measured at any anatomical
A radial pulse is measured with your second, third
site where a main artery runs close to the body
and fourth fingers. Avoid using your thumb as
surface and is accessible to palpation. These sites
pulsation in the thumb may be confused for the
include the carotid, brachial, radial, femoral, pop-
patient’s radial pulse and lead to an inaccurate
liteal, posterior tibial and dorsalis pedis arteries.
reading. This is less of a problem for stronger
The pulse most routinely taken is the radial pulse
pulses such as the femoral and carotid.
because of its accessibility.
1. Ask the patient to rest his or her forearm on
Background knowledge: the physiology of pulse a surface with the palm of the hand upper-
measurement most. The arm may be supported with your
When the left ventricle of the heart contracts, a own hand.
column of arterial blood is ejected into the aorta, 2. Feel the patient’s radial pulse along the outer
transmitting a pulse wave into the arterial system. border of the wrist using your three middle fin-
This pulse wave takes between 0.2 and 0.5 seconds gers.
to reach the feet, although the speed of the column 3. The rate is measured with the second hand of a
of blood is about ten times slower. The form of the watch by counting the pulse beats in a defined
pulse wave is determined by the quantity of blood period – usually 15 seconds – and multiplying
ejected into the aorta, the speed of ejection and the (in this case by 4) to give the pulse rate per
elasticity of the arterial wall. minute. If the patient has an irregular pulse,
The arterial pulse has four characteristics: rate, you should count the rate over one minute for
rhythm, volume and form. These are most accu- greater accuracy, although measurement by
rately assessed in the main pulses that are closest heart auscultation will be more precise.

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 40 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

Practical points urement early in the undergraduate course in

■■ Use a watch with a second hand for clinical physiology or in a clinical setting. By the third
teaching and examinations, otherwise you can- year, you will be expected to measure blood pres-
not take an accurate pulse measurement and sure routinely on patients. Several methods are
risk failing a clinical examination. used, each with advantages and disadvantages,
■■ Take the radial pulses on both sides of the body
and different levels of accuracy. The most com-
(Figure 4.2). It is good practice to compare the monly used method is the manual sphygmoma-
two simultaneously, as weakness or delay in one nometer based on auscultation. This consists of an
will give a clue about arterial disease. inflatable cuff, a measuring unit, either an aneroid
gauge or a mercury manometer, and an inflation
bulb and valve. Automatic devices use oscillatory
methods. Mercury sphygmomanometers are less
commonly used now because of the risk of envi-
ronmental mercury toxicity. Equipment should be
regularly serviced every six months.
Common indications for blood pressure meas-
urement include:
■■ screening at well-person checks,
■■ assessing fitness for employment or insurance
acceptance,
■■ diagnosing hypertension,
■■ monitoring treated hypertension.

Because a diagnosis of hypertension has lifelong

implications, it is important it is measured accu-
rately. It is recommended practice to measure
Figure 4.2 Method for palpating the radial pulse. Reprinted and report blood pressure after a patient has been
from John MacLeod, Clinical examination: a textbook for resting for 10–15 minutes. If the blood pressure
students and doctors by teachers of the Edinburgh Medical is raised at the start of the consultation, the read-
School, © 1983 Elsevier Ltd, with permission from Elsevier.
ing should be repeated after several minutes. A
minimum of two measurements should be taken
Tutor quote
at each visit and 24-hour ambulatory and home
A tutor was examining third-year students in an readings are now recommended as well. Initially
OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination). it seems complex in terms of coordination, but
The candidate was fashionably dressed in designer becomes straightforward with practice.
gear. The first question required the student to
take the patient’s pulse. The student looked at the Background knowledge: anatomy and
watch and then at the examiner and exclaimed, ‘I physiology of blood pressure measurement
can’t; my watch has no second hand!’ The student All methods are based on the blood pressure
scored no marks and failed. Fortunately for the changes that arise from compression of the bra-
student, the OSCE was an end-of-term formative chial or radial artery to a pressure above the
assessment and not the final qualifying examina- systolic pressure and from decompression to that
tion. Students cannot undertake full examination below the diastolic pressure (Figures 4.3–4.6). The
of patients in clinical practice without a practically pressure is applied using an inflatable cuff that
designed watch. encircles the arm and compresses the brachial
artery to restrict blood flow. Digital wrist models
How to measure blood pressure compress the radial artery.
This is one of the most commonly performed Systolic blood pressure is indicated by a tapping
procedures. You may start blood pressure meas- sound that originates in the artery distal to (away

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 Skills used in clinical examination and diagnosis 41

Cuff pressure more than 120 mmHg

Brachial artery

Antecubital fossa Figure 4.5 The effect of increasing the pressure in the
sphygmomanometer above that in the brachial artery.
When the cuff pressure exceeds the systolic arterial
pressure (120 mmHg), no blood progresses through the
arterial segment under the cuff, and no sounds can be
detected by a stethoscope bell placed on the arm distal to
the cuff.

Radial artery at
point where pulse is taken
Cuff pressure less than 80 mmHg

Figure 4.3 Positions of the brachial and radial arteries in

relation to surface markings (anterior view).

Figure 4.6 The effect of reducing the pressure in the

sphygmomanometer below the diastolic artery pressure.
When the cuff pressure falls below the diastolic arterial
140 point B pressure, blood flow is restored to the brachial artery,
point S arterial flow past the region of the cuff is continuous, and
Blood pressure (mmHg)

120
no sounds are audible. When the cuff pressure is between
100 120 and 80 mmHg, spurts of blood traverse the artery
segment under the cuff with each heartbeat, and the
80
point D Korotkoff sounds are heard through the stethoscope.
60 point C
40
20 Oscillatory methods
1 2 3 4 5 6 Oscillatory methods are used in automatic devic-
Time (seconds)
es. They are based on the principle that blood
flowing through an artery between systolic and
point S = systolic pressure diastolic pressures causes vibrations in the arte-
point D = diastolic pressure
= blood pressure in the cuff rial wall that are transmitted to the air in the cuff.
These are detected and transduced into electri-
Figure 4.4 The effect of falling pressure in the
cal signals to produce a digital readout. Newer
sphygmomanometer on the arterial blood pressure.
Consider that the arterial blood pressure is being measured models use ‘fuzzy logic’ to decide how much the
in a patient whose blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg. The device should be inflated to start readings at about
pressure (represented by the oblique line) in a cuff around 20 mmHg above the patient’s systolic pressure.
the patient’s arm is allowed to fall from greater than
120 mmHg (point B) to below 80 mmHg (point C) in
Deflation of the cuff is automatic and occurs at
about six seconds. a rate of about 4 mmHg per second. Oscillatory
methods may seem slower than the auscultatory
from the centre of the body) the cuff as the cuff methods but are more accurate.
pressure falls below the peak arterial pressure.
This allows blood to spurt into the compressed What you will need
artery. Diastolic blood pressure is defined as the ■■ An aneroid or mercury sphygmomanometer.
point at which sounds disappear as the cuff pres- ■■ An arm cuff with connecting tubing attached to
sure falls below the minimum arterial pressure, a rubber bulb and to the sphygmomanometer.
allowing blood flow to become continuous. ■■ A stethoscope.

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 42 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

About the equipment meniscus. Recent guidelines recommend that

■■ A sphygmomanometer consists of a manom- the reading should be to the nearest 2 mmHg.
■■ Cuffs are of two types: one with a Velcro fas-
eter (either an aneroid model with a pressure
gauge or a mercury model with a vertical scale), tening, and another that is tapered and wraps
an inextensible cuff containing an inflatable around the arm, with the end of the cuff tuck-
bladder, rubber tubing, bulb and control valve ing under the encircling cuff. Cuffs are available
(Figures 4.7 and 4.8). in different sizes to fit small or large adults and
■■ The manometer scale is indicated in millime-
children (Figure 4.9). Each consists of a cloth
tres of mercury (mmHg), from 0 to 260 in units and an enclosed inflatable bladder. The bladder
of 10 mm and should be read from a distance should completely encircle the arm. If it does
within 1 metre, with your eye on a level with the not, the cuff should be changed for a larger
size. The recommended bladder width is 20
per cent greater than the diameter of the limb
280
290 at the point where the cuff is applied. The cuff
270
260
250
is changed by detaching the interconnector and
240

220
230
replacing it with an appropriately sized cuff.
210
200
190
180

160
170 Procedure (Figure 4.10)
150
140

120
130 Your patient should have rested for at least 10
100
110

90
minutes before taking the blood pressure.
80
70
60
50
1. Explain the procedure and the reason for
40

20
30
taking the blood pressure. If this is your
10
0
patient’s first blood pressure measurement,
explain that inflating the cuff to a high pres-
sure may feel slightly uncomfortable.

(a)
Figure 4.8 An aneroid sphygmomanometer.
Viewing at an angle
70 carries parallax error
35 cm
60 of up to 2 mm

50 View at this point 23 cm

40
30 12 cm
20
10

(b) Figure 4.9 Diagram to show the dimensions of a

Figure 4.7 (a) A mercury sphygmomanometer. (b) Close-up sphygmomanometer cuff suitable for an arm circumference
of a manometer tube to show the scale. less than 33 cm.

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 Skills used in clinical examination and diagnosis 43

2. Your patient should be seated with his or her and the diaphragm over the brachial artery
arm at heart level. Select the arm closest to (Figure 4.10c), steadying it with your thumb
a supporting surface for measurement, rest or a finger. While listening with your stetho-
the arm on a surface with the elbow slightly scope, inflate the cuff to a level exceeding the
flexed and the palm of the hand uppermost. pressure in the artery (Figure 4.10d and e).
Ideally, all clothing should be removed from At this point you will not hear any sounds.
the arm. In reality, with short consultation 7. Release the pressure in the bulb by turning
times in general practice, pulling the sleeve to the control valve slowly, aiming to achieve
just below the shoulder without constricting a fall in the mercury level at a constant rate
the arm will be adequate. Check that there is of 2–3 mm for each heart beat. The column
sufficient space distal to the encircling cuff may fall jerkily until you have learnt to
for the stethoscope diaphragm in the antecu- control the valve evenly. You will hear faint
bital fossa without touching the cuff. tapping sounds as the pressure falls. These
3. Wrap the cuff around the arm above the are known as the Korotkoff sounds, named
elbow, with the lettering outermost. With an after the Russian surgeon from St Petersburg
older model, the bladder is placed between who first described them in 1905 (Figure
the cuff and the skin over the brachial artery, 4.11). Note the reading at the point at which
indicated by an arrow on the outside of the sounds reappear. This is the systolic blood
modern cuffs. It is conventional to position pressure (phase 1).
the rubber tubes distal to the cuff, although 8. As the cuff pressure falls, you may notice
if positioned proximal to the cuff (towards a softening of the sounds (phase 2), which
the centre of the body), it is easier to place sharpen again as the pressure continues to
the stethoscope diaphragm in the antecu- fall (phase 3), then become more muffled
bital fossa. (phase 4) and, finally, disappear (phase 5).
4. The aneroid gauge is free standing and ready The phases are very variable, with sometimes
to use. With the mercury manometer, open only phases 1 and 5 being discernible. The
the box with the mercury column vertically point of disappearance of sounds (phase 5) is
placed and facing you, with the middle of the defined as the diastolic pressure. There is less
scale, from 180 mm to 60 mm, at eye level. inter-observer error with phase 5 recordings.
Check that the mercury meniscus reads zero. 9. Record both the systolic (phase 1) and the
If not, report this and change your instru- diastolic (phase 5) pressures, writing systolic
ment. over diastolic (e.g. 120/80), recording to the
5. Locate the radial pulse over the lateral (out- nearest 2 mm. For example, readings of 179
ermost) aspect of the wrist using your index systolic over 143 diastolic would be writ-
and middle fingers. To gain an approximate ten as 178/142. The blood pressure fluctu-
systolic pressure reading, close the valve ates around a mean that is individual for
where the bulb and tubing connect by turn- each patient and varies with time and other
ing the screw away from you. Inflate the cuff factors such as the patient’s position and
by repeatedly squeezing the rubber bulb. As degree of relaxation. Fastidiously recording
you inflate, the radial pulse disappears. If to the nearest 1 mm suggests an accuracy that
you continue to inflate 20–30 mm above this is misleading.
pressure, and deflate, the radial pulse will 10. Recheck the readings at least once. If the
reappear. This pressure indicates the approx- blood pressure exceeds 140/95 mmHg,
imate systolic pressure. Now deflate the cuff. repeat in the other arm and again after a
6. Locate the brachial artery in the antecubital further 5–10 minutes. Because the reading
fossa by palpating around the medial (inner) may have been taken at the maximum point
part of the elbow crease (Figure 4.10a and b). in the patient’s blood pressure range, the
Sitting opposite and slightly to the side of the pressure should be checked on at least three
patient, place the stethoscope in your ears separate occasions over a period of time of

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 44 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

290
280
270
260
250
240
230
220
210
200
190
180
170
160
150
140
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

(a) (b)

(c) (d)
Figure 4.10 Steps in taking a blood pressure measurement with a mercury sphygmomanometer. (a) Position the equipment
and cuff (anterior view). (b) Identify the brachial artery. (c) Place the stethoscope over the brachial artery. (d) Inflate the
cuff to a level exceeding the pressure in the artery, as shown in (e).

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 Skills used in clinical examination and diagnosis 45

190
160 180 Phase 1 sound appears
Phase 2 sound softens or disappears
170
Silent gap
150 160 Phase 3 sound reappears
150
140 140
130

130 120
110
100
(e)
Figure 4.10 (continued) 90
80 Phase 4 sound muffles
70 Phase 5 sound disappears

not less than one month before hypertension 60

is diagnosed; 24-hour ambulatory and home 50
readings are also recommended. 40

It may be helpful to watch a video or DVD of 30

how to take a blood pressure (British Hypertension 20
Society, 2010) or do some further reading (e.g.
Beevers et al., 2007). Figure 4.11 Korotkoff sounds, phases 1–5.

Practical points
■■ Use the correct cuff size for the patient’s arm.
Too small a cuff gives too high a reading; too
large a cuff gives too low a reading. and deflation with oscillometric precision meas-
■■ The aneroid gauge or mercury meniscus should urement, and have display windows for blood
be read at eye level. pressure and pulse readings. Most have a memory
■■ Inflate the aneroid gauge or mercury column recall facility for up to 14 readings.
above the systolic by at least 30 mmHg to avoid
taking the phase 3 sound as the systolic and Procedure
under-recording the blood pressure. 1. Wrap the cuff around your patient’s upper arm,
■■ Readings should be taken with the mercury and secure the Velcro fastening.
level falling, not rising, recording the systolic 2. Switch on the start button on the front of the
pressure first and then the diastolic pressure. machine and allow the cuff to inflate automati-
■■ All bulbs leak slightly, but if the leakage prevents cally until it reaches maximum pressure. The
you from halting the mercury column as it falls, pressure will automatically deflate until the
the pressure will be underestimated. Report the blood flows smoothly through the artery in
instrument as faulty and use another. the usual pulses without any vibration in the
■■ If the arm is unsupported, you will obtain a artery wall.
falsely high reading. 3. Take the reading from the digital display panel
that gives systolic and diastolic readings. The
Oscillatory blood pressure devices pulse rate may also be displayed.
There are many different models (Figure 4.12). 4. Switch off the machine after completing the
They are battery driven, have automatic inflation measurement to conserve batteries.

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 46 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

Figure 4.12 Oscillatory sphygmomanometers.

pressure immediately after stopping, then

Practical Exercise every 2–3 minutes for 10 minutes. What
❏❏ Take blood pressure readings on a series of happens to the readings, particularly the
patients and record their Korotkoff phases. systolic? Now you can understand why you
What effect will changing the cuff size have? record pressure after a patient has been sit-
Investigate the difference of cuff size on ting still for at least 10 minutes!
the readings. ❏❏ Find a patient with an irregular pulse, for
❏❏ Take the blood pressures of patients of dif- example with atrial fibrillation. What effect
ferent ages, shapes and sizes. Do you notice does this have on serial recordings of blood
any association of blood pressure with (a) pressure?
age and (b) weight?
❏❏ Take blood pressure readings on the same
patient, varying the position of their arm,
for example held horizontally unsupported, How to weigh and measure a patient
horizontally with support, in the overhead Adult weight and height measurements are used
and dependent positions. Do you notice any for several reasons, including the long-term moni-
differences? toring of weight in obesity, recovery from illness
❏❏ Take readings with the patient in the follow- when under-nutrition may be a problem, and
ing positions: standing, sitting on a chair, the assessment of growth in young adults. In
lying supine (on the back), sitting on an general practice, weight measurements are most
examination couch with legs horizontal. Are commonly used for monitoring obesity in adults.
there any differences? Babies and infants are weighed regularly by health
❏❏ Investigate the effect of exercise and rest on visitors to monitor growth and nutrition.
blood pressure. Ask a patient to run up and The relationship between weight and height is
down stairs several times and measure the expressed as an index, the body mass index (BMI).

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 Skills used in clinical examination and diagnosis 47

It is calculated by dividing the patient’s weight in grams for adults (Figure 4.13); there is a differ-
kilograms by the square of their height in metres: ent set for children. Apart from a few muscular
individuals who may be wrongly classified as
BMI = weight (kg)
overweight, the BMI is a robust measurement
height (m)2
index. Its categories indicate whether weight is in
The BMI is equally applicable to men and the ideal range of 18.5–24.9 kg/m2, underweight
women. It is used with a set of charts and nomo- (<18.5 kg/m2), overweight (25–29.9 kg/m2) or

160

140

120 III
Weight (kg)

100 II

80
I

0
60

40
1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9

Height (m)

Grade BMI Classification

0 19–25 Normal range of weight

1 26–29 Overweight
11 30–39 Obesity
111 40 and over Severe obesity

Figure 4.13 Use of the body mass index to show grades of obesity.

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 48 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

obese (over 30 kg/m2). The overweight category is the normal range as pyrexia (i.e. above 37.5°C).
subdivided into: obese class I (30.0–34.9 kg/m2), Although the body temperature can be estimated
obese class II (35–39.9 kg/m2) and obese class III crudely by palpation, it is more accurate to use a
or morbidly obese (>40 kg/m2). clinical thermometer.
Estimates suggest that most adults in England The following methods are described.
have a BMI above the ‘normal’ range and that a fifth
■■ Palpation. Body surface temperature can be
are obese, with a BMI that exceeds 30 kg/m2. As
measured with the back of the hand to give a
obesity is a risk factor for life-threatening medical
crude estimation of local temperature as long
conditions, patients should be monitored as part
as your hand is not cold. This method will
of a weight management programme.
detect a local rise in temperature and may offer
a clue to underlying pathology that indicates
Practical points
increased blood flow to the area. This occurs
■■ A patient’s weight should be monitored using with local inflammation, as with skin infec-
the same set of scales to allow comparisons tions, or increased blood flow in tumours. It
over time. Readings on home or hospital scales will also detect local body cooling in compari-
should not be compared with surgery or clinic son with the opposite side of the body. In a limb
readings because of different sensitivities. this may suggest arterial occlusion.
■■ A patient should be weighed each time wear- ■■ Mercury thermometers (Figure 4.14a) are com-
ing similar garments (i.e. with or without coat monly used, but, because of concerns about
or shoes). breakage and mercury toxicity, may eventually
■■ Height should be measured with the patient become obsolete. They have a simple design,
in stockinged feet for greater accuracy, as shoe with a glass storage bulb for mercury and a con-
heels vary. necting column along which expanding mer-
■■ Measurements should be read and recorded in cury flows when the temperature rises. Most
the metric system. Despite the official change have a graduated scale in degrees centigrade,
from avoirdupois to the metric system, patients extending from 35 to 42°C. Some have a dual
like to convert to old units. scale in Fahrenheit and centigrade. A special
■■ Digital systems are preferred because the facil- sub-normal reading thermometer that reads
ity of adjusting the reading to zero between from 30 to 35°C or lower is used for diagnos-
readings leads to greater accuracy. Digital mod- ing hypothermia.
els also allow automatic conversion to the ■■ The digital oral thermometer (Figure 4.14b) is
avoirdupois system that is quicker than refer- used for oral temperatures and is quicker to
ring to conversion charts. All machines should use than the mercury type. It is placed under
be checked annually for accuracy. the tongue, is plastic, waterproof and battery
driven. It has a tapered end, a metal sensor at
How to take a temperature the tip for measuring temperature, a body that
The normal body temperature extends over a displays the temperature in an easy-to-read
range of values that varies by the site of measure- window, and an on/off button. The temperature
ment, by individual and time of day (Table 4.1). range is usually 32–43.9°C. The body tem-
A temperature below the normal range is classi- perature is recorded within 10–15 seconds and
fied as hypothermia (i.e. below 35°C), and above a ­beeper sounds when the reading has stabilized.

Table 4.1 Normal temperature ranges by site

Axillary 34.7–37.3°C 94.5–99.1°F
Oral 35.5–37.5°C 95.9–99.5°F
Rectal 36.6–38.0°C 97.4–100.4°F
Ear 35.8–38.0°C 96.4–100.4°F

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 Skills used in clinical examination and diagnosis 49

Because neither mercury nor glass is used in the 1. Place the thermometer tip under the patient’s
construction, digital thermometers are safer tongue, and ask him or her to close the mouth
for use with children. Digital thermometers over the thermometer without clamping the
can also be used to measure body temperature teeth onto the glass or sensor tip.
under the arm or rectally (Figure 4.14c). 2. Mercury thermometers should be left in place
■■ The ear thermometer (Figure 4.14d) measures for at least 1 minute to allow the reading to sta-
body temperature in the ear and is the recom- bilize before removal, and digital thermometers
mended method for children, when time and for about 30 seconds or until a beeping sound
safety are important. It consists of a hand-held indicates that the temperature has peaked.
body with display window and control buttons 3. Remove the thermometer from the patient’s
for on/off and memory recall, and a cone for mouth. To read a mercury thermometer, rotate
insertion into the ear, which is covered by a the stem around its longitudinal axis to view
disposable plastic lens filter. When skin contact the end of the mercury column on the gradu-
is made in the external canal, it will record the ated scale. For digital thermometers, take the
temperature within 1 second. reading from the display window.

How to take an oral temperature using a

mercury or digital thermometer Taking an axillary temperature
The thermometer should be sterile (i.e. used When taking an axillary temperature, the
after immersion in an antiseptic solution such as ­thermometer tip is placed in the pit of the axilla
­chlorhexidine) or used with a protective plastic and the patient is asked to hold the arm against
cover over the thermometer tip and stem. the chest wall.

(a) (b)

(d)

(c)

Figure 4.14 (a) The mercury thermometer. (b) The digital

oral thermometer. (c) The electronic thermometer. (d)
The ear thermometer.

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 50 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

Taking a rectal temperature How to examine an ear

A rectal temperature is taken with the patient Examining an ear includes inspection of both the
lying on his or her side. Gently insert the ther- external ear and the tympanic membrane of the
mometer into the rectum in a backwards direc- middle ear using an instrument known as an auri-
tion for a distance of 3–4 cm with the end of the scope (otoscope).
thermometer protruding.
Indications for examining the ear
Practical points for all methods of temperature
recording ■■ For diagnosis in patients with ear complaints
such as pain (otalgia), itching (pruritus), dif-
■■ The thermometer reading must be returned to ficulty hearing, blocked ear, discharge or noises
zero before use (i.e. with mercury thermom- in the ear (tinnitus). The most common ear
eters by shaking vigorously until the mercury presentations in general practice are children
column has returned to about 35°C and for with earache, ear discharge or pulling at the ear
digital thermometers by clearing the display which suggest an underlying problem.
window using the on/off switch). Failure to do ■■ For diagnosis in infants with non-specific unex-
this is a common cause of inaccuracy. plained illness in whom the differential diagno-
■■ The time to temperature equilibration varies
sis includes middle ear infection (otitis media).
according to the model. A mercury thermom- Parents may have noticed that their child is
eter should be left in contact with the body irritable, cries more than usual, is not feeding,
for at least 60 seconds before reading; failure or has an unexplained fever, called pyrexia of
to do so causes under-recording of the tem- unknown origin (PUO).
perature. The digital and electronic models are ■■ To check for wax before ear syringing or hear-
much quicker. ing aid fitting or review.
■■ Hot drinks taken immediately before the body
■■ In the assessment of speech disorders to check
temperature is recorded will cause a local rise whether the cause is impaired hearing, for
in body temperature. Check your patient has example infants with delayed or poorly devel-
not recently had a hot drink otherwise you oped speech or adults with abnormal speech
may erroneously diagnose fever. However, it is (dysphasia).
not unknown for an occasional patient to use ■■ In routine examination for insurance purposes,
this trick to feign illness! Likewise, a cold drink pre-employment medical for occupations such
or iced lollipop will cause under-recording of as telephonist, or for obtaining a licence to par-
the temperature. ticipate in certain sports, such as scuba diving,
How to take an ear temperature flying, gliding or parachuting.
1. Ensure that a clean probe cover is used with the
ear thermometer for hygienic practice. Background knowledge
2. Press the memory button on the handle to turn The ear comprises three parts: the outer, the mid-
on the instrument. dle and the inner.
3. Straighten your patient’s external canal The outer or external ear (Figure 4.15) com-
to give the thermometer clear access to the prises the auricle, which projects from the side
eardrum. For infants, the ear canal is straight- of the head, and the external acoustic meatus or
ened by pulling the pinna downwards and canal, which leads to the tympanic membrane of
backwards, and for adults, by pulling the pinna the middle ear. In babies and infants, the auricle
upwards and backwards. and canal are composed of cartilage. As adult-
4. Fit the probe snugly into the ear canal hood approaches, only the outer third remains
and press the activation button. This automati- cartilaginous, and the inner two-thirds come to
cally measures the temperature. lie in the temporal bone. The canal is lined by skin
5. Release the button when you hear the and in the subcutaneous tissue are hair follicles,
‘temp beep’ and note the reading. sebaceous glands and ceruminous glands that

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 Skills used in clinical examination and diagnosis 51

Malleus Incus Stapes

Tympanic membrane

Cartilage of
external auditory
meatus
Figure 4.15 The anatomy of
Petrous temporal Internal Pharyngotympanic the external and middle ear,
bone jugular vein tube coronal section.

produce wax. In the adult, the canal is approxi- What you will see when looking through an
mately 2.5 cm long and forms an S-shaped curve auriscope into the ear
that is first directed medially (towards the centre), You will aim to examine the tympanic membrane.
forward and slightly upward, and then passes This separates the outer ear from the ossicles of
medially, backwards and upward. Before insertion the middle ear. Although the membrane is round
of the auriscope, the canal should be straightened and faces downwards and forwards, it appears
by applying traction to the auricle: in adults, in a oval when inspected through the auriscope due
backwards and upwards direction, and in infants, to a parallax effect. In a normal ear, the tympanic
in a backwards and downwards direction. This membrane forms a glistening, semi-opaque sheet
reflects changes in skull shape with growth. with a cone of light reflected from the lower anteri-
The middle ear (Figures 4.15 and 4.16) consists or (towards the front) part. An oblique line passes
of the tympanic cavity in the petrous part of the in an anterior–posterior (forwards–backwards)
tympanic bone and three auditory ossicles: the direction. This is the handle of the malleus, which
malleus, incus and stapes. is attached to the tympanic membrane. Superiorly
Posterior malleolar fold (towards the top of the head), the malleus forms
a lax membrane, the pars flaccida. The remaining
membrane is taut and concave where it is pulled
Incus Pars inwards by the handle of the malleus.
flaccida
What you will need
■■ An auriscope with charged batteries. Check that
there is a strong beam of light.
Umbo ■■ Set of aural speculae (attachable plastic or metal
Handle of
malleus
cones of several sizes).

Procedure
Cone of Start to gain experience by examining the ears of
light symptom-free adults. Children are more easily
Figure 4.16 The tympanic membrane of the right ear as upset, tend to fidget, and need a special approach
seen through the auriscope. (see below).

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 52 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

1. Explain the procedure to your patient, dem- or with your palm uppermost. This position
onstrating the auriscope and reassuring that difference is a matter of preference. Try both.
the examination may be uncomfortable but 6. With your free hand, draw the auricle
not painful. upwards and backwards to straighten the canal.
2. Inspect the pinna and auricle for skin changes, Insert the speculum gently into the external
signs of infection or discharge. canal, advancing by a short distance at first.
3. Position your patient and yourself. For adults, View through the lens in front of the speculum.
ask the patient to turn the head to one side Use the fourth and fifth fingers to steady the
or, as the examiner, move to the side of your auriscope against the head. What do you see?
patient. If you are right handed, it is more com- The skin of the auditory canal should come into
fortable to examine the right ear holding the view. Sometimes you see deposits of yellow or
auriscope in your right hand, leaving your left brown wax. Beyond this you should see a small
hand free to pull on the auricle (Figure 4.17). part of the tympanic membrane. Advance the
Examine the left ear holding the auriscope in auriscope along the canal by changing the
your left hand and pull on the auricle with your angle to bring the whole tympanic membrane
right hand. If left handed, try the reverse posi- into view. It will look grey and opaque and
tions. You may prefer to hold the auriscope in you should see a shiny area known as the light
your dominant hand for both sides, but note reflex. Try to bring this into view by a slight
that when examining the contralateral ear, your change in direction of either the auriscope
arms will cross as you pull the auricle. Hand or the auricle. The tympanic membrane may
usage is not a hard or fast rule – do whatever appear abnormal – redness usually indicates
feels comfortable for you. inflammation; a fluid level or opaque circum-
4. Select a suitably sized speculum (i.e. the larg- scribed area suggests exudates; or a hole in the
est that can be inserted into the canal without tympanic membrane suggests a perforation.
causing pain). A plastic speculum will be com- If you see only wax, the ear canal is prob-
fortably warm, but a metal type may be cold ably blocked.
and before use should be warmed in warm
water and dried. Examining a child’s ear (without tears)
5. Turn on the auriscope light. Hold the auriscope An ear examination can be a frightening proce-
between your thumb and index finger, either dure for a young child. Because children move
with the palm of your hand placed vertically unpredictably, may be frightened or uncoopera-

Figure 4.17 An auriscope held in the

correct position.

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 Skills used in clinical examination and diagnosis 53

tive, they have to be restrained during the exami- Practical points

nation. The child’s head must be steadied to allow ■■ If the ear is partly or wholly blocked with wax,
an adequate view of the ear and to minimize the try removing gently with a cotton bud. If not,
risk of damage to the tympanic membrane by the the patient should introduce a few drops of
auriscope. As preparation, explain the procedure
⚑
oil into the canal daily for about two weeks to
to the parent and child. allow the wax to soften, before re-examination
1. Select a smaller (paediatric) speculum for or ear syringing.
the auriscope. ■■ If you are unable to view the whole tympanic
2. Befriend your young patient. To avoid a fright- membrane, this may be due to faulty equip-
ening experience, reassure the child about your ment. Although the position of the auriscope
intentions, perhaps demonstrating your auri- in the auditory canal is correct, the main beam
scope light on clothing, a teddy, doll or the of light may not be directed from the end of the
child’s parent. Try turning the encounter into speculum because the bulb carrier is bent. Try
a game. a different auriscope.
3. With the parent sitting facing you, ask ■■ If a child screams throughout the consultation,
the parent to sit the child across his or her lap what should you do? The kindest approach is
with the child’s head and inner arm against the to spend time comforting the child or allow a
parent’s chest, and the parent’s arm or hand cooling-off period by sending the parent and
held firmly across the child’s head. The parent’s child back to the waiting room to recover. In
other arm should be placed around the child’s reality, you are working to a tight schedule, and
chest and outer arm. This is similar to a child’s regrettably, you may have no alternative but
‘cuddling’ position (Figure 4.18). to do a ‘go-for-it’ examination with the crying
4. You are now ready to examine. Use the same child held firmly by an adult. But a warning –
procedure as for the adult, except that to avoid ensuing kicks!
straighten the external meatus, pull the pinna
downwards and backwards.
Practical Exercise
Examine as many patients as possible. Select a
wide range of shapes, sizes and ages. Ask your
tutor or other doctors to show you any patients
with abnormal ears.

How to use urine and blood dipsticks

Dipstick analysis is an example of ‘near-patient’
or ‘point-of-care’ testing performed on urine
or blood samples using commercially available
disposable reagent strips or kits, and can be done
conveniently in a surgery consultation, on a home
visit, or on samples left in the surgery. The dip-
stick method allows results to be used in imme-
diate management decisions. Tests are cheap,
simple to use, and save time for both the doctor
and the patient compared with sending a patient
or sample for hospital testing. However, dip-
Figure 4.18 The correct positioning of the parent and child sticks using blood samples are not as accurate as
for examination of the child’s ear. laboratory analysis.

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 54 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

Advances in technology have led to the develop- What you will need
ment of a range of equipment for surgery-based ■■ Reagent stick with the associated reagent bottle
laboratory tests, for example full blood counts and and colour-coding strip.
blood chemistry. The equipment requires regular ■■ Patient sample container (e.g. for urine).
servicing for reliability and calibration to maintain ■■ A lancet for obtaining a blood sample from
quality control. the patient.
■■ A watch or timer that measures in seconds.
Clinical indications for dipstick analysis
Urine
Procedure for testing urine
■■ Screening for urinary proteinuria as found in
nephrotic syndrome and nephritis, or for glyco- Each test includes simple instructions as outlined.
suria as in diabetes (Multistix, Diastix). 1. Obtain the urine test sample from your patient.
■■ Diagnosis of urinary tract infection, using dip- A sample may be passed into any clean recep-
stick urine analysis to detect nitrites, leucocytes tacle. However, if in addition to dipstick testing
and blood (Uristix, Multistix). a midstream urine specimen is to be sent to the
■■ Checking diabetic control through the detec- bacteriology laboratory, the sample must be
tion of glycosuria, ketonuria (Multistix, passed into a sterilized bottle and a small vol-
Ketostix, Keto-Diastix). ume used separately for the dipstick test.
2. Select the appropriate reagent. Check the expiry
Blood
date on the unopened bottle; if expired, discard.
■■ Testing for random or fasting blood sugar Sticks should be used within six months of first
(BM-Stix, Glucotide). opening the bottle.
How do dipsticks work? 3. Collect a fresh sample as described above.
4. Remove one strip from the reagent bot-
■■ Test strips are made of disposable plastic with tle and replace the cap on the bottle, noting the
attached reagents that change colour when the time required for the dipstick reading. Hold the
substance to be tested is present in the sample. plastic end of the strip.
There may be one or several tests combined on 5. If the sample is to be sent for bacte-
each strip. riological culture, the urine should be dripped
■■ In the diagnosis of a lower urinary tract infec-
from the urine container onto the test stick over
tion, urine bacteria reduce nitrate to nitrite and a sluice or tray, otherwise you will contaminate
are detected by the nitrate reductase test. Pus the urine by dipping the stick into the sample.
cells in the urine are detected by the leucocyte Note the time with a second hand immediately
esterase test. after testing the sample.
■■ In screening for and managing diabetes, the
6. After the stated time, read the strip by
glucose test is based on a double sequential visually matching the colour on the stick to the
enzyme reaction involving the oxygenation of colour on the bottle.
glucose to gluconic acid and hydrogen perox- 7. Record the results in the patient’s notes.
ide by a catalyst (glucose oxidase). A second 8. Dispose of the sample in the lavatory or
enzyme (peroxidase) catalyses the reaction of sluice, not the washbasin used for hand wash-
hydrogen peroxide with a potassium iodide ing – this would compromise hygiene.
chromogen to produce colours ranging from 9. Wash your hands after completing the test.
green to brown.
■■ Ketone testing is based on the reaction between
acetoacetic acid and nitroprusside to produce Procedure for testing blood
colours changing from buff pink, indicating a Obtain a blood sample by puncturing a finger or
negative result, to maroon, if positive. the ear lobe with a lancet, and applying pressure to
■■ BM-Test 1–44 is based on the glucose reaction obtain a drop of blood that is allowed to drip onto
described above. the surface of the analysis strip.

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 Skills used in clinical examination and diagnosis 55

Getting the best from BM-test 1–44

Good technique is essential in obtaining accurate results. It is important to follow all the instructions below, carefully

1. WASH YOUR HANDS 2. REMOVE A TEST STRIP FROM 3. OBTAIN A LARGE DROP
THE TUBE OF BLOOD

Use soap and warm water. Dry hands Place strip on a clean, dry, flat surface. Prick the side of a fingertip with a lancet.
thoroughly. Replace cap on tube. Squeeze fingertip to obtain a large,
suspended drop of blood.

4. APPLY BLOOD TO TEST STRIP 5. TIME FOR 60 SECONDS 6. WIPE BLOOD OFF STRIP

11 12
50

10 1
9
15
8
4
40

7 5
6
20

30

60 Secs
Cover both test zones. Do not spread TIME IS IMPORTANT Wipe firmly with clean cotton wool.
or smear the drop. Start timing. Use the second hand of a watch to Wipe twice more, using clean areas
time 60 seconds. of cotton wool.

7. WAIT FOR A FURTHER MINUTE 8. COMPARE COLOURS WITH LABEL 9. RECORD RESULTS IN YOUR HOME
ON TUBE MONITORING BOOK

11 12
50

10 1
9
15
8
4
40

7 5
6
20

30
When reading values below 9 mmol/L,
compare with lower blue pad. When
120 Secs
reading values above 9 mmol/L, compare
with upper green pad. If, after 2 minutes,
the value exceeds 17 mmol/L wait a
further minute, and compare colours
again.
NB Intermediate values may
be estimated.

Remember ... Take your record book with you when you attend clinic. The results could help your doctor achieve good
control of your diabetes.

Figure 4.19 Patient instruction sheet on how to use a glucose test strip on blood samples.

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 56 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

Each test kit has instructions written on the side How to use a mini-peak flow meter
and an enclosed instruction sheet. It is important Portable mini-peak flow meters are used to diag-
to follow all instructions carefully to avoid faulty nose and monitor obstructive airways disease, for
results (Figure 4.19). example asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphy-
sema. Several models are available, but the most
Practical points
commonly used is the portable mini-Wright peak
■■ Always check the expiry date on the reagent flow meter. This is a reliable and cheap method
bottle – out-of-date sticks give unreliable read- of measuring airway obstruction, and is as essen-
ings. When first opening a bottle, write the date tial to monitoring of chronic respiratory prob-
on the side and discard after six months. lems as the sphygmomanometer is to blood pres-
■■ Because dipstick tests are not as reliable as sure. Available on prescription, the meters allow
laboratory analyses, they should not be used patients to participate in home monitoring. Meters
alone for diagnosis. They supplement a high are calibrated in low ranges for use with children.
diagnostic index of suspicion from the history
and examination. Background knowledge
■■ Read the strips in good lighting. If the col- Expiratory flow can be measured using the maxi-
our falls between two colours, take an in- mum peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) or the
between estimate. forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1). The
■■ False-positive and false-negative readings meter measures the maximum flow of exhaled air
occur, but are uncommon because the enzy- in a forced expiration to give a PEFR. Changes in
matic methods are chemically specific and chronic bronchitis and asthma increase airways
quite sensitive. High levels of vitamin C may resistance and produce a fall in PEFR. This can be
cause false negatives in the Clinistix and Diastix monitored in the surgery with the mini-peak flow
methods, whereas reducing sugars, such as lac- meter, although very sensitive changes will only be
tose, fructose and galactose, drugs such as aspi- detected by more sophisticated spirometry. The
rin, tetracycline, cephalosporins and nalidixic PEFR and FEV1 are similar but not identical phys-
acid, and detergents may cause false positives. iological measures. FEV1 is measured on a maxi-
■■ Does colour blindness affect the interpreta- mally forced expiration using a spirometer and is
tion of these strips? This may be the case if a more accurate measure of lung function than
you have a red/green or mixed colour vision a peak flow meter. The FEV1 is disproportion-
deficiency, and the interpretation of a glucose ately reduced in patients with airway obstruction.
test strip in this case is unreliable. Blue/yellow Fixed large airway obstruction is seen most easily
defects have little effect on interpretation of in a graph of flow against volume (Figure 4.20).
the strips. If in doubt, check your colour vision The diagnosis of asthma is made by establishing
with the Ishihara test. Colour blindness also
has implications for self-testing for patients,
especially diabetics. Normal curve

Practical Exercise Expiratory

flow
❏❏ Sit in the diabetic clinic and test blood and
urine samples with available test strips. You
will note a wide range of positive readings. Volume
For blood sugar, how do the stick read- Inspiratory
ings compare with results from the glucose flow
meter?
❏❏ Sit in a screening or well-person clinic or a Curve in fixed
large airway obstruction
general surgery and test samples with dip-
Figure 4.20 Flow–volume curve in a normal patient and in
sticks. one with fixed large airway obstruction.

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 Skills used in clinical examination and diagnosis 57

Disposable
Calibrated scale mouthpiece

Outflow Movable Inflow

endplate indicator endplate Figure 4.21 A peak flow meter.

Men
660 660
75 190
650 650
72 183
640 640
69 175
630 630
66 167
620 620
610 63 160 610
Ht Ht
600 (in) (cm)
600
590 590
580 580
570 570
560 560
550 550
Peak expiratory flow (litres/min)

540 540
Standard deviation, men  48 litres/min
530 Standard deviation, women  42 litres/min 530
520 520
510 510
Women
500 500
69 175
490 490
66 167
480 480
63 160
470 470
60 152
460 460
450 57 145 450
Ht Ht
440 440
(in) (cm)
430 430
420 420
In men, values of PEF up to 100 litres/min less than
410 predicted, and in women up to 85 litres/min 410
less than predicted, are within normal limits
400 400
390 390
380 380

PEF
L/min
15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70
Age (years)
Figure 4.22 A graph used for comparing actual and predicted peak expiratory flow rates.

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 58 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

reversibility of airways obstruction in response to 2. Select two separate disposable or sterilized

a bronchodilator. plastic mouthparts and insert one into the
meter. This will be your demonstration
What you will need model. The other will be for your patient.
■■ Mini-peak flow meter (Figure 4.21). 3. Stand up and demonstrate in slow motion
■■ A disposable cardboard mouthpiece or plastic how to use the mini-peak flow meter.
mouthpiece that has been disinfected. 4. With one hand, hold the meter in the hori-
■■ A chart to show normal peak flow readings zontal position, ensuring the indicator is free
(Figure 4.22). to move. Explain the requirement to take as
deep a breath as possible and to hold it. Place
Using a peak flow meter involves two steps: dem-
your lips over the outside edge of the mouth-
onstrating the use of the meter and teaching your
piece as if pouting, making a seal between the
patient how to use the meter (Figure 4.23). The
tube and the lips.
second skill is an extension of the first and is not
5. Breathe out down the mouthpiece as fast and
quite as straightforward as you might think.
as forcefully as possible, allowing the indica-
Tutor quote tor to move as far as possible. It is not neces-
sary to continue exhaling until the residual
A third-year medical student was asked by his
volume is reached, since the peak flow occurs
tutor if he knew how to use the peak flow meter.
at the start of the process. Repeat this proce-
‘Certainly’, he replied. ‘I’ve had asthma since I was
dure twice more, returning the needle to zero
7 years of age and often use one.’ His demonstration
after each attempt, and take the best of three
involved three separate steps. ‘Stand up, take a deep
readings as the PEFR.
breath and blow as fast as you can down the tube,
6. Return the needle to zero.
like this.’ He was then asked to explain to a patient
7. Remove your mouthpiece and replace with
with asthma how to use the meter in preparation for
the patient’s. Hand the meter to the patient.
home monitoring. He was surprised that the patient
8. Ask the patient to stand and repeat the dem-
was unable to reproduce his three-stage skill in a
onstration three times, checking technique
way that was reliable. Teaching the same technique
and returning the indicator to zero after
and checking the patient’s understanding took 11
each attempt.
steps (as described below).
9. Take the maximum recording in litres
Procedure per minute.
10. Use the peak expiratory flow chart (see
1. Explain to your patient the importance of
Figure 4.22) to plot this value on the ordinate
measuring the breathing capacity of the
against your patient’s age on the abscissa.
lungs, showing the mini-peak flow meter.
Determine your patient’s predicted PEFR for
age and gender on the height curve. Compare
the actual with the predicted PEFR and
express as a percentage.
11. Enter readings in the patient’s record. There
is usually a separate asthma file for monitor-
ing long-term treatment.

Practical points
■■ Hygiene: disposable mouthpieces are prefer-
able, but if plastic models are used, they must
be disinfected for each patient.
■■ Under-recording occurs if air leaks around the
mouthpiece. It is therefore important to check
Figure 4.23 A patient using a mini-peak flow meter. that the lips are sealed on the outside of the

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 Skills used in clinical management and treatment 59

tube. Lips may be wrongly positioned inside Background knowledge

the mouthpiece. A knowledge of surface landmarks, skin struc-
■■ Air escapes down the nose, causing under-
ture and the anatomy of muscles is essential if
recording. You can use a nose clip if this is injections are to be given safely. Be aware of the
a problem. positions of important structures which, if trau-
■■ The handgrip impedes the movement of the
matized with the injecting needle, could be irrepa-
indicator. Reposition the grip on the meter.
⚑
rably damaged or result in serious complications
■■ Poor respiratory effort or low-force blowing
such as haemorrhage.
causes under-recording. This is more likely in
patients who are older or who have a painful Intramuscular sites
chest wall, for example broken or bruised ribs. Thigh (Figure 4.24)
■■ Use of a spitting action down the mouthpiece
will move the indicator further than if the flow Lateral and antero-lateral aspects are formed by
meter is used correctly. This gives an artificially the vastus lateralis or rectus femoris muscles, two
high reading.
Femoral
artery
Practical Exercise
Femoral
Investigate the effects of exercise on PEFR of
vein
yourself or a colleague.
❏❏ Take a baseline reading with the mini-peak Quadriceps
flow meter. femoris
group of
❏❏ Exercise vigorously for at least 6 minutes, muscles
for example by running up and down stairs
or in a nearby park. When you feel out of Safe area
breath, take another reading. Is there any for
difference? If the post-exercise reading is injection
reduced, is this significant? What criteria
would you use for the diagnosis of asthma?
For further reading, see Rees et al. (2010).

Skills used in clinical management

and treatment
Intradermal, subcutaneous and intramuscular
injections
Injections given in general practice are most com-
monly by the intramuscular or deep subcutane-
ous route, although occasionally intradermal or
intra-articular routes are used. Most vaccines are
given by intramuscular or deep subcutaneous
injection. Local anaesthetic for minor surgery is
given subcutaneously. Injections are sometimes
required on emergency home visits to control
distressing symptoms, for example a patient with
intractable vomiting may be managed with an
intramuscular injection of an anti-emetic drug Figure 4.24 Site for intramuscular injection into right thigh
such as prochlorperazine. (anterior view).

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 60 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

of the four components of the quadriceps femoris the ­lateral third of clavicle, the acromion and
muscle (others are the vastus medialis and vastus the spine of scapula and is inserted into the del-
intermedius), the main extensor muscle of the leg. toid tuberosity on the lateral side of the shaft of
Inject into the antero-lateral aspect of the thigh the humerus.
into the vastus lateralis or rectus femoris.
■■ Dangers: anterior branch of axillary nerve
■■ Dangers: avoid the femoral artery and vein (­supplies deltoid muscle), which winds poste-
(which lie immediately medial to the rectus riorly around the surgical neck of the humerus,
femoris), and the branch nerve to the vastus below the capsule of the joint, approximately
⚑ medialis. 6–8 cm below the bony prominence of the

Buttock (Figure 4.25)

acromion. ⚑
The ‘safe’ area for injection is the upper, outer What you will need
quadrant of the buttock. The anatomical con- ■■ Syringe of suitable size: 1 mL, 2.5 mL or 5 mL,
tour is formed by the gluteus muscles (maximus, depending on the volume to be injected.
medius, minimus, arising from the posterior glu- ■■ Needle of suitable size: 21G (green) or 23G
teal line of the ilium and iliac crest), the natal line (blue) for intramuscular or subcutaneous injec-
and the lateral surface of the greater trochanter. tions. For intradermal injections, a 25G needle
The landmarks are: the iliac crest superiorly, pos- (orange) should be used.
terior superior iliac spine supero-medially, ischial ■■ Cotton-wool swab.
tuberosity infero-medially and greater trochanter ■■ Ampoule of drug to be given.
of femur laterally. ■■ Elastoplast.
■■ Sharps box: this is a plastic box, usually yellow,
■■ Dangers: sciatic nerve, located inferiorly to two
for the safe disposal of needles and syringes.
imaginary lines: (i) from posterior superior
iliac spine to greater trochanter, (ii) from iliac Choosing the site for an intramuscular injection
⚑ crest to ischial tuberosity.
Choice of an intramuscular site is a personal deci-
Upper arm (Figure 4.26) sion for the clinician when injecting adults. In
infants the antero-lateral aspect of the thigh or
The safe area for injection is the deltoid muscle.
the upper arm is recommended. Injection into
This forms the contour of the upper arm. The
the fatty tissue of the buttock has been shown to
deltoid originates from the anterior aspect of
reduce the efficacy of hepatitis B vaccine.
Posterior superior
iliac spine Needle orientation

Iliac crest
The needle orientation for intradermal, subcuta-
neous and intramuscular injections is shown in
Safe area Figure 4.27.
for injection
Procedure for an intramuscular injection
Greater
trochanter
Practise first on models. An old orange or grape-
fruit is suitable, as the consistency of the peel
resembles human skin. Take care to dispose of the
fruit after your session to avoid poisoning your
colleagues!
1. Before you start, check your equipment.
Sciatic Ischial Check the name and dose of the drug on
nerve tuberosity the ampoule. Double-check and, if possible,
Figure 4.25 Site for intramuscular injection into left treble-check with a third-party professional
buttock (posterior view). such as a nurse to confirm the drug and

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 Skills used in clinical management and treatment 61

Point of
intramuscular
injection site

Deltoid
muscle

Figure 4.26 Site for intramuscular

injection into the upper arm
(anterior view).

dose. Time spent checking may save much which the glass will fracture most easily. With
anguish for the patient, relatives and doctor the needle tip positioned below the surface of
⚑ and minimize the risk of litigation. the solution, draw up the contents into the
2. Wash your hands. Use of protective gloves is syringe by pulling back the plunger. Tilt the
essential as a precaution against contamina- ampoule initially to avoid withdrawing air,
⚑ tion with blood or other body fluids.
3. Draw up the drug into the syringe in the fol-
returning to a vertical position towards the
end of the withdrawal process. Upturn the
lowing way. Tap the top of the glass ampoule, syringe and tap the side to allow air bubbles
or flick your finger against the side, causing to coalesce. Advance the plunger to expel air
the contents to run into the base. Snap the bubbles. The solution should be correctly
top of the ampoule at the neck. Usually drawn up and ready for injection.
a mark on the neck indicates the point at 4. Select the injection site and proceed as fol-
lows.
Intramuscular
5. Prepare your patient: explain the procedure,
Subcutaneous (23G needle) stressing that pain will be minimal.
(23G needle) 6. Position your patient according to the cho-
sen injection site. For the buttock: lay your
Intradermal patient in the prone position (face down).
(25G needle)
For the arm: seat your patient with his or her
arm relaxed at the side. If you inject in the
standing position, it could be traumatic if the
patient faints. For the thigh: ask your patient
to lie on one side or stand, leaning over a

7.
couch with the thigh exposed.
Assess the distance between skin and muscle
⚑
by gently pinching the skin at the point of
Figure 4.27 Needle orientation for intradermal, planned entry and assessing the depth of
subcutaneous and intramuscular injections. subcutaneous fat.

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 62 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

8. You are now ready to give the injection.

Hold the syringe between the fingers of
your ­dominant hand. Steady the skin at the
planned injection site by making it taut.
9. Using a single puncture entry point, advance
the needle with the bevel uppermost through
the skin at an angle of 90 degrees (Figure 4.28).
The needle will pass through the underlying
structures of the superficial fascia, deep fascia
and into the muscle. Each tissue has a char-
acteristic tension. The depth will depend on
the size of the patient and the site. Withdraw
the plunger of the syringe to check that blood
is not aspirated. If it is, the needle tip may be Epidermis
in a blood vessel, in which case the needle Dermis
should be withdrawn until no further blood is
Subcutaneous
obtained on withdrawing the plunger. fat
10. Advance the plunger, emptying the contents Muscle
into the muscle. Withdraw the needle rap- Figure 4.28 The intramuscular route.
idly. Dispose of the syringe and attached,
uncapped needle into the sharps bin. You
should not try to re-cap the needle because if
you miss, you may have a needlestick injury.
If the needle has to be re-capped, for example
during a home visit, do so with the cap lying
on a surface in the horizontal position, and Figure 4.29 The intradermal route.
⚑ insert the needle into the cap.
11. Enter details of the injection in the patient’s
records, to include name of drug, dose, Practical points
method and site of injection, manufacturer’s ■■ Contrary to expectation, it is less painful to use
number from the side of the ampoule and a wider bore needle than the finest available.
date of expiry. Can you think of an explanation? The pressure
exerted through a fine-bore needle is higher
Procedure for a subcutaneous or intradermal than through a larger bore needle in order to
injection deliver the same volume of injectable material.
For a subcutaneous injection, follow the above This higher pressure is more painful.
procedure, except that the entry approach of the ■■ Should you use an alcohol swab to clean the
needle should be at an acute angle of approxi- skin at the injection site? Nowadays, alcohol
mately 45 degrees, with the bevel uppermost (see swabs are considered unnecessary, although
Figure 4.27). The needle is advanced through you may wish to use a dry cotton-wool swab
the epidermis and dermis into the subcutane- to apply pressure to the entry point if bleed-
ous tissue, where the injection is given. For an ing occurs.
intradermal injection, the needle approach is an ■■ How should you remove air trapped in the
acute angle of about 10 degrees to the skin, with syringe? Do so by upturning the syringe with
the bevel uppermost (Figure 4.29). When the the neck uppermost and tapping on the syringe
needle is positioned in the dermis, the solution is side. Bubbles of air will coalesce, move to the
injected, and will cause the overlying skin to form top and escape.
a raised area. This disappears as the injected solu- ■■ If you are unable to break the neck of the
tion is absorbed. ampoule, use a small metal blade to etch a

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 Skills used in clinical management and treatment 63

scratch at the neck. The glass will usually break the meatus. It is easier to remove wax that has
at this point. been softened with oil for 7–14 days prior to
■■ If you have a blood spillage, follow the proce- syringing. Olive or almond oil is recommend-
dure described in the section ‘How to take a ed, although some patients prefer an over-the-­
blood sample’. If you have a needlestick injury, counter proprietary preparation.
report this to your tutor or trainer and follow
⚑ the standard workplace procedure.
■■ After some injections, commonly immuniza-
Background knowledge
The anatomy of the ear has been described (see
tions, a small hard nodule persists at the injec- Figure 4.15).
tion site for 2–3 weeks. This is harmless and Syringing should be performed with water at
will resolve. or slightly above body temperature (37–38°C).
⚑ ■■ Could your patient faint? Water warmed or cooled to more than 7°C above
or below body temperature will stimulate the
Student quote labyrinthine system by creating a convection cur-
‘The first time I gave an injection I was quite nerv- rent in the endolymph. This will stimulate the sen-
ous, but not, it seemed, as nervous as my patient! sorineural epithelium within the ampulla of the
First, my tutor made me practise on a grapefruit. horizontal semicircular canal and cause nystag-
Quite simple! Then, the nurse introduced me to Mr mus (repetitively jerking eye movements), associ-
W. She ran through the procedure and, as a routine ated with a sensation of imbalance, vertigo and
precaution, showed me the resuscitation tray, point- nausea. Patients find these symptoms extremely
ing out the adrenaline syringe to use in the event of unpleasant. They are, however, put to good effect
anaphylaxis from a severe allergic reaction. She told when assessing labyrinthine function in a proce-
me this was so rare that she had never seen a case. dure known as the ‘caloric test’ used in ear, nose
I reassured my patient that the injection would not and throat departments.
hurt, although he did tell me he occasionally felt
queasy at the sight of needles. Everything went well What you will need
until I withdrew the needle. My patient collapsed ■■ Auriscope and specula.
across the couch. He turned ghostly pale. It occurred ■■ Ear syringe with set of nozzles (hand-driven or
to me he might have “dropped dead”, although hav- electric model).
ing never witnessed that, I wouldn’t have known. ■■ Collecting dish or receptacle.
My next thought was that he was in anaphylactic ■■ Towel or waterproof cape to place around the
shock but the nurse made no move to grab the resus- patient’s neck.
citation tray. I somehow felt everything would be all ■■ Water source.
right because she was there. She turned my patient ■■ Water container (reservoir box with electric
on to his back, placed his legs on the couch, and as model; jug with manual model).
he opened his eyes she said, ‘Just a little faint, Mr W.
Take some deep breaths. Can I get you a cup of tea?’ About the equipment
What a relief!’ Ears can be syringed using an electric pump or a
manually operated model. The manual syringe is
How to syringe an ear more cumbersome to use than the electric model
The purpose of syringing an ear is to remove and causes soreness and fatigue of the fingers from
wax or cerumen that is blocking the external repeated movements of the plunger. There is also
auditory meatus, causing pain or hearing impair- an increased risk of perforating the tympanic
ment. Cerumen is produced by the ceruminous membrane. For these reasons, the electric pump is
glands of the outer third of the meatus as a waxy now the preferred method for ear syringing with
protective substance. Wax production is variable the manual syringe being increasingly obsolete.
and the wax is normally expelled by chewing However, in the event of equipment or power
movements. However, sometimes this process failure, and in preparation for different styles of
does not occur and the accumulating wax blocks practice, both methods are described.

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 64 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

Procedure 2. Select a suitably sized nozzle for your patient

1. Take a history of previous ear problems. Has and attach it to the syringe handle.
your patient had a chronic ear discharge, a 3. Turn on the water supply through the nozzle by
perforated eardrum, or any ear operations, switching the control dial on the pump to the
particularly a mastoidectomy for disease within ‘on’ position and adjusting the pressure control
the mastoid cavity? If there is any possibility dial. Test the flow of water through the nozzle
of a perforated tympanic membrane, do not with the stream directed into a sink or recepta-
syringe, because of the risk of introducing cle. The flow should be moderately gentle and
infection into the middle ear or damaging the not too ferocious. Practise controlling the water

⚑ ossicles.
2. Examine your patient’s ear to confirm the pres-
flow by depressing and releasing the button on
the handle of the syringe.
ence of wax. 4. Position the spout of the nozzle in the auditory
3. Explain the procedure to your patient, empha- canal with the tip facing upwards and back-
sizing that you should be informed if dizzi- wards, while simultaneously applying traction
ness occurs.
4. Position your patient on a chair with the ear
to be syringed facing you and the head tilted
slightly away from you (Figure 4.30). Place a
towel or waterproof cape around your patient’s
neck and shoulders. Decorative earrings should
be removed.
5. Ask your patient to hold the receptacle below
the ear to be syringed, pushing it against the
skin to prevent water dripping down the neck.

Using the electrical ear syringe

1. Plug in the electric pump and turn on the
power (Figure 4.31). Fill the reservoir of the
syringe pump with tap water at body tempera-
ture or slightly higher, 38°C is ideal. Normal
saline or sodium bicarbonate can be used
instead of water. Figure 4.30 The correct position in which to use an
ear syringe.
Plug

Reservoir lid Syringe handle

Reservoir containing
water

0 1 3 5
1 7
Control Range of nozzles
button

On/off switch (control dial) Dial to control

for water flow water flow
Figure 4.31 An electric pump and syringe.

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 Skills used in clinical management and treatment 65

whether the meatus is clear. If you can see the

tympanic membrane, stop syringing; if not,
continue, refilling the reservoir with water as
necessary. Examine the ear periodically until
the wax has been cleared.
7. Dry the meatus by mopping excess water with
gauze or cotton wool. A wet meatal lining pre-
disposes to infection of the external canal and
can cause otitis externa (infection of the outer
ear canal).
8. Finally, clean the instruments. Wipe the nozzle
with gauze or tissue paper, and detach and place
in chlorhexidine sterilizing solution. Clean wax
out of the auriscope speculum and place in the
Figure 4.32 The pinna being pulled up and back to same solution for 20–30 minutes. Allow to dry
straighten the external auditory meatus. thoroughly before re-using to minimize bacte-
rial contamination from the patient’s ear.
on the auricle in an upwards and backwards Using the manual ear syringe
direction (Figure 4.32).
The same principles apply if using the manual
5. Direct the flow of water gently towards the roof
ear syringe (Figure 4.34). The models are made
of the auditory canal. At first, water will be
of stainless steel and each is supplied with a set of
deflected by the wax and run out of the ear into
metal nozzles that, unlike the plastic nozzles, are
the receptacle, but as wax is displaced, water
not angled. A jug is used as a water reservoir for
should flow along the roof of the auditory canal
filling the syringe; tap water is acceptable.
and track around the wax deposit (Figure 4.33).
6. As you continue syringing, flecks of yellow– 1. Select a suitably sized metal nozzle and attach
brown wax will appear in the water. These to the neck of the syringe.
will become larger, until a single or several 2. Screw the base with fixed grip rings to the
larger chunks of wax appear, indicating suc- barrel end. By placing your index and middle
cess removal of all the wax. When you stop fingers in the base rings and your thumb in
syringing, the patient may express delight that the plunger ring, you will be able to move
hearing has returned. With the auriscope, check the plunger relative to the barrel. Check that

External auditory
meatus

Wax

Syringe
Tympanic
membrane Figure 4.33 The direction of water
flow in the external canal.

00-Textbook_GP_text-cccp.indd 65 01/11/2011 14:55

 66 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

Plunger Plunger
ring

Nozzle Barrel Grip rings Figure 4.34 A manually operated

fixed to barrel ear syringe.

the syringe plunger moves freely inside the the wax has cleared. This may take as many
barrel. Wetting the plunger with tap water or as 8–12 syringefuls.
smearing Vaseline on the plunger head will 10. Dry the canal by mopping with gauze or
facilitate this movement. Leave in the closed ­cotton wool.
(pushed-in) position. 11. Clean the syringe with alcohol, particularly
3. Fill the reservoir jug with tap water at body the nozzle. Allow it to dry thoroughly before
temperature. Gauging the temperature with using it on the next patient.
your own hand is sufficient, although testing
with a thermometer will check accuracy. Practical points
4. Position the tip of the nozzle below the sur-
■■ It is essential to use water at body temperature
face of the water in the reservoir. Using your
to avoid an attack of caloric-induced vertigo.
dominant hand, place the index finger in
■■ Keep an eye on the water level in the patient-
the plunger ring. Using your non-dominant
held receptacle. You may be so engrossed in
hand to grasp the barrel, withdraw the plung-
the syringing that you fail to notice that the
er. This will draw up water into the barrel
receptacle has overflowed, with the consequent
of the syringe. Avoid air entering the barrel.
soaking of you and your patient!
When full, hold the syringe horizontally to
■■ With the electric model, remember to turn off
minimize leakage.
the water flow in the nozzle when inspecting
5. Change your handgrip on the syringe, plac-
the ear. If you do not, a jet of water will shoot
ing your thumb in the plunger ring and your
across the room, targeting anyone in its path,
index and middle fingers in the barrel rings.
including your tutor or the practice nurse!
This frees the non-dominant hand.
■■ When you have successfully unblocked the ear,
6. Advance the nozzle into your patient’s exter-
your patient may remark about the sudden
nal auditory meatus while simultaneously,
loudness of noise, especially high-frequency
with your non-dominant hand, applying
sounds. This abnormal sensitivity to sounds
traction to the auricle in an upwards and
is known as hyperacusis, and will settle after
backwards direction to straighten the audi-
several minutes.
tory canal.
7. Advance the plunger into the barrel by Patients will often warn you when syringing
moving the handle towards the barrel base, their ears that water is almost certain to shoot
approximating the thumb, index and middle out of the opposite ear! This intimation of lack
fingers. This movement empties the barrel of cerebral content is a joke enjoyed throughout
of water. Direct the flow into the auditory the world. Such hyperbole should not be dis-
meatus towards the roof of the canal. missed without considering the care needed to
8. When you have emptied the syringe, with- avoid perforating the tympanic membrane during
draw it. Examine the canal with the auriscope the syringing process. How could this happen?
to check for persistence of wax. It is less likely with electric syringes because the
9. Continue this process of filling the barrel angulation of the nozzle tip diverts water away
with warm water and syringing the ear until from the tympanic membrane. With the hand

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 Skills used in clinical management and treatment 67

syringe, however, unless the stream is directed ‘High-risk’ patients include those who are:
posteriorly along the roof of the auditory meatus,
■■ known or suspected of being hepatitis B surface
it is possible for water to impinge on the tympanic
antigen (HBsAg)-positive,
membrane with sufficient force that it causes a
⚑ perforation.
■■ intravenous drug abusers,
■■ exhibiting high-risk behaviour for HIV,
■■ on haemodialysis,
How to take a blood sample (venepuncture)
■■ suffering from acute and/or chronic liver
Venous blood is used for most pathology testing;
disease,
arterial blood is used for the measurement of
■■ institutionalized or have Down’s syndrome.
blood gases; capillary blood from superficial sites
such as the ear lobe for blood sugar; and heel prick All medical students, medical staff and medical
samples in neonates for screening of phenylke- personnel who have direct contact with patients or
tones. Blood samples are normally taken from the who handle blood products should be immunized
plexus of veins in the antecubital fossa. against hepatitis B, and should have their hepa-
The process of taking blood from veins is called titis B immune levels checked one month after
venepuncture or phlebotomy and the technician completing the primary immunization course.
trained to undertake this procedure is a phleboto- Current guidelines recommend a single booster
mist. In the UK, it is now standard practice in hos- dose of vaccine every 5 years after the primary
pital and general practice to use a vacuum system course. Medical staff on units where invasive
(Vacutainer) in which blood flows directly from a procedures are undertaken (e.g. obstetrics, sur-
vein into a closed tube. This minimizes the risk of gery) may be required to have hepatitis C and
contamination from patients’ blood. HIV testing.

⚑ The use of protective gloves Anatomy

It is important to take precautions to minimize
Figure 4.35 shows the superficial veins of the
the risk of contamination of yourself and the
upper limb.
immediate environment, such as work surfaces,
particularly with hepatitis B and C viruses and
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). When What you will need
taking blood you should wear protective dispos- ■■ A pair of protective disposable gloves.
able gloves. Even if you consider a patient to ■■ A tourniquet: usually an elasticated strip
be in a low-risk category for transmissible dis- with fastening buckle, or a length of rubber
ease, you can never be sure, as described in the tubing.
following incident. ■■ Vacutainer system: needle 21G (green), needle
holder, blood collection tubes.
Tutor quote ■■ Pathology request forms.
A doctor had a needlestick injury after injecting the ■■ Sealable plastic specimen bag with absorbent
shoulder of an 84-year-old patient. She thought pad in case of spillage.
this would be of little consequence as the patient ■■ Soft ball or other object for patient to grip
was ‘low-risk’ status. However, the patient had (optional).
been transfused 8 pints of blood during a hip ■■ A sharps bin: this is a yellow plastic bin with
replacement operation some years ago. As this a white swing-top opening into which are
was immediately prior to the appearance of disposed needles or other equipment such as
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), syringes that have been in contact with blood
the laboratory had followed her up as a high- or body secretions. These bins are collected by
risk patient, testing her several times for HIV. the Clinical Waste Collections Service in Britain
Fortunately, all tests were negative and the doctor and are incinerated according to the recom-
concerned was hepatitis B immune, having been mendations of the Committee on Substances
previously immunized. Hazardous to Health.

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 68 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

■■ For the traditional method: disposable sterile

propylene syringe and capped metal needle.
Deltoid Taking blood with the Vacutainer system
Pectoralis The Vacutainer system is shown in Figure 4.36.
minor
Procedure (Figure 4.37)
1. Explain the procedure to your patient.
2. Select the blood sample bottles for the tests,
Cephalic Pectoralis major checking that the labels are blank. The vol-
vein divided and
turned medially
ume of blood required for each test is indi-
Basilic cated on the bottle label.
vein 3. Check the request form has been completed.
Median 4. With your patient sitting, select the arm for
cubital taking blood, preferably their non-dominant
vein side or the arm closest to a supporting sur-
Brachial face. You may support the arm on a small
Biceps artery supporting pillow. Apply the tourniquet to
the patient’s upper arm, about 10 cm above
(proximal to) the elbow. The tourniquet
should compress the veins but not be so
tight distally that the arterial circulation is
obstructed. The pulse should be palpable
distally. With the arm extended and sup-
ported, ask the patient to clench the fist or
grip a soft object. This helps to make the
Bicipital veins more prominent. Select a vein for
aponeurosis venepuncture in the antecubital fossa. If the
veins are compressed for longer than 3 min-
Figure 4.35 The superficial veins of the upper limb utes, the results of blood tests may be invalid.
(anterior view).
If this is the case, release the tourniquet for a
few minutes and reapply prior to taking the
blood samples.
5. Put on a pair of suitably sized disposable
gloves. ⚑
Traditional
stopper
Needle cap White cap Holder
JOHN SMITH
5.5.55

JOHN SMITH
5.5.55

Needle Paper Hemogard Pathology tube

seal closure labelled with name and
date of birth
Figure 4.36 The Vacutainer system.

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 Skills used in clinical management and treatment 69

1. Check paper seal is intact as proof of 2. Screw needle into holder. Leave coloured
sterility. If seal is broken, DO NOT USE. shield on needle.
Holding the coloured section of the needle
shield in one hand, twist and remove the
white section with the other hand
AND DISCARD.

15°

3. Prepare venepuncture site. 4. Introduce the tube into the holder. Placing
Remove the coloured section of needle shield. your forefinger and middle finger on the
Perform venepuncture in the usual manner flange of the holder and the thumb on the
with the arm in the downward position. bottom of the tube, push the tube to the end of
the holder, puncturing the diaphragm of the
stopper. Remove the tourniquet as soon as
blood begins to flow into the tube.

JOHN SMITH
5.5.55

5. When the vacuum is exhausted and blood 6. While blood is flowing into succeeding
flow ceases, apply a soft pressure with the tubes, gently invert previously filled tubes
thumb against the flange of the holder to containing additives 8 to 10 times to mix
disengage stopper from the needle and additives with blood. Do not shake. Vigorous
remove the tube from holder. If more samples mixing may cause haemolysis. Remove last
are required repeat from step 4. tube from the holder before withdrawing
needle from vein.

Dispose of needles in accordance with local

Control of Infection Protocols.
Used needles are dangerous; be safe not sorry.

Figure 4.37 How to take blood with the Vacutainer system.

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 70 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

6. Select a 21G needle, checking that the paper applying pressure may lead to bruising at the
seal is intact as a sign of sterility. If the seal venepuncture site.
is broken, discard the needle into the sharps 12. Dispose of the needle and the needle holder
bin. Holding the coloured section of the nee- directly into the sharps bin (Figure 4.38)
dle in one hand and the white section in the without re-capping. If there is no sharps bin,
other hand, twist and remove the white cap for example when on a home visit, re-cap the
and discard. needle by placing the cap on a flat surface and
7. Screw the needle into the holder, leaving directing the needle into the cap in the same
the coloured shield on the needle. Remove plane. In this situation, an empty soft drinks
the cap from the needle. Approach the can makes a good temporary container, and
patient’s arm with the needle bevel facing can be disposed of later with clinical waste at
upwards. With the needle and Vacutainer at the surgery. ⚑
an angle of approximately 15 degrees from 13. Label the sample tubes with a ballpoint pen,
the ­surface, puncture the skin and advance completing the patient’s details. Include full
the needle about 1 cm through the skin and name, date of birth, and other information
into the vein. You risk perforating the oppo- requested. Ask the patient to confirm these
site wall of the vein if you advance the needle details. Place the samples in a plastic, self-
too far. sealing transport bag. These usually have a
8. Introduce the sample tube into the hold- pouch separate from the sample compart-
er. With your forefinger and middle finger ment for request forms and a paper pad
astride the base of the holder, place your to absorb any blood spillage. Blood from a
thumb at the end of the tube and exert steady high-risk patient should be labelled ‘high-
pressure, pushing the tube towards the end risk’, and this should be indicated on the
of the holder until you have punctured the
stopper at the end of the tube. As soon as
request form. ⚑
blood flows into the tube, remove the tour-
Secure lid
niquet.
Unlocking port for
9. Allow the tube to fill to the required level. removing needles
Apply gentle pressure with your thumb safely from
against the base of the holder, and remove the Vacutainers
tube and stopper from the needle. When the
vacuum is exhausted, the blood flow stops.
10. For further samples, substitute the remaining
Entry point for
tubes using the same technique: first tubes needles and
without additives, next coagulation tubes, guard to prevent
and finally tubes with additives. The latter spillage
should be gently inverted about eight to ten
times to allow mixing with the blood. Do
not shake, as this may cause haemolysis of WARN
ING:
the blood. DO NO
T FI
THE LINE LL ABOVE

11. When the last tube has been removed from

DANGE
the holder, withdraw the needle from the R

patient’s vein. Apply a steady pressure, or CONTAM

IN
ONLY TO ATED SHARPS
BE INCI
NERATE
ask the patient to apply pressure over a D

cotton-wool swab at the puncture site with

the elbow extended for 1–2 minutes. Discard Base of bin
the swab into a clinical waste container. If contains used needles
the puncture site is oozing blood, apply a Figure 4.38 A sharps bin for the safe disposal of
small plaster. Flexing the arm as a method of contaminated needles.

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 Skills used in clinical management and treatment 71

Practical points Note. A video recording of phlebotomy will give

■■ What if I do not obtain sufficient blood? An you a better overview. A copy may be obtainable
under-filled tube may invalidate the test result. from your local hospital phlebotomy department.
Tubes should always be correctly filled accord-
ing to volume indicated on the label.
■■ How do I know if the needle is in a vein? As Taking blood using the traditional needle and
soon as you push the pathology tube onto the syringe
holder, if the needle is in the vein, blood will
Taking blood with the traditional needle and
flow immediately. If nothing happens, draw
syringe is done less often nowadays because use
the needle back slightly and if you subsequently
of a Vacutainer reduces risk of contamination.
enter the vein blood will appear.
It is sometimes necessary to use the traditional
■■ How do I know whether the vacuum in the
method, for example, on a home visit when no
sample tube has been lost? As long as the needle
Vacutainer is available, or on Elective. The patient
remains under the skin, the vacuum is main-
is prepared as described above.
tained. If the needle slips outside the skin, the
vacuum is lost and you must use a new tube. 1. Protective gloves must be worn. ⚑
■■ What should I do if the vein collapses? Remove 2. Select a pre-packed, sterile, disposable needle
the tube, leaving the needle in place in the vein. (size 21G) and propylene syringe of sufficient
When the pressure returns in the vein, insert a volume for the blood tests (10 or 20 mL).
new tube. Remove from the packaging.
■■ What if the veins are too difficult to enter? This 3. Attach the needle to the syringe. Check
happens with obese patients or patients with the plunger of the syringe can be withdrawn.
sclerosed veins from repeated phlebotomies, 4. With the plunger in the closed (pushed-
intravenous drug use or intravenous treat- in) position, remove the cap from the needle.
ments such as chemotherapy. After two or 5. Apply a tourniquet as above. Steady the
three unsuccessful attempts to collect blood, it selected vein by applying pressure with your
is advisable to send the patient to the hospital non-dominant hand to the antecubital fossa.
phlebotomy service. Winged blood collection With the needle bevel uppermost, puncture the
sets with thinner gauge needles and multiple skin over the vein and advance the tip into the
sample adapters for connection to a Vacutainer vein along its longitudinal axis for about 1 or
holder are available in hospitals. 2 cm and stop.
■■ What if I puncture the opposite wall of the vein? A 6. Steady the syringe against the patient’s
bruise (haematoma) may form at the puncture arm with your non-dominant hand and slowly
site. You may have already obtained your sam- withdraw the syringe plunger with your domi-
ple; if not, it may be possible to continue the nant hand. Blood should enter the barrel of
phlebotomy. After withdrawal of the needle, the syringe. Withdraw the required volume as
the patient should raise the arm above shoulder indicated on the sample tube.
height, which will cause the veins to collapse 7. Release the tourniquet. Quickly withdraw
and prevent further bleeding into the tissues. the needle and attached syringe as an entire
■■ What if I spill blood on myself or the immediate unit from the patient’s arm. Apply pressure
environment? Wash the blood off your exposed with a cotton-wool swab to the puncture
areas with soapy water and an alcohol solution point, with the patient’s arm extended as
(70 per cent) if available. Use sodium hypochlo- described. Transfer the blood sample into
rite solution 10 000 ppm (bleach, Milton) to the laboratory sample bottle by inserting the
wipe down contaminated surfaces and leave in needle through the rubber stopper of the
contact for 30 minutes. Report any spillage or tube. If a Vacutainer tube, the blood will
accidents involving blood or other body fluids transfer by pressure effect, if not, advance the
to the practice nurse, sister in charge or occu- syringe plunger to transfer blood to the level
⚑ pational health officer. indicated on the tube label.

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 72 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

Practical points Writing clear and concise referral letters needs

■■ If there is insufficient blood for the test, and a great deal of practice. The process involves
you need a further sample, it is preferable to abstracting information from personal knowl-
re-puncture the patient than disconnect the edge of the patient and their health record, and
needle from the syringe in situ and replace with presenting this as a logical summary. The let-
another syringe. Only in extreme circumstances ter should have maximum impact in as short a
should this be considered, for example in emer- space and time as possible. Time constraints are
gencies or when vein availability is poor. This relevant for both the specialist and the GP. If the
procedure will always result in contamination letter is too long, the specialist may not have time
with blood. to read it.
■■ Surfaces contaminated with blood should be
Although everyone has a personal writing style,

⚑ cleaned with sodium hypochlorite. a few rules should be observed.

■■ Write in clear, coherent sentences, express-

Special communication skills ing the problems as accurately and succinctly
as possible.
How to write a referral letter ■■ Use short words and phrases, rather than long
Communicating information about patients to words and rambling sentences.
health professionals is integral to clinical prac- ■■ Use simple language, avoiding colloquialisms.
tice. In general practice, patients with continuing It is acceptable to use the patient’s expressions
problems may be managed by teams of healthcare when describing the presentation.
professionals based in both primary and second- ■■ Avoid medical jargon, for example use ‘breath-
ary care. When a GP involves another professional ing’ not ‘pulmonary ventilation’.
in patient care – whether for an opinion, transfer- ■■ Avoid abbreviations: not everyone under-
ring clinical responsibility, for investigation, reas- stands them.
surance or management – it is essential to transfer ■■ Typed letters are required for electronic trans-
clear information. Conversely, the same applies fer. Handwritten letters must be legible.
when a specialist communicates with a GP.
Although informal referrals can be made by
telephone or face-to-face contact, for operational Practical Exercise
reasons and for record-keeping purposes written
referrals are accepted practice. In the UK many Part 1. Think of a patient you have seen with
letters are now transferred electronically via a your tutor who needs referral to a specialist.
secure hospital–general practice website to the Imagine you are the specialist and have just
referring specialist unit using a central electronic received the letter. What information would you
appointments system which forwards the refer- need from your tutor to allow you to respond
ral to the specialist clinic and sends the patient appropriately to the request for help? Jot down
an appointment. the information points before continuing with
Some hospital and community services pre- this section. Write a model referral letter for
fer referrals using a specialist referral proforma your tutor. Stop here, and attempt to write your
or form with direct entry of patient data onto letter before reading on. Your outline should
the proforma. This is easier if the proforma is have included the following:
incorporated into the electronic patient record. ❏❏ Patient details: name, age, sex, National
Examples include specialist palliative care, psy- Health Service (NHS) number, ethnic back-
chological therapies and suspected cancer with ground, hospital number if you have one
an option of an urgent referral on a ‘two week’ recorded for the patient.
fast track system. Most referrals, however, require ❏❏ Details of GP: name, address, tele­
a personal letter by the GP and so the art of let- phone number and these days perhaps
ter writing continues to be an important skill. email address.

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 Special communication skills 73

❏❏ Reason for referral: what help is the GP ❏❏ What factors would a doctor need to take
requesting? What question is being asked of into account in the style and content of the
the specialist? letter?
❏❏ Degree of urgency for appointment: state if an ❏❏ Are there issues of confidentiality to be
urgent appointment is indicated. addressed in introducing this practice?
❏❏ Clinical condition: important clinical and
previous history.
❏❏ Findings on physical examination: include
key points and significant positive and nega- How to sign a Medical Certificate of Cause of
tive findings that support your diagnosis or Death (death certificate)
reason for referral.
❏❏ Findings on investigation: results should be Background knowledge
included or attached electronically. When a patient dies, there is a standard procedure
❏❏ Medication and drug sensitivities. for registering the death and for arranging
❏❏ Psychosocial history: include this if it is likely burial. It is a time of personal distress for the
to help the specialist’s management; for deceased’s family, and the role of the family
example if an elderly patient lives alone, doctor is to provide support and guidance to the
include details of the living arrangements family. Further information for the family can
and key carer. be accessed on a government website (Directgov,
❏❏ Explanation given to the patient about the 2010). Before a death can be reported in England
condition and the reason for referral: this is and Wales, there must be either a Medical
helpful if the diagnosis may involve break- Certificate of Cause of Death, commonly referred
ing bad news, for example if a diagnosis of to as a death certificate or, if the death was
cancer is likely. unexpected, a certificate from a coroner after
❏❏ Expected outcome of the referral. appropriate investigations into the cause of death
❏❏ Desirable follow-up: indicate whether you have been made. A coroner is a lawyer or doctor
are expecting the patient to be returned to responsible for investigating deaths.
your care as soon as possible, or prefer the It is the statutory duty of a registered medical
specialist to provide on-going management. practitioner to complete a death certificate stating
Part 2. Now check your referral letter using the to the best of his or her knowledge and belief the
above outline. If you have omitted vital infor- cause of death. The certificate is a legal document.
mation, amend your letter. Check its suitability If a doctor gives a cause of death that he or she
and format with your tutor. If your tutor agrees, knows to be untrue, charges of perjury (i.e. false
you could have the letter typed, ready to send to declaration) may follow.
the specialist, remembering that your tutor will If the death was expected and the patient died of
need to sign it. When your tutor receives a reply, natural causes, the procedure is as follows.
ask if you may see the letter. Did the specialist
interpret the letter correctly? Were all the ques- 1. Confirmation of death of the patient by an
tions answered? Have you learnt anything from examining doctor, who may be the patient’s
the reply? medical practitioner or an on-call doctor.
Part 3. Recent guidelines for good clinical prac- 2. Arrangements for removal of the body by a
tice have recommended that patient referral funeral director (undertaker) to a funeral par-
letters from GPs to specialists and replies from lour. The deceased’s family or representative
specialists to referring GPs should be cop- is responsible for deciding on a funeral
ied to patients. This has been introduced in ­director.
some areas. 3. The provision of a Medical Certificate of
❏❏ Can you list at least five benefits to patients Cause of Death that states the cause of death.
of receiving copies of letters? This is signed by the attending doctor and is
provided free of charge. It must be delivered

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 74 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

to the Registrar of Births and Deaths in the Unnatural or suspicious causes of death must be
sub-district where the deceased lived. It is
the responsibility of the doctor who signs
referred to the coroner and include a death: ⚑
■■ which was violent, unnatural or occurred under
the death certificate to deliver it in person or
suspicious circumstances,
by post to the local Registrar of Births and
■■ for which the cause is unknown or uncertain,
Deaths. In most instances however, the doctor
■■ which occurred while the patient was undergo-
arranges for this to be done by an informant
ing an operation or before full recovery from
of the deceased, usually a relative. A list of
an anaesthetic, was related to anaesthesia, or
eligible persons who can act as informants is
followed a fracture or fall,
given on the reverse of the formal notice of
■■ caused by an industrial disease or industrial
death on the medical certificate.
poisoning,
4. The provision of a formal notice of death enti-
■■ which occurred as a result of a medical pro-
tled Notice to Informant. This is attached to the
cedure or treatment, or from a termination of
Medical Certificate of Cause of Death as a ‘tear-
pregnancy,
off’ section, and is completed by the doctor who
■■ which may have been due to lack of medical
signs the death certificate. It is provided free
care or where there were allegations of medical
of charge.
mismanagement,
5. If cremation is to take place, the provision of
■■ where the deceased was not attended by a doc-
a Cremation Certificate, signed in two parts by
tor during the terminal illness or was not seen
two doctors who practise independently of each
during the last 14 days of life,
other, one of whom will have signed the death
■■ which occurred as a result of self-neglect or
certificate (cremation forms 4 and 5). There
neglect by others,
is a fee for the certificates unless the death is
■■ which occurred in prison or in police custody.
referred to a coroner who provides a certificate
for cremation without charge.
The Medical Certificate of Cause of Death
If the death was unexpected, or the patient died
This may be the first time as a student or a
of unnatural or suspicious causes (see below), the
⚑
Foundation Year doctor you are observing the
procedure is as follows.
completion of a death certificate in general prac-
1. Confirmation of death by an attending or on- tice. A book of Medical Certificates of Cause of
call doctor. Death (Form 66) will be kept in the practice and
2. Reporting the death to the local Coroner’s Office is supplied by the Registrar General through the
by the attending or emergency doctor. If there local Registrar of Births and Deaths. The same
are suspicious circumstances, the doctor must form is used in hospitals and the community for
inform the police. Where there are doubts, the all deaths occurring after the first 28 days of life. A
doctor should discuss details with the coroner different form is used for the deaths of live-born
who has the discretion to decide whether it is children occurring before 28 days. The Births and
permissible to provide a death certificate or to Deaths Registration Act of 1953 requires the form
proceed with a post mortem. to be completed and signed by the medical practi-
3. Removal of the body to a mortuary: tioner who attended the patient during his or her
the Coroner’s Office will make arrangements last illness and saw the patient in the last 14 days
for this. of life. The certificate has to be accepted by the
4. Investigation into the cause of death by the Registrar of Births and Deaths. If the certificate
coroner, who will provide the necessary cer- has not been completed accurately or is unsatis-
tification. An inquest may be necessary to factory it cannot be accepted.
determine the cause of death. Doctors must
cooperate fully with any formal inquiry into Procedure
the treatment of the patient, and not withhold 1. Are you eligible to sign the death certificate?
relevant information. If so, you will be registered with the General

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 Special communication skills 75

Medical Council (GMC) either provisionally being held, or (4) you have reported the
as a pre-registration doctor (FY1) or with death to the coroner. Information about
full registration (FY2). You will have attend- whether the deceased was seen after death
ed the deceased in his or her final illness and offers three options: (a) that you as signatory
have seen the patient in the last 14 days of saw the body, (b) that another medical prac-
life. It is not a requirement for you to have titioner saw the body, or (c) that the body
seen the body after death. This is necessary was not seen after death by a medical practi-
only if you sign the cremation certificate. tioner. If you have reported the death to the
2. The book of Medical Certificates of Cause of coroner for further action, you should initial
Death (Figure 4.39) is prefaced by a section Statement A on the reverse of the form.
called Medical Certificate of Death – notes 6. The next section asks for details of the cause
for doctors. This covers your duties as a of death. It is completed in two parts: Part I
medical practitioner, completion of personal covers the condition(s) leading to the cause
details about the patient, the circumstances of death, and Part II asks for information on
of certification, when to refer to a coro- other significant conditions contributing to
ner, the cause of death statement, and any the death but not related to the disease. Part
employment-related deaths. I may confuse even the most experienced
3. You should ask yourself: Do you know the doctor. The form asks for the ‘underlying
cause of death? Do you feel confident that cause of death’ to be completed in I(c) and
death was due to natural causes? If ‘yes’, you the disease or condition directly leading to
may sign the death certificate. Handwrite in death in I(a). You are asked to indicate at
ink the following where requested: the full I(b) any other condition, if any, leading to
name of the deceased, the date of death as I(a). The ‘underlying cause of death’ is the
stated to you, the age of the deceased, the disease or injury that initiated the series of
place of death and the date when last seen morbid events that led to the death. In I(a)
alive by you. you are asked for the disease, injury or com-
4. If you do not know the cause of death, or plication causing death and not the mode of
did not attend the patient in the last 14 days death, as in asphyxia. If two conditions have
of life, or you consider that the death was contributed to the death, both causes should
due to violence or unnatural causes, or was be written on the certificate. An example is
a sudden death of unknown cause, you must ‘I(a) Chronic bronchitis, coronary athero-
notify the local Coroner’s Office immedi- ma’. If you are awaiting further information
ately. This includes deaths of patients who for confirmation of cause of death, such
sustained a fracture, had an accident or an as a histology report, you should initial
operation, or had not recovered sufficiently Statement B on the reverse of the form.
from an anaesthetic. In these circumstances, 7. On the right-hand side and opposite the sec-
you should not complete the death certifi- tion ‘Cause of Death’, you will notice a box
⚑ cate. in which you are asked to state the approxi-
5. You are next asked to circle an appro­priate mate interval between the onset of each con-
digit or letter in two lists: confirmation dition listed and death. For example:
by post-mortem examination and a state-
I(a) Myocardial infarction 5 days
ment that the deceased person was seen
I(b) Coronary atheroma 5 years
or not seen after death. For information
I(c) Influenza 2 weeks
about post mortem, you should indicate
II Chronic bronchitis 18 years
one of four options: (1) whether the cause
of death takes account of information 8. Below the section ‘Cause of Death’ is a box
obtained from post mortem, (2) ­whether in which you are asked whether you believe
information from post mortem may be the death may have been due to or contrib-
available later, (3) a post mortem is not uted to by the employment followed at some

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00-Textbook_GP_text-cccp.indd 76 01/11/2011 14:55
00-Textbook_GP_text-cccp.indd 77

Figure 4.39 Medical Certificate of Cause of Death.

01/11/2011 14:55
 78 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

time by the deceased. It does not ask you Communicating with relatives
to provide details, only to tick the box and It is good practice to see or telephone the
report to the coroner. Details of the catego- deceased’s next of kin to explain the details on
ries of death that may be of industrial origin the death certificate and to enquire about who
are given on the reverse of the death cer- will be the informant. This contact provides an
tificate and in fuller detail at the back of the opportunity for relatives to ask questions about
certificate book. However, you should have the cause of death and for you to clarify concerns.
medical confirmation that this is the case You should check that the informant knows what
because the coroner will ask you to submit to do with the death certificate and the Notice to
a medical report. In the event of a suspected Informant. It is also an opportunity to enquire
industrial disease, there will probably be about the relatives’ health and to offer support.
an inquest. Finally, thanking or commending the family if
9. Sign and date the form, certifying that you they have provided care will assist the bereave-
were in attendance during the deceased’s ment process and will be appreciated.
last illness and that the details on the form
are true to the best of your knowledge and
belief. You are asked to give your qualifica- How to consult with special age groups
tions as registered by the GMC, and to state (children and elderly people)
your residence: this means the general prac- Consulting with patients at the extremes of age
tice address, not your home address. requires an adaptation of your approach with
10. Complete the counterfoil adjacent to the adults. Though separated by an age span of
Medical Certificate of Cause of Death that several decades, there are similarities in history
asks for a copy of the details on the medi- taking when consulting with infants and elderly
cal certificate. people who depend on others for part or all of
11. Finally, you should check whether the back their care. With both groups, communication
of the certificate form needs to be com- involves a third party – babies with their parents
pleted: Box A that you have reported the or guardian, elderly dependent people with a
death to the coroner; Box B that you may be relative or other key person with caring respon-
in a position later to provide the Registrar sibilities. The sharing of information takes place
General with additional information as to as a trio of doctor, patient and informant. Even
the cause of death for statistical purposes. if your patient cannot talk, you can establish
rapport non-verbally through eye contact, by
Practical points touching, miming or writing if the patient can
■■ A symptom or a mode of dying, such as heart read. Use information gleaned from observing
failure, is not acceptable as a cause of death. your patient, interaction with the carer and the
The underlying disease must be stated. home environment to supplement your history.
■■ When recording a tumour, you should state The malodours of an incontinent patient, young
the histology and whether benign or malignant. or old, are distinctive. A healthy baby with nor-
■■ Avoid the word ‘accident’, as in ‘cerebrovascu- mal muscle tone handles differently from the
lar accident’, as this alarms relatives and implies acutely ill, floppy child. Nurses in close con-
violence. Instead you are advised to use ‘stroke’. tact with immobile elderly patients describe how
■■ Avoid ambiguous statements such as the cause they intuitively ‘feel’ their patient’s condition; for
of death was ‘old age’. The registrar has a list example patients with a stroke and disabling loss
of accepted causes of death and if your stated of speech (aphasia/dysphasia) may offer greater
cause of death is not included on the list, the than normal resistance to being positioned if
registrar is required to notify the coroner. This suffering pain.
may cause distress to the relatives and it would Consulting with infants and elderly people
have been more considerate to discuss the requires special skills, which you will develop
wording with the Coroner’s Office first. with experience.

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 Special communication skills 79

Consulting with children ents are the experts in their child’s health, and are
General approach the most qualified to give an accurate description
of their child, even if not confirmed in the surgery.
■■ Every child has the right to be treated as an Communicating with children calls for patience
individual with particular needs and potentiali- and flexibility. Praising good behaviour through-
ties. out the consultation encourages cooperation.
■■ Every child has the right to have his or her
As children grow older, communication pat-
wishes taken into account, and the right to terns with parents and people in authority change
speak and be listened to. in a complex way that reflects their move towards
■■ It is the duty of professionals to take account of
independence. While some teenagers appear to be
age, sex, health, personality, race, culture and forthcoming in the consultation, others may dis-
life experiences when planning services for chil- play a grudging resentment, play a manipulative
dren (Children Act, United Kingdom 1989). ‘game’ with their parents or doctor, or be over-
These principles underpin the approach to man- whelmed by anxiety and embarrassment, espe-
aging children. Whatever a child’s age, each con- cially if asked about personal matters or required
sultation is a partnership between the child, the to undress. All this is a normal part of growing up
child’s parent(s) or guardian(s) and the ­doctor. and needs to be allowed for in the consultation by
Children’s personalities, behaviour and ability offering an explanation for the reasons for your
to communicate vary widely and are dependent questions or examination. The age at which teen-
on their stage of development, cultural back- agers prefer to consult alone varies according to
ground, education and understanding. In addi- the nature of the presenting symptom, the degree
tion, children and their parents may have unpre- of maturity and the relationship with their parents
dictable responses to illness. Parents often seem and doctor. Over the age of 16, teenagers have
unduly upset and communicate a great deal of legal responsibility for their personal medical care.
anxiety when their children are ill, to a degree Despite this, many prefer to be accompanied in
which may appear disproportionate to the child’s the consultation. To respect confidentiality, teen-
state of health. With the intense early bonding agers should be given the opportunity to talk alone
between parents and babies, it is emotionally dis- when accompanied. Older children are quick to
turbing to observe a previously responsive child identify adults as patronizing through what might
deteriorate and, furthermore, frustrating when be misinterpreted glances of disapproval or com-
a child is unable to describe symptoms. Parents ments. For this reason, it is advisable to avoid
have an innate fear of losing a child – a fear that personal comments or passing judgement.
may be fuelled by sensationalist reporting in the
Practical tips
media, particularly during epidemics. In addition,
parents may be exhausted through disturbed sleep ■■ Greet your young patient by name in a friendly
in caring for their child, leaving them emotionally way, introduce yourself and explain where he
vulnerable. These factors need to be considered or she should sit.
when consulting with parents and children. Each ■■ Observe the child’s behaviour and interaction
consultation should be handled sensitively and with his or her parents and with yourself as
with an individual approach tailored to the needs you bring the family into the consulting room.
of each situation. This will provide useful information before
Children and babies are particularly changeable. you begin the consultation. Is the child shy,
They may appear ill one moment and bouncing avoiding eye-to-eye contact, hiding behind or
with energy the next. They may be fractious in the clinging to the parent, or is the child friendly,
consulting room and difficult to talk to, or be so confident and chatty from the start? Nowadays,
excited when visiting the surgery that they show a children are drilled into not talking to strangers
dramatic improvement. Parents will often say that so that, if this is your first contact, the child
the child ‘just wasn’t like that when I left home. He’s will probably appear unfriendly while at the
proving me a liar!’ Remember, however, that par- same time recognizing your tutor as familiar.

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 80 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

To understand how to respond to such a typi- toys alone rather than having them thrust
cal child, it will help to consider the impact of into their hands. A nearby box or surface
entering your consulting room. with a small number of toys appropriate for
a range of ages may tempt. When examining
a child, diversionary games such as ‘peek-a-
Thinking and Discussion Point boo’, demonstrating examination on a doll
or teddy or, if none is available, on a parent
■■ Spare a thought for the child. Imagine your- will reassure and encourage cooperation.
self as a small person in a grown-up world. Sometimes the whole consultation has to
Think of how the doctor and the consult- be turned into one big game in order to
ing room would appear to you, looming at obtain the necessary information and enlist
your small feet as you walk in through the cooperation, but this is often hard work and
door, holding the hand of a towering adult. time consuming.
Literature affords many illustrations of dis-
proportionate sizing – Alice in Wonderland,
Gulliver’s Travels and Mrs Pepperpot!
History taking and examination of a child
■■ Show restraint. Children need time to adjust
to ‘strange’ people seated in what appears Having settled the family group into the consult-
to be a vast room dominated by intrigu- ing room, you can proceed with history taking.
ing instruments and computers. At first, The use of open questions helps to identify the
avoid overwhelming the child with personal parent’s expectation from the visit early on in
comments or by being over-friendly, as this the contact. The age when a child is sufficiently
approach may be rejected and the child may mature to give a reliable history varies, but may
burst into tears rather than reciprocate. be around 7–10 years, although the child may
While initially greeting the child by eye con- not share the parents’ concern about his or her
tact and name it may be preferable to initial- medical condition. With a younger child, ques-
ly focus attention on the parents and allow tions should be directed towards the parent, while
the child time to absorb the surroundings. allowing the child to contribute spontaneously.
Once you have passed the test of acceptabil- It is wise to cross-check the child’s information
ity, your small patient may begin to relate, with the adult and, conversely, to check the adult’s
and you can then shift the consultation from information with the child.
a two-way to a three-way exchange. It is acceptable to examine children in an oppor-
■■ Physical contact. It is sometimes tempting tunistic way rather than follow a systems proce-
to pick up babies, but they may sense unfa- dure, particularly when time is limited. You may
miliarity and not settle. Parents may also be able to examine more thoroughly if the child
object if you treat their baby as a cuddly toy. is cooperatively sitting or lying on the parent’s
Unless they ask you to help by holding their knee than if distressed lying on an examination
baby, or you wish to examine the baby, it couch. If you need to examine the ears or chest,
is advisable to leave the infant undisturbed do so first, because once a child starts to cry these
in the parent’s arms. Likewise, with older procedures will be difficult. Procedures that may
children it is best to avoid physical contact be uncomfortable, for example inspecting the
unless they spontaneously climb onto your mouth or taking blood, should be left to the end
lap. Exceptionally, parents may misinterpret of the examination.
contact as manhandling of their child rather A common difficulty is knowing how to express
than an expression of your goodwill. to a child the parents’ concern without making the
■■ Diversions. Toys help divert attention and child feel ashamed or guilty. It is best to address
encourage a child to settle into the consul- the problem and the parents’ anxiety directly,
tation. Children usually prefer to discover while involving the child in the decision-making
process. For example with a 7-year-old child

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 Special communication skills 81

who is bed-wetting (nocturnal enuresis): ‘Charlie,

mum is worried about you wetting the bed at Thinking and Discussion Point
night. Many children do this at your age. They
Taking histories from this age group allows you
can’t help it. One day you will grow out of it; it
to assess your attitude towards older people. Do
will stop and everything will be all right. Because
you regard them with:
it’s a lot of work for mum to wash the sheets, shall
■■ Affection as you would your grandparents
we see if we can find someone to help you get dry?’
or an aunt or uncle?
■■ Respect or fear because of their great age,
wisdom and dignity?
Practical Exercise
■■ Curiosity as a source of history pre-dating
During your time in general practice, try to gain your own existence?
experience in taking histories from the follow- ■■ Frustration because speech and hearing loss
ing groups: prevent effective communication?
❏❏ a parent/parents and baby aged under 12 ■■ Contempt because they have no role in life,
months, may be unkempt, incontinent or grumpy?
❏❏ a parent/parents and toddler aged 1–3 years, ■■ Disdain because they appear old-fashioned,
❏❏ a parent/parents and primary school child speaking and dressing differently from you?
aged 3–11 years, If ‘ageism’ is defined as prejudice or discrimi-
❏❏ a parent/parents and pubertal child aged nation against people of a certain age, con-
12–15 years, sider how the outcome of a consultation with an
❏❏ an adolescent consulting alone. older patient may be influenced by the negative
Compare the contributions made by the child views of the interviewer.
towards the consultation at each age.

Consulting with older patients The question of whether to address an older

Most older people take care of themselves, plan patient by first name or surname with title some-
their own lives and make their own decisions. times arises. Although you may feel rapport would
However, a small proportion suffer from seri- be established more quickly by using first names,
ous conditions such as strokes or Alzheimer’s most older people believe the use of surnames is
disease, which have such a devastating effect a mark of respect. If in doubt, the use of names
on their life that they need help to cope with should be discussed with your patient. What is
everyday needs. For some, communication is important is that both you and your patient feel
made difficult by deafness, speech disorders or at ease.
memory impairment. Observation provides clues about communi-
At times you may experience some negative cation difficulties. Spotting a hearing aid may
feelings when communicating with older people. prompt you to adjust your voice, but if you do this
Negative feelings must be addressed, even in the check that the patient can hear before proceeding
most adverse circumstances, for example when with the interview. A patient with a hemiplegia
visiting a neglected person in distressingly dirty may have visual loss on one side (hemianopia),
conditions. It helps to understand why people live and you may need to change position if your
in this state. What are the medical circumstances? patient is to see you.
What were this person’s previous personality and A keen eye during home visits may supplement
lifestyle? How can their quality of life be improved your history taking and provide valuable informa-
despite having an irreversible medical condition? tion about a patient’s social circumstances. Is the
Whatever the patient’s state, courtesy is essential. house clean or cluttered? How do the relatives and
Older patients dislike being patronized, but they patient interact? Are there signs that the patient is
may be too courteous to tell you. not coping with everyday activities?

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 82 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

Communicating with patients with limited If receptionists identify patients with language
or no English difficulties on first contact, special arrangements
can be made. They can book to see a doctor who
The UK population is increasingly cosmopoli- speaks the same language, if available; it can be
tan and multi-racial. Patients with limited or arranged for an accompanying friend or relative to
no English are more likely to present in metro- act as interpreter; or they can be offered a profes-
politan and tourist areas. Patients with language sional interpreter in person or from a telephone
difficulties represent a range of circumstances: interpreting service. In addition, patients may
people working on secondment from overseas, belong to an ethnic group that states a prefer-
migrant workers from abroad seeking short- ence to consult with a doctor of the same gender.
term employment, refugees or asylum seekers, Muslim and Hindu women prefer a woman doc-
holiday visitors, relatives visiting families in the tor when consulting with gynaecological prob-
UK, and indigent families whose first language lems, and this request should be respected.
is not English and whose English is limited. All For reasons of confidentiality, patients should
groups are entitled to registration with a GP. be offered the choice of a professional, a relative
Holiday visitors register temporarily with the or a friend as interpreter. However, use of a close
NHS if their country of origin has reciprocal family member as an interpreter raises confiden-
arrangements with the UK, or privately if this tiality issues and may not be in the patient’s or
is not the case. Refugees are entitled to the full relative’s best interests. The use of children may
range of NHS healthcare services free of charge pose particular problems, as patients may need
and are encouraged to have permanent registra- to discuss sensitive topics of a sexual or personal
tion with a GP. nature or, in the case of refugees, discussion may
Communicating with patients with limited be around brutality or torture in their persecuting
English is difficult, and can lead to misunder- country and may be upsetting.
standing and frustration for healthcare profes-
sionals and patients. In addition, patients may How are interpreting and translating services
not understand the UK healthcare system, and used?
may originate from a country where expecta- Although the terms ‘language interpretation’ and
tions and experience of medical care differ from ‘translation’ are often used interchangeably, by
those in the UK, for example, direct access to definition interpretation refers to the spoken lan-
specialist rather than GP care. guage and translation to the written language. In
It is important for healthcare professionals the UK, professional interpreters are pre-booked
who consult with patients with limited or no for the patient’s appointment time using a tel-
English to understand the cultural differences ephone interpretation service (such as Language
and the patient’s expectations. Tolerance of cul- Line Services) which has available at short notice
tural and racial diversity is essential for making professionally trained interpreters in up to 170
effective contact. This is particularly so for refu- languages. These interpreters are proficient in
gees and asylum seekers, who may have difficulty their language and have a general knowledge and
accessing healthcare and communicating needs. familiarity with the culture of that language. The
Refugees represent diverse populations including service is remunerated on a pro-rata hourly rate
those applying for refugee status, allowed tem- by the NHS. In addition most GPs in the UK also
porary admission to the country while immigra- have access to a translation service and a web-
tion status is considered, or with the right to based sign and language support (SignTranslate,
stay indefinitely. Refugees are a vulnerable group 2010). This service offers registered practices
because many have health problems that are access to British Sign Language interpreters who
complicated by personal and psychological dis- can communicate with deaf patients if the practice
tress arising from torture, separation from their has webcam facilities.
families, loss of status, poverty and the ‘cultural If no interpreter is available, or the patient is
bereavement’ of leaving their country of origin. seen without forewarning of language difficulties,

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 Special communication skills 83

communication may need to be non-verbal, using consultation and will initiate the process. A good
facial expression, miming or drawing. Although start is to acknowledge the patient’s problems.
this may establish rapport with the patient and Supplementing verbal exchange by observing
address basic needs, it is an unsatisfactory and body language will provide clues about symptoms
unreliable way to conduct a consultation. such as pain, distress, anxiety, depression or the
Consulting through an interpreter is difficult, anatomical location of symptoms. Keep com-
time consuming and stressful for the doctor munication to a minimum and give instructions
within the constraints of short consulting times clearly via the interpreter when you have made a
in general practice. The logistics of arranging an diagnosis and need to explain your management.
appointment with doctor, patient and telephone At this stage you should check the patient’s under-
interpreter simultaneously are not easy. It is rec- standing of the UK health service and, if necessary,
ommended that appointment times be extended explain how the system works, particularly in
up to 30 minutes for patients with language prob- relation to general practice. It is helpful to write
lems because of the increased time needed. down your name, diagnosis and instructions in
English, including drawings and diagrams, and
follow-up arrangements. The patient or family
Your approach then has the option of getting a translation later.
Before the consultation begins, check the arrange- If you give the patient a prescription, you should
ments for accessing an interpreter. Has a recep- explain the location of the pharmacy. Information
tionist pre-booked a telephone interpreter, or leaflets in the patient’s language are helpful, but
should the GP to contact a language interpretation if unavailable, a leaflet in English allows later
service prior to the consultation? Once telephone translation. Before you say goodbye and thank
contact has been made the interpreter will intro- your interpreter, offer your patient a last chance
duce him- or herself by first name and state their to ask questions.
interpreter’s reference number. Start by intro-
ducing yourself and checking the interpreter’s How to do a home visit
language. Give the interpreter a brief summary of As a student, you may visit patients at home for a
the patient’s age, nationality and gender from the variety of reasons. You may make a pre-arranged
registration details, and any clues you have about visit alone or paired with a student colleague to
the clinical problems. gain experience in routine history taking from
You are now ready to start the consultation with a housebound patient, to follow up a patient
your non-English-speaking patient and an inter- recently discharged from hospital, to undertake
preter using a three-way communication system. a project, to accompany your tutor or other
Welcoming the patient by shaking hands and indi- member of the primary healthcare team to assess
cating where he or she should sit will help break a chronically ill patient or to gain emergency
down barriers. If a personal interpreter accompa- ‘on-call’ experience.
nies the patient, indicate where they should sit. It Visiting a patient at home is a very special
is preferable to seat the patient closest to yourself experience. Indeed, it is a privilege enjoyed by
with a full view of your face so that lip reading and few. Although some members of the primary
facial expression can enhance communication. healthcare team (for example community nurses,
The interpreter should sit next to the patient, fac- midwives and health visitors) visit defined patient
ing you. Check that your patient consents to the groups, what makes general practice unique is the
use of an interpreter. If a telephone interpreter access doctors have to the homes of registered
is used, the consultation will involve passing the patients. Patients are a microcosm of society, rep-
telephone from the patient to you, or using the resenting all backgrounds and ages. Doctors have
telephone speaker, and allowing time to talk to the advantage of being invited and usually wel-
and listen to the interpreter. Allow the patient an comed into the home. Many students feel nervous
opportunity to talk about presenting problems. about home visiting, partly because of feelings
Interpreters are familiar with the structure of the of insecurity, lack of self-confidence about social

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 84 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

and communication skills and, with pre-arranged student sent by your tutor. You must wear an
visits, a feeling of imposing on patients. However, identity badge with photograph. In addition, a
most patients enjoy talking to students, there letter of introduction from the surgery is reas-
being mutual benefits. suring. Patients appreciate a quick telephone
This topic is further discussed in Chapter 10 on call before you set out. When the patient
treating people at home. opens the door, greet the patient by name and
announce who you are, where you are from
and why you are visiting. Check whether there
Thinking and Discussion Point
is a relative in the house and, if so, that he or
Can you think of other occupations that have she is aware of your visit before starting your
access to homes? Under what circumstances interview. If you are visiting a patient living
would visits be made? in sheltered housing, a residential or nursing
home, always introduce yourself on arrival to
the warden or manager as a security measure.
Every home reflects individual and family val- ■■ What shall I wear? This should be discussed
ues. Visiting a cross-section of society you may with your tutor beforehand as dress codes may
be surprised at the wide range of lifestyles and differ from practice to practice. Patients expect
living conditions. Some visits will fascinate, as you to be clean, tidy and professional. They
they offer insight into cultures different from your may feel threatened if you wear outrageous
own, but in other homes you may react adversely, fashions. For safety reasons, avoid appearing
particularly where a patient’s personal cleanliness too conspicuous in the area you are visiting: not
is compromised due to incontinence or cognitive too smart in a depressed area, not too scruffy in
impairment. Whatever your impression, you need a smart part of town.
to handle the situation sensitively, remembering ■■ How shall I respond if a patient is abusive or I
that you are a guest and that you are there to help feel threatened? Occasionally the interview may
a patient made vulnerable by illness or disability. go wrong. Your patient may misunderstand
Whoever and whenever you visit, you need to be or misinterpret your conversation through no
prepared for all eventualities. fault of your own. If you sense that you are no
longer welcome or that the relationship with
Common questions from students about home your patient or a relative feels uncomfortable
visiting or threatening, leave the house as soon as is
■■ How safe will I be? Because you are in an courteously possible. There is a tendency to
unprotected environment when visiting, you underestimate feelings of resentment so it is
should be aware of personal safety, especially better to leave rather than attempt to repair the
when travelling. Observe the same ground situation. If possible, sit between the patient
rules as you would when socializing in the and the entry door of the room so that, in the
community generally. Avoid risks such as walk- event of a patient becoming physically aggres-
ing alone in alleyways, being confrontational
with strangers or appearing lost. Obtain clear
sive, you can make a speedy exit.
■■ What happens if the conversation runs dry?
⚑
directions before you set out. Look confident Many students worry about this more when
without appearing arrogant. Always inform taking a history in a patient’s home than in hos-
someone of where you are going and when you pital or the surgery. This is probably because
expect to return. Take the surgery telephone the patient has greater control in the home situ-
number with you in case you need help, and ation. The use of open questions and summa-
⚑ your mobile phone.
■■ Should I carry identification? Patients, espe-
rizing techniques will maintain conversation.
Pauses in the conversation are quite natural and
cially older people, are naturally suspicious of may be helpful. They may seem embarrassingly
strangers who knock at their door. They have long but they are usually much shorter than
a right to expect confirmation that you are the you imagine.

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 References 85

■■ Should I examine the patient? It is recom- ■■ The carer’s name, address and telephone
mended that you do not examine a patient at number, if appropriate.
home unsupervised by your tutor. There is no ■■ The practice telephone number and
insurance cover for this in the event of an acci- your mobile.
dent, for example if the patient falls or makes a ■■ A map of the area visited with directions for
false allegation. finding the patient’s address.
■■ What shall I do if the patient becomes acutely ill ■■ Personal identification and a letter of intro­
during the visit? Patients who become acutely duction.
ill may agree to continue with a student visit so ■■ A print-off of the patient’s electronic record –
as not to disappoint but it is appropriate to stop usually medical summary and medications. If
the interview and offer help. You may need to the practice maintains hard copy records take
call a relative in the house. If you are unsure, these with you.
⚑ call the surgery for advice.
After a pre-arranged visit, it is courteous to write
Checklist for home visits and thank the patient.
■■ The patient’s name, address and telephone
number.

SUMMARY POINTS
To conclude, the most important messages of this chapter are as follows:
■■ The patient is at the centre of your learning and must be treated with courtesy and respect.
■■ General practice requires an understanding of the basic science underlying any skill.
■■ Be aware of the clinical indications for using a skill.
■■ To learn a skill, you need close supervision and expert knowledge.
■■ It is important to rehearse and repeatedly practise any skill.

References
Beevers, G., Lip, G.Y. and O’Brien, E. 2007: ABC of hypertension, 5th edn. London: BMJ Books,
Wiley-Blackwell.
British Hypertension Society 2010: Blood pressure measurement DVD. www.bhsoc.org (accessed 12
September 2010).
Department of Health 2010: The UK Foundation Programme reference guide. www.foundationpro-
gramme.nhs.uk (accessed 12 September 2010).
Directgov 2010: What to do after a death. www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governementcitizensandrights/
Death?WhatToDoAfterADeath (accessed 12 September 2010).
General Medical Council 2006: Good medical practice. London: GMC. www.gmc-uk.org (accessed 12
September 2010).
General Medical Council 2007: 0–18 years: Guidance for all doctors. London: GMC. www.gmc-uk.org/
static/documents/content/0-18_0510.pdf (accessed 9 April 2011).
General Medical Council 2009a: Confidentiality. London: GMC. www.gmc-uk.org/static/documents/
content/Confidentiality_0910.pdf (accessed May 2011).
General Medical Council 2009b: Seeking patients’ consent. London: GMC. www.gmc-uk.org/static/docu-
ments/content/Consent_0510.pdf (accessed 3 June 2011)
General Medical Council 2009c: Tomorrow’s Doctors. www.gmc-uk.org/TomorrowsDoctors_2009.
pdf_27494211.pdf (accessed 9 April 2011).

00-Textbook_GP_text-cccp.indd 85 01/11/2011 14:55

 86 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

Language Line Services 2010: www.languageline.com/page/industry_healthcare (accessed 23

September 2010).
MacLeod, J. 1983: Clinical examination: a textbook for students and doctors by teachers of the Edinburgh
Medical School. Edinburgh: Elsevier.
Rees, J., Kanabar, D. and Pattani, S. 2010: ABC of asthma, 6th edn. London: BMJ Books, Wiley-Blackwell.
SignTranslate 2010: Online sign language interpreting. www.signtranslate.com (accessed 23
September 2010).

Further reading
Foundation Programme 2010: Training and assessment. www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/pages/
home/training-and-assessment (accessed 12 September 2010).

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 Appendix

Assessing practical skills in ■■ Introduces him/herself to patient.

■■ Establishes rapport with patient.
general practice ■■ Explains procedures and ensures consent.
■■ Ensures patient has rested for 10 minutes
Undergraduate level
where appropriate.
Medical schools implement their own methods of ■■ Positions patient and equipment appropriately.
assessment for the core clinical skills and proce- ■■ Applies cuff correctly.
dures that medical students are expected to have ■■ Locates brachial pulse.
acquired on graduation. Some will be acquired ■■ Puts stethoscope in antecubital fossa.
predominantly in hospital and others in general ■■ Blows up cuff to appropriate level.
practice. Small group or individual teaching in ■■ Measures systolic and diastolic readings in
general practice makes this setting ideal for the mmHg.
learning and assessment of skills. Most schools ■■ Removes cuff.
have student logbooks which list core skills and ■■ Reports reading and interprets correctly.
procedures. Skills required in the undergradu- ■■ Encourages patient’s questions and deals with
ate programme are listed in Tomorrow’s Doctors them appropriately.
(General Medical Council, 2009c) ■■ Acknowledges patient’s concern.
Evaluation of skills competencies may be ■■ Uses appropriate language.
through ‘in-course’ assessment, as in the sign-ups ■■ Documents blood pressure.
in a logbook, or ‘end-of-course’ assessment, as
in an Objective Structured Clinical Examination
(OSCE). You are required to demonstrate mini- Peak flow measurement and instructions to
mum competence in the skill being assessed and patient on use of an inhaler
that you have achieved a standard required for Instructions to candidate. Assess this patient’s peak
safe clinical practice with patients. expiratory flow rate using the equipment provided
What constitutes minimum competence? and instruct him in the use of an inhaler.
Assessment of a skill is undertaken against standards Marking schedule: criteria for assessing measure-
of performance that are shared by the community ment of peak flow and instructing patient on use
of practitioners of that skill. This process is known of inhaler.
as criterion referencing and involves an observer Adequate/Inadequate/Not performed
checking your performance against a set of listed cri- ■■ Introduces him/herself to patient.
teria or descriptors. You may find it helpful to cross- ■■ Establishes rapport with patient.
check your skills against these OSCE questions. ■■ Explains importance of technique and
ensures understanding.
Measurement of pulse and blood pressure ■■ Checks patient’s understanding of asthma.
Instructions to candidate. Examine this patient’s ■■ Prepares meter appropriately.
pulse and blood pressure using the equipment pro- ■■ Asks patient to take deep breath and seal lips
vided and report your findings to the examiner. around mouthpiece.
Marking schedule: criteria for the measurement of ■■ Asks patient to blow as fast as possible into
blood pressure and pulse. meter.
Adequate/Inadequate/Not performed ■■ Reads meter correctly.

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 88 GENERAL PRACTICE SKILLS

■■ Checks peak flow against standard chart or Marking schedule: criteria for assessing measure-
patient’s personal record. ment of blood glucose.
■■ Indicates whether peak flow reading is as a Adequate/Inadequate/Not performed
result of a satisfactory technique and comments ■■ Introduces him/herself to patient.
on its value. ■■ Establishes rapport with patient.
■■ Suggests reasons for inhaler to be used. ■■ Explains procedure and ensures consent.
■■ Shows patient how to shake inhaler. ■■ Ensures patient is sitting or lying down.
■■ Asks patient to breathe out fully before using. ■■ Assembles equipment.
■■ Shows patient how to coordinate inhaler action ■■ Inserts strip and calibrates machine as appro-
while breathing in. priate.
■■ Instructs patient to hold breath for 10 seconds ■■ Chooses an appropriate place for test and
after inhalation. ensures site is warm and well perfused.
■■ Explains how to repeat after 1 minute. ■■ Washes hands and puts on gloves.
■■ Indicates how often to use inhaler. ■■ Takes lancet and inserts sharply into skin,
■■ Uses appropriate language. drawing blood.
■■ Checks patient has understood procedure. ■■ Obtains a hanging drop of blood without undue
■■ Encourages patient’s questions and deals with squeezing of puncture site.
them appropriately. ■■ Drops blood onto test strip.
■■ Acknowledges patient’s concerns. ■■ Waits until the machine records a reading.
■■ Disposes of sharp safely.
■■ Checks haemostasis.
Urine analysis
■■ Disposes of strip and gloves.
Instructions to candidate. Test this urine sample ■■ Reads appropriately and records.
and report your findings to the examiner. ■■ Appropriate interpretation of value.
Marking schedule: criteria for assessing urine
analysis. Ear examination
Adequate/Inadequate/Not performed Instructions to candidate. Examine this patient’s
■■ Puts gloves on. ear including the use of the auriscope.
■■ Ensures urine sample is fresh. Marking schedule: for assessing ear examination.
■■ Checks container for correct stick and expiry Adequate/Inadequate/Not performed
date. ■■ Introduces him/herself to patient.
■■ Opens container and takes single stick out, ■■ Establishes rapport with patient.
closing bottle. ■■ Explains examination to patient and
■■ Dipsticks urine for 1 second and taps off ensures consent.
excess urine. ■■ Enquires about hearing loss, characteristics and
■■ After dipping, holds strip horizontal until test impact on life.
is complete. ■■ Enquires about associated features, tinnitus
■■ Reads stick after appropriate time. and vertigo.
■■ Records the result. ■■ Enquires about possible causes.
■■ Disposes of stick and gloves. ■■ Tests hearing with speech.
■■ Washes hands. ■■ Tests with tuning fork.
■■ Interprets results appropriately. ■■ Holds auriscope and patient’s ear correctly.
■■ Acknowledges need to send urine to laboratory ■■ Identifies normal anatomy.
or otherwise. ■■ Appropriate use of questions, open, closed
and clarifying.
■■ Acknowledges patient’s concerns.
Measurement of blood glucose
■■ Encourages questions from patient and deals
Instructions to candidate. Measure the blood glu- with them appropriately.
cose and report your findings to the examiner. ■■ Appropriate summary and analysis of findings.

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 Assessing practical skills in general practice 89

Postgraduate level ■■ Subcutaneous*, intradermal*, intramuscular *

In the first two years after graduation, UK gradu- and intravenous injections
ates follow the Foundation Programme curricu- ■■ Intravenous medications

lum in Foundation Years 1 and 2 (FY1 and FY2). ■■ Intravenous infusions, including the prescrip-

The curriculum is available online and covers the tions of fluids, blood and blood products
syllabus, core competences and approaches to ■■ ECG*

assessment. Each doctor has an electronic portfo- ■■ Spirometry and peak flow*

lio in which his or her clinical supervisor records ■■ Urethral catheterization

the level of competence in assessed skills using ■■ Airway care, including simple adjuncts

descriptors (Department of Health, 2010). ■■ Nasogastric tube insertion.

Procedures that FY1 doctors should be com- FY2 doctors should maintain competence in the
petent and confident to do and teach to under- above procedures and extend skills to include the
graduates are listed. Those appropriate to general following within their subspecialty rotations.
practice are indicated by *.
■■ Aspiration of pleural fluid or air
■■ Venepuncture* and intravenous cannulation ■■ Skin suturing*
■■ Local anaesthetics* ■■ Lumbar puncture
■■ Arterial puncture in an adult ■■ Insertion of a central venous pressure line
■■ Blood cultures from peripheral and central sites ■■ Aspiration of a joint effusion.

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 CHAPTER

5 Diagnosis and Acute

Management in General
Practice

■■ The patient walks into the room … what next? ■■ Management in general practice
■■ What is a diagnosis? ■■ Management by the whole primary care team
■■ Why make a diagnosis? ■■ Evidence-based medicine in general practice
■■ Levels of diagnosis ■■ Guidelines and protocols
■■ What about diagnoses in general practice? ■■ Summary points
■■ How are diagnoses made in general practice? ■■ References
■■ What are your objectives in planning your ■■ Further reading
patients’ care? ■■ Single best answer questions

Although there are many facets of general practice, sound diagnostic reasoning and effective and informed
decision making are cornerstones of good medical care. This chapter shows how your clinical skills are the
starting point for developing your management plan with the patient. It explores the ways in which investi-
gations, referral and therapy contribute to the process of management. Understanding ways of using research
evidence and linking this to good clinical judgement will inform your decision making and help you to pro-
vide high-quality care for each of your patients.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
■■ understand the nature of diagnosis;
■■ use elementary clinical skills to diagnose many of your patients’ problems;

■■ learn the nature of investigations and how to ensure you use them effectively;

■■ plan a programme of management for your patients;

■■ understand the place of referral in patient management;

■■ understand the role of evidence-based medicine and guidelines in supporting patient care in general practice.

The patient walks into the room general practice, the patient makes the decision
… what next? to see the doctor and the reasons vary widely,
as discussed in Chapter 7 on common illnesses
In general practice, the reason that the patient has in general practice. In this chapter, we consider
walked into your consulting room is that he or she the processes of making diagnoses and managing
has taken the decision to consult a doctor. This patients with acute problems. The principles of
is very different from hospitals, where a patient patient diagnosis and management are common
can only be seen by referral from another doctor to many clinical situations; here we focus on those
(with the exception of accident and emergency/ that are of special significance or different in the
casualty and certain other self-referral clinics). In primary care setting.

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 92 DIAGNOSIS AND ACUTE MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Reasons for seeing the doctor can include: drawn from a number of sources. This is part of
■■ a new medical problem or issue; the evanescent entity called clinical judgement.
■■ an acute episode in a chronic problem; When patients are better, the fact that they were
■■ follow-up of a previous acute consultation; treated with medication appropriate to the work-
■■ concern about a symptom (perhaps after ing diagnosis lends confirmation to the diagnosis.
reading something in a magazine or on the If the patient has either recovered or died, there
internet); is less pressure to make a definitive diagnosis.
■■ discussion about a visit to another doctor (usu- If the patient fails to improve, the problem is
ally a specialist); explored further and further explanations are pro-
■■ discussion of investigation results; posed until a diagnosis is made or events render
■■ to obtain repeat medication; it unnecessary.
■■ for a medical examination (e.g. for life insur-
ance or taxi driver medical);
■■ to complete a form or letter.
Why make a diagnosis?
While it is academically satisfying to make a pre-
cise diagnosis, the overriding reason for our work
Practical Exercise as doctors is that of helping our patients. In this
light, a firm diagnosis is helpful but not the sole
Make a record of each consecutive patient you or even necessarily the most important considera-
see during a surgery. What was the main reason tion. For instance, we are taught to differentiate
for consulting? Do you consider this a valid between direct and indirect inguinal hernias; in
reason for coming to the doctor? Compare practice, clinical differentiation is of little practical
with your tutor each of your perceptions of importance, as it does not alter the management.
the reason for consultation and whether it was Or consider the problem of an elderly smoker
an appropriate use of your GP’s time. Later, with an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive
you will use this list again to consider which pulmonary disease (COPD). He is treated with
of these consultations might have been better antibiotics, bronchodilators and steroids, and
undertaken by other members of the primary recovers. Was this an exacerbation of bronchitis
healthcare team. or bronchopneumonia? Since the presentation
and management are more or less identical, the
precise diagnosis is arguably immaterial here. If
the diagnosis lies between acute bronchitis (often
What is a diagnosis? with a lot of bronchospasm) and asthma, it is of
much more significance, as longer term manage-
‘I stood at the end of the bed and said, ment will be different. In other situations, it may
“This is Obstreosis of the Ductal Tract! It’s a be important to act before making a diagnosis. For
tertiary case and Coreopsis has set in”. They instance, temporal arteritis presents with a severe
were all amazed of course but it was a barn headache, but the symptoms are not pathogno-
door case.’ monic. Definitive histological diagnosis by tem-
(after James Thurber, 1965) poral artery biopsy will take at least a few days.
Treatment is by high doses of steroids with poten-
It is not unusual to hear this sort of claim, usu- tially serious side effects, but the risk of delaying is
ally from a registrar trying to impress someone. of sudden and irreversible blindness. Treatment is
Sooner or later, they find they are talking to their therefore commenced on clinical suspicion.
beer and starting to believe their own stories. In each of these cases, the safe management of
Perhaps surprisingly, it is unusual to make the patient is the critical issue, as part of which
an absolute diagnosis. Most diagnoses are actu- making a formal diagnosis has varying levels of
ally a balance of probabilities, based on evidence priority.

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 What about diagnoses in general practice? 93

Levels of diagnosis What about diagnoses in general

We can think of diagnoses as being made at vari- practice?
ous levels, as in Table 5.1. As a student, you should Because of the nature of general practice, diag-
be able to get progressively to higher levels as your noses are more frequently of the ‘working hypoth-
learning proceeds, but for all doctors there are esis’ kind. This is sometimes crudely interpreted
situations in which they are only able to make as hospital doctors making ‘proper’ diagnoses
an elementary diagnosis, and in those situations and general practitioners (GPs) failing to do so.
it is more important to have a strategy for han- However, the nature of general practice is such
dling that situation based on a sensible working that diagnoses will rarely be as clear when a
hypothesis, rather than being ‘stuck’ on making patient first presents to the surgery as they will be
a diagnosis. when the patient goes to a hospital clinic. There
You should only make the inferences that the are a number of reasons for this.
diagnostic information you have collected allows ■■ The patient usually presents at an earlier stage
you to make. If you assume that you have to of the illness at the surgery than at the hospital
make a firm diagnosis when the information is when symptoms and signs are less developed.
simply not strong enough, you will help neither ■■ The patient is less clear in his or her mind at
the patient nor yourself. Rather, you need to use presentation as to the nature of the problem. As
the information that you have obtained as a sum- this is discussed with the patient’s primary care
mary of your thinking so far. Unless you are clear physician, the nature of the problem is clarified.
on what you do and do not understand about ■■ The GP is considering the whole patient, the
your patients’ problems at each point, you will be psychological, the social and the physical; spe-
unable to ask the right questions to take you to cialists, by their very nature, focus on one
the next stage. aspect of the patient’s problems.

Table 5.1 Levels of diagnosis

Diagnostic level Features Examples
Pathological Pathological material has been examined Dermatophyte infection from culture of
diagnosis which is pathognomonic of the condition affected skin
Crohn’s disease from surgical specimen of
diseased bowel
Clinical diagnosis Symptoms and signs of condition are Acute asthma attack
so suggestive that treatment can be
confidently undertaken
Differential Several possibilities exist which are listed in An acute abdomen:
diagnosis order of likelihood – peritonitis
– acute pancreatitis
– perforated peptic ulcer
A chronic running nose:
– allergic rhinitis
– vasomotor rhinitis
– chronic sinusitis
Problem list The various problems cannot be made to fit An unhappy child:
into a diagnosis or diagnoses by the doctor – headache
or student
– tummy ache
– just changed schools
– awake at night with cough

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 94 DIAGNOSIS AND ACUTE MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Tutor quote The history in general practice

Somebody came in with a cough who was a grand-
mother of 54. I asked if she smoked and, yes, she Practical Exercise
did. She smoked excessively, and she said she had
to smoke because of the stress. I made some enquir- Listen to your tutor take a history from some
ies about the stress and she said she was stressed patients. To which part of the history does your
out because her son drank excessive amounts of tutor give greatest weight?
alcohol and he was beating his wife. They had two ❏❏ The presenting complaint?
children, a baby of 4 months and one of 7 years. ❏❏ The systems review?
The outcome of the consultation was that she ❏❏ The past history?
needed a place of safety for those two children. So ❏❏ The family history?
the consultation went from the presentation of a ❏❏ The therapeutic history?
productive cough to, within 10 minutes, the need ❏❏ The social history?
to alert the social workers and get a Place of Safety ❏❏ The patients’ knowledge and beliefs about
Order for the children. their conditions and their attitudes to them?
Alarm point: It is always helpful to have a firm
diagnosis but your most important goal is the safe Often, a GP does not need to take past, family
management of the patient in which a diagnosis or therapeutic histories, as these are well known to
⚑ may not be the highest priority. them. This is one of the features of the continu-
ing care relationship found in general practice.
In well-organized GP records, these details are
recorded on a summary page of the computer
How are diagnoses made in record.
general practice? You will also notice that your GP tutor assesses
patients very quickly, often asking relatively few
Doctors in any situation have three essential tools questions along the way, but building up a sur-
to help them understand their patients’ problems: prisingly thorough view of the patients’ problems.
This is a function of the expertise that GPs (and
■■ they listen to the patient’s story and views of
other experienced doctors) develop over time.
their illness: the history;
This approach to gathering information is some-
■■ they physically examine the patient: the exami-
times called the ‘focused history’. Although it
nation;
develops with experience, you should understand
■■ they perform various kinds of tests: the inves-
the principles on which it is based to develop
tigations.
your own clinical skills. General practice is a good
Different disciplines use these approaches in place to practise this, however do not simply go
varying amounts. Some doctors, such as haema- for speed: the most important thing is to have
tologists, rely heavily on investigations to make the breadth and depth of understanding of the
diagnoses (how else can you work out the cause patient’s problem that allows you to commence
of an anaemia?); others, such as surgeons, place management: speed will come with time.
considerable reliance on the examination (how When you first learn to clerk patients as a
else do you diagnose a lump in the groin?); but student you learn a long list of questions which
the most important basic information, even in you go through in more or less the same way
these disciplines, is obtained from the history, with every patient. This is fine as a beginner with
and every clinician relies on this as the major limited medical understanding, but it is time con-
diagnostic tool. It has been estimated that 80 per suming, often does not give you adequate detail
cent of all diagnoses are based on the history, 15 of the key areas and it does not need a doctor to
per cent on the examination and 5 per cent on simply work through a list. In a focused history
investigations. you focus your questions on areas relevant to the

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 How are diagnoses made in general practice? 95

patient’s problems. You are thus making a judge- ton patient) are telling me your problems in your
ment about what to ask and what to leave out. own pathetically ill-informed way, but it takes me
The advantage is that you build up a much fuller (the physician of genius) to understand what the
and more relevant picture: the problem is that in real problem is and to put it into proper medical
making a judgement about what to include and terms.
what to leave out you may make the wrong judge-
ment. As your experience and medical knowledge Tutor quote
develop that becomes less of a problem, but in the So what I am thinking about is a student who was
mean time it is worth practising a focused history just unable to get out of the way of asking leading
approach to develop your diagnostic acumen. questions, technical questions. So, after a battle, we
agreed that he would say nothing, that he would
Taking a focused history introduce himself and say hello to the patient and
You will often hear the request ‘take a focused that he would say nothing, and he was complete-
history’, particularly in exam settings. What that ly flabbergasted by what happened then. He was
means and how you do it are not often discussed. shocked by how much patients told him. We then
Below is an approach to taking a focused history. had this sort of game using just gestures to encour-
The ‘LiCkERM’ model of history taking stands age people to say things. He also had a list of phras-
for: es that he could use, like ‘Tell me more about that’
and ‘Is there anything else you want to tell me?’.
■■ Listen And so we went through this list of questions and
■■ Clarify we agreed it and he really thought this was cracked
■■ Explore and he went along with it because I used my
■■ Review authority to force him. But he was just completely
■■ Manage. flabbergasted by this and shocked. It was very excit-
ing for me, too, as it seemed to me that the ques-
Listen tions that were left out of the clinical examination
Start with an open question. In general practice it are ‘Tell me all about it’, ‘Is there anything else you
is worth keeping it very broad as you never know want to tell me?’, ‘What did it feel like?’, ‘What did
quite what is going to present: ‘How can I help?’ it look like?’ and so on. And the second part of the
or ‘What can I do for you today?’ are good. Resist agreement that I made with this particular student
the temptation to start asking questions, rather was that before he could ask any technical questions
encourage the patient to keep talking about their he had to summarize back to the patient what the
problem from their perspective. Try to obey the patient said, and so he would summarize by say-
‘golden minute’ rule of letting the patient do all ing, ‘Now, if I have heard you right, what has hap-
the talking for the first minute of the interview. pened to you is this and I would like to ask you
If the patient has come to a stop, phrases like ‘go some questions, but before I do is there anything
on …’ or ‘tell me more …’ will encourage them else you want to tell me?’ So that was a revelation
to speak. Reflection can be useful: if a patient has for both of us really.
come to a stop, repeat their last few words back to
them to get them going again: ‘you were saying it’s Clarify
worse in the mornings’. Analyse what each symptom means. Patients often
In emotionally charged situations the patient use medical terms but may not be using them to
may need time to collect their thoughts and cope mean the same as you. If you ask ‘What do you
with the emotions of it all. Do not be afraid of that mean by “blood pressure”?’, for example, you
silence: it is doing a lot of your work for you. may find that the patient is talking about their
headaches or flushes. This not only ensures you
Tutor quote are talking the same language as your patient,
I hate the old ‘what seems to be the trouble?’ starter it begins to explore each symptom in detail. I
question. It all seems to imply that you (the simple-

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 96 DIAGNOSIS AND ACUTE MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

c­ ertainly found this useful on one particular occa- mesalazine suggesting that irritable bowel was in
sion when a patient’s alleged diarrhoea turned out fact inflammatory bowel disease.
to be constipation! Social history: As a minimum find out how this
There are plenty of mnemonics to remind you problem affects and is affected by the patient’s
how to analyse a symptom: I like WWQQAAB home and work situation and how it affects other
– where, when, quality, quantity, aggravating family members.
and relieving factors, associated manifestations Exploring beliefs: Many students feel uncomfort-
and beliefs. able or question the relevance of exploring ideas,
Asking the patient about their beliefs or ideas, concerns and expectations, yet it is often crucial
concerns and expectations about the condition to managing the problem. Patients who come
is essential in any setting, but especially so in pri- to you with a headache are often little bothered
mary care. Yet many students feel uncomfortable by the headache itself but worried about what it
doing so. It is discussed further below. means – often either brain tumours or meningitis.
Clarify the time frame. ‘When were you last Telling the patient ‘Don’t worry, it’s nothing seri-
completely well?’ gets you to the starting point. ous’ may be true, but is unlikely to reassure the
‘What happened then?’ Be clear about the dura- patient who thinks you have just overlooked their
tion of episodes and the time between them. Were brain tumour. Patients are often reluctant to say
they completely free between episodes or merely what is really bothering them, maybe out of fear,
less bad? maybe in case they look silly. At the same time you
cannot assume you know what it is. Reassuring
Explore the patient that it is not a brain tumour when they
Depending on the symptoms you have elicited, were worried about blood pressure and strokes
ask for ‘RED FLAG’ symptoms – symptoms that is not likely to help the situation (see the case
if positive would have a sinister implication. study below).
For instance, with back pain ask (amongst other It is often useful to ask ‘What are you worried
things) about weight loss and night sweats, which this might be?’ or ‘In your darker moments, what
suggest tuberculosis or malignancy as a cause. are you most worried this is?’. Many doctors
Past medical history is vital, but not as a list of make the mistake of assuming they know why
random diseases. ‘Have you had anything seri- the patient is there; they may come up with bril-
ous?’, ‘Have you seen a specialist or been admit- liant diagnoses, but if they have not dealt with the
ted to hospital?’ are much more revealing. Use a patient’s concerns, the job is only half done.
similar approach to family history. Alarm point: Time spent unpicking the patient’s
Treatment history is important for three reasons. story is never wasted. Eighty per cent of your
(1) Drugs cause many problems and may be the diagnostic information is there: examination and
cause of your patient’s symptoms. (2) As a foun- investigations cannot take the place of a careful
dation doctor you will be writing up admission history. ⚑
drug charts based on the information you have
gleaned. Studies have shown errors of up to 50 Case Study 5.1
per cent doing this. Care taken at this stage can A 73-year-old woman was admitted to hospital
save your patient a great deal of potential danger about once a month for investigations of sudden
and suffering. Do your best to find out the name acute chest pain. It did not sound cardiac and
of the drug, the frequency of taking it and the the electrocardiogram and cardiac enzymes were
strength of tablets. Fortunately in general practice always normal. Her husband had died of a heart
you will normally have this on record, but there attack some years previously as a result of which
will be frequent occasions when a new drug has she was reassured by everyone that ‘your heart’s
been started by another doctor who has not yet fine’ and sent back to her flat. If reassurance was
told you about it. (3) Finally, the treatment his- all it took, she had overdosed on it. But back she
tory is a double check on the past medical history: came again month after month. One day, the
the amlodipine for overlooked hypertension, the houseman sat down with her and naively asked,

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 How are diagnoses made in general practice? 97

‘What do you think the problem is?’ After a pro- it off, particularly at your early stage of learning
longed silence, she said, ‘It’s cancer, doctor’. ‘Why medicine and diagnostic method.
do you say that?’ ‘My brother had lung cancer’. Cognitive psychologists have proposed that we
The houseman (wising up): ‘Did he have pain can use a dual model of clinical reasoning. For
with it?’ ‘Terrible pain’. ‘Was it like yours?’ ‘It was an experienced clinician working with a straight-
exactly the same!’ Everyone was absolutely right forward problem, the clinical reasoning becomes
that there was no organic pathology, but wrong almost intuitive, which is why you will hear
in assuming that it was her heart and the mem- experienced clinicians moving from presenting
ory of her husband’s death that had precipitated problem to diagnosis and management with very
her symptoms. few questions or intervening steps. If you are inex-
perienced, however, or if you are dealing with an
Case Study 5.2 unusual presentation (which may be a common
The husband had diabetes and developed a phi- condition not presenting straightforwardly or a
mosis. He had the usual circumcision and all rarer condition with which you are unfamiliar),
appeared fine. One day his wife appeared and then you can resort to the slower hypothetico-
asked ‘So how long will it take to grow back deductive approach, where you explore slowly and
doctor?’ I wonder how many people would have widely before drawing conclusions. As a beginner
guessed that was her big worry. you will spend much more time in this mode, but
as you gain experience you will find you ask fewer
questions but gain better answers and move more
Thinking and Discussion Point to the intuitive approach.
However experienced you are you will always
Why does telling a patient there is ‘nothing need to return to the hypothetico-deductive
wrong’ often not result in the reassurance that approach from time to time when rare conditions
the doctor was intending? or unusual presentations crop up (Sinclair and
Croskerry, 2010).

Review Manage
Having gathered all this information, you now You will note I tend to think of examination as
need to fit it all together into a coherent story. part of the investigation of the patient rather than
Having got it together in your own head the best as part of the clerking. If so, bear with me – you
thing is to play it back to the patient. Not only may yet come to sympathize with this aberration.
will vocalizing it reveal gaps to you as you tell it, The whole purpose of your exploration of the
but it will allow the patient to ‘edit’ their story, patient’s story is to get you to the point where you
adding missing parts and clarifying others. It has have enough information to make decisions about
a second benefit in that the patient will be reas- how you are going to proceed. So the question is
sured to know you understand what they have not ‘What’s the diagnosis?’ or ‘What blood tests
been experiencing. shall I do?’ but more generally ‘How do I take
You know you’ve finished your history when things forward from here?’.
you have the information you need to move on There are two options: (1) You have a clear
to think about how you are going to manage enough view of what is going on to propose
the patient. a management plan. (2) You need to gather
Systems review? ‘The greatest argument against more information from a physical examination or
the systems review is that experienced clinicians from investigations.
do not use it’ said a former Royal College of
Physicians president (Hoffbrand, 1989). Routinely The examination in general practice
asking a shopping list of questions is often of lit- ‘He never examined me’ is a frequent complaint
tle benefit. You will not often hear experienced of patients who found a consultation unsatisfac-
clinicians make use of it, but you should not write tory. There is little time for each consultation

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 98 DIAGNOSIS AND ACUTE MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

in general practice; although the average has

gradually moved upwards from 6 minutes in the Thinking and Discussion Point
1970s to 11.7 minutes (The Information Centre,
‘General practitioners under-investigate and
2006/7), it is still a short period of time in which
hospital doctors over-investigate.’ Discuss the
to accomplish a great deal. GPs respond by hon-
truth (or otherwise) of this assertion with your
ing their clinical technique to include only those
tutor and with a hospital doctor. How will you
things that are of significant diagnostic value. As
ensure you investigate appropriately?
we saw above, the examination only contributes
15 per cent to the diagnosis, as opposed to 80 per
cent from the history.
of diabetes, the blood sugar changes so quickly
that a single test is of little value, especially since
Practical Exercise the result may not be available for some days. In
As your tutor talks to successive patients, decide managing diabetes, a rapid assessment of blood
what examination (if any) you would make. sugar is required and must be repeated frequently
Compare this with what your tutor does and if it is to inform management. Indicator strips
discuss the differences with him or her. You used for the self-measurement of blood sugar are
should not assume that the tutor’s decision is much more useful, even though they are consider-
necessarily the only one. Often, a number of ably less accurate. Where precision is required for
approaches could be made, and understand- diagnosis, an immediate result is more important
ing the differing merits and objectives of each for management.
is useful. Interpreting results: normal or abnormal
❏❏ Discuss with your tutor how useful it is to:
take the blood pressure of a patient com- Few investigations give an absolute result or are
plaining of headache; listen to the chest of a pathognomonic. For the most part, they will
child with a cough; palpate the abdomen of help you build up your evidence for a diagno-
a young man with acute diarrhoea. sis, but only when interpreted in the light of
❏❏ Why else might you want to examine the the whole of the patient’s story. For instance,
patient apart from to make a diagnosis? an electrocardiogram (ECG) is a useful test in
❏❏ What is the value of carrying out a ‘full suspected myocardial infarction, but it does not
physical’ as a screening exercise? always show ­characteristic changes in a confirmed
myocardial infarction, and it sometimes shows
changes when no infarction has taken place.
You should think of an examination in the same This ­under-diagnosis or over-diagnosis by the
way as an investigation: how will carrying out test are known respectively as the sensitivity and
this examination improve my understanding of specificity of the test. While one does not need to
the patient’s problems? Does the patient need the know the exact values, it is important to have an
examination for reassurance? The focused exami- approximate idea of the limitations of any test. An
nation is therefore much like the focused history: awareness of sensitivity and specificity is helpful in
you make a judgement about what is likely to be judging these limitations. (There are definitions of
worthwhile and focus your attention there. sensitivity and specificity in the glossary section of
this book.)
Investigations in general practice Often, sensitivity and specificity are inversely
Investigations can be used in two main ways: for related. For instance, the erythrocyte sedimenta-
diagnosis and for management. For instance, a tion rate (ESR) is a sensitive test but a very poorly
single random blood sugar test is useful for the specific one. It is usually elevated to high levels
diagnosis of diabetes. It will detect the bulk of in a condition such as polymyalgia rheumatica
cases (although a blood sugar taken 2 hours after (it is sensitive), but is frequently elevated for a
eating is better still). However, in the management host of unrelated reasons (poorly specific). A

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 How are diagnoses made in general practice? 99

Paul–Bunnell test is very specific: when positive, Effects of tests on awareness of health
it is highly indicative of glandular fever, but many Another reason to avoid unnecessary tests is that
people with established glandular fever have a they can increase anxiety and concern about
negative test (it is insensitive). Other assays (such health. Stoate (1989) showed that screening for
as assays of thyroid-stimulating hormone) are blood pressure increased anxiety about health, as
both specific and sensitive and, as such, approach reflected in an increased frequency of consulta-
the ideal. Any test you order should be done in tions in those screened. In the case of blood pres-
the light of your knowledge of its limitations of sure, such screening arguably justifies the health
specificity and sensitivity. anxiety caused; for many tests done ‘just to see’, it
When presented with an individual who has a certainly does not.
positive result in a screening test, what may be
of more interest to a clinician are the positive Deciding whether to request a test
and negative predictive values (see the glossary
As a student or doctor, the most important ques-
for definitions).
tion you can ask about any investigation is, ‘Will
Who’s for screening? it change my management?’ If the answer is ‘yes’,
you then need to ask, ‘Could I get the same infor-
With increasing access to private healthcare, there
mation cheaper, quicker or less invasively another
has been a considerable increase in the vogue
way?’ If the answer is ‘yes’, you should think again.
for ‘screening’ tests. With modern laboratory
technology, a large number of tests can be done Who is the investigation for: patient or doctor?
quickly and relatively inexpensively on a single
We have stated that investigations have the two
sample of blood. American medicine (see any
prime functions of diagnosis and management. In
relevant soap opera) gets through acres of such
addition, you may have seen investigations used to
tests. As well as American medics, there are UK
‘reassure the patient’. It is important to consider
foundation doctors ordering every test under
whether or not the patient will be reassured by
the sun in case the consultant should ask for it.
your action. In the same way as doctors some-
There are problems with this approach. Every
times assume, rather than ask, what their patients’
test has a probability of producing a false-positive
real worries are, they equally may assume that a
result. The more tests carried out, the more false-
patient will be reassured by a negative test (such as
positive results you will obtain. You then have
a cranial X-ray to reassure the patient that there is
to deal with these, sometimes by ordering more
no brain tumour). The same message applies: find
elaborate, expensive or invasive tests. To mini-
out what the issues are that actually concern the
mize spurious results, only carry out a test when
patient and deal with those. As a British Medical
there is a clear clinical indication. An example
Journal editorial put it, ‘Unless their true fears are
of the failure of screening tests comes from the
addressed, diagnostic tests may leave them more
early days of human immunodeficiency virus
anxious than before’ (Fitzpatrick, 1996).
(HIV) infection. With the disease then relatively
rare and tests relatively unsophisticated, there The range of investigations available in general
was considerable political pressure from some practice
quarters to screen people for HIV en masse. The
An increasing range of investigations is available
number of undiagnosed true positive cases in the
to GPs. These may be carried out in the following
community was below the rate of false positives
ways:
for the test. At the same time, there were signifi-
cant numbers of false negatives, both because of ■■ By the patients themselves: for example blood
the technical limitations of the test and because sugar monitoring using indicator strips, peak
it was unable to detect early infections. Thus the expiratory flow rate monitoring via mini peak
test caused distress to people who would turn flow meters (both available on prescription).
out to be uninfected, while failing in its aim as a ■■ In the doctor’s surgery: for example indica-
screening test. tor strips for urine testing for a wide variety

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 100 DIAGNOSIS AND ACUTE MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

of substances, immunological detection kits those who are not aware of the potential they offer.
for pregnancy testing, ECGs and audiograms; Thus, you cannot judge a doctor by the quantity
there are mini auto-analysers available allow- of investigations he or she uses, but by the qual-
ing ‘near patient testing’ for basic biochemical ity of use. So aim to know the potential and the
and haematological indices such as cholesterol, drawbacks of each investigation and, armed with
haemoglobin and creatinine. that knowledge, investigate appropriately.
■■ In a clinical laboratory (usually based at a
hospital, but sometimes contracted out to an
independent laboratory): some complex or
Thinking and Discussion Point
unusual assays, such as certain endocrine or
Should investigations replace clinical examina-
genetic tests, are only carried out at specialist
tion? How accurately can you assess a heart
centres. The availabilities of laboratory-based
murmur or an ovarian cyst in a clinical exami-
tests to GPs vary from laboratory to laboratory.
nation? Should we be considering the sensitivity
■■ In specialist departments: most kinds of X-rays
and specificity of our clinical examination along
are available directly to the GP; other sophisti-
with investigations?
cated tests, such as endoscopy and echocardi-
ography, are examples of an increasing range
of tests often available directly to GPs without Alarm point: Never order an investigation with-
consultant referral. The exact availability varies out a clear idea what you expect it to tell you.
from area to area, depending on factors ranging Always consider how limitations of specificity
from the availability of the investigation locally and sensitivity will affect your interpretation of
to the prejudices of the person in charge of the
investigating unit. The reasons why certain tests
the result. ⚑
are not available may be highly idiosyncratic.
The hospital may believe that to allow GPs to What are your objectives in
use certain tests would be to waste money (this planning your patients’ care?
assumes the GPs are using them excessively or
inappropriately). It may be ‘protectionism’, Two first-year medical students gave the following
as a specialty tries to protect its interests from opinions after a visit to a hospice.
others treating those conditions. In the better-
regulated establishments, a dialogue will be Student quotes
established between the laboratory or depart- It was depressing, all those people dying and nothing
ment offering the test, and the GPs and others the doctors could do.
who wish to use it to ensure it is correctly used It seemed incredibly peaceful; although people
and appropriately available. knew they were dying, they seemed really peaceful
and content.
Do ‘good’ doctors use more or fewer
investigations? The two views above show completely different
opinions on what was going on. Too often, our
There can be a kind of machismo in ordering
views of what constitutes management are from
every investigation under the sun or, conversely,
one direction only. Let us look at the different
refusing to have anything at all to do with them.
goals that a doctor might be trying to achieve in
There is a certain feeling, prevalent among foun-
managing a patient.
dation doctors starting their first job, that more is
always better. If you are used to using an investiga- ■■ To cure the patient’s disease. This is the most
tion, you can get blasé and use it more frequently usual view of the doctor’s role. Television
than justified by the clinical situation. Huge num- soaps, society in general, patients, relatives and
bers of routine urea and electrolyte samples taken sometimes the doctors themselves believe this is
during inpatient stays have little clinical value. their role. Sometimes it is: if you have bacterial
Conversely, examinations may be under-used by meningitis, you want the doctor to move fast

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 What are your objectives in planning your patients’ care? 101

and eradicate the organisms before they do you in children under 16 years of age because
permanent harm. of the association with Reye’s syndrome).
■■ To prevent disease. If one can prevent a disease Paracetamol is a safe alternative, being an
developing, it is far better than curing it once analgesic and antipyretic, and despite the
it is there. This is a prime role for the GP, who absence of anti-inflammatory properties, it is
has access to a population in both sickness and probably of comparable efficacy. Locally act-
health, as described in the chapter on health ing agents such as soothing or local anaesthet-
promotion. There is an opportunity to inter- ic throat pastilles or sprays may be helpful.
vene with screening, education and lifestyle Alleviating symptoms has an equally impor-
advice before disease starts. Cervical screen- tant role to play in major illnesses. The man-
ing, education about safe sex and advice on agement of pain resulting from a terminal ill-
smoking have all had an important impact ness or surgery is of tremendous importance
on the lives of individuals. However, this role to the patient. The doctor may have other
is unglamorous. There is a much less tangible priorities, especially if a patient is having dif-
reward for the GP preventing coronary artery ficult or dangerous postoperative problems.
disease than for the surgeon with a large team Historically, doctors have not always man-
and high-tech facilities. aged pain very well, sometimes disregarding
■■ To slow the progressions of a chronic disease and it in favour of what they consider to be more
to prevent complications. It may be impossible pressing issues or being poorly informed
with existing medical knowledge to prevent about its management. An important goal of
or cure a disease (see Chapter 9 on dealing the hospice movement has been to develop
with chronic illness). In an ageing population, ways of alleviating symptoms for which there
chronic disease puts an increasing burden on is no ultimate cure.
the health service. Slowing the progression of ■■ To educate and inform. The doctor has an
such disease and preventing its complications important role in educating patients and thus
are key treatment aims. Diabetes is a good helping them to manage their illness. In the
example. Insulin-dependent diabetes can nei- example of the sore throat and other minor
ther be prevented nor cured at present, but illnesses, patients need to be helped to learn to
the important aims of management remain to manage their illness, but this is equally impor-
prevent the serious complications of blindness tant in major illnesses. Diabetes management
and renal disease and fatal ones of stroke and relies crucially on the patient’s understanding
myocardial infarction. of his or her illness and its management. The
■■ To alleviate symptoms. Some illnesses are brief aim is for the patient to understand how to
and self-limiting; they do no long-term harm, manage the illness from day to day by the use
but are unpleasant while they are there. An of an appropriate diet and exercise, by moni-
example is sore throat. Approximately 65 per toring blood sugar values and by manipulating
cent of cases are viral (Ross et al., 1971) and the insulin regime. To do so, the patient needs
no antiviral treatment is available. Thirty-five to understand something of the nature of the
per cent are bacterial, but studies of antibiot- illness, but much more about the practicalities
ics show that they only reduce the duration of what to do and when. In many conditions,
of symptoms by 1 day. Thus curative treat- patients are encouraged to take a more active
ments are either non-existent or limited in role in their own management, and there is a
their efficacy. Prevention is not a practical vocal lobby from patient groups demanding
possibility. To enable patients to function as such changes. While this may appear laud-
well as possible while they have the infection able, it is not always clear how effective it is.
is the objective. Thus treatment is with anal- For instance, numerous studies attempting to
gesics, antipyretics and anti-inflammatories, educate patients about asthma have shown
most conveniently provided by aspirin, which little effect in preventing hospital admissions
has all three effects (although this is not used or symptoms.

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 102 DIAGNOSIS AND ACUTE MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Thus, in managing any patient, there are a vari- clinical understanding rather than attempt to
ety of objectives that may be pursued, and often replace it.
more than one. Being clear about which objective
you are pursuing will help to ensure that each Case Study 5.3
aspect of the patient’s problem is appropriately A 19-year-old man, Mr G, complains of breath-
dealt with. lessness and a night-time cough. You have assessed
Alarm point: Planning patient care has a range the patient by taking a history that has revealed an
of objectives of which ‘curing’ the disease may episodic pattern of breathlessness, worse early in
not be the most important and indeed may not the morning and when playing football. It is worse
⚑ be possible. in the spring when the pollen count is high and
much worse when he visits his aunt and her cats.
On examination, there are no physical signs in
Management in general practice the chest, but he has a peak flow of only 300
L/min. He believes he has asthma, but is alarmed
Assessing the patient by the reports he has read in the paper of the rise
The first step in managing your patient is your in asthma deaths. You lend him a peak flow meter,
assessment of the patient’s situation. Taking the which later shows consistently lower morning
history, making the examination and arranging than evening values, and arrange skin tests, which
diagnostic investigations are the major part of this confirm his allergies to cats, pollen and to house
process, as discussed above. Your further assess- dust mite.
ment will depend upon the objectives you have
established for your patient’s management. Planning treatment
If, for example, your objective is patient edu- Having assessed your patient’s condition, you
cation, you will need to assess what the patient are now in a position to initiate treatment.
understands about his or her condition. You will Consideration of any treatment’s effectiveness is
have some knowledge of this from the history, vital. Much treatment offered to patients is of no
especially your exploration of the patient’s ideas, proven efficacy. Later in this chapter we consider
concerns and expectations about the condition. how evidence-based medicine and clinical guide-
But you may need to go into more detail at this lines ensure your patient receives treatment that is
stage, and begin a dialogue with the patient com- likely to be of benefit.
paring your understanding of the condition to
the patient’s. What are the risks and benefits of treatment?
If your objective is the alleviation of symptoms, What are the possible adverse consequences of the
you will need to have measures of their sever- treatment you are proposing? Will your treatment
ity against which the effects of your therapeutic be worse than the disease it is intending to cure? If
manipulations can be compared. For instance, for the treatment is important but side effects inevita-
the patient with intermittent claudication, you ble, how will you ensure your patient is compliant
need measures of exercise tolerance (such as how with that treatment? You and your patient need
many stairs can be climbed before the pain starts). to take a view of the risks and benefits of the
Attempt to quantify your patient’s symptoms in treatment you are considering. For a rapidly fatal
terms that have a meaning for both you and your disease such as meningitis, the antibiotic chloram-
patient. (For a patient living in a bungalow, the phenicol with its associated risk of aplastic anae-
above may be unhelpful, and the number of stops mia may be a justifiable risk. (Chloramphenicol is
on the way to the shop may be better.) This allows now virtually never used in the UK. However, in
you and your patient to have a way of comparing the developing world it remains an affordable and
progress. Laboratory investigations may define effective antibiotic choice.)
this more precisely, such as Doppler imaging and So far, we have assumed your patient requires
angiography in the case of the patient with inter- drug treatments, but other treatments are possible
mittent claudication, but they should ­augment and often desirable. A change in lifestyle may be

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 Management in general practice 103

of considerably greater importance for the insom- and if you gave them the same information, would
niac patient than the prescription of any drugs. they make the same decision?’ and he said, ‘Yes, if
Relaxation techniques, such as yoga, can produce you give them the statistics, they will still make the
significant and sustained falls in blood pressure same decision’. So he was still not prepared to accept
that may be more acceptable to the hypertensive that patients make decisions differently. So then he
patient than a lifetime of tablets. A spectrum of said that he believed that they would make the same
treatments from the orthodox, such as surgery decision as him. So one of the other students then
and physiotherapy, through osteopathy and chi- said, ‘You want your patients to be like you?’ and
ropractic to acupuncture and homeopathy are all that is what stopped him – ‘Do I want the patients
offered with more or less scientific justification. to be like me? Does everybody have to be like me for
(These options are discussed further in Chapter 6 me to accept them?’ I could see that there was this
on prescribing.) expression change. I said to him that, as a doctor,
Your job as a doctor is to help patients find a you respect the patient, that they are different, they
treatment that: have autonomy, they make their own decisions;
respect them and if you find that their decision is
■■ they find acceptable,
going to be different from yours, that means you
■■ has good evidence for its efficacy, and
have to bargain. I think he definitely learnt that
■■ has acceptable adverse risks.
people make different decisions, they come from dif-
ferent places and information is not everything, and
Negotiating with the patient
even if they do make a different decision, so what?
If your plan for the management of the patient is
to go ahead, the patient is the person most respon- Evidence for the failure of doctors to take this
sible for implementing it. Following through part of management seriously is found in statistics
your management plan requires not just telling that reveal that up to 20 per cent of prescriptions
your patient about it, nor even listening to their given by GPs are never taken to the chemist,
concerns, but is an active process of negotiating and of those that are, a significant percentage of
with the patient around the various options that patients do not take some or any of the medica-
are available and the benefits and shortcomings tion as prescribed (Fry, 1993).
of each. Typically, a negotiation about treatment with a
patient means the doctor will present his or her
Tutor quote assessment of the problem and proposed solution
I was running a seminar with some students. We to it. The doctor may present alternatives and dis-
were talking about compliance and the word ‘bar- cuss with the patient the risks and benefits of each
gaining’ came in. Some students went for it; some option, and will check the patient’s understanding
students said that they would bargain. One student and views about the preferred form of treatment.
said that we should be ashamed of our view. He Then the patient and doctor between them will
said, ‘We should say “This is what you need, these come to an agreement about the treatment to
are the tablets, this is the dose you take”, and the be undertaken.
patient will take it if you tell them’. So the discus- Alarm point: Your brilliant diagnosis and treat-
sion went on, and I said, ‘But aren’t patients differ- ment plan will only work if the patient buys into
ent? Different patients make decisions in a different it: negotiating concordance is a vital part of effec-
way’. What he said then was, ‘If you give all patients tive medicine. ⚑
exactly the same information then their decisions
will be identical’. Now we were coming to the Case study 5.3 (continued)
crunch, so I said, ‘What do you mean? If you took Tests confirm that Mr G has moderately severe
a 40-year-old man who has recently lost his wife asthma and a number of allergies. You propose
because she took penicillin and died of anaphylactic a regular steroid inhaler and beta-2 agonist as
shock and somebody who had recently had a child required. Mr G is unhappy with this; he has read
who recovered from pneumonia because of penicillin about the side effects of steroids and anyway pre-

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 104 DIAGNOSIS AND ACUTE MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

fers to avoid drugs and favours homeopathy. You samples. A specialist diabetes nurse can visit the
discuss with Mr G the lack of scientific evidence patient at home to check how he or she is coping
that homeopathy can be of benefit in this situ- with these tasks. The patient needs an appropri-
ation, but agree with him that he is perfectly at ate diet and is given brief advice on this in the
liberty to try this, if he should so choose. surgery and an appointment is made with the
You discuss the possibility of preventing his asth- dietician for more detailed advice. The doctor
ma by avoiding contact with allergens and con- knows the appointment will not be for a number
clude that, apart from avoiding his aunt’s cats and of weeks, which gives the patient time to learn
reducing house dust mites at home, the effects about all the other aspects of treatment. There
of doing this are likely to be fairly limited. You are now education programmes specifically for
discuss Mr G’s fears of medication with him, and patients to learn about their diabetes. Unlike the
particularly corticosteroids when used in low previous example where it was left to the mother
doses in inhaled form. You eventually agree that to return if things were not going well, here it is
Mr G will use a beta-2 agonist inhaler, will try important that a definite meeting is arranged to
to avoid contact with specific allergens and will review progress quite soon. The patient may have
continue to monitor his peak flow. He will also things that are important to discuss, the insulin
discuss things with his homeopath. dose will almost certainly need modifying, and
the doctor or practice nurse will want to find out
Monitoring progress how the patient is getting on with the different
Having negotiated treatment and initiated it with aspects of treatment.
the patient, the doctor needs to monitor its In these early days, there will be a number of
effectiveness. This may range from the very sim- meetings at frequent intervals. As the diabetes
ple to much more highly organized schemes of comes under control and the patient becomes
testing and monitoring. At the simple end of more confident, so these intervals will be extend-
the spectrum, the doctor who sees a child with ed, and day-to-day responsibility for care may be
an apparently uncomplicated upper respiratory taken over by the specialist nurse. When every­
chest infection will discuss with the mother the thing is stable, a different pattern of visits will
appropriate, usually non-prescription, remedies be initiated at intervals of perhaps a year. The
and will invite her to call the doctor or return to patient will be seen and checked for evidence
surgery if the child is not showing improvement of visual or renal impairment, the feet will be
within a certain time. The doctor may warn the checked for vascular or neuropathic changes, and
mother of things to look out for which suggest the patient and the doctor or nurse will discuss
something more serious is going on. diet and medication. This pattern can be main-
Even in this very simple example, the doctor tained for as long as the patient is well, but if the
has: patient becomes acutely ill, the plan will change
to allow effective monitoring and treatment of
■■ made a plan,
the condition.
■■ shared it with a patient,
Alarm point: Even in simple situations have a
■■ set up criteria by which its success or failure will
clear plan of management and agree it with the
be judged,
patient, have a fallback and consider the need for
⚑
■■ considered arrangements for following up
follow-up.
the patient.
In more complex situations, these same princi-
ples are followed, but in ways appropriate to the Management by the whole
situation. For example, when a newly diagnosed primary care team
diabetic is started on insulin, the doctor needs
to know that the patient is able to measure and This section focuses on the role of the doctor; we
inject the dose of insulin. The patient needs to have already mentioned the role of specialist nurs-
monitor his or her blood sugar using finger-prick es and the dietician in the patient’s management.

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 Management by the whole primary care team 105

It is important to be aware that management is an ■■ A patient may find one solution much more
issue for the care team as a whole and not just the acceptable than another theoretically equally
doctor. Only by working together as a whole are good one.
the patient’s best interests served. The relationship ■■ Local facilities vary widely, and a service that
between the doctor and the primary healthcare may be well provided for in one area may be
team is discussed in Chapter 2 on general practice poor or non-existent in another.
and its place in primary care.
Thus, a GP with experience of counselling or
Case Study 5.3 (continued) child psychiatry may be perfectly happy to tackle
a complex psychological problem without outside
Mr G gets considerable benefit from his beta-2
help, but may refer to a specialist a child with
­agonist inhaler, but has frequent worsening
something relatively straightforward about which
attacks of asthma that result in two brief admis-
the GP is uncertain for some reason. Allergy prob-
sions. Partly as a result of the fright this gives
lems may be dealt with swiftly and efficiently by
him and partly through his good relationship
a special clinic in one area; in another there may
with the practice nurse who runs the asthma
be a virtual absence of such help, throwing the
clinic, he accepts the need for inhaled steroid
GP back on his or her own resources. A mother
therapy. Regular reviews in surgery are arranged
may be incapable of accepting reassurance about
by the nurse, but in addition the practice man-
her child’s condition until a specialist appoint-
ager ensures that the receptionists are aware of
ment is arranged in one situation, while another,
the patient’s need to be seen urgently whenever
similar situation is resolved by a brief chat with
he requests it. Mr G avoids further admissions,
the doctor.
but he continues to call out the doctors fairly fre-
quently at night and makes considerable use of the
practice nebulizer. Few referrals good; more referrals bad?
There is no straightforward relationship bet­
ween the apparent abilities or training of a
Thinking and Discussion Point doctor and the number of referrals he or she
makes. The assumption that better trained
Is this the best we can do? What further steps doctors refer less was challenged when it was
would you wish to take to improve Mr G’s treat- found that GPs with specialist ear, nose and
ment? Discuss these with your tutor. throat (ENT) training referred more ENT
problems than those without. This may have
been because of the need for specialist diagnos-
Making referrals tic equipment and operative surgery. We can
Reasons for referring hypothesize that GPs trained in specialties not
requiring this sort of resource, such as derma-
The GP has two main options in dealing with
tology, might refer less. Part of the explanation
the problem that the patient brings: doing so in-
for different referral patterns amongst doctors
house or seeking assistance from other resources.
lies in the ability of individuals to deal with
It is impossible to give cut and dried rules about
uncertainty. The doctor who is comfortable liv-
which is the ‘correct’ solution, as there are often
ing with a degree of uncertainty over diagnosis
a number of ways to deal with a problem, all
will refer less; the doctor who cannot cope with
of them equally valid and any of which may be
uncertainty will refer more. For the patient,
chosen for a variety of reasons in different situa-
neither approach is without consequences.
tions. Such reasons may emanate from the GP, the
In the former case, it may mean not getting
patient or the local situation.
referred when it would have been advisable,
■■ Different GPs’ training, experience and person- and in the latter it may mean being referred
ality will give them different approaches to the unnecessarily. Secondary care depends upon
same problem. primary care restricting the numbers presenting,

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 106 DIAGNOSIS AND ACUTE MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

so the GP is obliged to make a decision about Reviewing patients after a referral

what requires referral and what does not. For the GP, the relationship with the patient is an
The referral letter ongoing one, so he or she will see the patient again
A practical exercise in how to write a referral letter after the referral has been made and will have
can be found in Chapter 4. However, in terms of to put into action any new plans that have been
what to say rather than how to say it, there are a decided upon. In well-ordered circles, the spe-
number of points. cialist will write back to the GP with an opinion
■■ Avoid long letters; few people read them.
about the patient’s problems and answering the
Choose only information that will be useful to questions the GP has raised. Things do not always
the doctor receiving the letter. work out like that, and the letter may not deal with
■■ Be clear about why you are making the refer-
the things that the referring doctor considered to
ral – what you hope to gain from it. There may be important and may not answer the questions
be a number of factors: that were raised. Occasionally, the GP may not
– you may need a service undertaken, such as have the courtesy of a reply at all.
an operation or an endoscopy; When a reply has been received, it is a good
– you may require a second opinion to confirm time to review the patient and consider the vari-
an unclear diagnosis: you may feel happy ous changes in his or her management. This is an
about the diagnosis, but the patient may not, important exercise to:
so the second opinion is for the patient’s ■■ check that the patient has understood what the
benefit; consultant has proposed;
– you may be asking the specialist to take over ■■ ensure that new information has been added to
the management of the patient problem, or the patient record, such as details of changes to
one aspect of it – this may be appropriate for medication;
the patient who is moving from a chronic ■■ make sure that the management plan for the
phase to an acute phase in an illness, such patient has been updated to take account of
as someone with previously stable angina the changes.
which has now become unstable and requires
operative intervention. The doctor must also consider how the manage-
ment will be shared if the patient is to continue
It is important that the consultant should be being seen by the specialist as well as by the GP.
aware of your reasons for the referral and what This is a critical area of communication and is
you expect to get back from him or her. The frequently handled poorly. Mistakes and misun-
letter itself needs to be a coherent précis of the derstandings easily arise in areas such as changes
patient’s condition, with relevant past, social and of drugs and changes in dosage.
therapeutic histories. It is written to give the per-
son to whom you are referring a clear view of the
patient’s problems rather than to show how clever Thinking and Discussion Point
you are. At the conclusion of this summary you
will give your diagnosis, differential diagnosis or How often do you communicate by letter with
problem list. anyone? Is sending bits of paper through the
Writing a referral letter is a useful exercise for a post the best way to link a patient’s treatment
student, as it challenges you to produce a concise across primary and secondary care?
and accurate summary and think through the
management of your patient, as well as helping
you master the skill of writing the referral let- Evidence-based medicine in
ter itself. general practice
Alarm point: be clear what you want from
a ­referral. Make your request concise and­ Since the last edition of this book the use of
⚑ relevant. ­evidence-based decision making has grown

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 Evidence-based medicine in general practice 107

identified; patients frequently have multiple, ill-

Thinking and Discussion Point defined problems involving complex psychosocial
factors, and a definitive diagnosis may not be
Think about the last time you considered how to
made. Many minor illnesses seen in general prac-
treat a particular patient. On what did you base
tice are poorly researched. Data from hospital
your decision? Your own experience? The teach-
studies may not be applicable in the general prac-
ing of your GP tutor or hospital consultant? But
tice setting. Available trials may have set exclusion
on what did these ‘oracles’ base their teaching?
criteria which make them of uncertain relevance
for your population. For instance, trials frequently
r­ apidly. This has in turn been accelerated by exclude elderly people (maybe because of the
the ‘pay for performance’ Quality Outcomes greater likelihood of comorbidities), who may be
Framework which pays doctors who reach targets the very group about whom you need evidence to
in collecting data and managing patients. These manage effectively.
targets have been largely based on evidence-based Moreover, GPs have to cover the whole spec-
criteria for the management of common condi- trum of illness and, unlike specialists, have limited
tions, for instance, for regularly measuring the time to focus on a particular area. GPs tend to rely
practice population’s blood pressure and for treat- on guidelines and protocols developed by others
ing those in whom – according to the guidelines (such as academic departments of general prac-
– it is too high. tice) to allow them to use best evidence to care for
Evidence-based medicine is a process that their patients.
explicitly uses research evidence to guide medical It would be wrong to assume that GPs are poor
decision making. This is not to say that clini- users of evidence-based practice medicine: as long
cal judgement is obsolete; evidence-based medi- ago as 1996 Gill et al. showed that most interven-
cine should integrate best research evidence with tions in a training general practice are based on
clinical expertise and take into account individual evidence from clinical trials.
patient circumstances and values.
The practice of evidence-based medicine can be
Practical Exercise
divided into five steps (Sackett et al., 2000).
■■ Step 1. Having identified a need for informa- 1. Choose a clinical problem and frame an
tion (e.g. about diagnosis, causation, progno- answerable question. This should focus on
sis, therapy or prevention), frame it into an a common problem based on a patient you
answerable question. have seen in general practice. Possible exam-
■■ Step 2. Search for the best evidence with which ples might be: ‘Should antibiotics be given
to answer that question. for sore throats?’ and ‘Should patients in
■■ Step 3. Critically appraise that evidence for its atrial fibrillation be anticoagulated?’
validity (closeness to the truth), impact (size of 2. Search the literature. If you do not know
the effect) and applicability (usefulness in your how to do literature searches, now would
clinical practice). be a good time to learn; the library at your
■■ Step 4. Integrate the results of the critical medical school will probably offer training.
appraisal with your clinical judgement and 3. Critically appraise the literature. When you
with your patient’s unique circumstances and have collected a sheaf of references, you will
values. need to evaluate the validity, impact and
■■ Step 5. Evaluate your effectiveness/efficiency in applicability of their results.
steps 1–4 and seek ways to improve next time. 4. Integrate the evidence with your clinical
expertise and your individual patient’s
While these steps seem clear enough, work- unique circumstances and values.
ing them through in a real clinical situation may 5. Discuss your findings with your GP tutor.
not be straightforward. For example, in general Does the existing patient management plan
practice, the clinical question may not be easily

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 108 DIAGNOSIS AND ACUTE MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

guidelines for clinical practices such as SIGN –

Practical Exercise continued the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network.
The government’s establishment of the National
fit with that suggested by your research? If
Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
not, should it be altered? What factors other
(NICE) in 1999 (www.nice.org.uk/) has produced
than the research evidence affect that par-
a large number of guidelines, particularly targeted
ticular patient and how should treatment be
at the needs of the NHS and many of direct rel-
individualized?
evance to general practice.
One effect of having different groups produc-
ing guidelines is that the guidance can vary. For
Alarm point: While guidelines and protocols instance, the Joint British Societies’ Guidelines on
derived from evidence-based studies are an inval- Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Clinical
uable aid to good management, patients’ needs are Practice (British Cardiac Society et al., 2005) are
individual and therapy should be tailored to meet
⚑
more stringent than those produced by NICE,
individual situations. which takes a more pragmatic approach to setting
a minimum acceptable standard of care.
Guidelines and protocols Despite the ‘evidence-based’ tag there are inevi-
tably assumptions and prejudices that influence
GPs rely extensively on these ‘pre-digested’ sum- the final recommendations. These will not be
mations of available evidence. They are intended obvious if you rely solely on the ‘cookbook’ sum-
to be ‘extensive, critical and well balanced infor- mary. For instance NICE’s dyspepsia guideline
mation on the benefits and limitations of various recommends using a proton pump inhibitor (PPI)
diagnostic and therapeutic interventions’ (WHO- for ‘uninvestigated dyspepsia’ (NICE, 2004). The
ISH Mild Hypertension Committee, 1993). As full guideline explains that uninvestigated dys-
part of the guideline it should be clear what ‘level pepsia responds to a PPI in 55 per cent of cases.
of evidence’ was used by its developers. The pyra- However, PPIs are a major cause of expenditure
mid diagram (Figure 5.1) is a helpful illustration for the NHS (£425 million in England in 2006).
of this, the pyramid shape indicating that while The guideline also notes that 37 per cent respond
at the bottom there is no shortage of low-grade to much cheaper antacid remedies. There would
evidence and opinion, the availability of the meta- be a strong financial case for recommending ant-
analyses at the top of the pyramid are in much acids as first line treatment in this situation, based
shorter supply. on precisely the same evidence.
Sources of guidelines include expert panels from In using guidelines you should consider:
the Royal Colleges, professional associations and
■■ the quality of the evidence from which they
medical audit advisory groups. Groups have come
were developed;
together with the specific purpose of developing
■■ the academic rigor of the development process;
■■ the assumptions that the developers will have
made (which they should have discussed in
the guideline, but of which they may have
Systematic reviews been unaware);
■■ whether they apply to your patient or local
Randomized controlled trials
population.
Cohort studies
Many general practices have developed proto-
Case-control studies
cols or set ways of dealing with particular condi-
Case series, case reports tions, such as asthma and diabetes, often based
on a local implementation of existing guidelines.
Editorials, expert opinion, consensus statements
The advantage of such protocols is that they help
Figure 5.1 The Pyramid Diagram. ensure uniformity and quality in patient care,

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 Summary points 109

especially where many different health profession-

als are involved. Practical Exercise
For further information on guidelines and pro-
1. Choose a topic based on a patient you have
tocols, see Chapter 9 on chronic illness and
seen in general practice.
Chapter 13 on quality assurance.
2. Find out whether any guidelines exist on
this topic and whether copies are available
in the practice.
3. Does the practice have a protocol for dealing
with patients with this condition?
4. How was this protocol developed?
5. Interview a selection of the GPs and nurses
in the practice to see whether they use these
guidelines/protocols and their views of them
(and of guidelines/protocols in general).

SUMMARY POINTS
To conclude, the most important messages of this chapter are as follows:
■■ Patients choose whether to see their doctor: the reasons vary greatly and are not necessarily medical.
■■ Diagnoses exist at various levels: a firm diagnosis may be impossible to reach initially, and the early man-
agement of your patient may involve clarifying the diagnosis by various means; a firm diagnosis is not
always required for good management.
■■ Most diagnoses are made through the careful use of basic clinical skills: taking a history, making an
examination and performing investigations are the starting point and basis of all patient management.
■■ Investigations contribute to your patients’ care when they are relevant, sensitive and specific: batteries
of random investigations provide little additional information and may mislead.
■■ Good patient management is your overall goal: it is not intrinsically difficult; the diagnostic information
you have gathered is integrated into a detailed picture of your patient’s problem; having developed this,
you are able to develop a management plan that allows you to inform, reassure, treat and, where neces-
sary, refer your patient.
■■ Making a referral is an important communication between primary and secondary care: this chapter has
considered the decision to refer and the objectives of a referral.
■■ Decisions on patient care should be based on a combination of clinical judgement and research evi-
dence and should take into account individual patients’ unique circumstances and values.
■■ Evidence-based medicine provides strategies to ensure the best of contemporary medical research is
available to each patient.
■■ Guidelines condense best evidence into useable formulations. Their limitations should be appreciated,
but they have huge potential to improve patient care.

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 110 DIAGNOSIS AND ACUTE MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

References
British Cardiac Society, British Hypertension Society, Diabetes UK, HEART UK, Primary Care
Cardiovascular Society, The Stroke Association 2005: Joint British Societies’ guidelines on prevention
of cardiovascular disease in clinical practice. Heart 91, v1–v52.
Fitzpatrick, R. 1996: Telling patients there is nothing wrong. British Medical Journal 313, 311–12.
Fry, J. 1993: General practice: the facts. Abingdon: Radcliffe Medical Press.
Gill, P., Dowell, A., Neal, R., Smith, N., Heywood, P. and Wilson, A. 1996: Evidence based general prac-
tice: a retrospective study of interventions in one training practice. British Medical Journal 312, 819–21.
Hoffbrand, B.I. 1989: Away with the systems review, a plea for parsimony. British Medical Journal 298,
817–19.
NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) 2004: Management of dyspepsia in adults
in primary care. www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/10950/29460/29460.pdf (accessed 3 June 2011).
Ross, P.W., Christy, S.M. and Knox, J.D. 1971: Sore throat in children: its causation and incidence.
British Medical Journal 2(762), 624–6.
Royal College of Radiologists 2003: Making the best use of a department of clinical radiology: guidelines for
doctors, 5th edn. London: Royal College of Radiologists.
Sackett, D., Straus, S., Richardson, W., Rosenberg, W. and Haynes, R. 2000: Evidence based medicine: how
to practice and teach EBM, 2nd edn. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
Sinclair, D. and Croskerry, P. 2010: Patient safety and diagnostic error: tips for your next shift. Canadian
Family Physician 56(1), 28–30.
Stoate, H.G. 1989: Can health screening damage your health? Journal of the Royal College of General
Practitioners 39(322), 193–5.
The Information Centre (2006/7) UK General Practice Workload Survey. www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/
publications/gp/GP%20Workload%20Report.pdf (accessed May 2011).
Thurber, J. 1965: The secret life of Walter Mitty. In The Thurber carnival. London: Penguin Books.
WHO-ISH Mild Hypertension Committee 1993: Guidelines for the treatment of mild hypertension.
Memorandum from a WHO-ISH meeting. Geneva: World Health Organization.

Further reading
Diagnosis
Epstein, O., Perkin, G.D., Cookson, J. and de Bono, D. 2003: Clinical examination. Edinburgh and New
York: Mosby.
Gray, D. and Toghill, P. (eds) 2000: Introduction to the symptoms and signs of clinical medicine.
London: Arnold.

Evidence-based medicine
ACP Journal Club: American College of Physicians and BMJ Publishing Group.
A regularly updated electronic database that provides access to all issues of the ACP Journal Club and
back issues of the Evidence-Based Medicine Journal. These summarize individual studies and system-
atic reviews from a large range of medical journals. Studies are selected according to explicit criteria
for scientific merit and clinical relevance. Your library may subscribe; see www.acponline.org for
more information.
Clinical evidence 2003: London: BMJ Publishing Group. www.clinicalevidence.bmj.com
A compendium of evidence based on systematic reviews of the literature.
Cochrane Library. Oxford: www.thecochranelibrary.com/
A compendium of evidence based on systematic reviews of the literature.

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 Single best answer questions 111

Greenhalgh T. 2006: How to read a paper: the basics of evidence-based medicine. Oxford:
Wiley-Blackwell.
A superbly helpful introduction to evidence-based medicine.
Sackett, D., Straus, S., Richardson, W., Rosenberg, W. and Haynes, R. 2000: Evidence based medicine: how
to practice and teach EBM, 2nd edn. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
An excellent introduction to evidence-based medicine, it uses a case-based format focusing on general
medicine, but the accompanying CD-ROM contains cases relevant to general practice. The book has a
regularly updated website at http://www.cebm.utoronto.ca/

Guidelines and protocols

There are many useful websites providing clinical guidelines. The three below will be a good starting
point:
Health Information Resources, www.library.nhs.uk/default.aspx
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), www.nice.org.uk/
Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), www.sign.ac.uk/

Acknowledgements
Thank you to Dr Joanna Collerton who was co-author in previous editions.

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS

5.1 Ms Jilly L, aged 23, attends the surgery with 5.3 Mr Michael L, aged 27 (Joyce’s son), comes
intermittent epigastric pain for six weeks. She is to you complaining of ‘chronic stomach ache’
overweight (although she thinks that she has lost for six weeks. He describes pains in his upper
a little weight since the pain started) and smokes abdomen which come and go with no very clear
10 cigarettes a day. On examination she has mild pattern and no relieving or exacerbating factors.
epigastric tenderness. The best intervention at He admits that he is both smoking and drinking
this stage is: alcohol more recently. He has not lost weight
and on examination there is nothing to find. The
a) A course of proton pump inhibitor (PPI, e.g.
best intervention at this point is to:
omeprazole)
b) Advise her to stop smoking a) Prescribe a trial of PPIs
c) Advise her to lose weight b) Explore the patient’s beliefs
d) Arrange an outpatient upper GI endoscopy c) Reassure the patient that there is nothing
e) Arrange helicobacter testing. serious likely to be wrong
d) Reassure the patient that the risk of malig-
5.2 Mrs Joyce L, aged 63 (Jilly’s mother), attends
nancy is minimal
the surgery with intermittent epigastric pain
e) Advise on dietary modification for probable
for six weeks. She is overweight (although she
irritable bowel syndrome.
thinks that she has lost a little weight since the
pain started) and smokes 10 cigarettes a day. On 5.4 Mr Michael L (the same one) accepts that he
examination she has mild epigastric tenderness. has irritable bowel syndrome of which the stress
The best intervention at this stage is: and anxiety caused by his mother’s illness is
partly to blame. He has found little benefit from
a) A course of PPIs (e.g. omeprazole)
dietary modifications and the anti-spasmodics
b) Advise her to stop smoking
you prescribed don’t help much either. A work
c) Advise her to lose weight
colleague has been seeing a ‘nutriopathic physi-
d) Arrange an outpatient upper GI endoscopy
e) Arrange helicobacter testing. cian’ who he says is absolutely brilliant. He asks
for your advice about what to do:

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 112 DIAGNOSIS AND ACUTE MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS CONTINUED

a) It’s worth pursuing, if only for the placebo allergies. He has a dull percussion note, bron-
effect chial breath sounds and whispering pectoriloquy
b) Explore the claims made for the therapy at his L lung base.
before advising the patient
c) Warn the patient to steer clear of alternative a) Give a prescription for amoxicillin and clari-
remedies thromycin in line with best practice guidelines
d) Encourage the patient to attend to relieve the b) Prescribe doxycycline as he is more likely to
burden on the surgery and local NHS comply with a single drug regime
e) Give strong endorsement of the therapy c) Elicit the patient’s ideas and concerns about
which will increase any placebo effect and the treatment and prescribe accordingly
likelihood of success. d) Stress the importance of taking antibiotics
according to the instructions and to avoid
5.5 Mr ML, aged 72 (Michael’s and Jilly’s father), alcohol
has mild COPD and presents with a purulent e) Discuss the effective options and come to an
cough, breathlessness and fever. He has no drug agreement about which he is happy to take.

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 CHAPTER

6 Prescribing in
General Practice

■■ Introduction ■■ Prescribing by nurses in practice

■■ The scale of medication use in the UK ■■ The role of the community pharmacist
■■ Guidelines for good prescribing ■■ Over-the-counter medication
■■ Prescribing for special groups ■■ Communicating about medications between
■■ Generic prescribing primary and secondary care
■■ Prescribing support in primary care ■■ Prescribing costs and monitoring
■■ Writing a prescription ■■ Summary points
■■ Repeat prescribing ■■ References
■■ Abuse of drugs and controlled drugs ■■ Further reading
■■ The doctor’s bag ■■ Single best answer questions
■■ Dispensing practices

The scale of medication use in the UK is enormous. While it has brought huge benefits, the problems caused
by side effects, drug interactions and drug errors are a major cause of illness for patients and a significant
burden to the health service. This chapter outlines these problems and discusses a number of strategies to
ensure you develop good prescribing habits.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this chapter you will be able to:
■■ understand the scale of medication usage in the UK;
■■ develop good prescribing habits;

■■ find sources of help with prescribing in primary care;

■■ write a prescription;

■■ understand how computers in primary care are used to aid acute and repeat prescribing;

■■ understand the importance of communications about medication between primary and secondary care;

■■ understand the legal and practical approaches to prevent the problems of drug abuse;

■■ understand self-prescribing and over-the-counter medication and the role of the community pharmacist

and other healthcare professionals in prescribing.

Introduction
Miss Molly had a dolly, who was sick, sick, sick, He looked at the dolly and he shook his head,
So she called for the doctor to come quick, He said, Miss Molly, put her straight to bed,
quick, quick. He wrote on the paper for a pill, pill, pill,
The doctor came with his bag and his hat, I’ll be back in the morning with my bill,
And he knocked on the door with a rat a tat tat. bill, bill.

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 114 PRESCRIBING IN GENERAL PRACTICE

An old skipping song, its origins clouded with The total budget for pharmaceutical sup-
time, reveals an iconic view of the general practi- plies to the NHS in England was £11 billion
tioner (GP). While hospital doctors may be asso- (2007–8) (DoH website http://www.dh.gov.uk/
ciated with the stethoscope, GPs are identified by en/Healthcare/Medicinespharmacyandindustry/
their bag, their bill and their prescription pad. Of Pharmaceuticalpriceregulationscheme/
these, the bill has gone, the bag is fading, but the DH_4071841). It is estimated that it costs the
prescription pad remains a pervasive symbol. This NHS in England £300 million a year for medicines
is not necessarily a positive image: ‘The moment I that are wasted, dispensed but never taken (York
sat down he started writing out a prescription’ is a Health Economics Consortium, 2010), and this is
well-aired complaint. in a system which the authors conclude is reason-
Prescribing new and repeat medications to ably well managed.
patients is a major part of general practice, but In summary, the scale of prescribing is large and
it is important to understand that drugs are the costs are high. Drugs are beneficial in many
not the only approach to patient therapy. This conditions, but can also have side effects. How
chapter discusses the range of therapies available can you ensure that you prescribe effectively and
to the GP and the range of issues involved in safely?
prescribing medication effectively.

Guidelines for good prescribing

The scale of medication use in the Good prescribing is not a particularly difficult
UK task. It relates more to attitude: fastidiousness in
considering a series of questions each time a drug
The scale of medication usage is vast. Two-thirds
is prescribed and a desire to do the best for each
of the population are taking some kind of medica-
individual patient. While as a student the list of
tion at any time, whether prescribed, purchased
drugs you need to learn about seems endless, in
over the counter from a chemist or from alterna-
practice most doctors use only a limited number
tive therapists (Fry, 1993):
of drugs, which they therefore get to know well.
■■ At any one time, 66 per cent of the population This list is often based on a local formulary (see
is taking some form of medicine; half of this below). Advice on good prescribing is available
medicine is prescribed and half purchased ‘over from many sources including the British National
the counter’ (Kohn and White, 1976). Formulary (BNF.org).
■■ A prescription is issued in 66 per cent of Every time you reach for your prescription pad
­general practice consultations and a similar consider the following:
volume is generated using the repeat prescrip-
■■ Is a drug necessary?
tion system.
■■ Is a drug the right choice?
■■ The average person receives eight prescription
■■ Is the drug effective?
items per year.
■■ Is the drug safe?
■■ The most widely prescribed drugs are car-
■■ Is therapy economical?
diovascular, dermatological and anti-asthma
■■ Do you and your patient agree on your man-
preparations, and antibiotics. The most widely
agement plan?
purchased ‘over-the-counter’ (OTC) drugs are
■■ Does your patient understand how and when to
analgesics, vitamins and cough medicines.
take the medication?
■■ Drug costs consume 10 per cent of the total
■■ Is there a long-term plan?
National Health Service (NHS) budget, of
which 18 per cent is spent in hospitals and 82 Alarm point: always ask yourself whenever you
per cent in general practice. consider prescribing: Is a drug necessary, is it the
■■ Up to 20 per cent of patients do not take their right solution, is it effective, is it safe, and is it part
prescription to be dispensed. of an agreed plan? ⚑

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 Guidelines for good prescribing 115

Is a drug necessary? ■■ to empower patients to deal with the problem

Have you made a diagnosis? by themselves and without recourse to medi-
cal services.
In the chapter on diagnosis and management
(Chapter 5) we considered how management In doing so, the GP is not only helping the
decisions can be made with and without a diag- patient, but also aiming to manage demand for
nosis. Ideally, in choosing therapy you will have a consultations. If patients deal with the prob-
diagnosis, but life is not always ideal. lem by themselves next time, it contributes to
Treatment may be initiated: reducing the burden on the surgery and other
healthcare services.
■■ on a firm diagnosis,
Upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) in
■■ on a provisional diagnosis,
adults and children are very common examples:
■■ to relieve undiagnosed symptoms, or
the doctor’s aim should be to help patients rec-
■■ as a trial of therapy (helping confirm the diag-
ognize the symptoms and treat themselves. The
nosis if it works).
doctor will need to become involved if the illness
The less certain you are of what you are treating, becomes protracted or severe or unexpected com-
the less chance you have of successful treatment. plications arise, and will need to discuss with the
At the same time, the risk of adverse effects from patient the boundaries for safe self-management.
your chosen medication is not diminished. While a condition may be self-limiting, it may
Symptomatic treatment not be common (so there is little point in teaching
patients to recognize it themselves); the symp-
There are many situations in which it is entire-
toms may be disturbing and merit treatment in
ly appropriate to treat the patient’s symptoms.
their own right. Moreover, appropriate medica-
For instance, pain usually requires symptomatic
tion may only be available on prescription. For
treatment in addition to any treatment of the
example, acute vestibuloneuronitis presents with
underlying cause. So in an acute myocardial
dramatic vertigo, sometimes leading to falls and
infarction, opiate analgesics for pain are as essen-
injury. Although it rarely lasts more than a few
tial to treatment as drugs to limit infarct size.
days, accurate diagnosis, symptomatic treatment
Occasionally symptomatic treatment is of par-
(with vestibular sedatives) and appropriate advice
ticular importance when there is little that can
from the GP (e.g. avoiding driving) are usually
be done for the underlying disease. The relief of
required, despite it being a self-limiting condition.
pain and breathlessness in lung cancer offers a
The increasing number of former prescrip-
major contribution to the patient’s quality of life.
tion drugs now available over the counter has
For many self-limiting conditions seen in general
increased the range of minor conditions patients
practice, symptomatic treatment, often as self-
can treat themselves. For instance, topical anti-
treatment, is all that is appropriate (see below).
fungal treatments are available over the counter.
Remember that the same considerations of
necessity, effectiveness, safety, economy and Is a drug the right solution?
patient review apply to symptomatic treatments We are fortunate in the UK to practise in an age
as to other therapeutic interventions. in which numerous highly effective medications
are available and in a country where they can
Self-limiting conditions
be afforded. Doctors have a particular expertise
Many of the patients seen by GPs present with in using drugs and it is therefore not surpris-
self-limiting conditions. These are minor condi- ing that they turn to them frequently. However,
tions that will resolve by themselves without nec- drug treatment is often not the only option, and
essarily requiring the GP’s intervention. often not the option of first choice. Although this
It is the GP’s role: chapter is principally about prescribing drugs,
■■ to educate patients about the nature of their the section below reviews some of the non-drug
condition and how to recognize it themselves approaches that the GP and his or her patient
next time; may turn to.

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 116 PRESCRIBING IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Options for non-drug therapies in practice from Freudian psychoanalysis to behavioural

Physical therapies approaches, and shading at the edges into
alternative therapies and religious-type organi-
■■ Physiotherapy. Physiotherapists are practition- zations. Of the more orthodox therapies, the
ers in their own right. A physiotherapist will theoretical approach seems to have less bearing
not merely carry out a request for treatment, on outcome than the individual qualities of
but will make his or her own assessment of the practitioner. Mainstream psychotherapy is
the patient’s condition and treat accordingly. usually available within the NHS, although cost
Generally, physiotherapists are based at hospi- constraints may allow only a limited number
tal or in community clinics. Some are practice of sessions for a patient and delay in getting a
based by local arrangement. first appointment.
■■ Osteopathy and chiropractic are sometimes
■■ Support and counselling from the GP. The
available through the NHS by local arrange- GP him/herself is a source of emotional and
ment. The GP is often asked to advise on their ­psychological support for patients. Many con-
usefulness or otherwise. The limited evidence sultations with a partly or wholly psychologi-
base for their efficacy rightly limits their avail- cal basis are dealt with by the GP in everyday
ability on the NHS. consultations. Some GPs undergo additional
■■ Alternative physical therapies, such as Alexander
training in counselling and psychotherapy
technique or reflexology, may sometimes be and offer this as a service to their patients.
available by local arrangement within the NHS. Psychological issues in general practice are dis-
Using public money to pay for unproven thera- cussed in Chapter 8.
pies is controversial. The role of alternative
therapies is discussed below. Self-help
■■ Exercise is now seen as having a critical role in
Many patients attempt, often successfully, to sort
health, from maintaining bone mass in post-
themselves out through their own efforts. The GP
menopausal women to gaining cardiovascular
may act as a source of support and encourage-
fitness and treating depression. GPs may be
ment, may help the patient find self-help groups,
able to ‘prescribe’ exercise through local links
and advise on the course of actions they propose.
with a fitness centre or similar.
The internet is now a major source of advice for
patients. Advice ranges from the excellent, to
Psychological therapies
drug company advertisements, to the ravings of
■■ Counselling is frequently available as a service the probably insane! To the patient, it may not
within a practice. Counselling services are also be clear which sort they have discovered. For
widely available in the community as local example:
government-run services, or run by voluntary
groups such as the church, and private coun- ‘Toddlers are to be inoculated against six
sellors. There is a wide variation in the quali- diseases at once in a bid to boost vaccination
fications of counsellors, and the GP has a role rates. Recently uncovered evidence suggests
advising on reputable sources of help. as many as 400 children have died from a
■■ Specialist counselling, for alcohol, smoking, vaccine and 21,000 experienced an adverse
drugs, etc. often operates as an extension of reaction in the UK alone.’ (vactruth.com)
local psychiatric services or as part of the com-
munity provision of the local health service. Alternative therapies
Patients may self-refer or require GP referral. A huge variety of alternative or complementary
The GP has an important role in knowing therapies are available to patients. It is important
about the availability of such services and for the GP to be aware of the claims each makes
directing patients to them. and the evidence to support them. Because of the
■■ Psychotherapy is widely available privately, nature of complementary practices, many have
from many different theoretical foundations, little formal scientific evaluation. The dictum ‘first

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 Guidelines for good prescribing 117

do no harm’ is of prime importance. Harm can be for 40 minutes a day (in other words about
caused either by the effects of a therapy (it is worth 3 miles to work and back again) reduces the
remembering that orthodox therapies have much risk of ischaemic heart disease by nearly 50
greater potential for harm than most complemen- per cent. Bone mass is increased more by
tary therapies) or by using an ineffective remedy exercise than by any other treatment of osteo­
and refusing an effective one. (Some homeopaths porosis. Jogging, via endorphin release, is
warn their clients not to take conventional thera- an effective treatment for mild and moder-
pies while taking homeopathic remedies.) Tragic ate depression.
and unnecessary deaths have resulted from an ■■ Work: working long hours under pressure
insistence on a particular type of therapy. Many puts a strain on relationships and may cause
therapies that started life as ‘alternative’ have sleep and psychiatric problems. The physical
moved, as prejudices have changed and evidence working environment at the office may result
emerged, into the mainstream. Osteopathy and in repetitive strain and back injuries, and
acupuncture are examples. Homeopathy has a worse at the factory. Changing working pat-
strong following amongst doctors (and an equally terns may not be easy but may bring signifi-
vociferous medical opposition). The Alexander cant health benefits.
technique lacks much of an evidence base, but has ■■ Obesity: factors are often interrelated. Obesity
sensible-sounding ideas about posture and voice relates to sedentary living and bad diets sec-
training. Yoga and Transcendental Meditation are ondary to long working hours – and that
amongst a variety of Eastern-style philosophies includes middle-class fast food such as micro-
that help patients relax (trials have shown them to waveable tagliatelle, with its excess fat and salt
be effective in lowering blood pressure, for exam- (which enhances flavour at low cost to the
ple). Others, such as elimination diets and those manufacturer), just as much as burger and
to treat Candida albicans, are based on corrupted chip diets.
versions of Western science.
Is the drug effective?
Lifestyle change Always consider whether there is evidence that the
particular drug you choose is of proven benefit in
We are becoming increasingly aware of the effects
the condition you propose to treat.
of lifestyle on illness, and changes in lifestyle may
The rise of evidence-based medicine has made
provide a better remedy than medication. Some of
available to the GP a large and accessible body of
the factors are listed below.
evidence for the effectiveness of many treatments.
■■ Smoking remains a massive cause of ill-health This evidence is often used to provide guidelines
of many kinds. Britain is doing relatively well and protocols for the management of a condition.
compared to the rest of Europe, but the mortal- Applying such guidelines in everyday practice is a
ity and morbidity remain appalling. major challenge of contemporary general practice.
■■ Alcohol may be a bigger problem than smok- Guidelines do not negate the need for clinical
ing. Alcohol-related problems cost an esti- judgement. Each patient’s situation is different,
mated £95 million to the Scottish NHS in 2001, and the challenge is to provide the best care for
and a billion pounds to Scotland as a whole the individual patient based on the best avail-
in that period (Alcohol Misuse in Scotland: able evidence.
Trends and Costs. Final report Catalyst Health Remember that indications for the treatment of
Economics 2001). any condition may differ with age, sex and other
■■ Sexual activity: sexually transmitted diseases are factors. For example, an elderly smoker with
increasing, including hepatitis B and acquired chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). who presents with influenza may very justifiably
■■ Sedentary lifestyles: we have become so used be given antibiotics to prevent secondary bacterial
to sedentary lifestyles that very modest exer- infection. There would be little reason to do the
cise can have enormous health gains. Cycling same for a fit 25 year old.

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 118 PRESCRIBING IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Is the drug safe? Idiosyncratic reactions

Alarm point: never prescribe without consider- Idiosyncratic reactions are not predictable, not
ing the potential for adverse reactions and drug dose related, and may be severe. Individual reac-
⚑ interactions. tions are uncommon, and inevitably the doctor
cannot be aware of all the many types and poten-
Adverse reactions
tial for idiosyncratic reactions of the drugs he or
All medications carry a risk of adverse reactions. she uses. As elsewhere in general practice, preven-
These may be of several kinds. Rawlins and tion is much better than cure, reinforcing the
Thompson’s (1977) useful classification of drug importance of not prescribing drugs except when
side effects included predictable (type A); idiosyn- explicitly indicated.
cratic (type B); continuous reactions (type C) from Examples of idiosyncratic reactions include
long-term drug use, such as the tardive dyskine- thrombocytopenia from quinine (commonly pre-
sias related to neuroleptic use; delayed reactions scribed to the elderly for leg cramps) and Stevens–
(type D), such as the potential for carcinogenesis Johnson syndrome from sulphonamide antibiot-
from alkylating agents; and end-of-use reactions ics (‘hidden’ in combinations like co-trimoxazole,
(type E) where problems arise on discontinuing and in Flamazine cream, which is commonly used
therapy, such as withdrawal symptoms following in treating burns and leg ulcers, from which sys-
discontinuation of benzodiazepines or addisonian temic absorption can be high).
symptoms after the withdrawal of steroids. You The British National Formulary (BNF) is the
will meet patients who have experienced all of most useful everyday source of information about
these reactions in general practice, but types A, B the reactions that may be associated with any par-
and E are particularly common. Also important ticular drug or class of drugs.
is the wrong attribution of adverse reactions to GPs need a good working knowledge of the
medication; this is discussed in the next section. commoner predictable side effects of the drugs
Predictable reactions they use. This is another argument in favour of
practice formularies. This offers the opportunity
Some side effects are entirely predictable as a of better understanding of a more limited range
consequence of the actions of the drug. For of drugs.
example, broad-spectrum antibiotics frequently The GP should always be aware that a patient’s
produce diarrhoea in children and adults (5–30 symptoms may result from drug side effects, and
per cent) through effects on normal bacterial flora a thorough review of the patient’s medication is
(Editorial, 2002). In the debilitated, this can pro- an essential part of the patient’s assessment. This
duce the life-threatening pseudomembranous col- medication may be unknown to the GP at the
itis. I recently talked with parents whose 2-year- time of presentation. The possibility of a reac-
old child required admission and intra­venous tion from an OTC remedy or a new prescription
rehydration for antibiotic-related diarrhoea. The from a recent hospital appointment must always
antibiotics were given for a simple URTI that was be considered.
of likely viral origin. Serious side effects of established drugs and all
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs side effects of newer drugs should be reported to
(NSAIDs) are useful as painkillers in a range of sit- the Committee on Safety of Medicines using the
uations, but are a major cause of upper gastroin- yellow card system.
testinal inflammation and bleeding, and elevate
blood pressure through salt and water-retaining
properties. Other drugs (such as paracetamol in End-of-use reactions
combination or alone) are often equally effective. Withdrawal reactions from the discontinuation
Some drugs require more careful monitoring of a drug can produce a variety of symptoms.
because of the risks of serious side effects (e.g. Benzodiazepine withdrawal, for example, may
monitoring of prothrombin time during warfarin result in anxiety and muscle cramps, confusion,
therapy or agranulocytosis with carbimazole). convulsions or frank psychiatric illness if not

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 Guidelines for good prescribing 119

carefully managed. Abrupt withdrawal of long- for the elderly later in this chapter). Not all inter-
term steroids will produce addisonian symptoms. actions are adverse. Synergistic effects of drugs in
A more common and insidious scenario is a combination can be very useful, such as combin-
patient who, some months after discontinuing ing diuretics and angiotensin-converting enzyme
steroids, develops an intercurrent infection and (ACE) inhibitors for both heart failure and hyper-
becomes unexpectedly ill. It may take a year or tension. Indeed, using lower doses of two drugs
more for the adrenal glands to recover fully after may be more therapeutically effective, while at the
steroid withdrawal, and the patient, while able same time lowering the likelihood of dose-related
to maintain a basal cortisol output, is unable to side effects of the individual drugs. Interactions
respond to the increased glucocorticoid needs may be deliberately sought to offset the side effects
brought about by the infection. The patient may of one drug with another; for instance, the potas-
present, not with classic addisonian symptoms, sium-leaching effects of furosemide are countered
but merely as being unexpectedly unwell. Oral by potassium-sparing amiloride, while increasing
steroids need to be reintroduced to provide cover the overall diuretic effect.
over this period and then quickly tailed off again. Drug interactions arise through a number
of mechanisms. Those mechanisms particular-
Wrongly identified side effects ly encountered in general practice settings are
When patients report side effects of a medication, discussed below. The reader is encouraged to
it is important to take a history of the alleged consult a textbook of pharmacology to gain a
reaction and attempt to establish whether or not ­broader overview.
it was a true side effect. Many patients will tell you Drug interactions are classified as:
they are ‘allergic to penicillin’; often, on further
■■ pharmaceutical,
questioning, the drug turns out not to have been
■■ pharmacodynamic, and
penicillin. The reaction may be that it ‘made me
■■ pharmacokinetic.
feel sick’ or ‘gave me diarrhoea’. Assessing the
likelihood of a reaction may prove very difficult: We might add a further category of:
when a rash follows an antibiotic prescription
■■ ‘pharmacoconfusion’, where, as the number of
it is often not clear whether it was due to the
medications increases, the chance of any being
antibiotic or to the viral illness for which it was
taken correctly decreases; this is perhaps the
inappropriately given. This serves as a further
commonest and most important ‘class’ found
warning against prescribing antibiotics when the
in general practice.
indications are not clear. It is important to discuss
with patients whether or not they should avoid Pharmaceutical reactions are rarely encountered
that drug in future. Confirming that they may take by GPs. They occur when mixing drugs before
penicillin when they initially believed themselves they get to the patient; for example, diazepam
to be allergic to it may save their life at some time when injected into an infusion bag precipitates
in the future. out. Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic
Alarm point: when a patient tells you they are reactions are discussed below.
allergic to a medication, always explore fully what Predictable (pharmacodynamic) interactions
they mean and whether this is likely to be a true arise as a predictable consequence of the normal
⚑ allergy. effects of the drugs. They are thus very common
and frequently encountered in general practice.
Drug interactions For instance, tricyclic antidepressants and alcohol
Interactions between drugs are common, are a both cause drowsiness. The effect of taking both
frequent cause of morbidity and sometimes mor- is for one to augment the other. It is important
tality and are often avoidable. The elderly are par- to make a patient you are putting on tricyclics
ticularly at risk, often having multiple pathologies, aware of this effect and its implications for safety,
and may be particularly sensitive to the effects of while driving for example. The NSAIDs are freely
any medication (see the section on the prescribing prescribed as analgesics, but their well-known salt

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 120 PRESCRIBING IN GENERAL PRACTICE

and water-retaining properties will diminish the be assisted by computer prescribing programs
effect of diuretics and anti-hypertensives. that can be set to warn automatically of potential
Pharmacokinetic interactions occur when one interactions. Awareness of the potential for inter-
drug affects the plasma levels of another. These actions, keeping up to date with new medications
work through a number of mechanisms: and vigilance with individual patients are crucial
aspects of the GP’s role.
■■ Absorption. Interactions may occur through
Many medications are initiated in hospital and
effects on drug absorption, for instance tetra-
the GP subsequently takes responsibility for con-
cyclines are chelated by aluminium (perhaps
tinuing to prescribe them. The importance of
being taken by the patient as an OTC indiges-
adequate and accurate communication between
tion remedy) or milk (not a drug, but no less
hospital and general practice and vice versa can-
important as an interaction). Rifampicin-like
not be over-emphasized. Unfortunately, it is
medicines have an enzyme-inducing effect, and
still commonplace for patients to be discharged
speed up the processing of some contraceptive
from hospital with inadequate or no informa-
hormones. This reduces the levels of the hor-
tion. Similarly, many GP referrals do not contain
mones in the blood and increases the potential
adequate information about patients’ medication,
for pregnancy.
even though this can usually be readily obtained
■■ Metabolism. Drugs may stimulate or inhib-
from the practice computer system.
it liver enzyme production, resulting in the
enhanced or diminished breakdown of other
‘Pharmacoconfusion’ and polypharmacy
drugs. Erythromycin inhibits enzymes metabo-
lizing theophyllines; treating an acute exacerba- Polypharmacy, defined as taking more than
tion of COPD with this antibiotic could pre- four drugs, is a major issue in prescribing.
cipitate theophylline toxicity. Anticonvulsants There is solid evidence that the more drugs are
induce the enzymes that metabolize oral con- prescribed, the greater the likelihood of failure
traceptives; the increased rate of breakdown to take them correctly and to take less than the
of oestrogen and progestogen is predictable, prescribed dose and multiple opportunities for
and an effective response may therefore be interactions to occur. Classically this is a prob-
to increase the strength of the pill – typically lem for the elderly with multiple pathologies
increasing the oestrogen component from 30 to requiring multiple drugs, increased sensitivity to
50 micrograms (mg). those drugs and often impaired cognitive abili-
■■ Excretion. The well-known potassium-leach- ties to deal with the dosing regime. With more
ing actions of loop and thiazide diuretics are sophisticated therapies available in many areas
often countered by combining them with a such as HIV, cancer and transplants, the problem
­potassium-sparing diuretic such as spironol- is not limited to the elderly. GPs coordinate the
actone or amiloride. In this common example, care for patients who may be seeing several dif-
the interaction is used to the patient’s ben- ferent specialists. They have a particular respon-
efit. However, other interactions, such as the sibility to oversee the whole prescription pack-
increased reabsorption of lithium when diuret- age, reduce ‘pharmacoconfusion’ and remain
ics are given, will increase the blood levels and alert to possible interactions.
may produce serious toxicity.
GPs use a huge spectrum of drugs, both those
Is therapy economical?
they prescribe themselves and those prescribed While many common drugs are relatively inex-
initially by the hospital. If a patient is attending pensive, when this is multiplied across the whole
several clinics, the risk of adverse interactions NHS the costs can be enormous. In England,
multiplies, and the GP is best placed to overview as at 2011, protein pump inhibitors cost from
the entire prescribing strategy. GPs need to be approximately £2 (generic omeprazole) to £20
aware of the potential for interactions and actively (esomeprazole as branded ‘Nexium’) for a
monitor the overall prescribing pattern; they may month’s course. Altogether these cost the NHS

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 Guidelines for good prescribing 121

around £10.5 million a year (Prescription Cost understandably reluctant to engage in a lifetime
Analysis England 2010, The Health and Social of treatment with potential side effects.
Care Information Centre, 2011). It is therefore ■■ Concern about side effects (e.g. measles,
good practice to prescribe drugs by generic name mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination and
rather than proprietary (brand) names. GPs are autism fears).
also encouraged to substitute a cheaper drug ■■ Inconvenience: taking aerosol inhaler devices
for a more expensive one in the same class to school or work.
where this is clinically as effective; for instance, ■■ Cost: significant in the UK, at £7.40 in England
omeprazole for esomperazole, or simvastatin on 1 April 2011 per item, although many
for atorvastatin. In the latter case atorvastatin people (e.g. children, elderly people on social
is a more potent drug so is useful for those security benefits) are entitled to receive them
with more severe hypercholesterolaemia, how- free. As a result 80 per cent of prescriptions are
ever many drugs are ‘me too’ drugs which are not charged. The costs may be prohibitive in
minimally different versions of the same drug, countries where the full cost has to be borne by
developed by different drug companies to give the patient.
them their own branded product. (Esomeprazole ■■ Lack of confidence in the doctor: if patients feel
is a ‘pro-drug’ which is metabolized to the active their doctor has not understood their problem,
omeprazole in the body.) Often there are no they are less likely to comply with the sug-
practical differences between different drugs in gested treatment.
the same class and it makes economic sense ■■ Stigma of illness: this may make diagnosis diffi-
to use the cheapest. Generic drugs are of the cult to accept for the patient (e.g. depression or
same quality as proprietary drugs and prescribing other psychiatric problems) and hence there is
generically ensures that the cheapest preparation a reluctance to take the appropriate treatment.
is dispensed. The important exception to this ■■ Risks outweigh benefits in the patient’s eyes.
rule is with slow-release preparations, where dif- ■■ Cultural values and health beliefs: patients’
ferent manufacturers’ preparations have different beliefs may be very different from the doctor’s:
release properties. These are discussed under ‘drugs bring toxins into the body’.
‘Generic prescribing’. ■■ Complex drug regimens: multiple drugs, differ-
ent dosing regimens may be hard to understand
Agreeing management with your patient even though the patient attempts to do so.
There is evidence that only a third of patients Concordance: a negotiated approach to therapy
comply with recommended treatment; another
The extent to which patients conform to the
third sometimes comply, and the remaining third
doctor’s plan is termed compliance. However,
do not comply at all (Fedder, 1982). Up to 20 per
compliance is now seen as a very doctor-­centred
cent of patients do not take their prescriptions to
approach to therapy: it is about the doctor
be dispensed, and a sizeable proportion who do
instructing the patient, who is expected to obey.
so do not subsequently take the drug (Fry, 1993).
This paternalistic view of therapy is thought to
It has been estimated that, at most, only 50 per
be part of the reason why compliance is so poor.
cent of people with chronic disease comply with
A more recent and successful approach is to
their doctors’ recommendations, irrespective of
see therapy as a shared responsibility of patient
disease, treatment or age (Sackett and Snow, 1979;
and doctor, each of whom has a responsibility
Dunbar-Jacob et al., 2000).
to understand the other’s viewpoint (NCCSDO,
Patients may choose not to take prescribed
2005). This ‘concordance’ between doctor and
medication for a variety of reasons:
patient over therapy is discussed below.
■■ Fear of taking a drug: ‘It’s not natural … mess- Often, such a discussion will be a very straight-
ing up my body with chemicals.’ forward affair, with the patient keen to receive
■■ Unconvinced about the need for medication: the medication and little discussion required. But
the asymptomatic hypertensive patient will be sometimes detailed discussion and negotiation

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 122 PRESCRIBING IN GENERAL PRACTICE

are required, for instance in starting a trial of – use combination tablets, ‘polypills’, where pos-
high-dose oral steroids in a patient with suspected sible to simplify regimes (e.g. co-amilofruse).
temporal arteritis who has well-founded concerns ■■ Avoid drugs likely to produce side effects;
about the side effects of such medication. discuss any likely side effects and what to do if
In order to understand the patient’s possible these arise.
concerns about therapy, their views need to be ■■ Stop drugs that are ineffective or no long-
actively sought. In the same way that in the con- er required.
sultation chapter we discussed the importance of ■■ Tell the patient how long they are expected to
eliciting patients’ concerns, ideas and expecta- continue the medication.
tions concerning their illness, it is not difficult to ■■ Make use of the local pharmacist. Ensure
see why this must be extended to patients’ ideas your instructions to pharmacist are clear and
concerning treatment. This can then be the basis encourage the patient to talk to the pharmacist
for a sharing of views between doctor and patient, to reinforce your instructions.
out of which a negotiated approach to therapy
can come that is acceptable to the patient and Reviewing your patients’ progress and use of
doctor alike. medication
An approach to reaching concordance with a
Discussing medication use should be part of your
patient might run as follows:
regular review of your patients. Your review must
■■ The doctor presents the diagnosis and propos- be able to tell you the following:
als for treatment.
■■ If the medication is having the desired effect:
■■ The patient is encouraged to talk about his or
This will come from your discussion with
her ideas, concerns and expectations regarding
the patient, backed up by appropriate inves-
the diagnosis and proposed treatment.
tigations. These investigations will take what-
■■ The patient and doctor discuss their respective
ever form is appropriate (e.g. cardiovascular
views of the illness and its treatment to reach a
assessment in the patient with heart failure,
shared understanding.
reviewing the peak flow diary in the asthmatic
■■ Based on this shared understanding, a treat-
patient or laboratory measurement of thyroid-­
ment plan is agreed.
stimulating hormone levels in the treated myx­
■■ The doctor gives clear instructions about the
oedemic patient).
dose, frequency and duration of medication
■■ Whether the medication is causing side effects:
and checks the patient understands.
Likely side effects should be enquired about
■■ A plan is agreed to review progress.
explicitly. Patients may not realize that new
Helping the patient take medication correctly symptoms represent side effects or may be
reluctant to discuss them (such as the impo-
Besides discussing and negotiating therapy, there
tence produced by many anti-hypertensives).
are a number of ways in which the doctor can help
■■ Whether the patient is taking the medication
the patient to take medication correctly.
regularly: Besides developing a relationship
■■ Give clear instructions and check the patient of trust with your patient, medication usage
has understood them (perhaps by getting the can be assessed by monitoring how often the
patient to explain them back to you). It often patient collects prescriptions, which may sug-
helps to write them down – there is good evi- gest either over-use or under-use of medica-
dence that patients remember very little of a tion. Prescribing software can give a rough
consultation once they have left the room. indication of compliance by looking at how
■■ Prescribe as few medications as possible. often repeat medication is collected. Measuring
■■ Keep the dosing schedule simple: blood levels of drugs gives indirect evidence
– as few times a day as possible, of compliance, for instance a fall in serum
– if using several drugs, the same regimen for anticonvulsant levels may mean your patient is
each (e.g. all twice daily). becoming forgetful about taking the tablets. All

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 Prescribing for special groups 123

these should be seen as the starting point for a and judicious doses of paracetamol or ibuprofen
discussion about compliance rather than elicit- for fever and symptomatic relief (there is some
ing a knee-jerk increase in dosage. evidence that ibuprofen is the better antipyretic
and the longer duration of action is useful). Their
Prescribing for special groups carers need clear instructions about what new
symptoms would concern you and if/when to
The ‘special groups’ of children and elderly are return. Unexpectedly protracted illnesses produce
actually the commonest groups to be seen in gen- parental concern, often manifested in an insist-
eral practice and each, in its own way, is particu- ence on antibiotics; this will often not be appro-
larly vulnerable to medication. GPs need to take priate. Serial URTIs, where one illness follows
particular care when prescribing for these patients. directly from another, are the commonest reason
for a protracted illness. Asthma or post-nasal drip
Children often follow a URTI and often present as a pro-
The questions of necessity, effectiveness and safety tracted and mainly nocturnal cough.
discussed above are of particular importance to
this age group. The majority of children pre- Effectiveness
senting in general practice have self-limiting ill- Even those who present with likely bacterial infec-
nesses for which simple supportive or sympto- tions are often not helped by antibiotics. For
matic treatment only is required. Children are not instance, there is little evidence that antibiotics
merely small adults and may respond differently change the history of otitis media; the majority of
from adults to medication. cases resolve spontaneously. Better public health
Making a firm diagnosis is difficult for a mis- means that progression to acute mastoiditis or
erable child who is unable or unwilling to give chronic suppurative conditions that used to be
a history or to be examined. Differentiating the common is now rare. Similarly, although pharyn-
genuinely sick child from the merely miserable is a gitis is mainly viral, even the 40 per cent of cases
critical skill. Sick children need careful assessment that are bacterial are only marginally helped by
and sometimes reassessment by a GP colleague antibiotics. One study demonstrated that giving
or paediatrician. Antibiotics are often given to antibiotics reduced the duration of symptoms
such children ‘just in case’ of bacterial infection. by just 8 hours. Claims have been made that
There is some justification for this approach: the antibiotics prevent the progression of a minor
child is sick, the illness might be bacterial, the illness to a more major one, for instance otitis
diagnosis may not be provable, or proving it may media progressing to mastoiditis or sore throat to
require unjustifiably invasive investigations, and quinsy. The limited evidence available does not
the illness is potentially worse than the side effects support this.
of the antibiotics. The downside is that the risk
of side effects remains and can on occasions be Safety
serious or rarely fatal. If the child develops new Safety is a major concern in prescribing for
symptoms, such as a rash, it may be difficult to children. Children metabolize certain drugs dif-
decide whether it is due to the drug or the illness. ferently from adults, their relative body pro-
Labelling a child as allergic to a medication may portion of fat is different (changing the drug’s
have implications for the rest of their life. volume of distribution) and certain drugs behave
in inexplicable ways (for instance, ampheta-
Necessity mine is sedating in children and used to treat
The majority of children seen in general practice hyperactivity syndromes).
have viral URTIs. There is no justification for Relatively minor side effects with antibiotics,
treatment with antibiotics, even though there may such as diarrhoea, may settle quickly, but, given
be pressure from parents to provide them. There the often-limited justification for prescribing
is no evidence that cough mixtures are effective. them and the relatively minor conditions for
Miserable children with URTIs need rest, fluids which they may have been prescribed, it is difficult

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 124 PRESCRIBING IN GENERAL PRACTICE

to justify this sort of prescribing. Moreover, occa- ■■ be less able to cope: the patient’s mental facul-
sionally children develop severe diarrhoea and ties may make him or her less able to cope with
dehydration, which may even be fatal in the case the drug regimen;
of antibiotic-related pseudomembranous colitis. ■■ have altered metabolism that may give rise to
slower absorption, different distribution (for
Calculating children’s doses instance because of reduced serum albumin),
Doses are often most accurately calculated from and reduced excretion by the kidneys or metab-
the child’s surface area, itself estimated from olism by the liver. Generally, these factors tend
nomograms relating to weight and height (Barrett to enhance the normal actions of a drug and
et al., 2002). More commonly dosage is calculated increase the risk of dose-related adverse reac-
by body weight, which is less accurate and may tions.
give too large a dose in an obese child for exam-
ple. The BNF gives dose ranges for children based A review of medicines as part of the National
on age. This imprecise approach is reasonable for Service Framework (NSF) for Older People
‘ordinary’ doses of ‘safe’ drugs given to ‘normal’ (Department of Health, 2001) identified a number
children and is suitable for most drugs given to of issues in prescribing particularly related to
children in general practice. However, if a high the elderly.
dose of a drug is required, if the therapeutic win- ■■ Adverse reactions could be prevented: Between 5
dow is narrow (i.e. there is little leeway between and 17 per cent of hospital admissions are relat-
therapeutic and toxic doses) or if the child is not ed to adverse reactions (Mannesse et al., 2000).
of ‘normal’ height or weight, then more precise ■■ Under-use of medications: There is evidence that
approaches must be adopted. medications are under-used in areas such as
stroke prevention, asthma and depression.
Concordance
■■ Polypharmacy: Taking four or more medica-
Getting children to take the drug you have pre- tions is a particular risk factor for older people.
scribed is fortunately delegated to the parents! The There is clearly a relationship between poly­
doctor can help by providing the drug in the most pharmacy and under-utilization of medication.
acceptable (or at any rate, least unacceptable) ■■ Poor use of repeat prescribing: While automated
form to the child. Children are usually prescribed repeat prescribing has many benefits, it needs
medication in liquid form, but may prefer tablets, careful monitoring to ensure medications are
so it is worth asking. If a dose of less than 5 mL is up to date and are being taken as intend-
prescribed, an oral syringe must be supplied by ed. Perhaps 50 per cent of elderly people do
the chemist; however, in practice, a syringe may not take their medications as intended (Royal
be a far easier tool to use than the traditional tea- Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, 1997).
spoon whatever the dose. A familiar form of the Inconsistent quantities prescribed on repeat
drug may be more acceptable, so the child may be prescriptions result in waste and confusion. It
persuaded to take proprietary ‘Calpol’ but not a is estimated that 6–10 per cent of the total pre-
strange-tasting generic paracetamol. scribing budget is wasted in this way (Davidson
et al., 1998).
The elderly
■■ Changes in medication after hospital discharge:
Whereas 16 per cent of the population is over
Many errors are made in medication following
the age of 65, around 40–45 per cent of prescrip-
discharge from hospital. This partly relates to
tions are for this age group. The elderly are at
poor communication between primary and
particular risk from the effects of drugs and poor
secondary care (see section on communication
prescribing practices.
between primary and secondary care on page
Elderly people in particular may:
134).
■■ have multiple pathologies: elderly people often ■■ Inadequate dosage instructions on labels: ‘As
have several illnesses that may each require directed’ is unhelpful if the directions are
medication; not remembered.

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 Prescribing for special groups 125

■■ Carers: Informal carers are often under- is little evidence that they are more effective than
used and under-supported in helping elderly simple paracetamol for mild disease and they are a
patients take medicine correctly and appropri- major cause of gastrointestinal bleeding.
ately. In care homes, numerous problems have
been identified, from continued prescription Concordance
of unnecessary drugs and prescription of drugs The above principles on concordance and help-
for which no indication was recorded, to frank ing your patients take medication correctly are of
abuse, with residents being excessively sedated particular importance to the elderly. The use of
with inappropriate neuroleptics. ‘polypills’ can be particularly helpful in simplify-
Principles for prescribing for the elderly are ing a regime, with the important proviso that the
essentially the same as any principles for good required dose of each constituent drug is available
prescribing, but need to be even more fastidi- in that particular combination.
ously observed. For patients who have limited understanding
or for a necessarily complicated regimen, the
■■ Assess your patient and his or her medication ‘dosette’ box can be very helpful (Figure 6.1). This
carefully; do not rush to treatment. is a box divided into sections for the days of the
■■ Negotiate your proposed treatment carefully week and into subdivisions for morning, noon,
with the patient, ensuring he or she under- afternoon and evening. The community pharma-
stands what is involved and is happy to comply. cist loads the box once a week and the patient then
■■ Be realistic with the patient about what you can takes the contents of each section at the appropri-
and cannot treat. Do not get drawn into chasing ate time each day. This is not foolproof: a dosette
minor symptoms with drugs. Remember that box was organized for a patient with learning dif-
depression is common in the elderly and often ficulties and a complex drug regimen. The patient
presents with physical rather than psychologi- was delighted, swallowed the entire contents of
cal symptoms. the box on returning home and slept for 48 hours!
Necessity Review
Only treat those conditions which are important, Review your patient regularly, ensuring your
for which treatment can change the natural his- treatment is doing what it is meant to, and be alert
tory or give relief from intolerable symptoms. to side effects and adverse interactions. If your
These concerns may be particular to your elderly patient is also attending other clinics, review the
patients: for instance, there is no point in treat- prescription carefully after each visit in the con-
ing mild hypertension or raised cholesterol in text of the whole. As a GP, you need to overview
an elderly individual who is unlikely to live long the prescribing pattern, which can easily become
enough to benefit. Indeed, the side effects of the confused if a number of clinics are involved. The
drugs may have serious consequences (e.g. falls NSF review recommends a detailed annual medi-
related to anti-hypertensive use or confusion from cation review or more often if the patient is at
sleeping tablets). higher risk, i.e.:
Effectiveness ■■ taking multiple medications (more than four),
Effective doses may be much lower in the elderly. ■■ recently discharged from hospital,
Half the normal adult dose may be effective and is ■■ living in a care home,
a sensible dose to start at. ■■ having known medicine-related problems,
■■ following an adverse change of health (to iden-
Safety tify potential drug contributors to the change).
Try to avoid medications with frequent side
effects: these will be worse in your elderly patients. ‘Brown bag’ reviews
For example, NSAIDs are prescribed in vast quan- Get your patient to bring in all the medication he
tities for mild osteoarthritis in the elderly; there or she is currently taking. This allows you to assess

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 126 PRESCRIBING IN GENERAL PRACTICE

proprietary or trade name. For instance the beta-

blocker metoprolol is available as ­non-proprietary
metoprolol and under the trade names of Lopresor
and Betaloc. Doctors are encouraged to prescribe
generic formulations, not only for economic rea-
sons but also to allow the pharmacist flexibility in
purchasing drugs from a wider range of sources.
It is also better practice for doctors to become
familiar with one generic stem name rather than
several trade names.
There are two exceptions to this. Certain
­modified-release preparations, such as some anti-
epileptic drugs and calcium channel antagonists,
have different bioavailabilities with different for-
mulations. Such drugs should be prescribed by
proprietary name. Some preparations contain
several drugs and are known as compound prepa-
rations. It may be impracticable to write out all the
constituents, and confusing for the pharmacist. In
these cases it is permissible to use the trade name,
for example with combined oral contraceptives.
Recently, generic names have been developed for
the commoner combinations, such as co-codamol
(paracetamol and codeine) and co-amilofruse
(amiloride and furosemide). Never be tempted to
‘invent’ generic names or abbreviate drug names
on prescriptions: confusion and dispensing errors
will result.

Prescribing support in primary

Figure 6.1 Improving compliance with complex drug care
regimens by the use of a dosette box.
To help GPs make appropriate and accurate pre-
scribing decisions, a variety of sources of ­support
the patient’s understanding of what is being taken, are available to them. These can be broadly clas-
any drugs you did not know about, drugs being sified into paper, computer and human, and in
taken incorrectly, outdated or obsolete medica- different ways provide drug information and
tions hanging around in the cupboard and their prescribing support to primary care.
spouse’s drugs being taken in error or deliberately
(my own parents share each other’s painkillers) Paper reference sources
and potentially causing confusion. It has been The BNF is a condensed, practical textbook of the
suggested that community pharmacists could take drugs currently available in Britain. It is, in effect,
on this role. the drug handbook for the NHS and indicates
which drugs may and may not be given on NHS
Generic prescribing prescriptions. It provides an invaluable brief over-
view of individual drugs and notes on approaches
Most drugs have a generic name, usually an to the treatment of a wide variety of common con-
abbreviated version of their chemical name and a ditions. For the student it is a tremendously useful

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 Prescribing support in primary care 127

summary of treatments and drug classes and you Computer-based sources

should aim to read it every time you come across Web-based information has become ubiquitous
an unfamiliar drug. since the last edition of this book. Both the BNF
As part of its remit, the BNF lists every member and MIMS are available electronically in forms
of a class of drug (for instance it lists 16 beta- easily accessible from the doctor’s desk. With
blockers and 14 NSAIDs), most of which have fast internet links available in most UK locations
very similar actions. It is better for the individual these are a quick and effective resource to use in
doctor to become experienced with one or a few the consultation.
examples of each class of drug. Doctors working
in groups (such as general practices) may find it Integrated prescribing support
useful to agree on which drugs they will choose Linkage of prescribing support information to
to focus on. This is the basis for producing local practice prescribing systems gives automatic
practice formularies of agreed drugs that aim to warnings of potential problems at the time of
promote rational, safe and cost-effective prescrib- writing the prescription (Figure 6.2). To be effec-
ing. Local formularies usually specify a limited tive these warnings must be specific and relevant
choice of drugs to use in any particular condition, – if every prescription warns the GP of theoretical
chosen for their effectiveness, safety and cost. but unlikely problems it will inevitably be ignored.
The choice of drugs can be linked to local pro- These warning systems have become much more
tocols and guidelines, ensuring the most appro- sophisticated over the last few years. In 2004 there
priate drug is available in any given situation. were significant weaknesses in three-quarters of
While this is a good foundation for rational and systems. Since then there has been considerable
safe prescribing, it does not replace the need for investment in this area.
clinical judgement. Guidelines give general advice
that may not be appropriate to the particular cir- Prescribing advisors
cumstances of your patient. Departing from estab- In the UK, primary care trusts have designated
lished guidelines should, however, be a conscious prescribing advisors who have specialized knowl-
and carefully justified decision by the GP. edge of drug and prescribing issues in primary
Costs can also be controlled by ensuring that care. Their role includes the development of
after taking considerations of effectiveness into prescribing policies in primary care and direct
account, the formulary contains the cheapest support of GPs in prescribing matters. Keeping
acceptable preparations in that class. These will down prescribing costs is an important aspect of
often be generic versions. their role.
While general practice formularies allow GPs to
initiate prescriptions from a limited and well-under- Community pharmacists
stood list, they often find themselves continuing These professionals are highly trained and knowl-
prescriptions from other sources which are not edgeable about drug matters and an excellent
within their chosen formulary. The GP has to decide source of information. Further information on
whether it is in the patient’s interests to change to a
drug in their formulary or (more usually) to con-
tinue with the drug as originally prescribed. Practical Exercise
The Monthly Index of Medical Specialties
(MIMS) is a brief guide to medications produced ❏❏ Find out what sources of information on
by the drug industry and circulated to GPs. Being prescribing are available in your practice.
updated monthly, it contains details of new medi- Ask your GP tutor and practice manager to
cations and other information that may not have help you.
reached the BNF. ❏❏ Is there a practice formulary? Is it used?
A wide variety of other publications (many of ❏❏ Consider with your GP tutor the advan-
them sponsored by drug companies) flood into tages and disadvantages of a practice drug
the in-tray of the GP. formulary.

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 128 PRESCRIBING IN GENERAL PRACTICE

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

Figure 6.2 Integrated prescribing support. Examples of automatic drug warnings activated by attempting to prescribe
a drug. (a) On attempting to prescribe warfarin, the computer identifies potential interactions with existing patient
medications (doxycycline and oestrogen/progestagen) and gives specific information about potential problems. (b) Writing
up methotrexate – potentially very dangerous if wrongly prescribed or if prescribed at the wrong dose or frequency –
brings up specific warnings (c, d) and then guides the prescriber through the prescribing process step by step.

community pharmacists can be found later in this prescription is therefore a legal document. NHS
chapter. prescriptions are issued from general practice on a
form known as an FP10. When writing a prescrip-
tion, you should follow the guidelines set out by
Writing a prescription the Department of Health, which you will find in
A prescription is a written instruction to a phar- the BNF. These are summarized under ‘How to
macist to dispense a drug. Historically, prescrip- write a prescription’ below.
tions were only written by doctors; more recent-
ly, nurses with specialist training are now also Prescribing by computer
allowed to prescribe from a limited list. Only Most prescriptions in general practice are compu-
registered doctors can write general practice pre- ter generated. The main exception to this is when
scriptions – so 1st year foundation doctors are not the doctor is visiting patients at home. Always use
allowed to do so. The legal responsibility for the computer-generated prescriptions if possible, first
prescription lies with the doctor who signs it. A to ensure the patient’s drug record is integrated

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 Writing a prescription 129

with the rest of their notes, and second because

it is significantly safer to do so. The reasons
are listed below. Electronic prescribing has been
2. A list of the available
estimated to reduce prescription errors by 60 preparations comes up.
per cent. However the remaining 40 per cent is a She highlights the one
she requires.
very significant problem. An evaluation of drug
warnings given by practice prescribing systems in
2004 showed ‘about three quarters had clinically
important deficiencies’, although systems have
become significantly more sophisticated since
then (Ferner, 2004). Thus computers, although
they reduce prescribing errors, do not remove the
need for skill or vigilance by the prescriber and are
only as good as the drug and patient information
1. The prescriber
stored in the computer’s database. starts typing the
Prescribing by computer has a number of name of the drug
advantages (Figures 6.3 to 6.5):
■■ Prescribing is from a database of recognized
drugs in recognized doses, improving drug
(a) 3. The prescriber completes
choice and dose accuracy. the dose and the number of
■■ The computer will not allow the prescription tablets to be dispensed and
whether the prescription is
until all key information has been included. Repeat of aCute
■■ The computer automatically adds the prescrip-
tion to the patient’s record.
■■ The prescription data are stored in a form that
can be readily audited. (b)
■■ The computer automatically includes correct 4. For repeat prescriptions
write in the number of repeats
patient details (name, age and address). allowed before the patient
■■ The output is a printed and therefore leg- needs to come for review

ible prescription.
■■ Computers can semi-automatically produce
(c)
generic prescriptions and so increase gener-
ic prescribing. 5. A warning
■■ Some systems provide immediate warnings of appears, in this
case advising
potential adverse reactions based on past drug that a lower cost
histories stored on the system, and adverse option may be
more appropriate
interactions with other drugs the patient
is ­taking.
■■ Computers can be set to produce repeat pre-
scriptions, which can be produced by practice
staff (though all have to be approved and signed
by a doctor) (see ‘Repeat prescribing’ below).
■■ Computers provide an accurate printed record
(d)
of repeat medications for the patient.

How to write a prescription Figure 6.3 Writing a prescription by computer. These

screenshots are taken from the EMIS LV computer system
Writing a prescription by hand is a useful exer- which is a popular GP system despite its old-fashioned
cise. Starting from a more or less blank sheet of non-Windows interface.

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 130 PRESCRIBING IN GENERAL PRACTICE

paper is a good way of testing whether you have ■■ Special advice about how to take the drug, e.g.
understood the principles of safe prescribing. In whether it should be taken before food, as with
hospital practice, admission drug charts and other a tetracycline, or after food, as with a NSAID,
prescriptions are still handwritten. Handwriting or at night, for hypnotics. The pharmacist
prescriptions is a crucial skill for you to acquire may add precautionary warnings to your own
for your foundation posts. The principles below instructions on the drug name label.
apply to all kinds of prescription whether in hos- ■■ Limit the number of items to three on any pre-
pital or primary care. scription form. The pharmacist will dispense
A prescription should be written legibly in ink more if included, but the more congested the
or other indelible substance and should include prescription, the greater the risk of error.
the following (see Figure 6.4): ■■ The prescriber’s signature and date.
■■ The name and address of the GP and the doctor’s
■■ The name and address of the patient. Always prescribing number will normally be pre-printed
confirm the patient’s address. A wrong address at the bottom of the prescription, but must be
could result in the patient being untraceable added if absent.
which, in the event of a prescribing, dispensing
or collection error, could have disastrous con-
sequences. Repeat prescribing
■■ The patient’s age (a legal requirement in chil-
dren under 12 years). Over 80 per cent of prescriptions issued in the
■■ The drug name. Use the generic name unless UK are ‘repeats’ (Harris and Dajda, 1996). In
there are good reasons not to (see ‘Generic repeat prescribing, the GP makes a decision that
prescribing’ above). a particular drug needs to be continued long
■■ The drug formulation, e.g. capsules, tablets, sup- term; the patient is then allowed to request fur-
positories, syrup, ampoules, etc. ther supplies without needing to see the doctor
■■ The drug dosage: each time. Usually the system is computerized
– quantities of one gram or more should be and the patient has a list of the drugs allowed,
written as 1 g, 2 g, etc.; and the length of time, or number of repeats they
– quantities less than one gram should be writ- can request before medical review. Requests are
ten in milligrams, as 1 mg, 2 mg, etc.; handed to the reception staff, who use the compu-
– quantities less than one milligram should be ter database to generate a computer prescription
written in micrograms, e.g. 50 micrograms if the request meets the set criteria (Figure 6.5).
(‘micrograms’ should not be abbreviated); The doctor then checks and signs the script, which
– decimal points should be avoided; when this is then collected by the patient. If the patient’s
is not possible, the decimal point should be request does not meet these criteria the doctor will
preceded by zero, e.g. 0.5 mg; usually review the request and decide whether to
– with liquid preparations, millilitre, ml or mL ask the patient to come for review.
is used, e.g. 5 ml (and not cubic centimetre Repeat prescribing can save time for patients
or cc). and doctors, but unchecked leads to problems.
■■ The dose frequency, e.g. three times daily or Patients may fail to be reviewed regularly, their
eight hourly. You will sometimes see Latin underlying disease not being monitored, drugs
abbreviations used on prescriptions, e.g. b.d., being continued when no longer needed, side
t.d.s. (see the back page of the BNF for more), effects being missed or compliance not being
but English is preferred. assessed. It is therefore important to ensure that
■■ The number of days’ treatment or the total effective review systems are built into any repeat
quantity to be dispensed. There is a box for this prescription system, such that each patient is only
on the FP10, but if several items with differ- allowed a certain number of repeats before being
ent lengths of treatment are to be prescribed, reviewed by the doctor. This can be a cause of
specify each separately. friction between patient and receptionist, where

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 Repeat prescribing 131

Figure 6.4 Handwritten Prescription. Most GPs prescribe

acutely using computers. This integrates medication
with the patient record, reduces risk of error and allows
medication to be audited. Handwritten prescriptions
are still used, for instance on home visits. Doctors’ bad
handwriting may be a weak joke, but legibility issues can
and do result in dispensing errors. Prescriber mistakes and
omissions (here failing to put the strength of irbesartan
and the quantity of diclofenac) raise real risks for patients,
which are largely avoided with computerised prescribing.

Figure 6.5 Computer

generated repeat
prescription. This shows
a repeat prescription,
which is produced
alongside a form
for the patient to
use to request their
next supply. This is
convenient for the
patient and time saving
for the doctor, but has
to be part of a well
organised system that
reviews the patient
at regular intervals
to ensure medication
remains appropriate.

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 132 PRESCRIBING IN GENERAL PRACTICE

the patient feels obstacles are being put in the way Prescribing controlled drugs
of them receiving their medication. But it is an In order to control the availability of particular
important backstop to ensure the patient is being drugs, the various Misuse of Drugs Acts specify
adequately reviewed and prescriptions monitored. certain drugs as ‘controlled drugs’, to which par-
Any repeat prescribing system (computer or ticular prescribing requirements apply.
manual) should: Prescriptions must include:
■■ provide only the medications and doses agreed ■■ the patient’s name and address,
with the doctor; ■■ the form and strength of the preparation,
■■ monitor patient compliance by providing a ■■ the total quantity of the preparation in both
warning if patients are taking too much or too words and figures,
little of their medication (by giving a warning ■■ the dose (e.g. one tablet three times a day),
if the prescription is collected before or after ■■ the date and prescriber’s signature.
it is due);
■■ not allow a prescription to be produced if the These requirements apply to schedule 2 and 3
regular review of the patient has not taken drugs, which include the morphine derivatives
place; cocaine and amfetamine. Schedule 3 includes
■■ be flexible: a patient should not be deprived the barbiturates, which are now little used and to
of treatment because he or she has missed which the above rules also apply. Benzodiazepines
an appointment, but any deviations from the are (somewhat surprisingly) controlled drugs in
agreed protocol must be with the doctor’s per- schedule 4 but no special prescribing require-
mission and appropriate review agreed. ments apply. Schedule 1 contains drugs such as
LSD and cannabis, which are not used medicinally
and so cannot be prescribed.
Practical Exercise
Find out about the repeat prescribing system in
The doctor’s bag
your practice. Ask one of the reception staff to Usually GPs prescribe, but are not allowed to
explain the system to you. Consider the advan- dispense medications. The exceptions to this are
tages and disadvantages of repeat prescribing drugs for emergency and on-call use, and in some
and discuss these with your GP tutor. rural practices that dispense all their patients’
drugs (see below). GPs on call have to treat emer-
gencies and urgent problems and are permitted
Abuse of drugs and controlled to carry and dispense appropriate drugs in order
to do so. They also carry small quantities of basic
drugs drugs that they are allowed to dispense to patients
While drug abuse is a major problem in society, to avoid delay in starting medications at night
very few illegal drugs derive from pharmaceutical and other times when community pharmacies
or healthcare sources. Nevertheless, stringent pre- are closed. This is particularly important in rural
cautions are taken to ensure that potential drugs areas, where the pharmacies and hospital resourc-
of abuse are not accessible illegally. es may be at some distance. It carries dangers in
These precautions include the physical security urban areas, where doctors are at risk of being
of the practice and legal requirements to store assaulted by drug users trying to obtain supplies.
drugs securely, and controls over the prescribing
of certain potential drugs of abuse. Dispensing practices
Many GPs in inner cities, where drug problems
are widespread, have an interest in addiction man- In the UK, practices are allowed to dispense drugs
agement and take an active part in harm reduction for those patients on their practice list who live
programmes and the management of addiction. more than a mile from a pharmacy. To make

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 Over-the-counter medication 133

this worthwhile for a practice, it needs to apply Such joint working could benefit GPs, pharma-
to a sizeable proportion of patients and usually cists and patients.
this is only the case in rural practices. Dispensing Community pharmacists are also an important
practices act as pharmacies, buying drugs in, source of advice to the general public on health
dispensing them and claiming payment from the issues generally and on the treatment of minor
NHS. This is a useful service for patients and gen- ailments in particular. Community pharmacists
erates income for the practice. Possible drawbacks are trained to advise on minor illnesses and to rec-
are the need for extra security in the practice if ommend non-prescription medications. A phar-
stocks of drugs are kept on the premises and the macist who is concerned that the illness is more
need for specialized knowledge on the part of the serious or beyond his or her abilities to advise you
GP. The practice may employ a pharmacist or will recommend the patient attends their GP.
trained dispenser.

Practical Exercise
Prescribing by nurses in practice
Local pharmacists have an important role to
Nurse practitioners are trained to diagnose and play in the primary healthcare team. In addition
treat a range of ailments. They are allowed to pre- to dispensing prescribed drugs, they sell drugs
scribe a limited range of medications on their own ‘over the counter’ and give advice on health and
initiative, including emollient creams, nicotine drug matters.
preparations and some aperients. A full list can be ❏❏ Ask your GP tutor to arrange for you to
found in the BNF. spend some time in a local pharmacy.
❏❏ Find out about the role pharmacists play and
The role of the community their training.
❏❏ Observe how prescriptions are dispensed.
pharmacist
❏❏ What kinds of advice do pharmacists give
Community pharmacies (usually known to the patients?
public as ‘the chemist’) dispense the majority of ❏❏ Are there rules governing the sale of OTC
the drugs prescribed in general practice as well as drugs?
‘over-the-counter’ (OTC) remedies, as discussed
in the next section.
Community pharmacists are highly trained and
knowledgeable about drug matters, but are cur- Over-the-counter medication
rently under-utilized in primary care. In the UK
For every prescription medicine consumed there
there is a move towards extending the role of com-
is probably at least one non-prescription medicine
munity pharmacists and integrating them into the
taken. In the UK, the Medicines Control Agency
primary healthcare team.
is responsible for classifying drugs as prescription
Potential areas of collaboration between phar-
only (PoM), pharmacy only (P) – sold only in
macists and GPs include (Bradley et al., 1997):
pharmacies under the supervision of a registered
■■ repeat prescription review, pharmacist but without the need for a prescrip-
■■ total medication ‘brown bag’ review (where the tion – or general sales list (GSL) – available from
patient brings all medication, prescribed or not, a wide range of retailers (e.g. supermarkets) and
for review), including cough mixtures, throat pastilles and
■■ Prescribing, Analyses and Cost (PACT) data indigestion remedies.
analysis (see later in chapter), Recent national and international devel-
■■ development of practice formularies, opments have led to many drugs previously
■■ development of prescribing policies, e.g. for designated as prescription only being reclassified
antibiotics, as pharmacy only and thus available ‘over the
■■ prescribing audits. counter’; examples include antihistamines,

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 134 PRESCRIBING IN GENERAL PRACTICE

hydrocortisone cream, H2 blockers for dyspep- Many medications are initiated by the hospital,
sia, ‘morning after’ contraceptive pills, and small and the GP subsequently takes responsibility for
quantities of analgesics such as paracetamol and continuing to prescribe them. Unfortunately, it
ibuprofen. Criteria for such a change include the is still commonplace for patients to be discharged
need for a proven safety record, low toxicity in from hospital with inadequate or no informa-
overdose and use for the treatment of minor self- tion. Similarly, many GP referrals do not contain
limiting conditions. adequate information on the patient’s medication,
Potential advantages of such an increase in even though this can usually be readily obtained
OTC preparations include promoting individuals from the practice computer system.
to take more responsibility for their own health, As a student who will soon enough be a founda-
decreasing the need for GP appointments (less tion doctor, you can have a major impact in this
inconvenience for the patient and saving time for area by providing accurate discharge notifications
GPs), less financial cost to patients (often OTC or summaries. An accurate summary of medica-
preparations are cheaper than the prescription tion is often the most important part.
charge) and removing some of the financial bur- A discharge notification should be legible and
den for the NHS. Potential disadvantages include prompt (often, handing it to the patient at dis-
the fostering of a ‘pill for every ill’ mentality charge is the best way of ensuring the GP receives
among the public, an increased risk of interactions it). The medication details are best written as a
and side effects (some OTC preparations can have prescription (indeed, in most trusts the medica-
serious side effects – Clark et al., 2001), less feed- tion details are also used as prescription instruc-
back to the regulatory authorities on adverse drug tions to the hospital pharmacy). Make sure you:
reactions, patients taking the wrong preparation
■■ write legibly;
or in the wrong way, and patients self-medicating
■■ state the duration of treatment for each drug
for a serious condition requiring medical atten-
(i.e. is this a course of treatment of limited
tion (Bradley and Bond, 1995). Taking proton
duration, like an antibiotic, or is it intended for
pump inhibitors (PPIs) or H2 blockers for undi-
long-term use, like an antihypertensive?);
agnosed abdominal pain, or taking OTC statins
■■ stop any medications not needed out of hos-
(which are sold OTC in low doses) carry real risks
pital (such as night sedation, which may have
of under-diagnosing or inappropriately managing
been necessary in a noisy ward);
potentially serious medical problems.
■■ include the consultant’s name and contact
Doctors need to take into account any non-
details in case of uncertainties;
prescription medicines their patients may be tak-
■■ do it now (most hospitals only give a two-week
ing (the OTC Directory lists 95 per cent of the
supply of discharge medications – late notifica-
market); OTC preparations can interact with pre-
tions cause delays and errors).
scribed drugs and cause adverse drug reactions.
Alarm point: As a foundation doctor you can
have a major effect on your patient’s health by:
Communicating about ■■ taking a careful drug history on admission and
writing up admission drugs correctly (up to 50
medications between primary and per cent of errors in studies);
secondary care ■■ communicating promptly and clearly with the
GP via the discharge notification (up to 50 per
Sometimes it seems that the only things reliably
cent error (again) transcribing the hospital’s
transferred between primary and secondary care
are the patients themselves! Poor communications
intention to the GP prescribing record). ⚑
have a deleterious effect on care generally and,
for medication, may be disastrous. Unintentional Prescribing costs and monitoring
changes in medication following discharge from
hospital to primary care have been identified in In the UK, as of 2011, primary care trusts set
half the patients discharged (Duffin et al., 1998). budgets for prescribing costs for individual gen-

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 References 135

eral practices. Factors taken into account when They can be used by the NHS to set prescribing
setting these budgets include historical prescrib- budgets for health authorities, by health authori-
ing patterns, average prescribing costs locally, list ties and primary care trusts to set and monitor GP
size and age profile, and special factors identified prescribing budgets, by health service researchers
by the practice or primary care trust. Practices and by individual GPs to audit and improve their
are encouraged to stay within, or save on, their prescribing (Majeed et al., 1997). GPs receive
budget by incentives such as bonus amounts that quarterly PACT reports that include a comparison
can be used in other areas (e.g. service develop- with local and national averages.
ment). In addition, sanctions may be applied in
the case of an over-spend. Detailed information
on prescribing in primary care is available in Practical Exercise
the form of PACT data (similar systems exist in
Scotland and Wales). PACT data contain infor- Ask your GP tutor to go through his or her
mation on prescribing costs, the number of items PACT data with you. (If you are studying
prescribed and the level of generic prescribing at outside the UK, find out if similar data exist
individual GP level, health authority and national locally.) What are the benefits and limits of
level. Unfortunately, PACT data cannot be linked such data?
with demographic or clinical patient information.

SUMMARY POINTS
To conclude, the most important messages in this chapter are as follows:
■■ The scale of prescribing is large, costs are high and drugs have both beneficial and harmful effects; you
must therefore prescribe effectively and safely.
■■ In order for the drugs that you prescribe to be taken by the patient, agreement must be reached with
the patients that the drugs are necessary, the patient needs to understand what the drugs do and how
to take them correctly, and the patient’s use of the medication and progress must be reviewed regularly.
■■ Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to medication, and care needs to be taken when pre-
scribing for these patients.
■■ Paper references and computer-based prescribing sources, prescribing advisors and community pharma-
cists are all helpful in providing support for prescribing.

References
Barrett, T., Lander, A. and Diwaker, V. 2002: A paediatric vade-mecum, 14th edn. London: Arnold.
Bradley, C. and Bond, C. 1995: Increasing the number of drugs available over the counter: arguments for
and against. British Journal of General Practice 45, 553–6.
Bradley, C., Taylor, R. and Blenkinsopp, A. 1997: Primary care – opportunities and threats: developing
prescribing in primary care. British Medical Journal 314, 744–7.
British National Formulary 2003. London: The British Medical Association and the Royal Pharmaceutical
Society of Great Britain.
Clark, D., Layton, D. and Shakir, S. 2001: Monitoring the safety of over the counter drugs. British
Medical Journal 323, 706–7.
Davidson, W., Collett, J.H., Jackson, C. and Rees, J.A. 1998: An analysis of the quality and cost of repeat
prescriptions. Pharmacology Journal 260, 458–60.
Department of Health 2001: Medicines for older people: implementing medicines-related aspects of the NSF
for Older People 2001. London: Department of Health. Also available at www.doh.gov.uk/nsf/olderpeo-
ple/pdfs/medicinesbooklet.pdf

00-Textbook_GP_text-cccp.indd 135 01/11/2011 14:55

 136 PRESCRIBING IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Duffin, J., Norwood, J. and Blenkinsopp, A. 1998: An investigation into medication changes initiated in
general practice after patients are discharged from hospital. Pharmacology Journal 261 (Suppl.), R32.
Dunbar-Jacob, J., Erlen, J., Schlenk, E., Ryan, C., Sereika, S. and Diswell, W. 2000: Adherence in chronic
disease. Annual Review of Nursing Research 18, 48–90.
Editorial 2002: Managing antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. British Medical Journal 324, 1345–6.
Fedder, D.O. 1982: Managing medication and compliance: physician–pharmacist–patient interaction.
Journal of the American Geriatric Society 30, S113–17.
Ferner, R.E. 2004: Computer aided prescribing leaves holes in the safety net. British Medical Journal 328,
1172–3.
Fry, J. 1993: General practice: the facts. Oxford: Radcliffe Medical Press.
Harris CM, Dajda R. 1996: The scale of repeat prescribing. British Journal of General Practice 46, 649–53.
Kohn, R. and White, K. 1976: Health care. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Majeed, A., Evans, N. and Head, P. 1997: What can PACT tell us about prescribing in general practice?
British Medical Journal 315, 1515–19.
Mannesse, C.K., Derkx, F.H., de Ridder, M.A., Man in’t Veld, A.J. and van der Cammen, T.J. 2000:
Contribution of adverse drug reactions to hospital admission of older patients. Age and Ageing 29, 35–9.
NCCSDO (National Co-ordinating Centre for NHS Service Delivery and Organisation R & D) 2005:
Concordance, adherence and compliance in medicine taking. www.medslearning.leeds.ac.uk/pages/docu-
ments/useful_docs/76-final-report%5B1%5D.pdf (accessed May 2011).
Palmer, K.T. 1998: Notes for the MRCGP, 3rd edn. Oxford: Blackwell Science.
Rawlins, M.D. and Thompson, J.W. 1977: Pathogenesis of adverse drug reactions, 2nd edn. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain 1997: From compliance to concordance – achieving partner-
ship in medicine-taking. London: RPSGB.
Sackett, D.L. and Snow, J.C. 1979: The magnitude of compliance and non-compliance. In: Haynes, R.B.
and Sackett, D.L. (eds) Compliance in health care. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 11–22.
York Health Economics Consortium 2010: Evaluation of the scale, causes and costs of waste medicines.
Final report. London: YHEC/School of Pharmacy, University of London. www.pharmacy.ac.uk/
fileadmin/documents/News/Evaluation_of_NHS_Medicines_Waste__web_publication_version.pdf
(accessed May 2011).

Further reading
British National Formulary. London: British Medical Association and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
of Great Britain.
This is an invaluable source of information on prescribing. Your medical school may arrange for you to
receive your own copy; use it frequently. It is also available on CD-ROM and online at www.bnf.org/
Drug and Therapeutics Bulletins. London: Which? Ltd.
MeReC Bulletins. Liverpool: Medicines Resource Centre.
These organizations publish monthly bulletins summarizing prescribing information on various topics.
www.concordance.org
This website discusses a variety of issues related to concordance and compliance.

Acknowledgements
Thank you to Dr Joanna Collerton who was co-author in previous editions.

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 Single best answer questions 137

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS

6.1 A thyrotoxic patient develops a sore throat c) Avoid fixed combinations of drugs
several weeks after starting carbimazole. This is d) Recruit relatives or other carers to aid com-
an example of: pliance
e) Community pharmacists can be recruited to
a) A predictable reaction ensure compliance.
b) An idiosyncratic reaction
c) A continuous reaction 6.4 A legal prescription:
d) A delayed reaction
a) Must state the patient’s age
e) An end-of-use reaction.
b) Avoid abbreviations such as mg for milli-
6.2 Patients are most likely to take their pre- grammes
scribed treatment: c) Microgrammes may be written as ‘mcg’
d) Latin dosage abbreviations are not permitted
a) If the doctor stresses the importance to them e) May include additional written advice about
b) If the doctor makes the patient repeat back how to take the drug.
the instructions
c) If the doctor and patient reach a shared 6.5 When you discharge a patient from hospital
understanding of the problem and its treat- as a foundation doctor:
ment
a) Write to the GP only when the outstanding
d) Adopting a simple ‘breakfast, lunch and din-
tests are available
ner’ dosing regime
b) Briefly list each medication (GPs have no time
e) The doctor showing empathy and considera-
for long communications)
tion when prescribing.
c) Let the GP decide which medications to stop
6.3 When prescribing for the elderly: and which to continue
d) Tell the patient to arrange an appointment in
a) Standard doses of drugs should normally be one month to review medication
used e) Always give the consultant’s name and con-
b) More than six drugs constitutes polyphar- tact details on every discharge note.
macy

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This page intentionally left blank
 CHAPTER

7 Common Illnesses in
General Practice

■■ What do people do when they feel unwell? ■■ Red flag symptoms

■■ Which types of illnesses present to general ■■ Summary points
practice in the UK? ■■ References
■■ Key general practice presentations for medical ■■ Further reading
students ■■ Single best answer questions
■■ How to find out more about particular
illnesses

Only a small proportion of symptoms experienced by the general population are presented to a healthcare
practitioner. This chapter considers the factors that influence the decision to consult and the types of condi-
tions seen in general practice. A framework for aiding learning about medical conditions is presented.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this chapter you will be able to:
■■ understand the reasons why patients bring problems to their general practitioner;
■■ list the types of conditions that present to general practice in the UK;

■■ list the commonest general practice conditions for student learning;

■■ seek further information about a particular condition and know how best to structure that information

to aid learning;
■■ search for red flag symptoms (symptoms which indicate more serious underlying pathology) amongst the

multitude of common symptoms which people bring to their GP.

What do people do when they of the population experience such problems each
feel unwell? year. Fortunately, not all of these are brought to
general practice.
Symptoms are common. During the course of a
When an individual feels unwell, they may
week, the average adult experiences one or two
choose to:
symptoms. The commonest of these are mus-
culoskeletal problems, headaches and viral upper ■■ ignore the symptoms;
respiratory tract symptoms. Indeed, it is rare for ■■ ‘self-care’, i.e. to cope with the symptoms
people not to experience symptoms. In a study themselves or to seek help from friends or
by Wadsworth et al. (1971), 95 per cent of a relatives (the lay referral system); self-care may
randomly selected sample of 2153 London adults take the form of no action, home remedies (e.g.
experienced symptoms in a 14-day period. Figure honey and lemon for a cough) or ‘over-the-
7.1 shows the proportion of the general popula- counter’ remedies (e.g. cough linctus);
tion who suffer from a selection of common ■■ consult a traditional healthcare professional
problems in a year. As you can see, the majority such as a GP or practice nurse;

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 140 COMMON ILLNESSES IN GENERAL PRACTICE

100
% of population
80

60
Figure 7.1 The annual occurrence of
40
common problems in the general
20 population. From Fry, J. and Sandler,
G. 1993: Common diseases: their
0 nature, prevalence, and care, 5th
Headache Respiratory Emotional Aches and Gastro- Accidents edn. Newbury: Petroc Press, p. 7.
infection stiffness intestinal Reproduced with kind permission
Problem from Petroc Press.

■■ consult a practitioner of alternative medi- In the majority of instances, people opt to ignore
cine such as an aromatherapist or osteopath their symptoms or prefer to self-care. In the UK,
(Armstrong, 2002). possibly as few as 2.7 per cent (1 in 37) of all
symptoms result in seeking help from a healthcare
Practical Exercise professional (Morrell and Wale, 1976). In other
research based on a different methodology and
The objectives of this exercise are to look at the concentrating on better defined symptoms, only
actions people take when they experience com- 20 per cent of these symptoms reached general
mon symptoms and to consider the factors that practice, 79 per cent were dealt with by self-care
influence the decision to seek medical advice. and the remaining 1 per cent presented directly
1. Choose a common symptom, e.g. headache, to hospital (Fry, 1978). This is illustrated by a pie
cough, nausea, indigestion. chart in Figure 7.2. The term ‘the clinical iceberg’
2. Design a short questionnaire aiming to refers to the high proportion of symptoms dealt
explore the objectives above. with outside formal healthcare. Importantly, it is an
3. Arrange with your GP tutor to interview a ‘iceberg’ rather than a linear ‘column’, so that just a
sample of subjects. The easiest way to do small reduction in the threshold for consulting with
this is to interview patients in the doctor’s a GP will result in a large increase in the number of
waiting room. patients booking appointments.
4. Introduce yourself to each patient and The ways in which people react when they
obtain their permission for a short inter- experience symptoms form part of their illness
view. If possible, find a room where you can
Hospital
have a confidential conversation. Patients GP
1%
will be worried about missing their turn with 20%
the doctor, so make arrangements with the
receptionist to ensure this does not happen;
if necessary, complete your interview after
their appointment.
5. Pilot your questionnaire and make any nec-
essary adaptations.
Self-care
6. Interview at least ten people. 79%
7. Review their responses.
Figure 7.2 Symptoms experienced by the general
8. Discuss your findings with your GP tutor. In population: proportion of symptoms cared for at self-care,
particular, discuss why different symptoms general practice and hospital levels. From Fry, J. 1978: A
might result in different decisions about New Approach to Medicine: Principles and Priorities in
Health Care. Lancaster: MTP Press, p. 40 (information from
how to respond. Logan and Brooke, 1957; Jefferys et al., 1960; Wadsworth
(After Graham and Seabrook, 1995) et al., 1971; Dunnell and Cartwright, 1972). Reproduced by
kind permission from MTP Press.

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 What do people do when they feel unwell? 141

behaviour. This can be defined as ‘the ways in which chological issues in general practice.) The percep-
given symptoms may be differentially perceived, tive GP approaches these consultations with the
evaluated and acted upon (or not acted upon) by question, ‘Why now?’
different kinds of persons’ (Mechanic, 1962).
A helpful way of understanding an individual’s Case Study 7.1
illness behaviour is to consider the Health Belief Mr J, a 45-year-old business man, develops acute
Model (Rosenstock, 1966; Becker and Maiman, back pain following a long car journey. He is
1975). This proposes that individuals differ in the usually fit and well and does not like to think
way they perceive: of himself as ill. Initially, he tries to ignore the
pain, but when it starts to affect his sleep he takes
■■ their susceptibility and vulnerability to illness:
some paracetamol. However, the pain persists and
those who believe themselves to be more
begins to interfere with his work. He mentions it
­vulnerable are more likely to seek medical
to a friend who has had similar problems in the
attention;
past. His friend recalls that his GP was unable to
■■ the severity of their symptoms: in general, symp-
cure his symptoms, so he went to an osteopath
toms more likely to be perceived as serious
instead. Although expensive, this proved very
include unusual symptoms, those with an acute
effective. Mr J decides to follow his friend’s exam-
onset and those associated with visible signs,
ple and consults an osteopath.
although there is great variation amongst indi-
viduals; symptoms perceived as serious are
more likely to be brought to the attention of a Thinking and Discussion Point
healthcare professional;
■■ the costs of health-seeking behaviour: possible Reflect on Case study 7.1; can you identify any
costs include the inconvenience of attending aspects of the Health Belief Model or Zola’s trig-
surgery, a potential lack of sympathy from the gers in Mr J’s behaviour?
doctor and the financial cost of a prescription;
■■ the benefits of health-seeking behaviour: pos-
sible benefits include obtaining therapy to cure
The annual consultation rate (the average
symptoms and legitimization of an illness by
number of times a patient consults with a GP
obtaining a sick certificate.
practice per year) has been rising rapidly in the
Certain triggers to the timing of consultations last ten years. In 1995, the UK average was 3.9
with healthcare professionals have been identified consultations each year, rising to 5.5 consultations
(Zola, 1973): each year in 2008/9 (The Information Centre,
2008). These figures refer to all contacts with
■■ the occurrence of an interpersonal crisis;
the practice and include GP, nurse and other
■■ the perceived interference with social or per-
primary healthcare team appointments; they also
sonal relations;
include home visits and telephone consultations.
■■ sanctioning or pressure from family or friends;
The pattern of attendance has also changed with
■■ the perceived interference with vocational or
the proportion of consultations carried out by
physical activity;
practice nurses rising from 21 to 34 per cent over
■■ the setting of a deadline (‘If I’m not better by
the same period. Changes have taken place in the
Monday … ’).
mode of consultation. Back in 1995, 86 per cent
In any consultation, it is important to consider were conducted in the GP surgery, 9 per cent were
not only why that person has presented, but also home visits and 3 per cent were telephone consul-
why at that particular time. Zola (1973) found tations. By 2006, 84 per cent were conducted in
that if doctors paid insufficient attention to the the GP surgery, home visits had fallen to 4 per cent
specific triggers prompting an individual to seek and telephone consultations had grown to 10 per
help, that person was less likely to comply with cent of all consultations. It is likely that the trend
treatment. (More about this in Chapter 8 on psy- toward telephone consultations will continue.

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 142 COMMON ILLNESSES IN GENERAL PRACTICE

or the doctor’s perception of the need to consult.

Thinking and Discussion Point The consultation paradox is that many people fail
to present despite suffering from serious disease
Having read about the changes in consultation
(Last, 1963), and yet at the same time, many con-
patterns, it might be worth spending some time
sult with what GPs consider to be trivial or minor
trying to list a series of possible reasons for these
complaints (Cartwright and Anderson, 1981).
changes. Remember that society is changing, as
are the structures of general practice.
Thinking and Discussion Point

Factors affecting consultation rates include the Consider your interview sample; what actions
following (Campbell and Roland, 1996): did your interviewees take when they experi-
enced symptoms and what factors influenced
■■ Age: The elderly and children are more likely to their decisions to seek medical advice? Can you
consult than young adults or the middle aged. identify any of the factors mentioned in this
■■ Sex: Women are more likely to consult than section?
men, partly because of their use of obstetric and
contraception services and partly because they
have higher rates of illness.
■■ Social class: Individuals in lower social classes
Which types of illnesses present
have greater morbidity and mortality than to general practice in the UK?
those in higher social classes and consult more
The illnesses seen in general practice differ in
frequently. However, such individuals still
severity and type from those seen in hospitals.
make less use of health services than would be
Data on the disease groups and the specific minor,
expected on the basis of their poorer health.
chronic and major conditions commonly present-
■■ Ethnicity: In the UK, consultation rates vary
ing to general practice in the UK are summarized
among different ethnic groups, e.g. Asians and
in this section. The source of much of this data is
Afro-Caribbeans consult more frequently than
the Fourth National Study of Morbidity Statistics
white populations. This is thought to be due
from General Practice 1991–1992 (McCormick
partly to increased morbidity and partly to dif-
et al., 1995), in which consultations in 60 general
ferences in illness behaviour.
practices across England and Wales were analysed,
■■ Social networks: The existence of a good social
representing a 1 per cent sample of the popula-
support network is associated with a lower
tion. Unfortunately, this national study has not
consultation rate. This appears to be due a
been repeated since completion in 1992.
combination of improved health and a better
Tables 7.1–7.4 summarize two key statistics for
ability to cope with problems in those who are
a range of conditions commonly seen in general
well supported.
practice:
■■ Accessibility of healthcare: An individual is more
likely to consult if the surgery is nearby and ■■ the percentage of a practice population who
appointments are easy to obtain. consult at least once a year with each condition;
■■ the number of cases an average GP (list size
In summary, the presence of a symptom is not
2000) would expect to see in a year.
the only determinant of whether an individual
decides to consult. The way in which the per- Table 7.1 shows the disease groups that com-
son evaluates that symptom affects the action monly present to general practice: respiratory,
he or she takes, and this is profoundly affected nervous system, skin, musculoskeletal, injury and
by psychosocial factors, including cultural and poisoning, and infections.
family influences. There seems to be little cor- In addition to considering the disease groups
relation between a person’s decision to consult that present to general practice, it is also useful
and either the true seriousness of the condition to classify conditions as minor, chronic or major.

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 Which types of illnesses present to general practice in the UK? 143

Table 7.1 Common disease groups presenting to general practice

Disease group Percentage of practice Number of cases seen by
population consulting in 1 year average GP in 1 year
Respiratory 30 600
Nervous system (including eyes and ears) 17 340
Skin 15 300
Musculoskeletal 15 300
Injury/poisoning 15 300
Infections 14 280
Genitourinary (excluding obstetric) 11 220
Gastrointestinal 9 180
Cardiovascular 9 180
Psychiatric 7 140
Endocrine/metabolic 4 80
Non-specific symptoms and signs 15 300

From McCormick, A., Fleming, D. and Charlton, J. 1995: Morbidity statistics from general practice: fourth national study 1991–1992.
Crown copyright 1995. National Statistics Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO.

Minor conditions are defined as self-limiting, Fifty-two per cent of all illness presenting to
chronic as lasting more than six months, and general practice can be classified as minor or
major as acute and potentially life threatening. self-limiting. Table 7.2 shows the most common
Figure 7.3 shows the proportions of illnesses pre- minor conditions.
senting to general practice classified in this way, Thirty-three per cent of illnesses presenting to
and illustrates that the majority of conditions are general practice may be classified as chronic. Table
minor or chronic, with a smaller proportion of 7.3 shows the most common chronic conditions.
major conditions. (See more in Chapter 9 on chronic illness and its
management in general practice.)
Fifteen per cent of conditions presenting to gen-
eral practice may be classified as major. Table 7.4
shows the most common major conditions.
The National Morbidity Studies provide valu-
Major
able information concerning those conditions
15%
presenting to general practice. However, it is
important to remember that the data refer only
to those patients who consulted either a GP or a
practice nurse. They give no indication of disease
rates among individuals who do not attend gen-
eral practice because they are not registered with a
practice or they self-care or go direct to hospital.
Chronic Minor
33% 52% The data cannot, therefore, be used to estimate
the true incidence or prevalence of diseases in the
community as a whole.
Figure 7.3 Grades of disease presenting to general practice.
National Morbidity Study data have been pub-
From Fry, J. and Sandler, G. 1993: Common diseases:
their nature, prevalence, and care, 5th edn. Newbury: lished on the specific diseases seen in general
Petroc Press, p. 27. Reproduced by kind permission from practice. However, many consultations involve a
Petroc Press. confusing mass of physical or psychological symp-

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 144 COMMON ILLNESSES IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Table 7.2 Specific minor conditions presenting to general practice

Condition Percentage of practice Number of cases seen by
population consulting in 1 year average GP in 1 year
Acute throat infections 8 160
Psycho-emotional 7 140
Backache 6 120
Eczema 5 100
Acute otitis media 5 100
External ear problems (mainly wax and 4 80
otitis externa)
Hay fever 3 60
Dyspepsia 2 40
Headache 2 40
Dizzy spells 1.5 30
Constipation 1 20
Piles 1 20
Varicose veins 0.9 18

From McCormick, A., Fleming, D. and Charlton, J. 1995: Morbidity statistics from general practice: fourth national study 1991–1992.
Crown copyright 1995. National Statistics Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO.
Also from Fry, J. 1993: General practice: the facts. Oxford: Radcliffe Medical Press, p. 25. Reproduced with kind permission of Radcliffe
Medical Press.

toms which students (and GPs) find difficult to and almost certainly, people with these prob-
classify as a particular disease. In addition, many lems are resorting to self-management strategies,
general practice consultations do not deal with reinforced by health education campaigns run
disease alone. Social issues such as poverty, unem- by the government and by GPs themselves. The
ployment, homelessness and divorce influence the declining proportion of consultations for these
health of a population, and it has been estimated conditions is therefore likely to represent a raised
that one-third of general practice consultations threshold to consultation such that only patients
involve such social issues (Fry and Sandler, 1993). with more serious infections or accidents see
Twenty per cent of consultations deal with pre- their GP or practice nurse. Rising Accident and
ventative and health promotion activities such as Emergency Department attendance rates sug-
cervical smears, immunizations and travel advice gest that at least some patients with these clinical
(Fry and Sandler, 1993). presentations bypass primary care altogether and
Over time, the balance between the differ- obtain help directly from the hospital. The same
ent types of GP consultation has shifted. In the survey found that most chronic diseases (‘long-
decade leading up to 2001, there was a general term conditions’) increased as a proportion of all
decline in acute infectious diseases and accidents consultations, particularly consultations relating
(Fleming et al., 2005). These facts illustrate the to hypertension and diabetes; the exception was
concept of the ‘threshold to consultation’. This asthma which had declined as a reason for con-
concept describes the tipping point when a per- sultation. The consultation rate for most ‘mental
son decides to book an appointment at their disorders’ was largely steady over the decade
general practice and seek the help of a health of study although consultations for the major
professional. There is no good reason to assume psychoses increased. The prevalence of skin dis-
that the community incidence of infections and orders and musculoskeletal conditions remained
accidents has declined over the preceding decade almost constant.

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 Which types of illnesses present to general practice in the UK? 145

Table 7.3 Specific chronic conditions presenting to general practice

Condition Percentage of practice Number of cases seen by
population consulting in 1 year average GP in 1 year
Respiratory
Asthma 4.3 86
Chronic obstructive airways disease 1.2 24
Cardiovascular
Hypertension 4.2 84
Ischaemic heart disease 1.7 34
Musculoskeletal
Backache 4 80
Osteoarthritis 3 60
Endocrine
Diabetes mellitus 1.1 22
Thyroid disorders 0.7 14
Gastrointestinal
Irritable bowel syndrome 1 20
Peptic ulcer 0.5 10
Inflammatory bowel disease 0.3 6
Diverticular disease 0.2 4
Neurological
Cerebrovascular disease (after-effects) 1 20
Epilepsy 0.4 8
Parkinson’s disease 0.2 4
Multiple sclerosis 0.1 2

From McCormick, A., Fleming, D. and Charlton, J. 1995: Morbidity statistics from general practice: fourth national study 1991–1992.
Crown copyright 1995. National Statistics Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO.
Also from Fry, J. 1993: General practice: the facts. Oxford: Radcliffe Medical Press, p. 26. Reproduced with kind permission of Radcliffe
Medical Press.

Table 7.4 Specific major conditions presenting to general practice

Condition Percentage of practice Number of cases seen by
population consulting in 1 year average GP in 1 year
Acute chest infection 7.5 150
Severe depression 0.6 12
Acute myocardial infarction 0.3 6
Acute cerebrovascular accident 0.3 6
Acute abdomen 0.3 6

From McCormick, A., Fleming, D. and Charlton, J. 1995: Morbidity statistics from general practice: fourth national study 1991–1992.
Crown copyright 1995. National Statistics Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO.
Also from Fry, J. 1993: General practice: the facts. Oxford: Radcliffe Medical Press, p. 27. Reproduced with kind permission of Radcliffe
Medical Press.

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 146 COMMON ILLNESSES IN GENERAL PRACTICE

ficult for students to know which conditions

Thinking and Discussion Point to focus on during their general practice mod-
ule. As a guide, you should read up about
There may be many reasons why GP consulta-
those conditions you come across during your
tions now feature less acute illness and more
GP attachment; it is easier to recall informa-
chronic disease. Can you think why this shift
tion about a condition if you can relate it to
may have occurred?
a particular patient. In particular, reflect on
how the presentation, diagnosis and manage-
ment of each condition differ between the gen-
eral practice and hospital settings. The Royal
Practical Exercise
College of General Practitioners has published
The following exercises may be carried out with- a Core Curriculum for the postgraduate train-
in a routine surgery. Discuss the issues involved ing of GPs. This consists of 15 components
with your GP tutor in advance and decide on which are presented below as a starting point
the best way of recording and interpreting the for your own learning (Royal College of General
information you obtain. Practitioners, 2007).
1. Interview a selection of patients prior to
their consultation with the doctor. Attempt 1. Being a GP: This covers issues concerning
to identify the reason why each patient has the role of the GP as a health professional
come to the GP and what they hope to gain and as a generalist within the context of
from their consultation (this may not be as primary care.
straightforward as it sounds). 2. The consultation: This covers issues about
2. Sit in on these patients’ consultations with the dynamics of consulting, the compo-
the doctor. Observe the consultation; does nents of the consultation and promoting
the GP obtain the same information as you patient-centred care.
did? 3. Personal and professional responsibilities:
3. Following each consultation, discuss the This covers clinical governance, patient
issues raised with the GP. Compare your safety, ethics, promoting equality, evidence-
analysis of the perceived reasons for each based practice, research and education.
consultation with those of the GP tutor. 4. Management: This covers practice manage-
Not infrequently, there is a discrepancy ment and also the use of IT in primary
between the reason a doctor thinks a patient care.
has consulted and why the patient has actu- 5. Healthy people: This covers health promo-
ally consulted. What influences may this tion and the prevention of disease.
have on patient care? 6. Genetics in primary care.
4. Classify the conditions presenting into 7. Care of acutely ill people.
minor, chronic or major. Compare your 8. Care of children and young people.
results with the figures given in this chapter. 9. Care of older adults.
5. Consider how many consultations have a 10. Gender-specific health issues.
social agenda. 11. Sexual health.
12. Care of people with cancer and pallia-
tive care.
13. Care of people with mental health problems.
Key general practice 14. Care of people with learning disabilities.
presentations for medical 15. Clinical management: This covers the man-
students agement of specific conditions, based on
a systems approach, e.g. cardiovascular
As you will have realized, any disease may problems, digestive problems, respiratory
present to general practice, and it can be dif- problems, etc.

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 How to find out more about particular illnesses 147

1. Definition.
Thinking and Discussion Point 2. Epidemiology (incidence and prevalence;
age, gender, geographical, social class vari-
These 15 components might form a useful
ations).
framework for thinking about common ill-
3. Aetiology and risk factors.
nesses and the issues that each illness raises
4. Basic science (what aspects of pathology,
within the context of the broad curriculum of
physiology, anatomy, etc. are relevant?).
general practice. It might be helpful to con-
5. Clinical features (typical symptoms
sider a few common conditions which you have
and signs).
seen recently on your GP attachment, and run
6. Investigations (which to request and what
through the list of curriculum components to
results to expect).
see the relationship between each illness and the
7. Differential diagnosis (what other conditions
relevant components.
may present in a similar way and how can
you differentiate between them).
8. Management (remember to think more
How to find out more about widely than drug therapy).
particular illnesses 9. Prognosis.
Now consider how this scheme can be applied
A full description of common general practice
to acute otitis media.
conditions is beyond the scope of this book, so
where should you look for further information? 1. Definition: acute inflammation of the mid-
A good starting point is to identify the subject dle ear.
matter, for example general medicine, obstetrics 2. Epidemiology: very common – 5 per cent of
or paediatrics, and then consult the standard a practice population will consult in 1 year
student textbook on that subject recommended (30 per cent of children under 3 years) and
by your medical school. However, many minor 50 per cent of children under the age of 10
conditions are poorly covered in standard medi- are affected at some time; rare in adults.
cal books, so you will also need access to a spe- The average GP will see 100 cases per year
cialized general practice text; this will provide (equates to 1.5 million cases annually in
information on the presentation and manage- England and Wales).
ment of key conditions with a specific primary 3. Aetiology: most commonly follows an upper
care focus (see examples in the further reading respiratory tract infection. The commonest
list at the end of this chapter). Note, however, bacterial pathogens are Haemophilus influen-
that the information contained in textbooks is zae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Moraxella
frequently out of date, especially with regard to catarrhalis, but most cases are viral in aetiol-
up-to-date therapy, and you may need to con- ogy.
sult the current research literature on the topic. 4. Risk factors: eustachian tube dysfunction,
The section on evidence-based medicine in e.g. short tube (children), obstructed tube
Chapter 5 on diagnosis and management pro- (adenoids, allergy) and unresolved middle
vides guidance on how to do this. ear effusions.
Most medical students are overwhelmed by 5. Basic science: further detail not necessary in
the amount of information they are expected this case.
to remember about a bewildering array of dif- 6. Clinical features: symptoms include ear-
ferent conditions. It is helpful to structure this ache, fever, irritability, aural discharge and
information under various subheadings, to aid deafness; signs include pyrexia, a red, bulg-
learning and recall, both in examination settings ing tympanic membrane and discharge.
and when practising as a doctor. The following Common presentations include an infant
scheme is a starting point for you to adapt for with fever and irritability and a young child
your own use. with earache, fever and deafness.

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 148 COMMON ILLNESSES IN GENERAL PRACTICE

7. Investigations: seldom performed; culture ance at a day-care facility. Other risk factors
of aural discharge, where present, in refrac- include white race, male sex and a history of
tory cases. enlarged adenoids, tonsillitis or asthma. The
8. Differential diagnosis: other causes of otalgia role of environmental tobacco smoke is con-
(e.g. eustachian tube dysfunction, glue ear, troversial. Forty per cent of cases will recur
otitis externa, dental pain) and other child- within 12 months; those with unresolved
hood infections. middle ear infections are particularly prone.
9. Management: education (as to the nature Recurrences tend to cease after the age of
of the condition and its natural course) and 8 years. Complications such as mastoiditis
reassurance of parents and child, together and cerebral abscess are very rare in devel-
with analgesia and temperature control are oped countries.
the main aims of care. The role of antibiotics
There is more about this in Chapter 5 on the
is a subject of much debate. Antibiotic use
diagnosis and management of acute illnesses in
for acute otitis media varies from 31 per cent
general practice.
of cases in the Netherlands to 98 per cent of
cases in the USA and Australia. A Cochrane
Review (Glasziou et al., 2003) confirmed the Practical Exercise
effects of antibiotics in children with otitis
media to be modest: 16 patients have to be Use the suggested scheme to learn more about a
treated in order to prevent one from suf- particular medical condition.
fering ear pain (a ‘number needed to treat’, 1. Choose a condition about which you know
or NNT, of 16). Their use is not without little or nothing, based on a patient encoun-
problems in terms of side effects, antibiotic ter during your general practice attachment.
resistance and financial cost: 1 in 24 children 2. Research this topic and try to organize your
experienced side effects from antibiotics. learning using the scheme detailed above.
Meta-analysis of a subset of the trials includ- 3. Consider how the information you gain
ed in this Review suggested that antibiotics applies to the patient you saw.
were of most use in children under 2 years of 4. Arrange a time when you can present the
age with bilateral otitis media, or those with information to your GP tutor and, perhaps,
otitis media and an ear discharge. A more an audience of practice staff.
appropriate approach might be to reserve 5. The next time you see a patient with this
antibiotics for those at highest risk, based on condition, consider how you can apply your
these criteria, and to watch and wait for the knowledge to understand his or her prob-
majority, while offering management of pain lems better.
and fever at the same time. If antibiotics are
prescribed, the usual choice is amoxycillin
(5-day course). Patients should be instructed
to return if symptoms persist, and all cases of
Red flag symptoms ⚑
perforation should be followed up to ensure The discussion so far may have suggested that
healing occurs. common symptoms are synonymous with minor
10. Prognosis: resolution over 2–3 days is usual symptoms, and that they usually do not reach the
(80 per cent of cases). The drum may remain GP. On the other hand, it might be assumed that
dull red or pink and deafness may persist symptoms of potentially more serious pathol-
for 2–3 weeks. In some cases, the tympanic ogy would almost invariably present to the GP.
membrane perforates, leading to discharge However, this is not the case. Potentially serious
and resolution of the pain; the perforation symptoms sit alongside those of very little sig-
will heal spontaneously in the majority of nificance. This is one of the greatest skills of the
cases. The most important risk factors for primary care generalist – to be able to sift through
poor outcome are young age and attend- symptoms and determine those patients who

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 Red flag symptoms 149

might be suffering from a more serious condi- are further modified by age, such that men aged
tion. The GP with too high an index of suspicion 65–74 years with dysphagia had a 9.0 per cent
will have an excessively high rate of investigation chance of cancer (Jones et al., 2007).
and referral to secondary care specialists; the one A more recent study has sifted through the dif-
with too low an index of suspicion may miss ferent presenting symptoms for cancers in general,
serious pathology. and has created a list of eight symptoms and signs
Symptoms that might indicate more seri- which are above a 5 per cent threshold for predict-
ous underlying pathology are termed ‘red flag’ ing cancer (positive predictive threshold) (Shapley
symptoms. Sometimes patients present with red et al., 2010). These eight symptoms are:
flag symptoms and sometimes they have to be
■■ Rectal bleeding: both sexes, age ≥75 years
elicited by direct questioning. Each of the body
■■ Iron-deficiency anaemia:
systems has its own red flags. For example, the
– Hb £12 g/dL: male, age ≥60 years
overwhelming majority of headaches are func-
– Hb £11 g/dL: female, age ≥70 years
tional or stress related. However, the presence of
– Hb £9 g/dL: female, age ≥60 years
morning headaches which wear off by the middle
■■ Haematuria: both sexes, age ≥60 years
of the morning and which respond well to anal-
■■ Rectal examination: malignant feeling prostate,
gesia, particularly if the headaches are of recent
male, age ≥40 years
onset, might suggest an underlying brain tumour.
■■ Haemoptysis: male, age ≥55 years; female, age
Similarly, most febrile children are likely to have
≥65 years
a self-limiting viral illness but the presence of
■■ Dysphagia: male, age ≥55 years
a raised respiratory rate, drowsiness, confusion,
■■ Breast lump: female, age ≥20 years
cold hands and feet, a rash or vomiting may all
■■ Postmenopausal bleeding: female, age
suggest an underlying septicaemia and the need
75–84 years.
for urgent referral and treatment with intrave-
nous antibiotics. Case Study 7.2
Not all potential red flag symptoms even reach
Now consider the same patient presented as Case
the GP. Rectal bleeding may be the presenting
study 7.1, above. He is aged 45 years and has acute
symptom of a relatively innocent pathology such
back pain. The pain did not settle with osteopathic
as haemorrhoids, or may be the first indication
treatment. It started to wake him up at night
of the development of a rectal cancer. In spite of
and became unremitting. Although generally fit
the potentially alarming nature of this symptom,
and well, he had begun to get aches and pains in
fewer than half of adults experiencing this symp-
other sites, particularly over the ribs. Over the last
tom present to their GP (Jones and Tait, 1995).
month, he had been feeling increasingly tired and
The consequences of ignoring or self-care might,
his friends at work said that he looked pale.
in these circumstances, result in delayed diagnosis
and reduce the chances of cancer survival.
One new area of research is to try to put pre- Thinking and Discussion Point
dictive values on different symptoms in order to
determine the likelihood of underlying serious Reflect on Case study 7.2; can you think of other
disease. Until recently, we knew the importance possible underlying causes for this patient’s
of eliciting red flag symptoms but not the propor- back pain? How would you go about disentan-
tion of patients with any given red flag symptom gling these possible causes?
who could be expected to have serious pathol-
ogy. Increasingly, research is providing data from
which estimates can be based on the likelihood
of serious disease. For example, an adult with
dysphagia has a 5.7 per cent chance of an underly-
ing carcinoma of the oesophagus if male or 2.4
per cent if female; these positive predictive values

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 150 COMMON ILLNESSES IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Summary points
To conclude, the most important messages of this chapter are as follows.
■■ Probably under 3 per cent of symptoms experienced by the general population are presented to a GP;
the majority are dealt with by sufferers or their families. The presence of a symptom is not the only
determinant of whether an individual decides to seek medical help. The way in which they evaluate that
symptom affects the action they take and is profoundly affected by psychosocial factors, including cul-
tural and family influences.
■■ About 80 per cent of a practice population will consult a GP or practice nurse at least once a year, with
an average consultation rate of 5.5 per person registered.
■■ The illnesses seen in general practice differ in severity and type from those seen in hospital. In general
practice, most conditions are minor or chronic: 52 per cent of all illness presenting to general practice
can be classified as minor, 33 per cent as chronic and 15 per cent as major.
■■ The most common minor conditions presenting to general practice are acute throat infection, psycho-
emotional disorder, backache, eczema and ear disorders.
■■ The most common chronic conditions are asthma, chronic obstructive airways disease, hypertension,
backache, osteoarthritis, ischaemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus.
■■ The most common major conditions are acute chest infection, depression, myocardial infarction, cer-
ebrovascular accident and acute abdomen.
■■ Social factors influence the health of the population and play a role in 33 per cent of consultations.
Health promotion and preventative activities take place in 20 per cent of consultations.
■■ Knowing where to seek further information about a particular condition and how best to structure that
information are important aids to learning.
(UK data)

References
Armstrong, D. 2002: Outline of sociology as applied to medicine, 5th edn. London: Arnold.
Becker, M. and Maiman, L. 1975: Sociobehavioural determinants of compliance with health and medical
care recommendations. Medical Care 13, 10–24.
Campbell, S. and Roland, M. 1996: Why do people consult the doctor? Family Practice 13, 75–83.
Cartwright, A. and Anderson, R. 1981: General practice revisited: a second study of patients and their doc-
tors. London: Tavistock.
Dunnell, K. and Cartwright, A. 1972: Medicine Takers, Prescribers and Hoarders. London: Routledge and
Kegan Paul.
Fleming, D., Cross, K.W. and Barley, M.A. 2005: Recent changes in the prevalence of diseases presenting
for health care. British Journal of Clinical Practice 55, 589–95.
Fry, J. 1978: A New Approach to Medicine: Principles and Priorities in Health Care. Lancaster: MTP Press.
Fry, J. 1993: General practice: the facts. Oxford: Radcliffe Medical Press.
Fry, J. and Sandler, G. 1993: Common diseases: their nature, prevalence, and care, 5th edn. Newbury:
Petroc Press.
Glasziou, P., Del Mar, C., Sanders, S. and Hayem, M. Antibiotics for acute otitis media in children
(Cochrane Review). In: The Cochrane Library, Issue 2, 2003. Oxford: Update Software. The Cochrane
Library can be accessed free of charge through the National Electronic Library for Health at www.nelh.
nhs.uk
Graham, H. and Seabrook, M. 1995: Structured learning packs for independent learning in the com-
munity. Medical Education 29, 61–5.

00-Textbook_GP_text-cccp.indd 150 01/11/2011 14:55

 Further reading 151

Jefferys, M., Brotherston, J.H., Cartwright, A. 1960: Consumption of medicines on a working-class hous-
ing estate. British Journal of Preventive and Social Medicine 14, 64–76.
Jones, R. and Tait, C.L. 1995: The gastrointestinal side effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs:
a community based study. British Journal of Clinical Practice 49, 67–70.
Jones, R., Latinovic, R., Charlton, J. and Gulliford, M. 2007: Alarm symptoms in early diagnosis of
cancer in primary care: cohort study using General Practice Research Database. British Medical Journal
334, 1040.
Last, J. 1963: The clinical iceberg: completing the clinical picture in general practice. Lancet 2, 28–30.
Logan, W.P.D. and Brooke, E. 1957: Survey of sickness, 1943–1952. London: HMSO.
Mechanic, D. 1962: The concept of illness behaviour. Journal of Chronic Diseases 15, 189–94.
McCormick, A., Fleming, D. and Charlton, J. 1995: Morbidity statistics from general practice: Fourth
National Study 1991–1992. London: HMSO.
Morrell, D. and Wale, C. 1976: Symptoms perceived and recorded by patients. Journal of the Royal
College of General Practitioners 26, 398–403.
Rosenstock, I. 1966: Why people use health services. Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly 44(3), Suppl.,
94–127.
Royal College of General Practitioners. 2007: Being a general practitioner. Curriculum Statement 1.
London: RCGP.
Shapley, M., Mansell, G., Jordan, J. and Jordan, K. 2010: Positive predictive values of ≥5% in primary
care for cancer: systematic review. British Journal of General Practice 60, 366–77.
The Information Centre 2008: Trends in consultation rates in general practice 1995 to 2007: Analysis of the
QResearch database. Leeds: The Information Centre.
Wadsworth, M., Butterfield, W. and Blaney, R. 1971: Health and sickness: the choice of treatment: percep-
tion of illness and choice of treatment in an urban community. London: Tavistock.
Zola, I. 1973: Pathways to the doctor: from person to patient. Social Science and Medicine 7, 677–89.

Further reading
Armstrong, D. 1995: An outline of sociology as applied to medicine, 4th edn. London: Arnold.
A good introduction to medical sociology that contains further information concerning illness behaviour.
Campbell, S. and Roland, M. 1996: Why do people consult the doctor? Family Practice 13, 75–83.
A helpful review article that summarizes the reasons why people seek professional medical help.
Fry, J. and Sandler, G. 1993: Common diseases: their nature, prevalence, and care. Newbury: Petroc Press.
A useful book that contains fairly detailed information about diseases commonly seen in general prac-
tice, including those poorly covered in standard medical texts.
Jones, R. (ed.) 2003: Oxford textbook of primary medical care. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
A two-volume text, the second of which, the clinical volume, covers in depth all the medical problems
commonly seen in general practice worldwide.
Mead, M. and Patterson, H. 1999: Tutorials in general practice, 3rd edn. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
An illuminating selection of case studies focusing on problems commonly seen in general practice.
Murtagh, J. 1999: General practice, 2nd edn. Australia: McGraw-Hill Health Professions Division.
A useful reference source that presents a systematic review of patient assessment and management
strategies for common conditions in general practice.
Taylor, R.J., McAvoy, B.R. and O’Dowd, T. 2003: General practice medicine. Edinburgh: Churchill
Livingstone.
An illustrated text that outlines common illnesses seen in general practice.

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 152 COMMON ILLNESSES IN GENERAL PRACTICE

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS

7.1 Common symptoms can best be defined as: 7.4 A 40-year-old obese man tells you that he
commonly experiences feelings of indigestion,
a) Minor symptoms
felt mostly over the sternum. What is the most
b) Symptoms which patients should not really
trouble the doctor with important thing you should you do in this
c) Symptoms which occur frequently in the gen- situation?
eral population a) Offer to prescribe some Gaviscon
d) Symptoms which are easy for the doctor to b) Encourage him to go to the pharmacist and
deal with get an over-the-counter medication
e) Symptoms of common diseases. c) Take a full medical history including ‘systems’
7.2 A 66-year-old man comes to see you with questions covering GI, chest and cardiovascu-
lar system symptoms
a headache. What do you think the most likely
d) Ask him ‘why now?’
diagnosis is going to be?
e) Encourage him to lose weight.
a) A brain tumour
7.5 You have just seen a 35-year-old man with
b) Temporal arteritis
c) New onset migraine recurrent abdominal pain for 4 years. He has
d) Depression had every single investigation under the sun
e) Sinusitis. but still gets disabling bouts of pain which have
resulted in a lot of time off work. He is not too
7.3 Patients with a ‘serious symptom’: impressed with all the previous doctors who
a) Always go to their GP as a matter of urgency have tried and failed to cure his pain. Your best
b) Often delay attending their GP through fear management option is to:
of possible unpleasant disease a) Explore his underlying concerns
c) Often ignore their symptoms b) Offer reassurance
d) Usually attempt self-treatment and only c) Prescribe stronger painkillers
attend their GP if this fails d) Think of an investigation which hasn’t been
e) Look it up on the internet. thought of by the previous doctors
e) Arrange for a laparotomy.

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 CHAPTER

8 Psychological Issues
in General Practice

■■ Why are psychological issues so important? ■■ Practical questions in classification

■■ The biopsychosocial model ■■ Dangerousness
■■ Why are psychological issues so important in ■■ Symptoms and circumstances
primary care? ■■ Who can help provide help and how?
■■ Red flag symptoms ■■ Systems and frameworks
■■ Assessing mental state ■■ Effects on the professions: the way forward
■■ Adjusting to life changes ■■ Summary points
■■ Mad, bad or sad? The debate about mental ■■ References
health ■■ Further reading
■■ Classification and assessment: how do we ■■ Single best answer questions
make sense of it all?

Psychological issues are important in all encounters between a doctor and a patient, and the ability to com-
prehend, assess and manage these, in partnership with the patient, is a basic medical skill. General practice
is the place where emotional issues may be identified and managed. The doctor’s psychological responses and
state of mind may be as important as those of the patient.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
■■ describe the importance of psychological issues in primary medical care;
■■ describe the ways in which patients may present with these issues, and how they can be assessed;

■■ outline the common ways in which personal, family, social or cultural factors may influence presentation

or outcome;
■■ outline the possible responses that can be offered, and by whom;

■■ give an account of the way in which doctors and other members of the team may be affected by this work,

and how it can be managed;

Why are psychological issues so

important? Thinking and Discussion Point
A common but now outmoded model of medical Look at the opening statement of the paragraph
care assumes that a patient has a physical disease opposite and see how many of the ideas in it you
and comes to a doctor for it to be cured. The new would consider ‘outmoded’ in general practice
professional model challenges each of the empha- and primary medical care
sized concepts, so let us look at these in turn.

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 154 PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Becoming a ‘patient’ Case Study 8.2

The first point at which a person meets the health A middle-aged executive presented to her doc-
service is primary care, and this is often (but not tor feeling tired, but not prepared to say much
exclusively) in general practice. However, people else about herself. Her doctor checked her and
may not see themselves as patients, or accept the found nothing physically wrong. He reassured
idea (even if the doctor or others see it as neces- her, but a week later the patient committed sui-
sary), and may wish to think long and hard about cide with paracetamol.
the consequences of this new ‘role’.

Case Study 8.1 Thinking and Discussion Point

A young couple presented to the general prac-
titioner (GP) in evening surgery. The woman With reference to Case study 8.2:
explained that she had brought her partner in ■■ What are your reactions to this case?
because she had become very upset and depressed ■■ Could the doctor have done anything to
on their holiday together. She had thought she was prevent the patient’s death and, if so, what
pregnant, but had had a period while they were and how?
away. They had been trying to have a baby for 2
years. When the doctor talked about both their
backgrounds, the man looked alarmed: ‘Don’t
bring me into this doctor – there’s nothing wrong ‘Disease’
with me.’ This is one of the words that many people (includ-
ing doctors, surprisingly) use imprecisely. It is
usually used for an objectively recognizable con-
Thinking and Discussion Point dition, often in contrast to an illness. Illness is
usually used to describe a set of feelings which
■■ Make a note of your reactions to Case study someone recognizes (subjectively) and can tell
8.1. the doctor about, but which sometimes cannot be
■■ Taking each of the three people involved in defined objectively by examinations or tests. It is
turn, what would they be feeling and what subjective feelings or symptoms that usually bring
would they want to achieve? If the feeling is people first to a health professional; that person
standing in the way of their reaching their may be able to find objective signs or measure
goals, what can be done to change things? something, but he or she equally may not, and if
not the condition will still be as real to the patient
and requiring medical attention. In addition a
doctor’s validation of the illness (‘yes this is some-
‘Physical’ thing that should occupy my time’) is the first part
Although doctors are often distinguished by their of the route into care, and may have implications
concerns for bodies, the mind is also part of that for society as a whole, like receiving financial sup-
body. The split between mind and body (repre- port from state or insurance company. Doctors
sented, to be fair, by our title) seems increasingly may be pressed to give them a label, but there is
unhelpful in professional work. We recognize the work suggesting that labelling the condition too
existence and state of our own body by using our early or too firmly may be a mistake. Medical
senses, and these are collected and coordinated by labels may be very sticky.
the brain or mind. For instance, a pain cannot be
seen: however physical its origin, it is perceived Patient comment
and responded to initially by the mind. Equally, ‘I used to be schizophrenic in north London, doctor,
many of the ways in which we establish mental but now down here I’m bipolar and it makes a lot
states, even our own, are expressed by the body, of difference.’ What sort difference do you think it
such as weight loss, sweating, crying, shouting. would make?

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 The biopsychosocial model 155

Case Study 8.3 ‘Cured’

A young man came in on Saturday morning with Maybe we all wanted to be doctors in order to help
a headache. He was a bouncer in a nightclub but people get better. Many conditions get better by
said he had not been drinking much the night themselves (‘self-limiting’) and some, like diabe-
before. In the silence that the doctor allowed to tes, are to be managed over the long term.
develop after this, the patient explained that he
was going to court on Monday to defend himself Student comment/tutor response
on an assault charge, and was unable to think Student: ‘I’ve just come from intensive care looking
clearly because of the headache. after patients with heart attacks, but there don’t
seem to be many people we can cure here.’
Tutor: ‘Can you cure a heart attack?’
Thinking and Discussion Point
Does the man in Case study 8.3 have a disease or Thinking and Discussion Point
an illness and, if so, what? If not, what else might
What do you think about this interchange
be wrong which a doctor could help with?
between student and tutor, particularly when it
comes to psychological issues?
‘Doctor’
You will have seen that many people other than The biopsychosocial model
doctors make contact with patients, especially in
primary care, and share the processes of assess- Medical work embraces all sides of illness and dis-
ment and management. ease, which include the social and psychological as
well as the physical (the biopsychosocial model);
Case Study 8.4 takes as much notice of what the patient says as
The receptionist came in to explain to the doctor of what the professional observes; considers fac-
how he had been talking to the next patient due to tors which influence professional judgement as
see her and that the patient was extremely upset well as the sick person’s presentation; considers
about her son, who was going through a difficult prevention and long-term care even in acute situ-
time. The receptionist felt this knowledge would ations; and sees medical work as a team enterprise.
help the doctor to get to the point of the patient’s Focusing on psychological issues means that we
visit. When the patient came in, the doctor men- shall want to know about feelings and emotional
tioned that she knew something about the family issues as much as about madness, and that we
problems. ‘Oh thank you, doctor, but I’ve talked should be prepared to look at ourselves as profes-
to that nice man on the front desk all about that. sionals (how we view our work, our relationship
I’ve come to see you about these horrible varicose with our patients, the effect we have on them and
veins.’ they have on us, and so on) and as members of
a group. Before examining psychological issues
specifically in primary care, it would be worth
Thinking and Discussion Point thinking through the implications of the bio­
psychosocial model for yourself and your training.
Consider for a moment the personal and profes-
sional skills that might be needed to deal with
the different case studies you have read in this Thinking and Discussion Point
chapter so far. Which of these skills particularly
■■ Do you agree that the above describes medi-
should a doctor have, and do you feel confident
cal work? If not, why not?
that you are already or could be skilled in this
■■ Are there dangers that doctors might have
way? If not, who in your learning environment
too wide a role? What limits have to be set
would help you?
to doctors’ responsibilities?

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 156 PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Dean quote
Thinking and Discussion Point continued
You GP tutors would love hearing about the case I’ve
■■ If you are already aiming for a particular just been asked to see on the surgical ward. A young
type of doctoring (if you want to be a neuro­ woman had presented with abdominal pain, and all
surgeon or a parasitologist, for example), the tests that the surgeons could think of doing were
what are the implications of this discussion normal. When I sat down beside the patent’s bed I
for your chosen area of work? asked her ‘When did this pain start?’ She answered
‘When my husband took my son back to Nigeria.’
Psychological symptoms may equally be the
Why are psychological issues so sign of a physical crisis or brain disease. Changes
in the internal milieu may be expressed psycho-
important in primary care? logically: for instance, alterations in calcium levels
Preventing preventable deaths is one of the may change a person’s perception of pain, and the
prime tasks of all doctors. An important cause side effects of medication may also cause changes
of death in many societies is serious depres- in behaviour.
sion that may result in suicide. Other causes
of death include violence and road traffic acci- Case Study 8.6
dents. Alcoholism and drug misuse enters this
A 35-year-old man presents to casualty with hypo-
list both in its own right and as a risk factor in
mania. On a careful history from his mother it
precipitating any of the above three. Although
transpires that he is on high doses of steroids for
doctors have potential duties alongside many
ocular myositis. When the prednisolone is slowly
other agencies in this respect, Case study 8.2
reduced his hypomania abates.
demonstrates that some desperately distressed
people first visit their GP – some studies have If the patient is a parent or in a family, emotion-
suggested this is a common pattern (Matthews al responses can alter children’s health or damage
et al., 1994). So intervention at this time might the family or social group in wider and more long-
be considered important, even if only a small term ways. A child’s whole life may be altered.
percentage of people at risk were influenced, or
even if the work was not completely effective.
Case Study 8.7
Being upset emotionally – anxious or depressed
A young family of husband, wife, toddler and new
– is a normal human response, but in some situ-
baby daughter came to emergency evening sur-
ations the reaction may be such that the person
gery. ‘The problem is him,’ said the mother point-
cannot continue with their lives. Even if they cope
ing to the toddler. ‘He is pissing everywhere. And
in the short term, the problem may re-emerge
tonight he pissed on the baby.’ The doctor could
later and influence their health – and their health-
not help himself laughing. ‘You laugh, doctor? But
care.
she is the most important person in the world.’
Case Study 8.5 Pause. ‘Oh my God, doctor, what have I just said?’
And she hugged the toddler and at follow-up the
Mrs G was the life and soul of the community and
problem had resolved.
a great coper. But she had never talked to anybody
about the terrible time when her mother had had Studies show that the main or most important
an intracranial haemorrhage and she had to man- diagnosis in general practice is a psychological
age on her own. Now every headache she or any one (anxiety, depression, etc.) in a large number
one of her extended family got was treated as an of cases that present to the professionals (see sec-
emergency. When the doctor asked her: ‘What tion on ‘Symptoms and circumstances’ below).
exactly are you afraid of?’ it all came out, and What patients choose to offer to their doctors is
she and the practice were able to deal with issues influenced by many things – the social conditions
more rationally. locally, the availability of other forms of help,

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 Why are psychological issues so important in primary care? 157

whether they think the doctor can help – but

perhaps most particularly by how they expect to Practical Exercise
be received by the doctor when they introduce
Think about the times you or your family went
this topic. Many people still feel shy of discussing
to the doctor. How were you received? Does
their feelings with doctors, because they think
this influence how you would like to practise
they will be seen as ‘not really ill’, ‘making a fuss’,
in any way?
or perhaps that the doctor will make a mistake
and by thinking they are upset will miss a seri-
ous condition. Cultures vary, but in many groups
there is still a stigma attached to mental illness of Madness
all kinds.
At the other end of the illness spectrum, the
serious distress of madness (which is classed in
medicine as ‘psychosis’, but described by some
Practical Exercise patients after recovery as ‘being crazy’) makes
some people reluctant to come to doctors, either
Make a note of the main issues relevant to each
because they are suspicious that they will come to
patient you see with your GP, especially:
harm or because their pattern of thinking makes
❏❏ Why the patient came to the doctor, and
doctors irrelevant. Family or friends who might
what they wanted
otherwise bring them to the surgery may not be
❏❏ The main diagnosis or diagnoses made by
perceived by the distressed individual as being
you and the GP
‘on my side’ either. However, although specialist
❏❏ How the patient behaved in the consultation
psychiatry is particularly concerned with these
❏❏ Whether you felt, or the patient exhibited,
problems, there are many reasons why hospital
any obvious emotions during that time, and
is not the best environment for people who are
what they were.
seriously distressed, so primary care staff have a
Do you note any difference between these four
significant role in detecting and helping to man-
headings when you use them? Do you think
age serious distress.
using these ideas expands the importance of
psychological issues in general practice?

Student quote Thinking and Discussion Point

‘We’ve been taught about the iceberg of disease, and
■■ Does this category (madness/psychosis/­
I guess that everyone is anxious in some way about
serious distress) make sense to you? How is
themselves, or they wouldn’t come to the doctor!
it helpful and how unhelpful?
When I went to my doctor and he was offhand about
■■ What do you think the main needs of people
my symptoms, it only made things worse.’
who are going through such an experi-
ence are? Who might answer these needs?
Case Study 8.8 (You might like to read some more – see
It was the second time that the medical student the Further reading list at the end of this
had been to the doctor with chest pain. He had chapter.)
been told he was as ‘fit as a fiddle’ but that had ■■ If you have met someone who seems to you
not reassured him. ‘What was he worried about? to be in this category, what did you feel
Had he seen something which upset him?’ He about the situation, for yourself, for the ill
told the doctor about the post mortem on a lung person, and for the professional? Did you
cancer patient he had seen, and how he could not understand anything of what the patient was
get out of his mind how like his Dad the patient going through? Did you feel safe?
had looked.

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 158 PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Practical Exercise Thinking and Discussion Point

If your answer to the last question is positive, How do you feel about dealing with psychologi-
or if you meet someone who was seriously cal distress? For instance, do you feel comfort-
distressed but now seems ‘better’ and your GP able, overwhelmed, or don’t you feel it’s your
thinks it is all right for you to do so, see if you job? What support would you like to have, now
can find time and a suitable place to ask the and later in your professional life, to cope with
patient if he or she would help you to under- this work?
stand the background by telling you about the
experience and what it felt like, as far as both the
illness and the treatment were concerned. Make
it very clear that the patient is absolutely free to
Red flag symptoms ⚑
refuse and that this is only for your education. ■■ ‘I want to kill myself.’
■■ ‘I can hear people talking about me all the time
in my head.’
■■ ‘I feel so bad I want to harm someone.’
Doctors’ responses ■■ ‘I am going crazy and I need help.’
It is common to hear people complain that when
they were upset the doctor didn’t seem to take any
notice, or if they did they seemed just embarrassed or Assessing mental state
made some very unhelpful suggestions. Everyone is
One of the ways a doctor may feel more secure in
different in how they respond to distress – some peo-
the presence of someone who is behaving strange-
ple naturally find it easy and something they like to
ly is to check their mental state.
do, others want to run a mile. If you are in, or nearly
in, the latter category you might think that is ok or
that GP work is not for you. But this wouldn’t be Practical Exercise
the answer if, say you didn’t (as most people don’t)
want to see dead bodies or do a rectal examination. How do we assess someone’s mental state?
These things are part of professional medical work: Think back to your teaching in psychiatry and
we need to learn how to do them, how to do them look out your old notes. Consider a patient that
well and how to cope with the distress it causes us. you are currently working with. As well as taking
It is just the same with psychological work. We need a history, doing a physical examination and see-
to learn how to approach the subject, the questions ing all this in the context of their life and social
to ask, how to feel confident we are doing the right situation carefully observe their appearance,
thing and how to cope with our own feelings. behaviour, speech, mood, thoughts, perception
and cognitive function. What are the predispos-
Patient comment ing and precipitating factors that brought them
‘Have I ever had any psychiatric help over the years? to this place and what perpetuating factors
Well, I suppose I have, rather in the sense that some- might you need to think about in helping them
one adrift at sea might shout “Help!” to a passing through? Write up your findings for this patient
supertanker, be thrown a lifebelt, and the tanker go and discuss them with your tutor.
on its way.’

Adjusting to life changes

In between the ‘normal’ anxiety of every patient
who comes to a doctor and the deep distress of
a suicidal or psychotic patient, most thought-
ful doctors detect a group of people who seem

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 Mad, bad or sad? The debate about mental health 159

particularly drawn to seeking help about a medical and rheumatoid arthritis. The idea that there is a
condition when they are also going through a dif- particular group is now questioned: most physical
ficult or turbulent phase in their lives. conditions are influenced by state of mind and
reactions to circumstances, and many patients
now ask ‘Could this be stress-related?’
Thinking and Discussion Point
■■ Have you noted people coming in with this Mad, bad or sad? The debate
sort of background problem to your GP?
■■ Do you have experience in your own life, or
about mental health
the lives of your family or friends, when cir-
Case Study 8.10
cumstance seemed to make you ill or drive
you to see a doctor?
A GP was talking about one of his patients, a
65-year-old woman. The patient was very dis-
tressed with symptoms of a psychotic depression
There are many different words to describe and yet the symptoms kept changing. Everyone
this interaction between social circumstances and involved, including the woman’s family, had their
health. ‘Life events’ are the experiences which own opinions and even these varied over time.
people have that seem particularly associated Various medications produced side effects and
with increased illness or increased attendance at did not appear to help very much. The GP had
doctors. Clear associations are found with mov- become perplexed and worried by the woman’s
ing house or losing someone who was loved. ‘Life (and family’s) plight and questioned ‘Is she mad,
transitions’ or ‘adjustment reactions’ are other bad, or sad?’
names for a similar phenomenon, and this sug-
You may have noticed that this chapter often
gests that, rather than things happening to us,
refers to different or changing ways of looking at
there are phases which everyone experiences as
things. This may be uncomfortable or unsettling,
they go through life, and there are times of par-
but it is to help you recognize that the area of
ticular vulnerability, such as adolescence or retire-
psychological issues/psychiatry/mental health is
ment. Particular ‘crisis points’ are now widely
a ‘contested’ field. There are different ways not
recognized, for instance the ‘mid-life crisis’ of late
just of describing what we all observe, but also of
middle age. We shall return to these ideas when
thinking about and explaining these observations
we look at ‘depression’.
(‘discourses’), and these ideas are themselves still
Case Study 8.9 changing or developing. In this respect it is prob-
ably no different from the rest of your medical
Julie was 11, and had been brought by her mother
studies, but the arguments seem sharper in mental
to see the doctor four times in six weeks with
health in general. There are debates about the use
minor complaints. ‘Are you having a difficult
of drugs, diagnoses, ways of managing distress or
time at the moment Julie? You look as if life at
compulsory treatment that start from completely
the moment is a bit tough.’ In the silence that fol-
different points of view.
lowed, she looked at her mother: ‘Doctor, I think
you’re quite right. Julie’s just gone to big school,
and is finding it quite hard as all her friends are at
Thinking and Discussion Point
the other one. We do talk about it, but it is affect-
■■ Do you agree with what has just been said
ing her.’
about different discourses? If so, what do
Psychosomatic is the name given to those illness- you think creates these differences of opin-
es or diseases for which there seems to be a clear ion?
connection, even a causal one, between stress and ■■ What are the important things you need to
physical illness. The conditions that used to be be aware of when practising as a doctor in
quoted classically were ulcerative colitis, asthma the wider community?

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 160 PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Some of these changes may be due to the way Classification and assessment:
in which society in general seems to think. For
instance, in the lifetime of the authors of this how do we make sense of it all?
chapter, consensual homosexual acts between Different people approach even this problem in
adult men have ceased to be considered as crimes different ways. Classical medical teaching is that
in the UK, and being gay has stopped being a rec- diagnosis must precede treatment, but this is not
ognized condition in psychiatry, for which people always possible. When physical specialists are
are ‘treated’. (We are still not at the point at which often perplexed by the lack of physical signs in
everybody agrees that adults are free to express psychiatry, psychiatrists, by using questionnaire
their sexuality as they wish, provided they do not ‘instruments’ of various sorts, claim that their
harm other people, so some forms of sexual desire classifications are as clear and objective as any. But
or behaviour still cause distress, and people will even within that branch of the profession, opin-
come to doctors to be helped.) ions differ. The psychodynamic school might look
Some of the issues that seem particularly impor- at what has to be worked with, the behavioural at
tant in mental health debates at the moment are: what life problems need to be worked on, and so
■■ power, control and respect for autonomy, on. There is a radical mode of thought that rejects
■■ danger and safety, all labelling as stigmatic: labels are seen as traps
■■ depersonalization, stigma and being a case for overworked or under-involved people, who
rather than a person, just follow someone else’s thinking and do not
■■ dependency and relationships. listen carefully to what the patient is really saying.
A helpful way of combining different approaches
in general practice is through the concept of nar-
Case Study 8.11 rative – the story a person is trying to tell. We shall
The old man had always been eccentric, and the come back to that concept later in this chapter.
doctor regularly had to deal with neighbours who One thing we can be sure about: distressed people
did not like his singing or the plastic flowers plant- often get physically ill, and people with a physical
ed in his front garden. The doctor secretly admired illness often find this very distressing. We are deal-
odd behaviour, but it was when the rubbish began ing not with ‘either/or’, but with ‘both/and’. Our
to accumulate outside, and the old man shouted classifications must be inclusive, not exclusive,
abuse through the letterbox at anyone who called, and allow us to keep open minds.
that he realized he had to take a new view of what
was going on. In the words of the immediate Case Study 8.12
neighbour, ‘something must be done’. The new young GP had a special interest in depres-
sion. His patient, aged 55, had just lost his mother,
Practical Exercise and was tired and listless. At the third session,
when there seemed no improvement, the patient
❏❏ As you see patients in your current attach- muttered, ‘I don’t know, everything seems to be
ment, listen to what other members of the psychological these days – but I feel ill.’ The doctor
team or relatives and neighbours have got to quickly remembered that he had not done a physi-
say, and to how the patient describes his or cal assessment. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate
her own condition. (ESR) was raised and the patient had multiple mye-
❏❏ Do these suggest different ways of looking at loma, as well as a difficult bereavement reaction.
the problem and, if so, do these differences
help you to see different solutions, or do
they make things even more difficult? Practical questions in
❏❏ If people disagree on what approach should classification
be used, and there is conflict, whose ideas
should win? Some people say that questions are more use-
ful than answers. In the area of mental health

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 Practical questions in classification 161

classification in primary care, you might think As you read down this list, some of the headings
some of the following questions were useful. may have become uncomfortable to use and may
raise questions for you that must be faced and
■■ Is the condition dangerous, in the sense of a may need to be revisited. Certainly, outcome will
threat to life or offering the possibility of seri- depend on resources for treatment, for instance,
ous harm to self or others? but diagnostic assessment also might do so.
■■ Does the condition seem to be triggered mainly
by outside events?
■■ Is there something that can be usefully done
Thinking and Discussion Point
and, if so, is it to be done by the health service
or by other agencies? Try looking at some of the people you have met,
■■ Does addressing the problem mainly depend or cases you have come across, who might be in
on what the patient does for himself or herself? the following jumbled categories in relation to
■■ Is it an acute condition, a long-term condition, or the questions at the start of the ‘Practical ques-
has there been a recent change? tions in classification’ section:
■■ Does it seem mostly related to a physical illness, ■■ learning difficulties
which needs treatment too? ■■ child abuse
■■ Is there a pattern in the person’s behaviour that ■■ suicidal threat
seems to cause much of the difficulty or offer ■■ phobias
important clues? ■■ alcoholism
■■ Does the person seem to be thinking in a way ■■ bereavement
we understand, or is their thought in some form ■■ anorexia nervosa
of disorder? ■■ Alzheimer’s disease
■■ Is the person’s age, culture or gender crucial? ■■ panic disorder
■■ Does the condition seem to have been initiated, ■■ postnatal depression
or made worse, by some psychoactive substance? ■■ retirement crisis
■■ Even if we understand the distress and the reac- ■■ psychopathy
tion seems normal, do we need to help because ■■ hypochondriasis
of the degree of distress? ■■ school refusal
■■ delirium
Your other readings in psychiatric classification
■■ post-traumatic stress disorder
may look quite different: consult your recom-
■■ mania
mended reading in this field, as there is not scope
■■ obsessive–compulsive behaviour
to cover it all here. You will notice that most
■■ schizophrenia
of these classifications are also a mixture, and
■■ divorce.
that in the individual case people often recom-
mend looking at a psychiatric assessment from
several different points of view – a ‘multi-axial’
approach (Tylee et al., 1995) which also underlies Whatever groupings seem to be most helpful
the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) (and it is likely that, like other areas in medicine,
(World Health Organization, 2010). Grouping there will continue to be changes), medicine is a
might depend on: subject for which practical skill is needed, and you
might like to match some of these conditions with
■■ symptoms, the practical questions in classification above, and
■■ behaviour, with your own. You will notice that sometimes
■■ a recognized pattern or syndrome, this necessitates putting together two conditions
■■ probable cause, that do not have a common or similar cause. You
■■ society’s judgement of what is acceptable, might also like to write down the words which
■■ what the patient will agree to, ordinary people would use to describe them in
■■ what treatment is available. your particular community.

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 162 PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Dangerousness ■■ asking for help is not a sign of weakness but . . .

■■ thoughtless rushing about is not likely to be
In doing the exercise on the previous page (in the helpful so . . .
section on ‘Practical questions in classification’) ■■ think ahead and consider safety issues as well;
you might find something odd. For instance, ■■ most acutely psychotic people will give in to a
when dealing with the first question (about dan- show of numbers;
gerousness), you may pick out suicidal depres- ■■ doctors’ irritation is one of the major causes of
sion, anorexia nervosa, delirium, drunkenness, poor management.
acute schizophrenia, child abuse and psycho-
pathic behaviour. But the way of approaching it
will have to depend on some of the same sort of Thinking and Discussion Point
questions, such as the following:
■■ So what might have improved the outcome?
■■ What sort of threat is there, and to whom? ■■ What problems does the doctor face in his
■■ Is it acute, in the sense of needing immediate future care of this couple?
action, or will it wait for a different sort of
assessment?
■■ What are my duties, and how far will the law
allow me to go? Symptoms and circumstances
■■ Should other people be informed?
■■ What sort of resources can we muster to cope?
If dangerous, mad behaviour is (fortunately) rare
■■ Do I need help and, if so, of what sort?
and containable (and in many cases, as above,
just one episode in a life which afterwards may
Case Study 8.13 well return to normal), the usual presentations
At the end of a Saturday morning surgery, the of distress in our society are very different, and
doctor received a message that one of his male often much less easy to typify or describe. One of
patients ‘was not very well – would he call round?’ the reasons, as we have seen, is that unhappiness
The receptionist had been unable to find anything and illness go hand in hand. Being ill makes us
else out, and said that the wife had seemed very anxious; worrying can make us ill. So it is much
‘cagey’ on the phone. Irritated, but in a hurry to more difficult to sift out from all those with
get to his son’s football match, the doctor decided symptoms which concern them enough to bring
just to call in quickly on his way home. He left his them to a doctor, the particular individuals whose
main bag in the surgery and just took a stetho- main issue is psychological distress. Community
scope and a prescription pad. When he arrived, surveys have suggested that psychiatric morbidity
he found the husband was in an acute and violent rates from as little as 3.7 per cent to 65 per cent.
paranoid state. Trapped in the bedroom, with It all depends how it is defined. What is clear is
no emergency drugs and no mobile phone, the that at least one in ten consultations are overtly
doctor took over an hour to fight his way to the about psychological problems in most practices,
home phone to ring the police. When six officers and that the more a professional looks, the more
arrived, the patient was clearly overwhelmed and is likely to be found.
immediately settled down; he was admitted to an We can say with certainty what sort of symp-
acute psychiatric ward, and recovered in three toms should alert the doctor to psychological
weeks without a final diagnosis being made. The distress, but we cannot ever say that certain
doctor missed the football match. symptoms are always excluded. In other words,
we could be sure that in some cases a person is
This case, a rare occurrence it needs to be said, distressed, but it is hard to be sure that they are
illustrates some issues that are obvious but worth not, given all the ways in which most cultures try
emphasizing: to inhibit open expression of distress in general.
■■ the doctor was himself one of the people at Symptoms have usually arisen from feelings,
most risk; emotional states of one sort or another. Two

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 Symptoms and circumstances 163

common psychological diagnoses are anxiety between her physical feelings and the unresolved
and depression. Although these could be seen as grief she felt after having lost the person she had
increased or reduced arousal, in practice these seen as both her greatest challenger and her great-
states are often mixed and one may progress to the est supporter. Once she was prepared to make the
other: acute worries may produce long-term ten- link and work on it, she abandoned her demands
sion, which looks more and more like depression for further specialist referrals and agreed to work
as the days pass and the feelings or circumstances with a counsellor.
persist (Figure 8.1).

Anxiety Thinking and Discussion Point

Anxiety may be easier to detect than depression.
The challenge in Case Study 8.14 was the
Anxiety is usually episodic, and we are all aware
patient’s own decision that anxiety and grief
of the likelihood of tension headaches (as in
were not ‘real’ symptoms, and that because she
Case Study 8.3) being possible signs, as are the
did have real symptoms the doctors must be
symptoms of panic: a pounding heart, dry mouth,
missing something.
breathlessness, waves of nausea, sleeplessness or
diarrhoea. Management of the symptoms is half
of the battle here, as their very presence is part of
In observing other health professionals at work,
a vicious cycle which makes the person even more
note how they re-educate as well as diagnose. You
anxious because of secondary concerns – the dry
should collect phrases and approaches that seem
mouth which makes public speaking impossible,
to you to help doctor and patient to reach an
the disgrace of public sickness or dashing to the
understanding. In dysfunctional or difficult con-
lavatory, and so on. These help to persuade suffer-
sultations, what seems to make things go wrong?
ers that there is something seriously amiss, adding
The long-term management of people who tend
further to anxiety levels. The second half of the
to become anxious, are constitutionally ‘highly
battle is to get to the root of the anxiety.
strung’ or who worry constantly about their
Case Study 8.14 health is perhaps less easy now than two or three
decades ago, because of the current understanding
A young woman presented with recurrent chest
of the hazards of most long-term anxiolytic treat-
pain and wheezing which she insisted were due
ment. The psychopharmacology and physiology
to a physical illness undetected by the doctors.
of anxiety make it very unlikely that a medication
Negative tests were initially of no avail in unravel-
will be developed in the near future that reduces
ling the problem, until she began to talk about
anxiety without in the long term running the
her mother’s illness from breast cancer, and she
risk of dependency, and of seriously disabling
and the doctor were able to make the connection
symptoms on withdrawal. This is one of the areas
in which the prescriber runs great risk of doing
Symptom peaks more harm than good: it is not uncommon to
find that the symptoms of an anxious person who
anxiety tension depressive
has become dependent on tranquillizers and then
symptoms symptoms symptoms
withdraws remain permanently worse than the
original symptoms.

Practical Exercise
Think of the patients you saw in your last ses-
Time sion. Could their symptoms arise from an emo-
Figure 8.1 A typical symptom series for distress in tion that you detected that went unnoticed?
primary care.

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 164 PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Dependency is the link between the relief Once the diagnosis has been made and accepted,
obtained by socially accepted and available drugs, the attitudes and aims of patient and clinician
such as nicotine or alcohol, and medical or ‘dan- may determine how the illness is seen and treated:
gerous’ street drugs, such as barbiturates, tran- as a disease to be eradicated, at one extreme, or
quillizers and heroin. Although each may have a as an opportunity for reflection and change, at
particular pattern, the withdrawal syndrome is the other. Perhaps best results combine differ-
often much the worst feature for the patient, and ent approaches.
(as with barbiturates, for which tolerance levels
are all-important) is potentially lethal. Case Study 8.15
The message for those treating anxiety is not to
A young music publisher presented to a doctor
be pressed into unwise prescribing, even in the
about heavy drinking, but in assessment revealed
short term, and to look wherever possible towards
that the drinking was happening to cover increas-
behavioural or lifestyle management methods
ingly bleak moods and feelings of disappointment
which empower patients to deal with their own
and disgust. After a programme of abstinence, he
anxiety. Examples include relaxation tapes, yoga
began on high levels of antidepressant treatment
classes, behavioural treatment of phobias, exercise
with weekly counselling, and was able to confront
regimes, etc.
the experiences of a bleak and intellectual child-
hood, and the way in which he ‘set up relation-
Practical Exercise ships to fail’.
A different model for the causes and manage-
Discover what treatment methods are available
ment of depression derives from the work of
in your current clinical attachments, how they
Professor George Brown and colleagues (Brown
are administered and by whom. What can you
and Harris, 1978), examining the social origins
learn from the patients you meet?
of depression in women. A pattern emerges of a
model in which a potentially vulnerable person,
faced with a current crisis and losing or failing to
Depression gain a proper support system, may be unable to
Depression is more difficult to detect than anxiety cope. The characteristics of the urban women in
but has more clear-cut treatment schedules, even Brown’s original studies that seemed associated
if the best methods are disputed and outcomes with depression were:
still open to question. Like anxiety, headache and
■■ poverty,
appetite loss may be pointers, but sleeplessness
■■ no job or outside interest,
is classically described as waking early (whereas
■■ low self-esteem,
people who are anxious often have difficulty get-
■■ no extended family,
ting to sleep). Overwhelmingly the best way of
■■ no close confidante,
making the diagnosis initially is simply to think of
■■ poor communication with spouse,
it. Doctors differ in their abilities to detect it, but
■■ more than three young children at home,
this can be changed, at least in the short term, by
■■ death of mother in childhood,
training (Tylee et al., 1995). It seems that a lot of
■■ death of a close relative or friend in the previ-
patients meet doctors who prefer to turn a blind
ous few months.
eye, or are too busy, or who in some way cannot
cope with what they see as being a painful or dif- The interplay of personality, experience and
ficult assessment. This is perhaps excusable if the relationships with lack of support or recent crisis
doctor is overworked, or even depressed: it is dif- has not been explored in every context but rings
ficult to deal with a problem in someone else that true with clinical experience in primary care.
one cannot cope with oneself. But much of this Many patients describe a ‘last straw’ that makes
points to the failures in detection being due to fail- life apparently intolerable or distress overwhelm-
ures in the detection instrument – the clinician. ing, and such experiences, although important,

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 Who can help provide help and how? 165

often seem too minor to create the disturbance care. Prescribing issues are dealt with in detail
that has resulted unless attention is paid to the elsewhere, but, particularly in depression, there is
other issues that affect the patient. The aspect of now agreement as to what constitutes good and
current support at home or being in control of safe prescribing, and this does not mean the use of
one’s work in the working environment is insuf- medication without other approaches to reinforce
ficiently emphasized in some approaches. What positive and neutralize negative aspects of the
the social model does is to reveal the interplay of situation. It also opens up the area for the work
factors, and this may be helpful to the observer in of those members of the team who have little or
general practice when the patient appears more no ability to prescribe, but who nevertheless can
disturbed by a physical symptom than is appropri- be vital in management. A health visitor with a
ate or understandable. Figure 8.2 illustrates typical young family, a district nurse with an elderly cou-
components that lead to major symptoms. ple, counsellors, groups and even reception staff
all have a part to play, whether formal or informal.
The activities which may help the patient within
Who can help provide help and the frameworks set out above include being able
how? to explain and talk about the problem (ventila-
tion), being given time to identify and clarify the
These different models suggest ways in which psy- main issues, being given ‘permission’ to express
chological disturbance can be managed in primary the distress (by crying, being angry, etc.), and then
being provided with a frame of reference, in terms
of support or interpretation, to show the patient a
Vulnerable person (e.g. low self-esteem)

new way of coping with apparently insurmount-
At-risk situation (e.g. poor current able problems or distress. There is dispute about
relationship) the best forms of intervention here, and their
effectiveness; but what can never be in dispute is
Crisis (e.g. life transition, that a human response as well as a pharmacologi-
humiliation) cal one is a moral and therapeutic necessity.
Transitions have been noted as points of par-
ticular vulnerability, and this seems easiest to
Coping mechanisms
fail or support (e.g. friend moves) understand because such change involves a life
unavailable event or loss. The loss may be obvious, such as
when a bereavement has occurred, or when a per-
Conditioning experience
(e.g. T V programme, son becomes redundant, retires or gets divorced.
previous experience) However, even apparently happy events, such
Minor
physical as the birth of the first baby or moving to a new
feeling home, may contain loss of freedom or intimacy
Worrying association
(e.g. illness in between a couple in the first situation, and of
relative or neighbour) familiar patterns, environment and friendships in
the second. In addition, humiliation or a feeling of
defeat or being trapped adds strongly to the expe-
Inappropriate fear
rience of loss if the event or loss is severe.
Fears (anticipation of loss) may underlie and
underline such losses. Everyone at some time has
Over-awareness
of symptoms
to confront fears of isolation or annihilation, but
illness or depression can swiftly strip away the
barriers people put up against such thoughts, even
Minor Major symptoms
if the condition itself may be apparently minor.
The simple question ‘What are you most afraid
Figure 8.2 Typical components leading to major symptoms. of now?’ may be what is needed to allow people

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 166 PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES IN GENERAL PRACTICE

the chance to express (and so confront and gain and suggests that these ways, usually supportive,
support in facing) a fear that is causing symptoms. can on occasions be unhelpful, or may help the
doctor and patient to see why something is so
Stepped care model much of a problem to an individual. Questions
A stepped care model for treating patients with such as ‘What would your mother have made of
mild to moderate levels of psychological dis- this?’, ‘What would your father have wanted you
tress or such conditions as adjustment reactions, to do?’, ‘How would your relationship with X
anxiety and depression has the following steps change if you got better?’ may help someone to see
(NICE, 2010): the framework of their emotional life and begin
to help them to challenge the destructive parts
■■ Step 1: Recognition and diagnosis
and be supported by the aspects which will enable
■■ Step 2: Treatment in primary care
them to make progress.
■■ Step 3: Review and consideration of alternative
treatments The narrative approach
■■ Step 4: Review and referral to specialist mental
All doctors in training are taught how to take
health services
a history from patients (see Chapter 3 on the
■■ Step 5: Care in specialist mental health services.
consultation and Chapter 5 on diagnosis and
With mild mood symptoms, watchful waiting management), but this may differ from the story
with follow-up within two weeks is sensible. A a patient may want to tell. What has happened
focus on lifestyle factors such as drugs and alcohol to patients, what they have done, thought about,
intake, social interventions and exercise and sleep wanted or planned, and how they react to the
hygiene are helpful. If the symptoms persist, brief crises, excitements or disappointments in their
psychological interventions may be provided by lives so far may all be crucially important to
the GP, practice counsellor, primary care mental their own mental or emotional state. It may
health worker or through workplaces and colleg- be difficult for the doctor to make sense of
es. Guided self-help and computerized cognitive the patient’s presentation (and so even hard-
behavioral therapy (cCBT) are other options avail- er to provide an adequate response) without
able in primary care. If the symptoms require more an understanding of some of these parts of a
intervention, CBT or medication such as selective patient’s story. Yet in all healthcare encounters
serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may be pre- time is short, so with the best will in the world
scribed by a GP. Where symptoms are worsening, a doctors often find themselves firing questions
discussion with and referral to specialist services is at a patient when it is not clear what is going
in order, and where there is a risk to self or others on. This may be because the doctor is afraid of
a crisis team referral may be made. losing control of the consultation if the patient
heads off on a personal track, but in reality
what the resort to closed questions often loses is
Systems and frameworks just these details and insights that will help that
A way of thinking about personal development doctor make sense of the presentation, and so
and its pitfalls that takes account of the way in help the patient to make sense of the problems
which people interact with each other and their in the context of his or her individual life. If
environment as part of normal human life may the patient is frightened, confused or chaotic,
seem a long way from the idea of depression as a a measure of control of the discussion may be
disease. But in this model apparent breakdown, vital, if offered in a sensitive and kind way,
or intense distress, may be a breakthrough to a but getting the balance right is a key skill for
new understanding. Certain patterns of thought professional practice. In most situations outside
or behaviour may be signposts within a family medicine when we are not sure what is going
group or a culture. Systemic thinking sees the way on, we keep quiet until we are, and that may be
in which individuals are part of a structured group a more helpful way forward in primary care too.
with particular ways of doing things or thinking, We have two obvious choices if we wish to do

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 Effects on the professions: the way forward 167

that: to give the patient the time he or she needs that it is hard to limit demand, and to work to
right now and accept the problems of running time, so that there may be few opportunities for
late, or to arrange a suitable time (and possibly a doctor to work as much at length or at depth
longer) in the near future. There are advantages with a patient as either would wish. The clinician
and disadvantages of each, but either way this has to develop ways of working at speed, of mak-
work must to be done properly. Access and con- ing assessments rapidly and taking imaginative
tinuity in primary care are key issues. As stories shortcuts. The available resources to be expanded
unfold, it may become clear that others (such as are the patient’s own enthusiasm, skill and time
partners or family members) may have another (so that helping people to help themselves is a key
side to tell. The assessment and management of aim of this type of medical practice), and the clini-
mental healthcare in general practice are often cian’s own intuitive understanding.
provisional, iterative and on the move – more Most medical work turns a blind eye to the
like driving a car through a big city than paint- emotional aspects of the condition or its treat-
ing a picture. Also, we may not be the only ment. Primary care is largely where such feelings
drivers available. If it is clear that there is a long, demand to be expressed, and where people will
deep and significant story that has to be told, it often bring distress or dread. A practitioner can
may be appropriate to refer to someone else in either try to avoid recognizing the feeling that is
the primary care team – a counsellor, psychiatric being brought, or can help to give it expression
nurse or other mental health specialist – or to and shape. Either way, the emotion is there, and
the relevant agency in secondary care. will affect the doctor as well. Every practitioner
Learning about possible narratives will require working in this field must develop ways of being
us to think more broadly than just about medi- able to deal with the effect of distressing emotions
cine. In training, it will usually be very helpful on himself or herself, within the doctor–patient
to give yourself time to make a full assessment of relationship immediately, with colleagues, or out-
some people. In our own lives, it will mean, too, side the surgery (Higgs, 1994).
that the things we enjoy in our spare time – soap Finally, few things point as clearly to the moral
operas, novels, plays, films or reading newspapers position we take, or values we hold, as our own
– will not only be a source of pleasure (although and our profession’s approach to psychologi-
that’s important enough) but also of insight into cal issues. We can reduce the people we meet to
how people ‘tick’, and what sorts of things can biomechanics, or defend ourselves from involve-
cause distress or can help people to move on. In ment with real life by prescribing medicines at
the process, it is crucial we understand our own every turn. But if we sincerely intend to do the
selves better. best for our patients, to minimize harm to them,
to increase their autonomy and their own control
over their minds, bodies and lives, to help them
Effects on the professions: the way become whole again, then we need to become
forward skilled in detecting and managing distress in
a way that expresses human values and recog-
So, in sum, several things can undeniably be said nizes potential as well as pathology in the people
about clinical practice in primary care. One is we meet.

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 168 PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Summary points
To conclude, the most important messages of this chapter are as follows:
■■ In sorting and responding to psychological distress in primary care, account must be taken of all the
issues that may influence the situation, relating to physical conditions, social circumstances, relation-
ships, goals and values of both the patient and the system in which he or she lives and works.
■■ Appropriate management of patients and of their presentation should include an understanding of
what the professional brings, as well as what the patient brings.
■■ Medication is only one aspect of management, and team care and self-care are vital to progress, recov-
ery and prevention of future distress.
■■ Listen to the story the patient may be trying to tell.

References
Brown, G. and Harris, T. 1978: Social origins of depression. London: Tavistock.
Higgs, R. 1994: Doctors in crisis: creating a strategy for mental health in health care work. Journal of the
Royal College of Physicians 28(6), 538–40.
Matthews, K., Milne, S. and Ashcroft, G.W. 1994: Role of doctors in the prevention of suicide: the final
consultation. British Journal of General Practice 44(385), 345–8.
NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) 2010: NICE guidelines. www.nice.org.
uk/usingguidance/commissioningguides/cognitivebehaviouraltherapyservice/steppedcaremodels.jsp
(accessed 3 October 2010).
Tylee, A., Freeling, P., Kerry, S. and Burns, T. 1995: How does the content of consultations affect rec-
ognition by general practitioners of major depression in women? British Journal of General Practice
45(400), 575–8.
World Health Organization 2010: International Classification of Diseases (ICD), 10th revision, version
2007. http://apps.who.int/classifications/apps/icd/icd10online/ (accessed 17 October 2010).

Further reading
Primary care
Dowrick C. 2009: Beyond depression. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Elder, A. and Holmes, J. 2002: Mental health in primary care – a new approach. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Kendrick, T., Tylee, A. and Freeling, P. 1996: The prevention of mental illness in primary care. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.

What it’s like to be mentally ill

Barker, P., Campbell, P. and Davidson, B. (eds) 1999: From the ashes of experience: reflections on madness,
survival and growth. London: Whurr Publishers.
Dunn, S., Morrison, B. and Roberts, M. 1996: Mind reading: writer’s journey through mental states.
London: Minerva.
Read, J. and Reynolds, J. (eds) 1996: Speaking our minds: an anthology of personal experiences of mental
distress and its consequences. London: Open University/Macmillan.
Rogers, A., Pilgrim, D. and Lacey, R. 1993: Experiencing psychiatry. Basingstoke: Macmillan/MIND.

00-Textbook_GP_text-cccp.indd 168 01/11/2011 14:55

 Single best answer questions 169

Different ways of looking at mental health

The Open University has produced books under the heading ‘Mental health and distress: perspectives
and practice’.

Psychiatry
American Psychiatric Association 1994: Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th edn
(DSM-IV). Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Gelder, M., Harrison, P. and Cowen, P. 2006: Shorter Oxford textbook of psychiatry. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Gelder, M., Andreasen, N., Lopez-Ibor, J. and Geddes, J. (eds) 2011: New Oxford textbook of psychiatry.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Oxford University Press publish both a shorter textbook and the longer New Oxford textbook.
Goldberg, D., Benjamin, S. and Creed, F. 1997: Psychiatry in medical practice. London: Routledge.

Communicating
Corney, R. 1991: Developing communication and counselling skills in medicine. London: Routledge.

Narrative medicine
Brody, H. 2002: Stories of sickness. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Greenberg, M., Shergill, S.S., Szmukler, G. and Tantam, D. 2003: Narratives in psychiatry. London:
Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Narrative in a secondary care case format

Greenhalgh, T. and Hurwitz, B. (eds) 1998: Narrative-based medicine: dialogue and discourse in clinical
practice. London: BMJ Books.
An interesting series of essays, but see particularly the contributions of Launer, Elwyn and Gwyn,
and Holmes.
Launer, J. 2002: Narrative-based primary care. Abingdon: Radcliffe Medical Press.

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS

8.1 James had a high pressure job in finance, so b) It’s no business of the doctor what James does
important that, as he told himself and anyone in his private life and the GP should concen-
else who enquired, he was too busy to bother trate on the headaches
with friends of either sex. He lived alone. In fact c) The doctor is his only lifeline to help him out
he was desperately lonely and hardly spoke to of this mess
anyone outside work. To cope with the pres- d) He is very much more at risk of suicide as a
sures, he began to drink heavily and was finally drinker than a non-drinker in this situation
sacked. He came to see his doctor with head- e) Seeing him every day is the best way to
aches and sleeplessness and it was not long into help him.
the interview before his depression and overuse 8.2 Joanne has just gone to senior school, but
of alcohol was clear to the GP, though James did not the one of her choice. She is a shy child, all
not appear to want to accept these diagnoses. her friends are now at another school nearer her
a) The doctor should admit him to hospital at home but this new school is a long and com-
once under section if necessary, as his depres- plicated journey from home and in what her
sion is serious very dominating father, who has brought her in,

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 170 PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES IN GENERAL PRACTICE

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS CONTINUED

describes as ‘a rough area’. Shortly after starting b) Put her on antidepressant therapy immedi-
term Joanne, who was enuretic as a 5 year old, ately
begins to wet the bed again. Which of the fol- c) Refer her to a counsellor even though she
lowing is not a diagnostic possibility requiring doesn’t want to go
investigation? d) Telephone her head teacher to warn the head
of the vulnerability of his member of staff and
a) Diabetes mellitus possible danger to children
b) Anxiety from being bullied at school e) Give her some time off work and see her again
c) Early sexual experience, including rape near the end of the week.
d) Urinary infection
e) Developmental delay. 8.5 We are all alarmed when someone appears
to be talking to themselves (in the absence of
8.3 A practice counsellor: a mobile phone). Schizophrenic ‘front rank’
a) Can only see a patient six times symptoms (Schneider) include:
b) Is now usually employed by the local council
a) Talking to himself about how no one cares
c) Would be the first point of referral for some-
for him
one who is drinking heavily
b) Hearing two people talking to each other
d) Usually works with the patient’s goals in mind
about him in his head falsely accusing him of
e) Will keep the doctor informed about what the
being a homosexual
patient talks about.
c) Hearing his mother’s voice calling to him,
8.4 A teacher is depressed following a crisis at the though she has been dead for several years
school. Her GP should: d) Hearing a hated tune going round and round
in his head repeatedly
a) Encourage her to think positively and pull e) Hearing a voice in his head warning him
herself together as teaching is such a reward- about unpaid bills.
ing and important profession

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 CHAPTER

9 Chronic Illness and

its Management in
General Practice

■■ Tripartite approach to chronic illness care ■■ Summary points

■■ The patient ■■ References
■■ The population ■■ Further reading
■■ The disease ■■ Single best answer questions

Most chronic illnesses present the patient with a tough challenge. Usually the challenge can be lived with;
less often can it be overcome. The task that faces the doctor is also challenging. It requires technical expertise,
a personal partnership with the patient, and more recently acknowledgement of the need to deliver a service
to the whole population. For the modern general practitioner this implies a responsibility to all registered
patients.The treatment of chronic illness is helped by a keen grasp of the complex effects the illness has on
the individual. It also requires a clear structure within which effective and predictable long-term care can
be provided.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this chapter you will be able to:
■■ understand different chronic illnesses by type;
■■ understand the impact of chronic illness;

■■ describe five different illness models;

■■ know the prevalence and workload associated with the common chronic illnesses in primary care;

■■ understand the role of screening for chronic illness;

■■ construct a programme for the long-term management of common chronic illnesses.

Tripartite approach to chronic socio-economically deprived. It makes sense,

illness care therefore, to target efforts to improve the care of
diseases such as ischaemic heart disease, diabetes
The commonest cause of the deaths of most peo- mellitus and chronic obstructive pulmonary dis-
ple alive today will be a chronic illness. In most ease as closely as possible to those at greatest risk.
cases this illness could have been postponed, at Chronic illness care presents a dilemma for gen-
least, if not prevented. Most chronic illnesses eral practitioners (GPs) and primary care teams.
should be better managed. The key to improv- Can the ethos of personal care, which has been at
ing chronic illness management lies in systematic the core of general practice throughout the twen-
structured care or what has been proposed as the tieth century, be maintained in an environment
Chronic Care Model (Wagner et al., 2001). The that also demands precise disease management
risk of ill-health or death from chronic illness var- skills and the delivery of national strategies to
ies amongst different groups in a population. The local populations (van Lieshout et al., 2011)? A
risk is often greater amongst those who are more tripartite approach to the care of chronic illness

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 172 CHRONIC ILLNESS AND ITS MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Personal care Population care

Doctor–patient relationship Patient registers
Promoting self-management Delivery of national strategies
Specialist witness Primary–secondary care interface
Interpretation of illness experience Local population targets
Integration of complex needs

Disease management skills

Structured care
Setting appropriate targets
Personal follow-up Figure 9.1 A tripartite
Multidisciplinary care model of chronic
illness management
in primary care.

is now essential in primary care (Figure 9.1). limited in time. So the realization that the illness
Personal care must be integrated with a popula- might be here to stay or might come and go is
tion strategy. In both of these the achievement of one of the first hurdles to address in coming to
high-quality chronic illness management depends terms with chronic illness. ‘Surely, with the right
on excellent disease management skills. treatment this illness can be cured?’ the rheuma-
In this chapter, the management of chronic toid arthritis patient might reasonably ask. Such
illness is considered first from the point of view reasoning might continue: ‘After all, if you doc-
of the person with the disease. The population tors can transplant hearts, and diagnose disease
statistics of the major chronic illnesses and their in babies in the womb, you must be able to treat
impact are then examined. The chapter ends my arthritis.’
with a detailed presentation of structured care The advances of modern medicine have done
and the strategies available to GPs in delivering more to help us understand chronic illnesses than
high-quality chronic illness care to all the patients to relieve or cure them. This may be bewildering
registered with them. to patients who develop a chronic illness. They
may have to compare the relative impotence of
The patient modern medicine in the face of their illness with
the dramatic improvements achieved in such
When chronic illness presents fields as microsurgery or the relative control of the
When a chronic illness is diagnosed, the possible great killers of the past such as tuberculosis and
consequences of the illness and of its treatment other major infections. They have to face the fact
will be apparent to the doctor. The patient may that chronic illnesses remain a common burden in
have little sense of what lies ahead. Although our society. Doctors can help them to understand
chronic illnesses become chronic with time, they chronic illness, and can help to limit its intrusion
often start out as ‘chronic’ to the doctor. Asthma, into their lives, but for the most part chronic ill-
diabetes and hypertension are good examples. For nesses cannot be cured, and it is one of the duties
patients, on the other hand, most illnesses gener- of doctors to help patients to come to terms with
ally start as acute illnesses, and are expected to be their illnesses, rather than to reject or deny them.

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 The patient 173

Chronic illness by type eases also. However, where there is a realistic and
reasonable hope of cure or sustained remission
One of the defining features of many common following a course of treatment, the approach and
chronic illnesses is that they are diseases of proc- attitude of the doctor and the patient are likely to
ess or processes rather than disorders of struc- be influenced by this expectation.
ture. Typical examples of this type of chronic Between these two poles of chronic illness lie a
illness include asthma, hypertension, rheumatoid number of illnesses for which there are effective
arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and schizo- treatments but whose treatments need to be taken
phrenia. A shared aspect of these diseases is the continuously. Examples of these are Addison’s
diffuseness of the disordered process in the tissue disease, hypothyroidism, idiopathic atrial fibrilla-
or system. In asthma there is a complex inflam- tion, myasthenia gravis and pernicious anaemia.
matory response in the airways that may continue The treatment of these diseases is more predict-
long after symptoms appear to have resolved. In ably effective. The diseases mentioned in this
hypertension there is a generalized over-pressu- group are specific deficiency or function disorders
rizing of the arterial system that may be chemi- that can be treated either by replacing the defi-
cally or humorally mediated through the central ciency or by correcting the disordered function.
barometer of arterial pressure or through the By comparison with the first group of diseases,
peripheral baroreceptors. In rheumatoid arthritis they are simple diseases.
there is an over-reaction of the immune system in Three categories of chronic illness have been
which the synovium of the joint is confused with identified here, according to responsiveness to
foreign matter and is attacked. In inflammatory treatment. The three categories are used in Table
bowel disease the immune system again reacts 9.1 to classify some of the more common chronic
inappropriately and attacks the bowel endothe- illnesses seen in Western Europe.
lium in similar fashion. In schizophrenia there
appears to be a diffuse deficiency or imbalance in The impact of chronic illness
one or more neurotransmitters in the brain, with The development of a chronic illness may have
resulting disorganization of intellect and emotion. a profound effect on the patient’s life through
In each of these diseases, the process whose morbidity (symptoms and interference with the
failure is causing the signs and symptoms of the activities of daily living), disability, handicap,
disease is spread throughout the tissue or sys- impairment, interference with personal relation-
tem. It cannot be removed surgically, and can- ships, loss of confidence, loss of earnings, loss
not easily be overridden through a chemical or of self-image, and stigma. In order to be able to
humoral switch. In all of them the underlying respond appropriately to the needs of the patient,
disorder is complex and usually beyond the reach the doctor has to understand how the illness
of the drugs at our disposal. But in all of them we is affecting the particular patient and how the
can exert some influence on how the disease is patient sees the problem. Mrs B’s situation is a
expressed in most patients. good example.
These illnesses contrast with another group of
illnesses which are also chronic either in their Case Study 9.1
development or in their impact but which are Mrs B is the head teacher of a primary school
more amenable to one-off treatments offering in Central London. She is 52 years old and has
long-term relief. These more ‘amenable’ diseases smoked all her adult life. Last year she came to
are distinguished by either the relative simplic- see her GP, Dr A, with a bad attack of bronchitis.
ity of the disease process or their limited extent She was told by her doctor that it was likely she
within the body. Examples include atheroma of had asthma in addition to her bronchitis. Dr A
the coronary arteries, benign hypertrophy of the prescribed an antibiotic for the bronchitis and
prostate, cataracts of the eyes, osteoarthritis of the an inhaler for the asthma. Mrs B disagreed with
hips and peptic ulceration. The approaches out- the diagnosis of asthma and took the antibiotics
lined in this chapter may be suitable for these dis- only. Within about two weeks, she was much bet-

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 174 CHRONIC ILLNESS AND ITS MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Table 9.1 Common chronic illnesses categorized by responsiveness to treatment

Difficult to treat Treatable – one stop Treatable – continuous
Asthma Coronary atheroma Addison’s disease
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Hypothyroidism Cataract of eye
Diabetes mellitus Osteoarthritis of hips/knees Depression
Hypertension Peptic ulceration Epilepsy
Inflammatory bowel disease Prostate hypertrophy (benign)
Multiple sclerosis Idiopathic atrial fibrillation
Osteoarthritis Manic–depressive psychosis
Parkinson’s disease Myasthenia gravis
Rheumatoid arthritis Pernicious anaemia
Schizophrenia

ter and felt vindicated in her opinion about the taken into account in the doctor’s decision mak-
asthma. She continued to have difficulty climb- ing. This is especially true in chronic illness.
ing the stairs to the third floor at the top of the
school but put it down to the ravages of age and Case Study 9.1 (continued)
cigarettes. Her peak flow when Dr A measured it Dr A told Mrs B that she was very pleased that the
in her surgery was 240 L/min. It should have been peak flow test was now much better and asked Mrs
480 L/min. B how the inhaler had worked. Mrs B blushed and
When Dr A saw Mrs B six months later with said that she had not used the inhaler but that the
osteoarthritis in her knee, Dr A took the oppor- antibiotics had made her chest much better in a
tunity to repeat her peak flow test. This time it matter of 10 days. Dr A then asked Mrs B if her
was 375 L/min. With a 56 per cent improvement, chest caused her any difficulty now. Mrs B said,
reversibility was demonstrated and Dr A knew ‘None at all except that I get short of breath climb-
that the diagnosis of asthma was correct. ing the stairs at school.’ Dr A said she thought
that might be due to her asthma. Mrs B frowned
and said that she didn’t have asthma. She said she
Thinking and Discussion Point knew what asthma was from her own daughter’s
experience of asthma and she certainly did not
What do you think Dr A should do now? Should
have that.
she tell Mrs B that she has asthma? How would
Mrs B best be helped in her current situation?
Thinking and Discussion Point
If we are ever in doubt as to how we should
Dr A has a dilemma. Should she pursue the issue
approach a tricky situation with a patient, it is
of the asthma now or wait until the problem
useful to ask ourselves what we would want if we
recurs and deal with it then? Dr A decided to
were in the patient’s shoes. Sometimes the answer
leave the asthma for now and get on with the
to that question is that the doctor should take over
management of the arthritis in Mrs B’s knee.
and simply tell the patient what to do. In acute
appendicitis, for example, the patient does not
usually want to get into much discussion about When there appears to be a conflict between
what should be done. More often than not, how- the view of the patient and the view of the doctor,
ever, patients would like to have the opportunity it is sometimes because each is approaching the
to express their own views and to have those views problem from a different perspective. Patients’

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 The population 175

priorities are often different from those of doc- needed because a patient is requesting frequent
tors. The patient may accept different degrees of repeat prescriptions of short-acting beta-agonist
illness or disability depending on what has to be inhalers without using any ‘preventer’ inhaled
gained or sacrificed in undertaking a particular steroid inhalers.
treatment. For example, a doctor’s desire to con- In considering the approach that a medical
trol hypertension by prescribing drugs to be taken practice might take to serving its registered popu-
every day may be unacceptable to a man for whom lation, it is useful to think of the models of illness
illness represents moral frailty and for whom that might underpin the thinking behind such
medication represents capitulation to that frailty. a strategy. This is in turn could help a practice
Patients sometimes feel isolated by their ill- to design the approach it wanted to use and the
nesses. They may feel isolated because family and structure of the service it developed.
friends do not or cannot understand what it is like
to have the illness, or they may feel stigmatized by Models of illness
their disability or appearance. The doctor may be Five different illness models have been proposed
in a special position with the patient with a chron- by Memel (1996) to explore the experience of
ic illness, acting as what Heath (1996) has called a chronic illness and the role and function of doc-
‘specialist witness’ and also as a specialist ‘inter- tors who work with people who have chronic
preter’ of the illness experience. The experience of diseases. These models demonstrate how the per-
chronic illness provokes complex reactions. The ception of chronic illness can vary, and how
feelings and ideas generated sometimes have to be the patient and the doctor may often approach
worked through carefully in order that emotional the problem of chronic illness very differently
blocks to effective treatment can be overcome and (Table 9.2).
that action to avoid secondary complications can
be taken.
Thinking and Discussion Point
The population As you read the short summaries of each model,
reflect on your own viewpoint. Is there anything
The sensitivity that Dr A showed in her manage-
new here? Are you thinking on more than one
ment of her patient should be matched in modern
level at any time? What is the patient’s angle,
practice by a strategy that addresses the needs of
and is it reflected in the model?
the population as a whole. With the electronic
patient record it is relatively easy to list all the
asthmatics on Dr A’s register and to identify The medical model is the traditional starting
those whose treatment needs to be reviewed. A point of doctors. This model assumes that the
review may be needed because asthma control main variable in a chronic illness is the disease
is inadequate, seen for example from evidence itself and that all patients are much the same when
of admissions to hospital. Or a review may be it comes to considering the disease. The medical

Table 9.2 Attributes of the five illness models

Models of illness
Medical Functional Social Sociological Biopsychosocial
Doctor-centred
Patient-centred
Multi-
dimensional
Technical
Professional

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 176 CHRONIC ILLNESS AND ITS MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

model has been essential to the development of for, but their needs and opinions are sought out.
medical science. It encourages the recognition One problem associated with the social model of
of patterns of disease and patterns of response chronic illness is the tendency to adopt a global
to treatment. If there are differences between view of disability and impairment and handicap.
patients, then, according to the medical model, The effect of such simplification is to emphasize
the differences that count are more likely to be the visible elements of disability such as paralysis,
aspects of the disease than aspects of the patient or blindness or deafness, and to underestimate the
his or her environment. The chief concerns within less visible aspects of chronic diseases such as
this model of seeing illness are medical and tech- chronic schizophrenia and learning disorders.
nical. The patient’s presentation and experience The sociological model of chronic illness con-
are interpreted in terms of disease patterns. In trasts with the first three models described here
medical practice, the effect of this model can make in being concerned with observing and describing
patients feel like outsiders to the management of the experience of people with chronic illness rath-
their own illnesses. er than defining a specialized framework within
The functional model of illness is concerned with which to categorize chronic illness. Medical soci-
how the patient copes with his or her everyday ologists have explored both the meaning and
life. This model contrasts with the medical model themes evident in the life experience of peo-
in being person-orientated rather than disease- ple with chronic illness and the perspectives of
orientated. Its aim is to look at functional ability the professionals who work with sufferers. Bury
such as mobility, self-care, social integration and (1982) has proposed the idea of ‘biographical
independence, and to consider the impact of disruption’, which follows the onset of chronic ill-
symptoms. However, it is similar to the medical ness. The patient has to review his or her identity
model in being centred on the concerns of the that has been so altered by becoming someone
professionals, because the assumption inherent with a disease or disability. The concept of bio-
in this model is that the definition of functional graphical disruption is a powerful aid to doctors,
ability is a technical one. Nonetheless, functional who are usually the ones who have to label the
scales provide an assessment of the illness that is onset of the chronic illness. By being sensitive to
patient-centred in its orientation, and that assess- the potential disturbance and disorientation that
ment may be more accessible to the patient than can follow the diagnosis of a chronic illness, the
one based purely on the medical model. doctor can promote the acknowledgement and
The social model considers the disease from the resolution of some of the conflicts that the onset
viewpoint of social organization and the society of the illness will inevitably provoke. It was the
in which the individual resides. It is concerned sociological model that encouraged the explora-
with the influences of society on the individual. tion of the ways in which the doctor–patient rela-
It interprets the illness and its consequences in tionship can promote or hinder effective diagnosis
terms of the limitations which society imposes on and treatment. The sociological model is a model
the individual. Thus the social model addresses for understanding chronic illness, not for manag-
the effects of chronic illness in terms of social ing or controlling it.
disadvantage. The dimensions of the social impact The biopsychosocial model was developed to
of chronic illness are broad and include financial explain how the impact of chronic illness can
penalties for individuals and their families, access operate at several levels at once. It embodies an
to employment, access to education and training, holistic approach that encourages the doctor and
and access to recreation and the arts. A particular the patient to look at the process of the disease
advantage of this model is the emphasis it places and its physical, psychological and social effects
on the patient’s viewpoint. In most areas of public simultaneously. In the General Medical Council’s
and social service, and increasingly in the com- document Tomorrow’s doctors, published first in
mercial world as well, there is an awareness of 1993 and most recently updated in 2009, every
the needs of people with disabilities. Customers medical school in the UK has been charged with
and clients with disabilities are not only catered ensuring that the holism of the biopsychosocial

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 The population 177

model is demonstrable throughout undergraduate sure about the diagnosis of asthma in older peo-
medical training. As this is achieved, the medical, ple and in children. Having the label of asthma
functional and social models of illness will become can get patients onto the fast track to treatment.
less conspicuous in the teaching and practice Achieving a compromise with the patient may
of medicine. ultimately ensure that the relationship between
These models of illness provide a key to ana- the doctor and the patient is one that promotes
lysing how patients, doctors and society might the best disease management.
respond to chronic illness. In Mrs B’s case, there
was a clear difference between the patient’s and Chronic illness facts and figures
the doctor’s views. Chronic illnesses are relatively common and com-
prise a substantial part of the work of GPs (see
Case Study 9.1 (continued) Chapter 7 on common illnesses). They are also
major components of the work of specialists in
Six months later, Mrs B developed another attack
internal medicine. In some areas, such as rheu-
of bronchitis and came to see Dr A again. This
matology, they are the backbone of the discipline.
time her peak flow was 200 L/min and she was
There are three main sources of our knowl-
having considerable difficulty climbing the stairs
edge of the prevalence and impact of chronic
at school. Even before the infection, she had been
illnesses in the UK. The first is the General
scheduling her visits to the classrooms on the top
Lifestyle Survey (GLS, formerly known as the
floor so that she could get up there in stages. Dr
General Household Survey), which is conducted
A prescribed the antibiotics again and once more
by the Office for National Statistics (formerly the
raised the question of asthma. Mrs B was adamant
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys) and is
that it was not asthma. She did agree to try to
reported annually (Office for National Statistics,
stop smoking. Dr A persuaded her to use a steroid
2010). The second source is the NHS Information
inhaler for her chest. ‘I don’t mind what I take so
Centre which presents annually the results of the
long as you don’t call it asthma,’ Mrs B declared.
Quality and Outcomes Framework element of
Dr A never found out why Mrs B was so adamant
the General Practitioners’ Contract (www.ic.nhs.
to avoid the diagnosis of asthma. She was pre-
uk/). This latter instrument reports on the preva-
pared to work on Mrs B’s terms so long as she
lence and process of care of a limited number of
could get Mrs B to try the asthma treatment. Mrs
chronic illnesses, including coronary heart disease,
B found the inhaler a great help.
hypertension, diabetes mellitus, asthma, chronic
There are several advantages to the position obstructive pulmonary disease and epilepsy. A
adopted by Dr A. She has made it clear to Mrs more detailed analysis of morbidity statistics used
B that she was on her side and prepared to com- to be carried out jointly at the time of the national
promise in tackling the illness. It may be that the census by the Office for National Statistics and the
prospect of the diagnosis of asthma was unaccept- Royal College of General Practitioners. The last
able to Mrs B for what it meant to her self-image time this was produced was in 1995 (McCormick
as a headmistress or for its implications about her et al., 1995) and the figures are now out of date.
future health. Whatever the reason, Dr A succeed- They do provide the most detailed analysis of
ed in prescribing the treatment and engaging Mrs morbidity data in general practice ever collected,
B in a dialogue about her breathlessness. In the and remain an important reference point.
longer term, this approach will have given Mrs B The final and most accurate source of epidemio-
confidence in raising other difficult health issues. logical data on chronic illness comes from specific
The disadvantage of not naming asthma is that it epidemiological studies. These are carried out in
may lead to delay in obtaining the right treatment distinct populations among people whose names
if attacks of asthma were to occur in the future. are drawn from the electoral register or from com-
Failure to agree the diagnosis of asthma may make plete population lists such as GPs’ patient lists.
subsequent discussion of Mrs B’s breathlessness In the UK more than 99 per cent of the popula-
unduly complex. It is sometimes difficult to be tion is registered with a GP so GPs’ registers are

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 178 CHRONIC ILLNESS AND ITS MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

likely to be good sources of epidemiological statis- time or that is likely to affect you over a period
tics. In epidemiological studies specific diagnostic of time.)’ Yes: 31 per cent.
definitions and tests are used to identify ‘cases’ ■■ ‘Does this illness or disability (these illnesses
and to determine prevalence and severity. There or disabilities) limit your activities in any way?’
are likely to be significant differences between Yes: 19 per cent.
prevalences on GPs’ lists and prevalences in epi-
In Table 9.3 we have compared the ‘prev-
demiological studies, not only because definitions
alence’ figures derived from the Quality and
used in practice are likely to differ from epide-
Outcomes Framework of the contract for General
miological studies but also because patients may
Practitioners in England in 2009–2010 with preva-
only present to their GP when a disease becomes
lence figures derived from a variety of recent epi-
symptomatic even when they have had the disease
demiological studies (Ashworth and Krodowicz,
for some time according to agreed definitions
2010). These studies reported the prevalence of the
(Nacul et al., 2011).
diseases referred to in different areas of England
The answers obtained in the General Lifestyle
and Wales and in different population groups.
Survey help to paint the picture of chronic ill-
ness as a common significant problem experi-
enced throughout the population in all ages and Thinking and Discussion Point
social groups.
The following questions were asked in the ■■ Do these figures contain any surprises? Did
General Lifestyle Survey in 2009 (Office for you think ischaemic heart disease was more
National Statistics, 2010). About 15000 people common?
aged 16 years and over in 8206 households took ■■ Did you expect hypertension to be the com-
part (response rate 73 per cent). monest of the chronic diseases?

■■ ‘Do you have any longstanding illness or dis-

ability or infirmity? (By longstanding I mean It is clear from the Table 9.3 that in the diseases
anything that has troubled you over a period of for which there is a general practice diagnostic

Table 9.3 Chronic disease prevalences identified in epidemiological studies, current diagnostic
prevalences (where available) from data collected for the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF)
of the GP contract, and estimated number of cases in each category seen by a GP per year
Disease Epidemiological Diagnostic or consultation Cases/GP per year
prevalence (%) prevalence QOF (%)
Asthma 6.5 5.8 86
Hypertension 35 11.4 200
Backache 4.0 – 80
Osteoarthritis 3.0 – 60
Ischaemic heart disease 3 3.7 34
Chronic obstructive 3.5 1.65 24
pulmonary disease
Diabetes mellitus 3.0 2.1 22
Cerebrovascular disease 1.0 1.5 20
Epilepsy 0.5 0.6    8
Alcohol-related disorders 0.2 –    4
Schizophrenia 0.150 –    5
Multiple sclerosis 0.09 –    2

Number of cases likely to be registered with a GP in one year have been computed from epidemiological studies where available or
from the United Kingdom NHS Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF).

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 The population 179

prevalence the true prevalence is higher than the Make sure you include combination inhalers
prevalence estimated from reported consulta- such as salmeterol + fluticasone, formoterol
tions. It appears that a number of patients in these + budesonide, formoterol + beclometasone.
categories of disease do not consult their GP at ❏❏ Epilepsy: carbamazepine, clobazam, clon-
all, or do not have their disease recorded by their azepam, eslicarbazepine, ethosuximide,
GP. What explanations could there be for this gabapentin, kufinamide, lacosamide, lamo-
discrepancy? trigine, oxcarbazepine, phenobarbitone,
phenytoin, pregabalin, primidone, tiagab-
ine, topiramate, (sodium) valproate, viga-
Practical Exercise batrin, zonisamide.
When you have obtained the lists of patients
If you are currently attached to a primary care with asthma and of patients on an asthma
team, you may wish to discuss with your tutor drug, and the lists of patients with epilepsy and
the following exercise. This exercise is best car- patients on an anticonvulsant, compare the
ried out within the practice. It requires you to total numbers in each. Why are these numbers
investigate the practice disease register which different? What percentages of the total practice
is likely to be a computer list based on the elec- patient list are patients with asthma and patients
tronic patient register. You should also investi- with epilepsy? How do they compare to the per-
gate a prescription listing from the computer to centages in Table 9.3? What explanation can you
identify patients whose names have been missed offer for the differences?
from the disease register.
Questions to consider:
❏❏ How many patients are listed in your prac-
tice with asthma? Undetected and unseen chronic disease
❏❏ How many patients are listed in your prac- A reasonable interpretation of the discrepancy
tice with epilepsy? between the diagnostic or consultation prevalence
If your practice is computerized, ask the prac- figures (i.e. based on the GP contract reporting)
tice manager or computer manager if lists can and the epidemiological prevalence figures in
be generated based on these two diagnoses. Table 9.3 is that some people with chronic ill-
Ask also for a list of all patients for whom an nesses either do not attend their GPs at all in the
asthma drug has been prescribed and a list of course of a year or have never had their disease
all patients for whom an anticonvulsant has detected. In the cases of diabetes and epilepsy,
been prescribed. Use the two lists of drugs for this discrepancy can be nearly 50 per cent (Jacoby
asthma and epilepsy below. Your tutor will tell et al., 1996; Holman et al., 2011). What does this
you which drugs are never prescribed for the mean? There are a number of possible explana-
practice’s patients and which can be ignored. tions. Some patients attend hospital clinics, rarely
Don’t forget to add to the list the brand names if ever see their GP, and do not have their names
for these drugs if they are supported by your entered in the GP’s register. Some patients have
computer. Check in your local formulary (e.g. diseases that are asymptomatic. Some patients
British National Formulary – BNF) and branded would rather have symptoms than have any con-
product list (e.g. Monthly Index of Medical tact with doctors and their devices! And some
Specialties – MIMS) for new medications not patients think that nothing can be done about
included in these lists. their symptoms so why attend the GP anyway?
❏❏ Asthma: aminophylline, bambuterol, A GP in the UK is likely to see more than 75
beclomethasone, budesonide, cromoglycate, per cent of the patients registered on his or her
eformoterol, formoterol, fenoterol, flutica- list in one year, according to the General Lifestyle
sone, ipratropium, ketotifen, montelukast, Survey. This means that about 25 per cent of
nedocromil, salbutamol, salmeterol, terbu- patients will not attend in any one year. Because
taline, theophylline, tiotropium, zafirlukast. patients with diagnosed diseases are more likely

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 180 CHRONIC ILLNESS AND ITS MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

to attend than those without, the proportion of diabetes, asthma, epilepsy and chronic obstructive
people who do not attend is probably much less pulmonary disease.
than 25 per cent in the case of most people with Epilepsy is a little different. Epilepsy is not
known chronic illness. However, some patients asymptomatic, yet it is easy to ignore for both
with chronic illness who do attend their GP may patients and doctors. Take the case of Mr O, a
not attend to discuss the chronic disease in ques- fourth-year medical student.
tion, and therefore the disease may not appear in
the consultation statistics. Case Study 9.2
There is a problem in addition with the detec- Mr O, a 24-year-old medical student, had had
tion of certain chronic illnesses. Some chron- epilepsy since he was 18 years old. On the night
ic diseases are symptomless throughout their he had his first fit he had just finished his ‘A’ level
course until complications occur. Two examples exams and had driven two of his friends to an end-
of this problem are hypertension and non-insulin- of-year party. He had had his driving licence for
dependent diabetes mellitus. Almost all published four months. It was an all-night party, but because
studies of hypertension prevalence have shown Mr O was driving, he didn’t drink any alcohol. At
that hypertension is detected in only 50 per cent about 5 in the morning, Mr O was dancing when
of those people who actually have hypertension he had a grand mal fit that lasted for about 2
for which treatment is indicated. Recently, there minutes. Following assessment at an accident and
has been a marked increase in the recording of emergency department that night, he attended
blood pressure in primary care in the UK, due to the neurology outpatients. Six months later, he
the linking of GPs’ incomes with specific chronic had two further fits and was started on phenytoin
disease service targets. So the detection of raised capsules. No cause was found for the fits and Mr
blood pressure may have increased. In the mean- O was in every other way in good health.
time, the low detection rates up to now of diseases Mr O attended the neurology clinic regularly for
for which there are effective interventions serve the first 2 years, but he continued to have a fit
to show that it cannot be left entirely to the indi- once every six months or so and got fed up seeing
vidual to request screening tests for symptomless the doctors. He simply obtained his prescription
diseases if we want to reduce the morbidity which from his GP and kept taking the tablets regularly.
these diseases cause. At this stage he had finished his first 2 years in
To complicate matters further, there is now medical school. His GP assumed he was still
concern that hypertension is over-diagnosed by attending the neurologists and he assumed the GP
physicians because of isolated elevations of blood knew he was not.
pressure in their consulting rooms, called ‘white
coat hypertension’. It is not yet clear if white coat There is good evidence that both patients and
hypertension (where 24-hour ambulatory blood doctors have low expectations for epilepsy, even
pressure is normal) carries added cardiovascular though research has shown that it can be com-
risk, but the diagnosis of hypertension does require pletely controlled in more than 80 per cent of
surveillance of asymptomatic adults using explicit patients by taking only one drug (Shorvon et al.,
guidelines (see British Hypertension Society at 1978). It may be an aspect of the stigma associated
www.hyp.ac.uk/bhs/). Diabetes is another dis- with epilepsy that sufferers do not attend doctors,
ease that is asymptomatic in the early stages and for they do not attend neurologists any more than
in which early treatment can forestall the onset they attend their GPs.
of complications. In both of these diseases, the
rewards of effective detection are tangible. This is Case Study 9.2 (continued)
the argument for screening in chronic illness and It came as something of a surprise to Mr O, when
it is why the UK National Health Service (NHS) he was placed finally in the neurology depart-
has made part of the GPs’ income dependent on ment of his medical school, to learn that amongst
them achieving certain minimum targets in the people with epilepsy his epilepsy treatment was
care of ischaemic heart disease, hypertension, poor. To be taught by the consultant whose clinic

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 The population 181

he attended as a patient that the great majority of ischaemic heart disease who happen to attend
epileptics should be controlled free of fits was gall- for whatever reason).
ing. On the one hand, he was his own worst enemy
In most chronic illnesses, population screening
by not attending the clinic, but he could not recall
is not carried out because the resources to do it are
hearing that his epilepsy should be completely
simply not available. Furthermore, it is not clear
controlled. Mr O was effectively treated eventu-
that the rewards to patients and society would jus-
ally, his convulsions were completely controlled,
tify the inconvenience and costs. In a disease such
and he regained his driving licence. Without a
as hypertension, in which up to 50 per cent of
driving licence, he would have had difficulty prac-
cases go undetected, a more acceptable approach
tising as a GP, which is the career in medicine he
is to screen once a year all adults over the age of
had chosen.
30 who attend the surgery. Since, in the UK, about
75 per cent of people attend their GP once a year
and 97 per cent attend every 5 years, opportunistic
Thinking and Discussion Point screening seems to most GPs a more suitable way
of screening for hypertension.
As a GP, how could Mr O go about ensuring
Most chronic illnesses cannot be detected by
that other sufferers from epilepsy had a better
screening because there is not a screening test for
deal than him?
the disease which is specific and sensitive enough.
Chronic diseases or chronic disease risk factors
for which effective screening can be carried out
Screening and surveillance of chronic disease include diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyper­
lipidaemia and chronic renal failure.
Screening
It is apparent from the unsatisfactory detection
of hypertension and non-insulin-dependent dia- Thinking and Discussion Point
betes mellitus that screening of these diseases is
Asthma is a common disease, affecting more
needed. But how should this be carried out? Two
than 25 per cent of the population in the course
principles are paramount (Hart, 1975; Sackett and
of their lives and more than 6.5 per cent of the
Holland, 1975):
population at any point in time. Can you think
■■ The screening test should be specific enough of a screening test for asthma? This test, if it is
to ensure that the number of false positives to be used, has to be sensitive enough to detect
(positive test but no disease) is manageable, and most cases of asthma (e.g. at least 75 per cent)
sensitive enough to give confidence that most and specific enough not to have too many false
actual cases are detected. positives (e.g. 25 per cent or more). (See the end
■■ The disease or risk factor detected should be of the chapter for a discussion of this question.)
amenable to prevention or treatment.
There are two approaches to screening in gen-
eral practice: population screening and opportun- Surveillance
istic screening. Having detected hypertension, what should the
GP or practice nurse do?
■■ In population screening, the screening test is
offered to the whole population being screened
(e.g. letters of invitation for cervical smear to all Practical Exercise
women aged 25–64 years).
If you are currently attached to a primary care
■■ In opportunistic screening, the test is offered
team, you might discuss the following exercise
to members of the group to be screened who
with your GP tutor. Compare your findings with
happen to present at the surgery (e.g. choles-
the advice given by the British Hypertension
terol testing of all adults with a family history of

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 182 CHRONIC ILLNESS AND ITS MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Practical Exercise continued The disease

Society in their guidelines for the management Agreeing the management plan
of hypertension (www.hyp.ac.uk/bhs/). How far doctors and nurses should go in ensuring
Ask your tutor to identify for you five patients patients attend for treatment and comply with
with established hypertension. Obtain the medi- the treatment advised is a matter for debate. At
cal records for these patients and record for each the beginning, the patient with a chronic illness
of them the following information: should be asked what he or she expects from the
❏❏ date of detection of hypertension, primary care team and the patient should be told
❏❏ reason for recording of blood pressure at what the primary care team expects from him or
time of detection, her. There should follow a degree of negotiation
❏❏ date of commencement of treatment, in which a plan is agreed between the patient and
❏❏ number of blood pressure recordings the primary care team and, if possible, this should
between first detection and start of treat- be written down. If the primary care team has a
ment, structure for managing chronic illness, the patient
❏❏ number of changes of treatment since first should be informed about it. Without a structure,
detection, the management of chronic illness is very much
❏❏ number of blood pressure recordings per a hit-and-miss affair. How would you approach
year since detection, Mrs G, whose story follows?
❏❏ investigations carried out since first detec-
tion. Case Study 9.3
Discuss the findings with your tutor and ask Mrs G is 71 and has had insulin-dependent dia-
his or her opinion on the representativeness of betes mellitus for the last 10 years. She lives alone
your findings of blood pressure management in in sheltered accommodation in London, all the
the practice. rest of her family having moved to the USA. She
has recently developed a neuropathic ulcer in her
right foot and is unable to come to the surgery.
She has macular degeneration of the retina and
In addition to the 50 per cent of people with her visual acuity is limited to 6/12 on both sides.
hypertension who are undetected, only about 50 Her diabetes is poorly controlled and her last gly-
per cent of those with detected hypertension for cosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) was 12.2 per cent
which treatment is indicated are actually on treat- (desirable <7 per cent).
ment. Furthermore, only 50 per cent of those on
treatment are on adequate treatment. These three
observations make up what has become known as Thinking and Discussion Point
the rule of halves in hypertension. Their signifi-
cance lies in showing that not only is it necessary How would you organize Mrs G’s care? What
to detect hypertension, but also that its ongoing services should be provided at home and what
treatment demands careful surveillance by the should be provided in hospital or other health
primary care team. It is hard to decide whether service centres?
this performance in hypertension care is simply
the best that can be achieved in a symptomless
condition in which patient motivation is low, or The main challenge in Mrs G’s case is to pro-
whether it reflects poor management by the pri- vide effective care at home. She has advanced
mary care team. It is up to primary care teams to diabetes, with probable involvement of the vasa
ensure that they provide the highest possible qual- nervorum of her foot causing her neuropathy.
ity of care. Often patient attendance and uptake of Her diabetes is out of control and she is enter-
the service will remain low despite the best efforts ing a rapid downward spiral. It is likely that in
of the primary care team. becoming housebound she has lost contact with

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 The disease 183

the services for her diabetes and is now at risk of are carried out and to act as the main point of con-
a major infection or acute ischaemia of her feet tact of the patient with the care team. The CPA is
or vital organs. now enshrined in UK Government Statute. There
Does she need to see a diabetologist to give is much about the CPA which is reflected in for-
advice on her insulin? Is the chiropodist attend- mal, structured care of chronic illness in general
ing her at home? Should she have the advice of practice, but the principle behind both is simple:
a neurologist about her peripheral neuropathy? people with chronic illness need clear objectives,
What about her eyes? Will active surveillance of clear leadership and a clearly identified key worker
her eyes prevent the additional insult of diabetic in the management of their illness.
retinopathy to add to her senile macular degen-
eration? Is she able to draw up her own insulin?
Who is dressing her ulcer? What aids would Structured care of chronic illness
help at home? When was the last time her renal In the section that follows, the various elements
function was checked? Is she getting meals on of the structured care of chronic illness are out-
wheels? Could she attend a day centre for elderly lined. It is not necessary for all elements of this
people? programme to be included in every case of chronic
Mrs G’s situation is not unusual. The role of illness care. It would be wise to ask: ‘If they are
the primary care team is to coordinate her care, not included, would the care be better with them
and one member should take the lead. A case than without?’
conference with other members of the community The goal of providing high-quality care to a
health and social services, if not also the diabetic population of patients should not conflict with
team, may be especially useful. Many hospital the GP’s primary aim of serving patients within a
diabetic teams have the capacity for nursing out- personal relationship that extends over time and
reach and community-based diabetic teams are across consultations. In a now celebrated clinical
an increasing feature of NHS care. Support in the trial in diabetes care, Kinmonth and colleagues
community of people like Mrs G is probably the (1998) found specific disease-related outcomes
ideal to be sought, but there is no reason why she were worse among GPs who had undertaken
should not attend the diabetic clinic in the first training in a more person-centred approach than
instance if she is not already doing so. among those who continued with routine care.
Mrs G needs an explicit plan of care in which They pointed out the need for those who are
the roles of the various healthcare professionals committed to more person-centred consulting
are stated and she knows what to expect from also to keep their focus on disease management.
whom. The primary care team should be able to Structured care of chronic illness is designed to
assess their own performance in delivering serv- ensure that disease management goals are kept to
ices to people like Mrs G to ensure that patients the fore.
do not fall through the net of services. What is The idea behind structured care is that of a
required is structured care of her illness. safety net which operates at a number of different
In major psychiatric illness, formal care in levels. It begins at a population level, promoting a
the community occurs under the title of The systematic approach to the population or disease
Care Programme Approach (CPA; Department of group under consideration. It should define the
Health and Social Security, 1990). The CPA was goals of management, who is responsible for car-
introduced in the UK in 1991 in response to grow- rying it out and what the management approach
ing concern about the care of mentally ill people will consist of. It should address the resources
in the community. It promotes inter-professional that are required, the impact on other aspects of
collaboration and ensures that both psychiatric the service, and the systems that will be used to
and social needs are addressed. A key worker is serve the programme. Finally, it should include
appointed who may or may not have a role in the a process for reviewing the effectiveness of the
treatment of the patient. This person is responsi- programme and for making changes in response
ble both to ensure decisions made within the CPA to that review.

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 184 CHRONIC ILLNESS AND ITS MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

What population? maintenance of the disease and prescription

■■ What disease? This could be set by diagnostic registers, and the recall system?
■■ What clinical disciplines should be involved? A
criteria such as level of blood pressure or by
specific prescription such as anticonvulsant. dietician and chiropodist might be essential for
■■ What target population? Identify all those
diabetes mellitus.
known with the disease criterion. What resources are needed?
■■ Are the patients at risk being identified? Compare
the number known with the disease with the ■■ Personnel: doctor and nursing time, adminis-
number predicted from national figures for the trative support.
■■ Time: impact on existing general medical serv-
practice population size.
ices.
■■ Accommodation: e.g. room for nurses to run
What goals are set?
special clinics.
■■ Individual: What should each patient expect ■■ Equipment: e.g. blood glucose monitoring
from the treatment? For example, a hyper- equipment, placebo devices in asthma, choice
tensive might expect to have blood pressure of cuff sizes for sphygmomanometry.
controlled according to the guidelines of the ■■ Finance: cost of providing special equipment,
British Hypertension Society, or according to carrying out audit (potentially very expensive,
a practice-agreed derivative of those guide- depending on the extensiveness of data collec-
lines. tion and the existence of computerized clini-
■■ Group: What should be achieved with all known
cal records).
members of that disease group? For example,
the aim might be to review all asthma patients What information will be kept?
on inhaled steroids at least once a year. ■■ Computer systems: a modern prerequisite for
■■ Practice: What should the practice achieve in its
structured care of chronic illness. The manual
administration and management programme recording of disease and prescription registers
for the disease? In epilepsy, the aim might be to is almost unbearably tedious.
conduct a practice audit of epilepsy once a year, ■■ Manual systems: it can be done, but it is essen-
to review the epilepsy guidelines and protocol tial in establishing any programme of clinical
every 3 years, and to establish effective liaison care to ensure that the administrative system
with the local neurologist. serves the clinical objectives. If the system is
manual, it has to be kept as simple as possible
How will the programme be delivered? so that accurate and complete recording can
■■ Advertisement within the surgery: How will be achieved.
patients be informed of the service?
■■ Organization: Whether to run a service as part
How will the patients be reviewed?
of normal surgery consulting or to provide ■■ Establish a disease register: cross-check against
special disease-oriented sessions such as a dia- prescription register.
betic clinic. ■■ Establish a prescription register: cross-check
■■ Clinical leadership: Should this service be led by against disease register.
one of the doctors or one of the nurses or the ■■ Formal annual review: this may not be possible
manager or another team member? for all patients, so prioritize patients.
■■ Clinical care: Should the service be provided ■■ Recall systems: either from set recall mecha-
by all doctors and nurses (probably essential in nisms within a computerized record or from
asthma due to the numbers of asthmatics in the a manual card index or from repeat prescrip-
population) or by one or two interested clinical tions. Computerized repeat prescriptions may
staff (a more practical requirement for a less provide the easiest and most efficient access to
common disease such as epilepsy)? patients who need recall. Most NHS practices
■■ Administration: Who will be responsible for operate a repeat prescription system in which

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 Screening in asthma, yes or no? The answer! 185

patients are given access to a limited supply of ■■ Written protocols: Plans that are written down
repeat medication. The amount is determined are likely to be clearer and more realistic.
by the prescribing doctor during a clinical con- Agreements that are recorded can be chal-
sultation. Requests for repeat prescriptions that lenged and developed. Audit is made consider-
have not been authorized bring to the attention ably easier if the basis of what is being assessed
of the practice staff patients who should have has been recorded. New members of the team
attended but who have not. Reluctant patients will find it easier to take part in an enterprise
can be encouraged by the issuing of limited which requires collaboration if the purpose and
supplies of their drugs! method of the work have been written down.

Summarize into a protocol Ensure standards

■■ Team meetings: Structured care is best provided ■■ Audit: Self-review by the practice team of its
by a team in which each discipline can play to performance in the structured care of chronic
its strengths – doctors concentrate on medical illness is the best way of ensuring that change
care, nurses on nursing, managers on manag- and development take place. Audit requires
ing, and clerical staff on appointment systems, adequate resources to be carried out effectively.
records and filing. If structured care is to work, Under-resourced, it becomes a source of irrita-
all the desired action points have to be agreed tion. Properly prepared, it is encouraging and
by the relevant team members. promotes high quality.

Summary points
The most important messages of this chapter are as follows:
■■ Chronic illness is a major element of most areas of clinical medicine.
■■ Chronic illness is often detected or diagnosed late and then often under-treated.
■■ The impact of chronic illness is complex, and understanding chronic illness requires a model of illness
that takes into account the medical, functional, social and sociological aspects of the disease.
■■ Screening is essential in chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension, but does not have a place in
the detection of most chronic illnesses.
■■ The proper long-term management of all chronic illnesses requires a programme of formal structured
care involving multidisciplinary members of primary and secondary care teams.

Screening in asthma, yes or no? on two separate occasions or before and after
The answer! the administration of a bronchodilator. While
it is unlikely that all symptomatic asthmatics
The diagnostic criterion for asthma is variability are currently taking treatment, the first two
(or reversibility after administration of a principles of screening would nonetheless have
bronchodilator) in peak expiratory flow rate to be met. And since there is as yet no evidence
(PEFR) or in forced expiratory volume in the that screening for asthma would detect disease
first second (FEV1) of at least 20 per cent. Asthma for which treatment would be worth prescribing,
cannot be diagnosed on a single test. A screening there could be no justification for screening
test would therefore have to be applied either for asthma.

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 186 CHRONIC ILLNESS AND ITS MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

References
Ashworth, M. and Krodowicz, M. 2010: Quality and outcomes framework: time to take stock. British
Journal of General Practice 60(578), 637–8.
Bury, M. 1982: Chronic illness as biographical disruption. Sociology of Health and Illness 4.2, 167–82.
Department of Health and Social Security 1990: The care programme approach for people with a mental
illness referred to the specialist psychiatric services. HC(90)23/LASSL(90)11. London: HMSO.
Hart, J.T. 1975: Screening in primary care. In: Hart, C.R. (ed.) Screening in general practice. Edinburgh:
Churchill Livingstone, 17–29.
Heath, I. 1996: The mystery of general practice. Oxford: Nuffield Provincial Hospitals Trust.
Holman, N.F., Farouhi, N.G., Goyder, E. and Wild, S.H. 2011: The Association of Public Health
Observatories (APHO) diabetes prevalence model: estimates of total diabetes prevalence for England,
2010–2030. Diabetes in Medicine 28(5), 525–82.
Jacoby, A., Baker, G.A., Steen, N., Potts, P. and Chadwick, D.W. 1996: The clinical course of epilepsy and
its psychosocial correlates: findings from a UK community study. Epilepsia 37(2), 148–61.
Kinmonth, A.L., Woodcock, A., Griffin, S., Spiegal, N. and Campbell, M.J. 1998: Randomised control-
led trial of patient centred care of diabetes in general practice: impact on current wellbeing and future
disease risk. British Medical Journal 17(7167), 1202–8.
McCormick, A., Fleming, D. and Charlton, J., Royal College of General Practitioners, Office of
Population Censuses and Surveys, and Department of Health 1995: Morbidity Statistics from General
Practice. Fourth National Survey 1991–1992. London: HMSO.
Memel, D. 1996: Chronic disease or physical disability? The role of the general practitioner. British
Journal of General Practice 46, 109–13.
Nacul, L., Soljak, M., Samarasundera, E., Hopkinson, N.S., Lacerda, E., Indulkar, T., Flowers, J., Walford,
H. and Majeed, A. 2011: COPD in England: a comparison of expected, model-based prevalence and
observed prevalence from general practice data. Journal of Public Health (Oxford) 33(1), 108–16.
Office for National Statistics (2010): General Lifestyle Survey. London: HMSO. Also available online
at: www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_compendia/GLF09/GLFoverview2009.pdf (accessed
October 2010).
Sackett, D. and Holland, W.W. 1975: Controversy in the detection of disease. Lancet ii, 357–9.
Shorvon, S., Chadwick, D., Galbraith, A. and Reynolds, E. 1978: One drug for epilepsy. British Medical
Journal 1, 474–6.
van Lieshout, J., Goldfracht, M., Campbell, S., Ludt, S. and Wensing, M. 2011: Primary care character-
istics and population-orientated health care across Europe: an observational study. British Journal of
General Practice 61(582), 22–30.
Wagner, E.H., Austin, B.T., Davis, C., Hindmarsh, M., Schaefer, J. and Bonomi, A. 2001: Improving
chronic illness care: translating evidence into action. Health Affairs 20(6), 64–77.

Further reading
Anderson, R. and Bury, M. (eds) 1988: Living with chronic illness, the experience of patients and their
families. London: Unwin.
This is an authoritative and highly informative account of the meaning of chronic illness from the
perspective of the sufferer.
General Medical Council 2009: Tomorrow’s doctors. Outcomes and standards for undergraduate medical
education. London: GMC.
Littlejohns, P. and Victor, C. (eds) 1996: Making sense of a primary care-led health service. Abingdon:
Radcliffe Medical Press.

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 Single best answer questions 187

Littlejohns and Victor have gathered together a group of authors who have a good grasp of the main
issues facing GPs as purchasers of health care. The book is relevant to this subject in describing how GPs
might respond to rising demand, because rising demand is the central issue now in chronic illness care.
Wagner, E.H., Austin, B.T., Davis, C., Hindmarsh, M., Schaefer, J. and Bonomi, A. 2001: Improving
chronic illness care: translating evidence into action. Health Affairs 20(6), 64–77.
This paper summarizes the challenges of delivering care for chronic illness in healthcare systems that
remain predominantly orientated towards acute illness care.

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS

9.1 The clinical responsibility of a GP in modern a) You should give her three months of levothy-
healthcare can best be described as follows: roxine authorized three monthly for the next
year
a) The GP’s responsibility is solely for the patient
b) You should invite her for a TSH blood test
with whom he or she is consulting
and not give her any medications until she
b) The GP’s responsibility is for the clinical care
attends for the blood test
of the patient who has consulted with him or
c) You should invite her for a TSH blood test
her for as long as that patient is registered
and give her enough levothyroxine for a
c) The GP has responsibility for the clinical care
month
of all the patients registered with him or her
d) You should give her the usual three-monthly
whether or not they have consulted recently
prescription and invite her for a TSH blood
d) The GP only has clinical responsibility for
test at her convenience
patients who have sought his or her advice
e) You should give her the usual three-monthly
e) The GP’s clinical responsibility relates only
prescription and remind her to have the TSH
to clinical conditions about which the patient
blood test in a year.
has consulted.
9.4 In your general practice you find that you
9.2 In communicating the diagnosis of a chronic
have a much lower prevalence of diagnosed
illness the GP should:
hypertension than would be expected for your
a) Ensure that the patient knows the precise practice list characteristics. Your practice decides
diagnosis before the consultation concludes that it is going to make a big push to identify
b) Be careful not to allow the patient to misin- more people with hypertension. What should
terpret the nature of the illness by being vague the practice do?
c) Avoid euphemisms (e.g. ‘a bit of wheeze in
the chest’ when the diagnosis is asthma) that a) Invite by letter annually to attend for a blood
fail to tell the full story pressure review all patients aged 35 years
d) Base the information that he or she chooses and over who have not had a blood pressure
to give on the knowledge and understanding recording in the previous three years
of the patient b) Invite by letter annually to attend for a blood
e) Be direct and straightforward to avoid confu- pressure review all high-risk patients (family
sion. history of cardiovascular disease, diagnosis of
ischaemic heart disease, or diabetes mellitus,
9.3 A 45-year-old woman is taking levothyroxine or chronic kidney disease, or cerebrovascular
for hypothyroidism which she has had since she disease, or hypercholesterolaemia)
was 28 years old. She asks for a repeat prescrip- c) Take the blood pressure of all adults aged 35
tion. Her thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is years and over who attend the surgery who
usually normal at 0.13 mmol/L. It was last done have not had a normal blood pressure record-
2 years ago. The most appropriate action is: ing in the previous year

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 188 CHRONIC ILLNESS AND ITS MANAGEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS CONTINUED

d) Take the blood pressure of all patients in high b) The patient should be referred to the local
risk groups (same as in B above) who attend cardiology department for management of
the surgery his blood pressure and ambulance transport
e) Write to all patients aged 35 years and over on should be arranged
the practice list advising them of the value of c) A domiciliary assessment by a cardiologist
hypertension surveillance and recommending should be requested
that they have their blood pressure checked at d) The patient’s GP should assess the patient
their next healthcare consultation. at home, arrange for serial recording of the
patient’s blood pressure and carry out screen-
9.5 A 45-year-old housebound paraplegic patient
ing tests for underlying causes and associated
is found to have raised blood pressure when he conditions
attends the accident and emergency depart- e) The patient should be invited to attend the
ment with a laceration on his hand. His GP is GP’s surgery and to arrange his own trans-
informed. What should be done? port.
a) The patient should be referred to the district
nurses for assessment of his blood pressure

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 CHAPTER

10 Treating People at Home

■■ Home care by GPs ■■ Managing housebound patients with

■■ Deciding when to visit teamwork
■■ Home visits – facts and figures ■■ Services delivered at home
■■ Out of hours ■■ Summary points
■■ Reason for visits ■■ References
■■ Treating at home can cause problems! ■■ Further reading
■■ Services for housebound patients ■■ Single best answer questions

Treating people in their own homes provides general practitioners (GPs) with a fascinating and privileged
insight into their lives. It often reveals important elements of their medical problems. It is also time consum-
ing. Doctors have to consider carefully who needs to be seen at home and who can actually get to the surgery,
in order to use the doctor’s time most effectively. People who are housebound are often treated at home by a
variety of health professionals. New approaches to the management of illness, including so-called ‘hospital
at home’, can enable people to be discharged early from hospital and can allow highly dependent patients to
be managed at home with a mixture of high-tech medicine and intensive social care.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this chapter you will be able to:
■■ understand the reasons for treating patients in their homes;
■■ understand the role of home visiting in the work of a GP;

■■ describe the workload related to treating people at home;

■■ discuss the variety of arrangements for treating patients out of hours;

■■ list the services available for housebound patients.

Home care by GPs

doctors is even less common, although whichever
In the British Isles, the GP is often identified as the the country, consulting with a patient in his or
doctor who comes to the house when a member her own home is a highly significant event for
of the family is ill. This view is surprisingly both the patient and the doctor, and is likely to be
common, even though home visits make up remembered by both.
only a small fraction of the work of the GP. It is Home visits afford the GP a privileged insight
confirmed in popular television and stage drama into the personal life of the patient, and they
and in literature, where many of the emotion- give the patient exceptional access to the GP.
laden encounters between GPs and their patients Moreover, information obtained at home may be
occur in the setting of the patients’ homes. In crucial to the management of the illness. Consider
most other parts of the world, home visiting by the case of Mr F.

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 190 TREATING PEOPLE AT HOME

Case Study 10.1 Case Study 10.2 (continued)

Mr F, a 63-year-old unemployed widower, had Mrs M says she does not want to bring Jason to the
chronic venous ulceration of both lower legs that surgery because he has been awake all night and
required twice-weekly compression dressing by the has a high temperature. She is worried it might
practice nurse in the surgery. Despite this intensive develop into pneumonia if she takes him out.
treatment, the ulcers would not heal. Dr S had to Dr S explains to Mrs M that there is no risk to
see Mr F at home when he developed pneumonia. Jason of developing pneumonia by going outside
He was shocked to discover the poverty of Mr and that his fever might even be helped by taking
F’s circumstances: he had no bed and slept every him out of doors.
night in his armchair. He suffered terrible body
There is a clash of beliefs here, with little
odour that was not helped by his being unable to
research evidence to support the position of
bathe, because of his dressings, and he was clearly
either Dr S or Mrs M. Dr S’s belief is supported
depressed. By involving social services, Dr S ena-
by his experience and his rationale that there is
bled Mr F to get financial support to purchase a
no pathological basis on which to suggest that
bed and bed coverings and sort out his social secu-
short-term changes in ambient temperature might
rity benefits so that he could improve his circum-
influence the progress of infection. Mrs M’s belief
stances at home. Within four weeks of him starting
is based on the authoritative opinion of her own
to sleep every night in bed, his ulcers, which were
mother and family that pneumonia is due to the
due to venous incompetence and had been made
cold temperature entering the body and allowing
worse by his legs always being dependent, healed
the infection to become deep seated. When she
and he was able to bathe. His mood improved
was a child, the doctor always visited the children
considerably and he renewed contact with his son,
when they were ill.
whom he had not seen for more than 2 years.

Deciding when to visit Case Study 10.2 (continued)

Dr S tries to resolve the impasse by offering to see
Home visits are likely to take more than twice the
Jason as soon as he arrives in the surgery so that
time required for a surgery consultation (current
his mother can take him straight home without
average in the National Health Service (NHS) is
delay. Mrs M accepts the offer with great reluc-
approximately 10 minutes) when one takes into
tance.
account the time for the journey there and back.
Who should be visited, when and by whom are key From the GP’s viewpoint, there is the risk of
issues for every GP who wants to manage his or her setting a precedent here by visiting at home a
time effectively. How would you respond to the child who in his view could come to the surgery
next case, in which the mother of a 3-year-old boy safely. If he did visit the child at home, it could
requests a visit for her son who has a sore throat? be seen to undermine the position of his recep-
tionists. He had instructed them to discourage
Case Study 10.2 any home visiting except in an emergency. Home
Mrs M phones Dr S’s surgery at 8.30 a.m. to visiting is an aspect of general practice that affects
request a home visit for her son, Jason, aged 3, the whole team and for which there should be a
who has been disturbed through the night with a clear policy.
sore throat. The situation in relatively minor self-limiting
illness is made complex by differences between
Thinking and Discussion Point the expectations of doctors and those of patients.
Nonetheless, it is more a matter of convention
Before reading the next part of the case study,
and etiquette than life and death. However,
think what questions you would ask Mrs M
major life-threatening illness can also present
before deciding whether or not to visit her son
difficult dilemmas, as the experience of Mr J
at home.
demonstrates.

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 Deciding when to visit 191

Case Study 10.3 and Dr S will have added unnecessarily to the

Mr J is a 52-year-old taxi driver who had a myo- burden of his own morning’s work. On the other
cardial infarction a year ago. He made a good hand, if the problem is simply an acute anxiety
recovery and was able to resume his work after attack, it is in Mr J’s and Dr S’s interests to man-
about six months. One weekday morning, he age it at home. If the problem is respiratory rather
woke up feeling tired and weak. By 10.45 a.m., than cardiac, it could perhaps be managed in an
he was short of breath and called the surgery ask- organized fashion from Mr J’s home rather than
ing for a doctor to visit straight away. Dr S had by ‘blue light’ emergency, with all the stress and
attended Mr J during his heart attack the previous disruption that would ensue in the emergency
year and had come to know him very well since. department of the local hospital.
He knew Mr J was an anxious man and that he
had a deep fear that another heart attack would
Case Study 10.3 (continued)
not be far off. Dr S recognized that this fear was Dr S decided to see Mr J at home straight away.
quite reasonable in someone who had already had Mr J was quite distressed by his breathlessness,
a heart attack at the relatively young age of 51. Dr with a respiratory rate of 32 breaths/min. He had
S was himself in the middle of a busy morning slight pleuritic pain in his right lung base, and he
surgery and was running about half an hour late. had a tachycardia of 102 beats/min. His blood
He still had eight more patients to see. Should he pressure was normal at 146/84 mmHg. Having
simply call the ambulance or should he visit Mr J ruled out a pneumothorax, Dr S thought he either
at home himself? had pleurisy or a pulmonary embolus. Mr J had
just returned from holiday in Kenya and the jour-
ney had involved a 5-hour flight. He had swelling
Thinking and Discussion Point and redness in his left lower leg. Dr S decided a
deep vein thrombosis (DVT) with pulmonary
What are the arguments for and against Dr S
embolus was the most likely diagnosis and imme-
visiting Mr J at home immediately as against
diately sent Mr J by ambulance to see the medical
calling the emergency ambulance? Give this
registrar of the local hospital. Mr J was admitted
scenario to your GP tutor and find out how he
to hospital, had a D-dimer test and ultrasound
or she would want to deal with it?
scan that confirmed the DVT, and a lung scan
that confirmed the pulmonary embolus. He was
Mr J could be having another myocardial inf- started on heparin intravenously and warfarin by
arction with associated left ventricular decom- mouth. He was discharged after 5 days with elastic
pensation. He might be suffering from one of a compression hose on both legs, and a certificate to
number of other causes of breathlessness com- stay off work for at least a month.
pletely unrelated to his heart. Could he be suffer-
ing acute anxiety with air hunger?
The dilemma facing Dr S is hard to resolve.
Thinking and Discussion Point
He knows Mr J had an uncomplicated myocar- Now that you know the outcome, has it influ-
dial infarction with minor damage to the myo- enced the way you see this case? Do you think
cardium. He had streptokinase at the time and Dr S was kicking himself when he got back to
a subsequent angiogram was remarkably free the surgery for not calling the ambulance in the
of coronary disease, with the exception of the first place? Or do you think he saw some value
affected blood vessel. The doctor thinks a further in the home visit?
myocardial infarction is unlikely. If he sends Mr
J off to hospital in an ambulance, he will be rein-
forcing Mr J’s belief that he is a man with precari- The element of confidence and control which
ous health which needs a dramatic response every might have been imparted by the visit by Dr S is
time. If there is some other cause to his breath- hard to measure. However, the overall experience
lessness, he may need to attend hospital anyway of an arranged emergency referral to hospital with

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 192 TREATING PEOPLE AT HOME

a tentative diagnosis is likely to be more construc- While it recognized that there may be occasions
tive and acceptable than an emergency arrival when the GP would attend an acute emergency, it
at the accident and emergency department. The stressed that it was unlikely to be in the interests
cost to Dr S is considerable in terms of both the either of the acutely ill patient or of those patients
personal stress and the impact of the event on his being treated in the surgery for the GP to attempt
other patients. Was it worth it? This judgement routinely to augment the care provided by the
is influenced by the doctor’s feelings towards the emergency services. There was a notable excep-
patient and the relationship they have together. It tion to this principle. In some locations, patients
is affected also by the support the doctor receives lived very far from the emergency services and it
from his or her colleagues and staff on return to was essential for their GP to be able to provide
the surgery. Some GPs feel such home visits are a relatively immediate response to most medical
not justified and resent colleagues who embark on emergencies. However, most ambulance services
what they themselves see as futile mercy errands in the UK now include highly trained paramedics
leading to unacceptable stresses back in the sur- who can assess and treat life-threatening arrhyth-
gery while the on-call GP is out on the emergency. mias, cardiovascular and respiratory emergencies
This is a good reason to have protocols for the and major haemorrhages. This statement has not
conduct of home visits, both in an emergency been superseded and it retains widespread support
and otherwise. among GPs.
The basic principles governing home visits by Some of the problems that might lead to a more
GPs in the UK have come under increasing easily defined rationale for home visiting are listed
scrutiny in the UK over the last 15 years with the in Table 10.1.
development of out-of-hours GP cooperatives. Sometimes, patients who request a home visit
The new contract for UK GPs in 2004 in which by the GP will happily travel to hospital by car
GPs could opt out of the 24-hour commitment, or taxi if an urgent hospital assessment has to be
which had previously been an essential element made as a result of the visit. This willingness to
of their work, profoundly affected the way out- travel to the hospital by car yet unwillingness to
of-hours services were seen and had an important attend the GP’s office may simply reflect a dif-
knock-on effect on attitudes to home visiting. At ference between the patient’s view of the role of
their height, GP cooperatives in the UK formed the GP and their view of the role of the hospital
the National Association of GP Co-operatives doctor. It may represent the patient’s acceptance
(NAGPC) which developed policy and guidance of the need to travel on learning that he or she is
statements for its members. Among other poli- a ‘hospital case’, or it may represent the patient’s
cies, the NAGPC stated that ‘general practice horror of travelling in an ambulance.
has never been and can never be an emergency Within the NHS, GPs are not obliged to attend
service along the lines of the police or ambulance’. patients in their home provided in ‘the doctor’s

Table 10.1 Reasons for visiting or for not visiting patients in their homes
Reasons to visit patients in the home Patients who should be able to attend the surgery
Some acute emergencies, e.g. acute left ventricular Almost all children
failure, acute abdomen All ambulant patients
Patient too ill to travel, e.g. severe vertigo, Most adults with viral illnesses
advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
terminal illness
Patient unable to travel, e.g. paraparesis, motor
neuron disease, severe agoraphobia

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 Home visits – facts and figures 193

reasonable opinion’ the patient’s ‘condition is Under the new contract for UK GPs, GPs
such’ that the patient should attend a doctor’s can opt out of providing out-of-hours services
premises. In the USA, Medicare, the national between 6.30 p.m. and 8.30 a.m. This change
health insurance system, will support physician has had a significant impact on GPs’ working
visits to the home if the services are reasonable conditions and that is evident in changes in out-
and necessary and if a plan of care is established of-hours home visiting. Out-of-hours visiting
and reviewed. What is reasonable and necessary will be discussed in the next section. Changes in
is defined in terms of observation and assess- rates of daytime visiting were already happening
ment, teaching and training of the patient, and since the early 1990s and were not the result of
therapy, management and evaluation of the illness the new contract. In 1996 Aylin et al. showed that
(Oldenquist et al., 2001). Also, there is good evi- people over the age of 85 had a home visiting rate
dence, for example, that home-based assessments of 3009/1000 patient-years in comparison with
improve the likelihood that elderly patients will a rate of 103/1000 patient-years in people aged
remain at home. The demands of home visit- 16–24 years and a rate of 477/1000 patient-years
ing on GPs’ time have led to the introduction of in people under the age of 5 years. People in
home visiting by practice assistants in Germany, a social class V had higher rates of home visiting
scheme that has been associated with a reduction than those in social class I. However, home visit-
in home visiting (van den Berg et al., 2010). ing rates can vary greatly between practices, even
There is information for medical students on allowing for age and sex differences, so that in the
how to do a home visit in Chapter 4 on skills. study which recorded these figures, some practic-
es had home visiting rates as low as 100 visits per
Home visits – facts and figures GP per year (Aylin et al., 1996). This compared
with practices at the other extreme, with a visiting
The average home visiting rate in England and rate of 1110 visits per GP per year. These differ-
Wales in 1991/92 was 299 per 1000 patient- ences could not be explained solely by the ethnic
years, according to the Fourth National Survey or social structure of the practice populations.
of Morbidity in General Practice (Table 10.2; At least some of the variation was determined by
McCormick et al., 1995). This amounted to practice characteristics. These could be as diverse
around 600 visits per GP per year, or about as the structure of the appointment system (Was
three visits per working day. About one in nine there a facility for fitting in urgent consultations?
of these visits took place between 10 p.m. and 8 Could advice be obtained over the phone?), the
a.m. More recent data on home visiting in the willingness or otherwise of the doctors to do
UK are not available. According to anecdotal home visits (Did the doctors accept all requests
reports by UK GPs, the number of home visits for home visits without question? Did reception-
during office hours has continued to fall, although ists try to avoid home visits by fitting patients in
there is no reliable information about true home as an emergency during surgery consultations,
visiting rates. or by getting the doctors to speak to patients

Table 10.2 Home visit rates in England and Wales, 1991–92

Home visits per 1000 Number on average Average GP visits/
patient-years list year
All patients 299 2000 600
Patients under 5 years 477 138 66
Patients 16–24 years 103 256 26
Patients over 84 years 3009 28 84

The denominator ‘1000 patient-years’ allows for patients who have moved away or died and is more accurate than ‘1000 patients’.
Data from McCormick et al., 1995. More up-to-date figures are not currently available.

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 194 TREATING PEOPLE AT HOME

requesting home visits on the phone?) or the al., 1997; Department of Health, 2002). Among
advertising of practice arrangements (Was it clear the innovations that have taken place, there have
to patients what constituted the need for a home been dramatic increases both in the number of
visit in the eyes of the doctors?). In Australia, GP out-of-hours cooperatives and in the number
there has been a reduction of 50 per cent in of out-of-hours primary care centres. A GP
home visits in the 10 years up to 2007 (Joyce and out-of-hours cooperative is a formal business
Piterman, 2008). arrangement amongst GPs within a particular
If you are currently attached to a primary care area. The aim of the cooperative is to share in the
team, you might discuss the following exercise provision of out-of-hours general medical servic-
with your GP tutor. Having carried out the exer- es to patients registered with participating GPs so
cise, are there any other members of the team as to achieve maximum efficiency of service and
who could give you an opinion about the result? minimum costs in manpower, time and expense.
It might help to let them see the national figures Out-of-hours primary care centres are local cen-
compared to those of the practice. tres manned by primary care professionals pro-
viding out-of-hours services on behalf of local
primary care teams. This service is usually an
Thinking and Discussion Point emergency service, but in some examples routine
care is also provided in these centres. Within the
How many home visits have been done in office NHS, a new plan for out-of-hours care called the
hours in your tutor’s practice in the past three ‘Out of Hours Review’ was implemented in 2004
months? Count the number of home visits in alongside the new contract for GPs (Department
the period in question from the visit book, or of Health, 2002). It was intended to introduce a
its equivalent if computerized. Multiply that fully integrated out-of-hours service in which all
number by four. Divide the resulting number by telephone calls out of hours would be received
the number of patients on the practice list and by NHS Direct, the patient telephone advice
multiply by 1000. This is your tutor’s practice’s line. Where clinical care was required, it would
daytime visiting rate per thousand patients per be provided by existing GP services (e.g. out-of-
year. How does it differ from national figures hours cooperatives), but also by walk-in centres,
above reported in 1996? Can you offer any primary care centres and accident and emergency
explanation for similarities or differences com- centres. These services would be integrated with
pared with the national figures given above? or have close liaison with minor injury units,
social services, community nursing, the ambu-
lance service and mental health and palliative care
Out of hours units. NHS Direct has continued to operate since
then, and it remains the intention of the NHS to
Reliable data on the proportion of home visits centralize all out-of-hours telephone contacts.
made out of office hours are not available. There At present, services vary greatly from area to
was a fall of 27 per cent in home visiting rates area, with many GP cooperatives still in operation.
in the UK between 1981/2 and 1991/2. This Patients use NHS Direct to a varying extent, with
was matched by a substantial rise in night visits many still having direct access to GP cooperatives
during the same period. Changes in the organi- and other services.
zation of out-of-hours care in Britain, begin- A notable change in the pattern of out-of-hours
ning with GP out-of-hours cooperatives in the provision is the increasing number of contacts
1990s and culminating in the new GP contract in that were being dealt with by telephone advice
2004 with the introduction of the new option to (Studdiford et al., 1996). Salisbury (1997) report-
end 24-hour responsibility for patient care, have ed that almost 60 per cent of contacts out of
changed the workload of GPs considerably, but hours with one GP cooperative were conducted
the needs and demands of patients are unlikely by telephone alone. The rate with which contacts
to have changed much in that time (Jessop et were managed by telephone varied amongst out-

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 Treating at home can cause problems! 195

of-hours cooperatives from 10 per cent to 65 per chitis. Diseases of the respiratory tract account
cent, according to Jessop and colleagues (1997). for 40 per cent of home visits for children and
This differs strikingly from the rate of 1 per cent 20 per cent for adults. In 11 per cent of home
reported for GP deputizing services in 1994/5 by visits, the category of diagnosis (drawn from the
Cragg et al. (1997). International Classification of Diseases – Version
The whole issue of telephone consulting is now 9) was ‘symptoms, signs, and ill defined condi-
receiving more attention in the UK, with spe- tions’. In people aged 65 years and over, respira-
cial training programmes and research projects tory diseases account for 17 per cent of home visits
being developed in a number of different centres. and diseases of the circulatory system account for
By contrast, there has been a long tradition of 16 per cent.
telephone consulting in the USA, where up to a
quarter of primary care contacts have been by
telephone (Studdiford et al., 1996). Telephone
consulting allows assessments to be made and
Treating at home can cause
advice given to patients who are either unwilling problems!
or unable to come to the surgery. In many surger-
In contrast with Mrs M’s experience of Jason’s
ies it is only when the doctor gets to the patient’s
sore throat is that of Mr V.
home that he or she learns about the reason for
the home visit request. My own experience sug-
gests that it is not uncommon for the doctor to Case Study 10.4
discover to his or her dismay that the home visit Mr V is 45 years old and has acquired immune
was not justified purely on clinical grounds. So deficiency syndrome (AIDS). He is now receiving
the development of formal telephone consulting terminal care at home and is being looked after by
may well prove to be an advance in limiting the his partner and the local district nurses supported
current expansion in demand for general medical by the Macmillan team. Requests for a visit to Mr
services. It may also improve access to GP services V are put in the home visit book by the reception-
and reduce the time and travelling costs for con- ists without question.
sumers. Telephone consulting has been used for
But Mr V’s situation led to other difficulties for
chronic disease surveillance for which the patient
Dr S.
carries out home monitoring. This can be useful
in the care of hypertension or diabetes mellitus,
for which the results of home tests done by the Case Study 10.4 (continued)
patient can be discussed with a doctor or nurse Mr V had a necrotic bedsore on his buttocks
and appropriate advice given. that was discharging heavily. Dr S visited him
One fear that accompanied the introduction of on Friday morning. Mr V’s pain was poorly
the new system in the UK was that patients would controlled and the doctor decided to start him
be more readily referred to accident and emer- on morphine. Dr S is part of an out-of-hours
gency departments which would in turn become cooperative, so between 6.30 p.m. on Friday and
swamped with primary care problems with which 8.00 a.m. on Monday morning, emergency visits
they were ill equipped to deal. So far this appears would have to be done by other local GPs in the
not to have happened, according to a recent study cooperative. Dr S wanted to warn any doctors
by Ingram et al. (2009). who might come to see Mr V about his condition
so that they could be informed about how best
Reason for visits to relieve his pain and also to ensure that they
would protect themselves against contamination.
Diseases of the respiratory system are the com- Could Dr S tell the answering service that Mr V
monest diagnoses made during home visits (Aylin had AIDS (and tell the answering service to warn
et al., 1996). These include upper respiratory tract any doctors who might visit) without asking the
infections, pneumonia, asthma and chronic bron- patient’s consent?

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 196 TREATING PEOPLE AT HOME

that all body fluids are contaminated until proven

Thinking and Discussion Point otherwise and to take appropriate precautions. By
the same token, the risk of infection from contact
■■ What arrangements does your GP tutor use
with body fluids is not in itself adequate reason to
for out-of-hours cover?
breach patient confidentiality. However, doctors
■■ What are the arguments for and against
should always aim to reduce such risks by mak-
disclosure of the information about Mr V?
ing information about infectivity as accessible as
■■ To whom can a doctor disclose confidential
possible to patients, their carers and fellow pro-
patient information?
fessionals.
Home visiting often brings to the fore medico-
Patients who require treatment at home may legal and ethical issues that seem less pressing in
not always be able to see the doctor they usu- the surgery office.
ally see at the surgery. They should nonetheless
expect the same degree of confidentiality from the Services for housebound patients
attending doctor. They should assume that their
doctor will share information about them with Some people become housebound in the course
other doctors either directly or through the medi- of their illness, so that they are unable to attend
cal record. However, just as a patient can rightly their GP or other health professionals in their
expect the doctor to hold medical information in offices. If they have carers who can look after
confidence from other members of the primary their daily needs such as shopping, banking and
care team, such as receptionists, so it should be cleaning, they may only require particular health
assumed that such confidentiality is observed with services on an intermittent basis. If, on the other
the telephonists and administrators of an out-of- hand, they need daily nursing care, they are likely
hours service. to require carefully coordinated services from
What are the issues in Mr V’s case? Dr S may be district nurses, and may in addition need physio­
concerned that a colleague in the cooperative who therapy, chiropody and occupational therapy at
visits Mr V may take inadequate precautions on home. The GP will have a key role in assessing the
coming into contact with Mr V’s body fluids. He needs of housebound patients and obtaining the
may worry that Mr V or his carers will fail to com- assessment of other professionals at the appropri-
municate the nature of his disease, either because ate stage of the illness.
of embarrassment or because he is too ill or they The cost of hospital admissions and the higher
are too distressed to do so. Dr S’s anxiety for the risk of accidents and infections for people in
safety of his colleagues is not adequate cause to hospital have led to earlier discharge of patients
disclose Mr V’s diagnosis beyond his medical or from hospital and the development of ‘hospital
nursing attendants without his informed consent. at home’ services. ‘Hospital at home’ is defined
There are other actions that Dr S could take. He as a service that provides treatment by healthcare
could discuss his dilemma with Mr V or Mr V’s professionals in the patient’s home of illnesses
carer. He could leave a message in the home to be that would otherwise require acute treatment in
given to a visiting doctor on his or her arrival. The hospital. In a systematic review of randomized
principal issue here is the patient’s right to con- trials of ‘hospital at home’, Shepperd and Iliffe
fidentiality and the doctor’s duty to observe that (2001) could not support its development as a
right. This right is paramount, except where the cheaper alternative to inpatient care. However,
risk of injury to others is such that breaching the more recent studies give cause for optimism and
confidence is the only way in which that risk can it is likely that attempts to reduce the length of
be avoided. The onus will then be on the doctor hospital stay by providing high-tech medical serv-
to prove that breaching the confidentiality of the ices at home supported by intensive social services
doctor–patient relationship was justified. Because home care will continue.
it is not ever possible to be certain that patients are A particular problem arises when the house-
free from infection, doctors are warned to assume bound patient has a chronic illness that requires

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 Services delivered at home 197

on-going surveillance. The elements of structured Managing housebound patients

care that are described in the section on chronic
illness apply equally here. However, account needs with teamwork
to be taken of the patient’s ability to demand visits It may prove embarrassing for patients such as
when they are required. Mrs W provides a good Mrs W to ask the doctor or nurse to visit to take
example of the problem. their blood pressure or to demand checks for
their diabetes. Anyway, most patients will not
Case Study 10.5 have a detailed concept about what is required in
Mrs W was 74 years old when she developed chronic illness management. It seems reasonable
insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. She had been to convene a meeting about Mrs W with all the
admitted to hospital for a left knee replacement, team members involved in order to decide who
as she had severe osteoarthritis in both knees should have responsibility for what element of
and could not walk more than 10 metres without her care. Such a meeting is likely to raise other
severe pain. She had hypertension, for which she issues such as the need for chiropody, which
took enalapril 10 mg daily, and she was hypothy- would be a key service for a diabetic of Mrs
roid, for which she took levothyroxine 0.1 mg W’s age. If the meeting is held with Mrs W,
daily. She was partially blind and could not draw she will have the opportunity to say what way
up her own insulin, although she did inject the she would like her care to be organized. It is
insulin herself. The district nurse visited her every wise to determine who has the main overall
3 days to draw up her insulin. Dr S would call responsibility to ensure the service is delivered
about every three months to take her blood pres- effectively. The best person to do this may well
sure. A year after the diagnosis, the practice nurse be the district nurse rather than the GP, since
was carrying out a diabetic audit and noticed that it is the district nurse who is seeing Mrs W
Mrs W was on insulin but did not appear to attend most frequently.
either the hospital or the practice. It became
obvious that no surveillance of her diabetes was
taking place. Services delivered at home
In addition to the GP and district nurse, there
Thinking and Discussion Point is a wide variety of home services that are pro-
vided for housebound patients. These are listed in
What should be done? Who should do it? Table 10.3 in two categories – health services and
social services.

Table 10.3 Health and social services provided in the home

Health services for the housebound Social services for the housebound
General practitioner Home care (personal care, meals, shopping, banking, laundry)
District nurse Occupational therapist
Health visitor Bathing attendant (some districts only)
Chiropodist Meals on wheels
Nurse specialists (paediatric, diabetic, etc.) Social worker
Early discharge teams

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 198 TREATING PEOPLE AT HOME

Summary points
To conclude, the most important messages in this chapter are as follows:
■■ Home visiting offers a privileged insight into the lives of patients, but is time consuming and should be
justified by the severity or urgency of the illness or by the immobility of the patient.
■■ Within the NHS, each GP does 600 home visits on average each year, of which about 65 are done
between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.; the rate of home visiting for people aged 85 years or more is 30 times that
for people between the ages of 16 and 35.
■■ Rates of home visiting in the NHS vary from 100 per GP per year to 1100 per GP per year, a difference
that cannot be explained solely by patient need.
■■ Respiratory diseases are the commonest diagnoses recorded on home visits, accounting for more than
20 per cent of diagnoses on visits to adults and for more than 40 per cent of diagnoses on visits to chil-
dren.
■■ Housebound patients are sometimes under-treated through their own unwillingness to demand appro-
priate treatment at home; a structured approach to their care such as that described in Chapter 9
(‘Chronic illness and its management in general practice’) may help to ensure effective continuing care
of people who are confined to their homes through illness or disability.

References
Aylin, P., Majeed, F.A. and Cook, D.G. 1996: Home visiting by general practitioners in England and
Wales. British Medical Journal 313, 207–10.
Cragg, D.K., McKinley, R.K., Roland, M.O. et al. 1997: Comparison of out of hours care provided by
patients’ own general practitioners and commercial deputising services: a randomised controlled trial.
I: The process of care. British Medical Journal 314, 187–9.
Department of Health 2002: Raising standards for patients. New partnerships in out of hours care. London:
Department of Health. Also available online at: http://www.doh.gov.uk/pricare/implementoohplan-
guide.pdf
Ingram, J.C., Calnan, M.W., Greenwood, R.J., Kemple, T., Payne, S. and Rossdale, M. 2009: Risk taking
in general practice: GP out-of-hours referrals to hospital. British Journal of General Practice 59(558),
e16–e24.
Jessop, L., Beck, I., Hollins, L., Shipman, C., Reynolds, M. and Dale, J. 1997: Changing the pattern of out
of hours: a survey of general practice co-operatives. British Medical Journal 314, 199–200.
Joyce, C. and Piterman, L. 2008: Trends in GP home visits. Australian Family Physician 37(12), 1039–42.
McCormick, A., Fleming, D., Charlton, J., Royal College of General Practitioners, Office of Population
Censuses and Surveys, and Department of Health 1995: Morbidity Statistics from General Practice.
Fourth National Survey 1991–1992. London: HMSO.
Oldenquist, G.W., Scott, L. and Finucane, T.E. 2001: Home care: what a physician needs to know.
Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine 68(5), 433–40.
Salisbury, C. 1997: Observational study of a general practice out of hours co-operative: measures of
activity. British Medical Journal 314, 182–6.
Shepperd, S. and Iliffe, S. 2001: Hospital at home versus in-patient hospital care. Cochrane Review, Issue
2. Oxford: Cochrane Library.
Studdiford III, J.S., Panitch, K.M., Snyderman, D.A. and Pharr, M.E. 1996: Telephone in primary care.
Primary Care 23(1), 83–97.
van den Berg, N., Meinke, C., Matzke, M., Heymann, R., Flessa, S. and Hoffmann, W. 2010: Delegation
of GP-home visits to qualified practice assistants: assessment of economic effects in an ambulatory
healthcare centre. BMC Health Services Research 10, 155.

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 Single best answer questions 199

Further reading
Aylin, P., Majeed, F.A. and Cook, D.G. 1996: Home visiting by general practitioners in England and
Wales. British Medical Journal 313, 207–10.
Hallam, L. 1994: Primary medical care outside of normal working hours: review of published work.
British Medical Journal 308, 249–53.
Hallam, L. 1997: Out of hours primary care. British Medical Journal 314, 157–8.

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS

10.1 A 54-year-old man with no previous medi- d) The GP should advise the patient that her
cal history of note phones the GP’s surgery at attitude is unacceptable and that if she wants
10.15 a.m. requesting a home visit by the doctor. treatment she should attend the accident and
He tells the receptionist that he has had crushing emergency department of the local hospital
central chest pain for 20 minutes, he is sweating e) The GP should advise the woman that her
profusely and he feels faint. The receptionist behaviour is unacceptable and she should
should: seek to register with a different GP.

a) Arrange for an urgent home visit by a GP 10.3 A 75-year-old man with terminal lung
within 2 hours cancer is being looked after at home by his wife.
b) Arrange for the duty doctor to call the patient He is receiving morphine slow release tablets
back as part of his duty doctor calls 60 mg twice daily for back pain due to secondary
c) Offer the patient a same day appointment spread of the cancer but has great difficulty swal-
d) Arrange an emergency home visit by the duty lowing the tablets and his pain is unbearable. His
doctor wife has been told by the palliative nurse special-
e) Make a 999 call for an emergency ambulance. ist that in these circumstances he should have
his morphine by continuous injection under his
10.2 A 39-year-old mother of five children aged
skin. The equipment is in the house. She phones
4–21 years suffers from recurrent menorrhagia.
his GP at 11 a.m. to ask her to do it. What should
This month her period has been particularly
his GP do?
heavy and she feels exhausted and weak. She asks
for a home visit. By careful questioning the GP a) His GP should contact the palliative nurse
satisfies himself that she has not lost a danger- specialist and request a same day home visit
ous amount of blood and suggests she attends with a view to the palliative team starting
the surgery. She goes into a rage and accuses the morphine by syringe driver
doctor of failing in his duty to attend to a patient b) The GP should visit the patient and set up the
who is unwell. What should the GP do? syringe driver herself
c) The GP should ask the district nurses to set up
a) The GP should advise the woman that this and commence the syringe driver
is not a reasonable request for a home visit d) The GP should visit the patient, give an appro-
and offer her a suitable appointment in the priate injection of morphine and arrange for
surgery repeated 4-hourly injections of morphine
b) The GP should arrange to visit the woman at until the total required daily dose is known
home and plan to deal later with what he sees and the syringe driver can be set up
as the inappropriateness of her attitude e) The GP should change the presentation of
c) The GP should offer her a suitable appoint- morphine to oral liquid.
ment in the surgery within the next 7 days
and refuse to discuss the matter until he sees
her then

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 200 TREATING PEOPLE AT HOME

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS CONTINUED

10.4 An elderly lady of 82 requests a visit for her 10.5 A mother phones at 9.30 a.m. about her
husband who has a high fever and is breathless. four and a half-year-old boy who has had an
When the GP visits he suspects the husband has upper respiratory tract infection over the past 3
pneumonia and admits him as an emergency to days. He has had fever with rigors for nearly 2
hospital. He notices that the flat, which is rented days. He has vomited twice in the last 24 hours.
from the council, is squalid with filthy tissues all He has a blanching maculo-papular rash on his
over the floor which is sticky with dirt. There neck, trunk, upper arms and upper thighs. There
are many plates and cutlery with half-finished are no other complaints. His mother is very wor-
meals, and the home smells foul. The wife, who ried. She asks the GP to see him at home. What
is cognitively normal, explains that they have should the GP do?
not been able to keep up the housework but that
a) The GP should arrange for the boy to be seen
they are managing fine. What should the GP do
at home by a GP within 2 hours
about the wife? b) The GP should ask his mother to bring the
a) Admit the wife to hospital as an emergency boy to the surgery at an agreed time later in
social admission until the flat can be cleaned the day
b) Suggest the wife arranges to employ a cleaner c) The GP should arrange for the boy to be seen
to help keep the flat clean at home during the same day after morning
c) Refer the couple to social services and request surgery which is scheduled to finish at 12.30
an urgent home care assessment d) The GP should ask the mother to call an
d) Advise the wife that this is an unhealthy envi- ambulance
ronment, especially for her husband, and she e) The GP should give the mother advice about
should sort it out before he returns home fever control, recommend paracetamol solu-
e) Advise the wife that this is not a pleasant tion (120 mg/5 mL) 7.5 mL 6 hourly, and
environment for her or her husband but that suggest she contacts the GP if the child’s con-
it is up to them as a couple as to how they live. dition worsens.

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 CHAPTER

11 Health Promotion in
General Practice

■■ Background ■■ Health promotion for patients with non-

■■ Health promotion and public health communicable diseases
■■ Health literacy ■■ Summary points
■■ Health inequalities ■■ References
■■ Health promotion for ‘healthy’ patients ■■ Further reading
■■ Health promotion for patients with early ■■ Single best answer questions
signs and symptoms

This chapter provides some background to the discipline of health promotion and the links with public
health. Theory and rationale are to some extent discussed but the emphasis is on practice within the context
of general practice. There has been considerable growth and interest in this field during the last 5 years and
evidence-based practice has been enhanced by the range of publications now available from the National
Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), Cochrane Reviews and the Royal Colleges together
with the requirements of the General Medical Council and Department of Health directives. Population
health priorities influence health promotion practice with a growing understanding of the need to facilitate
behaviour modification as an integral aspect of clinical practice. Behaviour modification is linked to social
context and hence health promotion in general practice potentially contributes to the process of reducing
health inequalities.

Learning objectives
By the end of this chapter you should be aware of:
■■ definitions, parameters and opportunities for health promotion in general practice;
■■ theories and models that inform health promotion practice;

■■ terms such as social and modifiable determinants of health, disease prevention, health literacy, health

inequalities;
■■ skills for brief intervention, motivational interviewing and supporting behavioural change;

■■ NICE guidance and sources of evidence related to health promotion practice.

Background evidence and literature bases that inform prac-

tice? The scope of health promotion practice goes
Since the last edition of this book health promo- beyond the clinical arena, but for this chapter the
tion has become more prominent in the routine focus is based on the application of health promo-
work of general practice, especially with regard to tion within general practice.
smoking cessation. Health promotion is a broad The most frequently used definition of health
topic with links to public health, psychology, promotion is from the World Health Organization
sociology, education and social marketing. What (WHO) Ottawa Charter, 1986: ‘Health promotion
is health promotion and what are the research, is a process of enabling people to increase control

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 202 HEALTH PROMOTION IN GENERAL PRACTICE

over and to improve their health’ (World Health used for medical education that may help: ‘the
Organization, 1986). The Charter has been at the study of the response to the modifiable determi-
forefront of the discipline with its three principal nants of health’. This definition focuses on two
approaches of advocacy, enablement and mediation aspects: a response which equates to an interven-
within five domains: tion, whether something small scale and simple,
such as giving a patient a leaflet, or a more stra-
■■ building healthy public policy;
tegic intervention, such as commissioning exer-
■■ creating supportive environments;
cise referral programmes locally; and modifiable
■■ strengthening community action;
determinants, whereby there are sound arguments
■■ developing personal skills;
to support the case that the key determinants have
■■ re-orienting health services.
been identified and are modifiable (Wylie and
Despite the apparent simplicity of the WHO Thompson, 2007). For example, advising a person
definition, health promotion is contested, com- to stop smoking may be reasonable clinically but
plex, eclectic, challenging, swathed in jargon, the patient may not be able to act on such advice
littered with acronyms, political in nature and if their circumstances are not favourable to what
prone to misinterpretation. For example, advice could be a major change in behaviour for them.
giving may be based on sound scientific evidence, Referral to an appropriate cessation service will be
such as smoking is harmful to health, but how necessary when the patient demonstrates ‘readi-
that advice is presented (i.e. the intervention), ness to change’.
and whether this is evidence-based best practice Most activity that is defined as health promotion
is sometimes questionable. There is the potential or health improvement is funded from the pub-
to raise anxiety, rather than facilitate behaviour lic purse and as such is associated with political
change, if intervention evidence is not sought or agendas and ideology, is of public interest and can
is misunderstood. provoke public debate and hostility. An example
A simple definition offered by Tones and Green of a current concern for the public is around
(2004) is ‘Health promotion is healthy public poli- the prevalence of obesity, with questions such
cy × health education’, the argument being that the as: How much investment should be focused
healthy choice is in essence the easy choice. Others on prevention? Should we treat obesity without
have avoided definitions but offered models for trying to reduce the prevalence? Should obese
practice such as Beattie (1993), supplemented people pay for their healthcare? Such questions
with discussions on approaches by Ewles and are of interest to society not only because the
Simnett (2003) and Prochaska and DiClemente’s obese patient will present with chronic conditions
Stages of Change or Transtheoretical Behaviour and comorbidities, generally managed in gen-
Change model (1986). This model has become eral practice, but also because such a person will
familiar, being the favoured approach for smok- become less economically active within society.
ing cessation and other lifestyle modification and This chapter has limited space to discuss moral
being based on psychological paradigms. This and ethical issues but nevertheless it is important
model is limited in effectiveness, however, if cer- to be aware that health promotion practice is not
tain conditions are absent. The individual must value-free ­practice.
be assessed and ‘ready’ for change and ‘motivated’ Health promotion for some, especially those
to change, with an enabling personal and social in academia, is seen as a post-modernist disci-
context (Wylie, 2004a). pline and a synergy of philosophies that can be
The very term ‘health promotion’ is one that applied in a variety of arenas. It is a young and
can have multiple meanings; it is not exclusive emerging discipline, applied mainly outside the
to any elitist group and can be part of everyday medical context, but it can and does have a place
language. We also struggle with the term ‘health’ within the healthcare sector (Wylie, 2004b). In
and what it means, accepting that this is vari- fact, within the context of general practice and
able for individuals and society (Duncan, 2007). primary care, health promotion has become an
There is a working definition of health promotion integral part of provision, and the growth of

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 Health promotion and public health 203

the discipline has been nurtured there (Boyce et Both fields have expanded as more complex
al., 2010). data and research have become accessible and
The other branch of medicine that is closely reliable. The social determinants of health are now
linked to health promotion is that of public incorporated into public health reports and local
health. Health promotion differs from public information easily accessible on the internet, from
health in three important ways: public health observatory sites, census informa-
tion and the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
■■ It explores the question ‘What causes health?’
These data include housing, income, educational
rather than ‘What causes disease and what are
attainment, obesity, smoking behaviour, alcohol
the patterns/trends of disease?’
consumption and dental health, crime and breast
■■ Its evidence base relates to intervention effi-
feeding rates. Such is the importance of these data
cacy, which is multifactorial and often complex,
that from these general practices can gain insights
using both qualitative and quantitative meth-
into the probable health needs of the community
odologies.
they serve. The correlation between poor health
■■ It can have both an individual focus and a
outcome and social determinants of health has
population focus.
led to the recognition of the existence of health
Improving the evidence base is an ongoing inequalities and these can potentially be addressed
challenge, especially for medical practitioners, by well-planned and resourced interventions. If
but increasingly NICE guidance and Cochrane you are in a London general practice, depending
Reviews cover public health-related work, offer- on how west or east you are affects the life expect-
ing the clinical health promoters evidence-based ancy of your patients. Based on analysis by the
approaches that potentially improve the health London Health Observatory (2011) using Office
of patients. for National Statistics data, if one travels east
on the Jubilee line past the eight stops between
Health promotion and public Westminster and Canning Town, two stops, on
health average, mark nearly a year of shortened lifespan.
Such phenomena are experienced elsewhere
The health promotion movement and public such as affluent and non-affluent areas of
health have had some shared history. The famous Glasgow, across cities in Europe and further afield
cholera outbreak in London in the early nine- where there is great disparity between the minor-
teenth century was a classic public health issue. ity indigenous population and affluent majority.
First, by plotting the details of the outbreak, These disparities are to some extent explained not
it was clear that there was a location issue and by medical sciences but by the social sciences and
some link or association was made with a spe- the social determinants of health. Social disad-
cific water pump. Although at this stage it could vantage, be it related to health literacy, income or
not be fully explained, an intervention could be living in a violent environment, for example, put
implemented, which was to close access to the people at greater risk of poor health and lead to a
contaminated water pump, inform the public greater tendency to engage in activities deleterious
and arrange alternatives. The epidemiological to their health. The higher prevalence of smok-
data identified the noxious agent (i.e. the water ing, drug and alcohol abuse, obesity, domestic
pump); it was closed and people were given safe and traffic accidents as well as poor sexual health
alternatives. But was this health promotion? If and experiences of violence are all factors that
health promotion is defined as ‘the study of, and influence primary healthcare provision in more
the study of the response to, the modifiable deter- deprived areas (Marmot et al., 2008; Marmot,
minants of health’, this historical episode was both 2010). Marmot has researched this extensively.
public health work and health promotion (Wylie, His 2008 article, ‘Closing the gap’, was followed by
2002). The public’s health was at risk and, by an the Royal College of Physicians policy statement,
intervention or response, this risk was reduced How doctors can close the gap (Royal College of
(Naidoo and Wills, 2000). Physicians, 2010), giving credence to the notion

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 204 HEALTH PROMOTION IN GENERAL PRACTICE

that doctors, especially in primary care and gen-

eral practice, have a role in acknowledging and Practical Exercise
addressing health inequalities.
Using practice data, assess the numbers of
patients who are recorded as smokers, how
Thinking and Discussion Point many have been referred to smoking cessa-
tion services and how many are now recorded
Health promotion, public health and general as non-smokers. If possible, do some demo­
practice share common ground. How could graphic analysis.
they differ practically in the general practice
setting and how could ‘successes’ be defined?
For example consider childhood immunization Before we can gauge ‘success’ or ‘failure’ a
provision: number of variables could be considered. Public
■■ What are the priorities for health promo- health data can indicate the smoking prevalence in
tion? an area or population group, for example young
■■ What are the priorities for public health? men 17–24 years of age:
■■ What are the priorities for general practice? ■■ How likely are they to engage with the general
practice?
■■ What information is available at the practice?
It is these variable priorities that can influence
■■ How skilled are the practice team to engage
how success or efficacy is defined. Health promo-
with the patient about smoking behaviour?
tion may be concerned with proximal changes
■■ What social issues are influencing behaviour or
that are measurable or observable, such as parent
could influence behaviour change?
engagement and inquiry, suggesting the process
■■ What cessation referral systems are available
of informed decision making is being facilitated.
and suitable (e.g. evening, local)?
Public health may look at distal data and uptake
within a defined population, able to identify These are key factors that can contribute to ‘suc-
needs. Figure 11.1 suggests a number of stages as cess’ with regards to input and intermediate out-
part of a continuum that can contribute to evalu- comes. When planning interventions, the Ewles
ation of interventions, be they health promotion and Simmett flowchart provides guidance (Figure
or public health. 11.2, Ewles and Simnett, 2003).
The public health concern about smoking in
young men in a specific area will inform the need
Types of indicators: and approach to designing an intervention, where
multiple factors and resources inform the process.
Input Process Outcome
Public health ‘success’ may be concerned with
measureable improvement long term with regard
Public health and health promotion initiatives
to a reduction in smoking prevalence in a specific
Time group, whereas health promotion ‘success’, espe-
cially within general practice, may relate to the
Input Immediate Long-term number of opportunistic encounters, assessment
Process
outcome outcomes of readiness to change and engagement with a
indicators
local cessation service. NICE guidance offers fur-
Figure 11.1 Key indicators of success. ther information (NICE, 2006).
The two fields – health promotion and public
health – are mutually beneficial to each other and
this is particularly evident within general practice
(Boyce et al., 2010).

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 Health literacy 205

have been developed in the USA to rapidly assess

1. Identify needs and priorities
literacy levels in the healthcare context, these have
yet to be implemented in the UK, although trials are
underway. Hence health inequalities can be exacer-
bated when patients’ low literacy levels are not con-
2. Set aims and objectives sidered or addressed. Poor health literacy is likely to
impact overall on patient health.
Consider encounters in general practice where
poor health literacy could influence practice:
3. Decide the best way of
achieving the aims ■■ English not first language;
■■ poor or inadequate education experience;
■■ limited abilities;
■■ hearing, visual or speech impairments;
4. Identify resources ■■ low or non-existent literacy levels in first lan-
guage or mother tongue;
■■ sub-optimal quality of translation and inter-
preter arrangements;
5. Plan evaluation methods ■■ lacking basic knowledge about health and self-
care;
■■ limited understanding of symptoms and sig-
nificance.
6. Set an action plan There are more factors but just a few of the above
together can impact on an already distressing health
situation with information overload adding to the
confusion. A leaflet translated into Bangladeshi, for
7. ACTION! Implement your plan,
example, may be of limited use if the intended recip-
including your evaluation
ient, a Bangladeshi speaker from a rural community,
Figure 11.2 Flowchart for planning and evaluating health has limited or no reading skills. If the information is
promotion (Ewles and Simnett, 2003).
also complex it will have been written well above a
reading age of 12, which is considered the reading
Health literacy age for most public information in people’s first
language. Information, giving medication direc-
Since we have universal compulsory education in tives and self-care guides may be less than useful if
the UK it may seem difficult to appreciate that lit- health literacy has not been considered and some
eracy and numeracy levels still cause concern. Only adaptation made. For example when explaining
9 per cent of the population in England can fully prenatal haemoglobinopathies screening to patients
engage with modern information technology and 56 it should be remembered that there are risks related
per cent of the population have sub-optimal skills to to the screening, there is no ‘cure’ and one option
achieve their full potential (Protheroe et al., 2009). would be termination if the fetus is affected. But to
Interventions associated with shared decision mak- date, how adversely a baby will be affected cannot be
ing and informed consent are relevant for those with determined. Other day-to-day issues may be related
high enough literacy and numeracy skills and there to accessing smoking cessation services, whereby
could be inherent risks if such factors are not con- support for non-English speakers or those with lim-
sidered. Problems can arise with taking medication, ited English is poorly resourced or non-existent.
understanding instructions and care of self or oth- Even those with high levels of education attainment
ers where communication is a challenge and in these can be confused by medical information. Writing in
situations there may be limited options to challenge, the New England Journal of Medicine in November
modify or access appropriate services. While tools 2009, Parker et al. present a dilemma experienced

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 206 HEALTH PROMOTION IN GENERAL PRACTICE

by parents who were themselves doctors and were ■■ well written and translated to an accepta-
prescribed Tamiflu for their child. They experienced ble standard.
further distress and confusion because the prescribed
The complexity of the information can also add
dose was 3 or 4 teaspoons, but the package came with
to difficulties. People with comorbidities (or caring
a syringe marked with milligrams (Parker et al., 2009).
for those with comorbidities) and multiple social
Were the parents to give teaspoons of medication or
issues can miss out on opportunities as well as be at
use a syringe and be precise? Providing information,
greater risk from mismanagement of medication.
in distressing circumstances, calls for clarity, accu-
If you intend to provide a patient with written
racy, as well as an awareness of decision complexi-
information you should consider readability and
ties, thereby enabling informed choices. It frequently
decide on its suitability for the specific patient and
requires additional time, especially for those who have
the situation.
limited literacy skills.
The formula adapted by the Plain English
Campaign is the FOG (Frequency of Gobbledegook).
Thinking and Discussion Point The test considers the number of sentences in a
100-word sample, the number of words in a sen-
Explaining how to use asthma inhalers correctly tence and other factors such as number of words
and why this is necessary can be time consum- with more than one syllable. Common comparisons
ing. What potential problems may arise when about reading ability suggest that most of the literate
the patient is from an East European country, general public can understand tabloid newspapers
without an interpreter, and given he speaks but fewer can understand broadsheet newspapers
limited English? Consider a similar situation (Ewles and Simnett, 1999). If leaflets and other writ-
with a Spanish-speaking patient where you ten material are given to patients, there should be
consider yourself able to speak Spanish. Finally, consideration as to how complex and accurate the
imagine this as a three-way consultation with information is and if the patient can benefit from it
an interpreter present. Discuss how interpreter at this time.
services in your area or practice are used, and
the strengths and limitations of such a service
Thinking and Discussion Point
Practical Exercise
A woman has arrived in the UK from South
Select two or three leaflets from www.patient. Africa. Her UK employer has taken her pass-
co.uk on sexual health and/or cancer prevention. port and told her that UK doctors charge fees
Try to access the same leaflets in another language so best to avoid visiting a doctor. The woman
but one you have some competency in. Translate had left school at 11 years of age with low level
the leaflets back into English and compare with literacy and was ill-equipped to find out about
the English version. Identify what has been lost, healthcare for herself. She was also fearful of her
embellished, misunderstood or incorrect. immigration status. Meanwhile, her diabetes
was not being controlled and her eyesight was
deteriorating. By the time she sought help from
If our skills are limited to word-by-word transla- a GP, irreversible damage had occurred. She
tion the essence will most certainly be limited and struggled with all aspects of her diabetic care,
any nuances or caveats missed. Equally, if our skills such as managing a good diet with the income
are good we may discover the leaflets have been: and facilities she had, getting help and using
public transport, attending social events as well
■■ poorly written in the first instance in English; as healthcare appointments. She may appear to
■■ well written but poorly translated; have English language skills but may need help
■■ a combination of the above;
with written information. What additional sup-
■■ well written and translated but for a sophisti-
port may be available via the general practice?
cated level of literacy;

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 Health inequalities 207

Health literacy is not just about translation but Doctors can Close the Gap, state that addressing
encompasses similar issues to health promotion: health inequalities is part of the role of all doctors,
being able to make informed decisions, knowing especially GPs (Royal College of Physicians, 2010).
how and when to access healthcare, to self-care and The social and physical environments, as well as
to safely medicate. According to Protheroe, low the risk factors facing patients, become evident to
literacy and numeracy levels are factors in health local GPs. GPs can be advocates for change and
inequalities and increase the risk of adverse events. can identify what additional support services may
For those with good literacy skills and health be needed and how healthcare needs to be adapt-
knowledge, there is still a need to explore patient ed. For example, smoking cessation services may
understanding, especially when dealing with com- need to be in a local venue on a housing estate or
plex and emotional issues (Protheroe et al., 2009). may need to have more input and may need to be
provided by local health trainers with appropriate
Health inequalities language skills.
It is probable that ad hoc modifications to
Over the 30 years since the publication of the services and advocacy happen, but systematic
Black Report in 1980 and the Health Divide in and planned interventions offer more insight into
1987, health inequalities have been increasingly addressing inequalities effectively. For example,
recognized as a public health priority within Abdullahi et al. carried out a qualitative study to
public health circles (Townsend et al., 1988). explore the low uptake of cervical screening in
However, it was not until 1998 that the issue truly Camden, London by Somali women (Abdullahi
arrived on the political agenda, when the Acheson et al., 2009). They concluded that education,
Report was published (Acheson, 1998). Since the oral information and culturally appropriate serv-
publication of the White Paper Tackling Health ices would improve uptake. In pluralist societies,
Inequalities (Department of Health, 2003), the translation and interpretation services can reduce
need to address health inequalities has become inequalities but there is also a need to be aware
part of contemporary healthcare practice. Within of the limitations of such provision and the skills
general practice these inequalities are encountered needed in consultations and information giving,
daily. Patients with multiple disadvantage experi- given the subtleties of language.
ence greater levels of morbidity, comorbidity and
complex social problems. Chronic illness, teenage
Thinking and Discussion Point
pregnancy, poor postnatal outcomes, children
on the ‘at risk’ registers, drug and alcohol abuse, A patient has an autistic child and is strug-
intimate violence and premature death are some gling to care. She was told by neighbours it was
of the ways inequalities are experienced. Accidents linked to the MMR and wants to know who is
are more common in areas of deprivation, both in to blame. The already disadvantaged mother
the workplace and at home, and enduring mental now has to negotiate with a number of agencies
health problems are more prevalent. The risk fac- to get support and begins to feel it could have
tors associated with poor health outcomes such as been avoided if she hadn’t consented to the
unsafe sexual behaviour, smoking and poor nutri- MMR. Take a leaflet about MMR vaccination
tion, for example, are encountered in communi- or look at NHS booklets provided for parents
ties with disadvantage. Although further research of children under five and the sections on vac-
is still needed, Ashworth et al. have explored the cination. Consider how this might be helpful in
quality markers for GP provision in areas of dep- helping those with social disadvantages. What
rivation (Ashworth et al., 2008). additional support should the practice provide
As noted earlier, the most striking aspect of to help parents give informed consent and what
these inequalities is life expectancy. The role of additional support could be given to this parent?
general practice in addressing these inequalities What are the local data indicating about preva-
may seem limited but, to reiterate, the Royal lence and trends of mumps, measles and rubella
and do they reflect vaccination uptake?
College of Physicians in their 2010 paper, How

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 208 HEALTH PROMOTION IN GENERAL PRACTICE

As well as the written word, our colloquial employment or income status. What proactive
speech can lead to misinterpretation and misun- processes are in place that address the needs of
derstanding. Assumption about behaviours and these patients with regards to health inequali-
attitudes may result in reduced opportunities. For ties, whether practice based or not?
example, Dormandy et al. (2008) found that GPs
did not always offer antenatal sickle cell screening
and Vogt et al. (2005) found evidence that older
people with chronic obstructive respiratory dis- In Bromley by Bow in Tower Hamlets, London,
ease were not necessarily offered smoking cessa- an area of deprivation with significant health
tion referrals. While patient demand and expecta- inequalities, a range of culturally sensitive health
tion may guard against such shortcomings, those and well-being activities have been set up, able
patients already disadvantaged may be unaware of to provide information about a variety of social
their entitlement and/or the benefits. issues such as housing and benefits. Such input
In areas not noted for social deprivation, general is justified in this area but the challenge may be
practices should still be aware of health inequali- more difficult in areas with very mixed patient
ties, with those patients who are disadvantaged groups, where a minority have disadvantage. The
experiencing greater levels of morbidity while health promotion domains of the Ottawa Charter
being a minority within the wider community. were exemplified by Dr William Bird, a GP in an
Inadequate public transport services, for example, affluent semi-rural practice in the Thames Valley,
could be a barrier to healthcare services and a lack when he set up the ‘Health Walks’ scheme in 1995
of social programmes for older vulnerable people which is now a national programme in partner-
may lead to isolation, depression and insufficient ship with Natural England. The scheme promotes
physical activity. ‘Walking for Health’ initiatives and implements regular local and safe walking for
may favour the more affluent patients. Care pro- those most in need.
vision may be limited for those with social disad- Reducing disadvantage, per se, starts with child-
vantage, especially where the workforce, whether hood and various government initiatives, includ-
voluntary or not for profit, perceive or experience ing the Sure Start scheme, have been set up with
anxiety about working with chaotic families or the aim of giving children the best possible start
in adverse settings. Healthcare provision in rural in life. Evaluation of these schemes is complex
areas or areas of deprivation may therefore be but overall these established centres have been
sub-optimal and may even further contribute to recognized as positive contributors to potentially
inequalities, being less attractive to the poten- reducing inequalities (Kane, 2008).
tial workforce.
The ‘simple’ lifestyle change advice offered to
patients is often based on the biomedical model;
Practical Exercise
for example, we know the link between smok- Explore the local Sure Start centres in your prac-
ing and cancer. Health promotion interventions, tice area. Find out about the management and
however, have to be skilfully designed and imple- performance indicators. How are they assessed
mented to meet the need of the individual patient and regulated? Do they address local health
and appropriate to the context of the local com- inequalities issues?
munity if they are to be of benefit.

Practical Exercise Health inequalities have also been part of the

climate change and sustainable health agenda.
In your practice and in the area covered by The scope of this chapter and book is limited
your practice do a mini audit of the patient with regard to climate change debates but in
encounters during a 7-day period. Note the brief it is clear that those who are most vulner-
patients’ postcodes, their reasons for access- able and already disadvantaged are the first to
ing healthcare, smoking status and, if possible, become the ‘victims’ of environmental changes.

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 Health promotion for ‘healthy’ patients 209

Data are still being generated and analysed from a number of challenges with regard to potential
two European tragedies – the deaths in Paris in interventions (Cunningham, 2010). The Ottawa
August 2003 during a heat wave and the ongoing Charter may offer some direction, for example
psychological and social disruption to some of the advocating on behalf of the local community,
Cumbrian residents caught up in the flooding of reorienting health services to meet local need,
November 2009. Could family doctors and com- creating supportive environments for change and
munity health services have been more proactive, contributing to public policy initiatives.
and what could they have done to reduce the The health inequalities agenda is no longer for
impact of those extreme weather conditions? those marginally interested or those with some
The research is on-going, but some factors are special interest and skills, but has to be an integral
already evident. In Cumbria, those who suffered part of medical practice and within general prac-
most had existing health problems and social tice this translates to a close alliance with patients,
disadvantage, and lacked the resources and skills local populations and public health.
associated with resilience, prompt adaptation and Health inequalities are global issues. Poverty
response. As the situation deteriorated, so their and conflict can displace millions, encourage mass
problems escalated. After the immediate crisis migration, and people trafficking and various crim-
subsided, those who survived were further dis- inal activities seen as necessary for survival. In the
advantaged and likely to have on-going health UK many GPs will have patients who have disad-
and social problems. In the longer term, lessons vantages associated with global inequalities, some
learnt are likely to suggest that primary healthcare as a result of torture. The Medical Foundation for
providers need to be more proactive; and weather the Care of Victims of Torture (www.torturecare.
charts for mid- and short-term forecasts should org.uk/contact_us/34) can advise and take refer-
be sent to health professionals with additional rals. Other agencies and charities, such as ‘Project:
warnings and comments. For example, access to London’ (www.doctors­oftheworld.org.uk/project-
healthcare was seriously impeded in Cumbria yet london/default.Asp) offer direct support to such
patients needed supplies of medications, nursing vulnerable people.
services and some reassurance, as well as food,
water and heat. The key questions are: How quick-
ly can local and healthcare services coordinate Health promotion for ‘healthy’
emergency care? Can the vulnerable be identified patients
and supported and by whom?
In France, the health system differs, as did the Since the start of the NHS general practice has
weather, but extreme heat, poor neighbourhoods had a role in promoting health, enabling patients
and those weakened by existing morbidity were to access preventative medicine, such as screen-
effectively abandoned. Without food, access to ing, advice, routine care during change such as
help, cooling systems such as fans and ‘friendly’ antenatal and postnatal care, baby clinics and
neighbours, their existing chronic illnesses quickly sexual health clinics. The skills associated with
overwhelmed them. There may have been limited this type of health promotion need to be honed
options but it is notable that while all of Paris was and practised.
experiencing very high temperatures, the deaths Preventative medicine can include routine
occurred in the deprived areas. monitoring, new patient checks and assessments.
Beyond the UK, primary care is also often at the Data about an individual are recorded from taking
forefront of the health inequalities associated with a history, biomedical tests such as urine analysis,
indigenous populations. Cunningham and others blood pressure readings and BMI calculations.
highlight the disparity in life expectancy, and the It may become evident that more physical activ-
prevalence of smoking, alcohol and drug abuse ity is desirable, risk factors such as high alcohol
and obesity in many minority indigenous popula- consumption levels may be identified or it may
tions. These higher levels of risk factors and ‘mod- emerge that the patient is at risk of social isolation
ifiable’ health determinants present the GP with or burn out. For the ‘well’ patient, the situation

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 210 HEALTH PROMOTION IN GENERAL PRACTICE

may result in breaking bad or unexpected and during her twenties, and has never used hor-
unwelcome news. One or more of the ‘five As’ monal contraception. She is embarrassed, and
may be helpful – ask, assess, advise, assist, arrange fearful of a positive outcome. She will also find it
– and thus form an enabling consultation. The difficult to get to the screening centre. What are
WHO Diabetes Action Online resource (www. the options for addressing this patient’s anxie-
who.int/diabetesactiononline/about/fiveAs/en/ ties and queries? Can practice protocols help?
index.html) relates the five As to diabetic patient-
centred care but they are, of course, transferable
to other settings. Two key questions to explore
in these situations are ‘What changes are advis- Other screening programmes have similar
able and possible?’ and ‘Is the patient accepting dilemmas but also present GPs with challenges as
change?’ they respond to:
At a population level, the Quality Outcomes
■■ those at high risk but anxious about screening;
Framework (QOF) and payments for recording
■■ those at low risk and not taking advantage;
such data have influenced practices in organizing
■■ those who are non-attendees/not willing /com-
systematic profiling of their patients, thus offer-
placent;
ing the potential for early intervention where
■■ those with ‘positive’ results or who have been
indicated (Ashworth et al., 2008). Vaccinations
asked to repeat/recalled.
are also part of the preventative agenda, whether
for children and young people, occupational need, Public information may be inappropriate for
travel or because of age-related risks, such as influ- some because of language barriers, literacy levels
enza vaccination for older patients. or access difficulties, and the invitation itself may
Screening more deliberately looks for disease, at feel irrelevant to the recipient.
an early or even precursor stage. It is potentially Advice is sought by many patients in general
harmful as it can result in false negative and false practice and a good source of generic informa-
positive outcomes and relies on the compliance tion for patients is www.patient.co.uk. It is per-
of a critical mass of a specific target group. Most fectly acceptable to not know all the answers, to
UK screening programmes are organized through be aware of limitations and in some cases seek
general practice and as a consequence patients advice from colleagues or refer patients elsewhere
may request advice before consenting, with an as appropriate. Advice can, of course, be catego-
expectation that the GPs and practice nurses will rized and frequently patients without any known
explain the screening process and why it is advis- morbidity ask about travel issues, and preventa-
able. The level of informed consent provided is tive care such as malaria precautions, use of sun
certainly contentious. As health professionals, the block and vaccinations. Some will ask about their
role of ‘editing’ information or selective informa- fitness for extreme activities, high-altitude trek-
tion giving is a challenge. king and high-risk activities such as diving and
While screening overall has benefits to the may need a signature for insurance purposes. In
public, it has to be balanced against the potential many cases there is uncertainty, contraindications
harm and anxiety to the individual (Raffle and and contested advice (e.g. over the use of hormo-
Gray, 2007). nal contraception when the patient is planning
SCUBA diving).
The skills needed in such consultations are asso-
Thinking and Discussion Point ciated with the ‘personal counselling’ quadrant of
Beattie’s model (Figures 11.3 and 11.4), guiding
Take, for example, a woman in her 50s with
the patient with regard to authoritative informa-
poor or limited English. She is reluctant to
tion sources and being able to critique informa-
take time off work for breast screening. She has
tion (Beattie et al., 1993). Other types of advice
no experience of family or friends with breast
are associated with complex social and personal
cancer, she breastfed her four children, all born
circumstances such as domestic violence, tackling

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 Health promotion for ‘healthy’ patients 211

bullying at work, locally or in a child’s school, Authoritarian

relationship problems, benefits and carers’ needs. mode of intervention
Such concerns verge on the psychological distress
continuum – a well person in an at-risk situation,
vulnerable to mental and emotional morbidity.
Advice
General practices sometimes have access to wel- Education Legislation
fare and social advisors, but care again should Behaviour change Policy-making and
be taken not to give inaccurate or inappropriate Interventions implementation
information. The role of the GP as a listener and Mass media campaigns Health surveillance
counsellor in such instances is valued.
Antenatal and postnatal care and education
juxtapose health promotion, preventative care
and screening. Pregnancy is sometimes welcomed, Individual Collective
sometimes a ‘surprise’, and sometimes unwanted. focus of
intervention
Lifestyle, general health and well-being and pre-
conception health are all factors that could influ-
Lobbying
ence progress as well as social circumstances. Counselling Action research
Women may have sought advice about conceiving Education Skills sharing
and pre-conception care, such as diet and folic Group work Group work
acid intake, weight loss or gain, help with smoking Community development
cessation and advice about alcohol. Such informa-
tion is readily available but some patients may
Negotiated
need more support and explanation, and more
guidance for and referral for behaviour modi- Figure 11.4 Beattie’s model (Beattie et al., 1993).
fication. Once pregnancy is confirmed, oppor-
tunities present to promote healthy eating and
other lifestyle issues, to offer screening and ante­
natal ­education. As mentioned earlier, screening does carry risks
and helping the woman make informed decisions
is paramount but not always straightforward.
Authoritarian
Sickle cell screening, for example, can be a risk to
mode of intervention
the pregnancy, may cause emotional distress to
the mother and may result in a dilemma about
whether to continue with the pregnancy if the
Health Legislative fetus is found to be sickle cell positive. Counselling
persuasion action services are available in high-prevalence areas and
it is difficult to know how the child will be affect-
ed, what impact will having a child with sickle cell
disease have on the family, and what would be the
impact of a termination. Within a short space of
Individual Collective
time a woman, not necessarily unwell, has had a
focus of
intervention pregnancy confirmed, agreed to the screening and
is now faced with an unwelcome situation.
Personal Community In the setting of general practice these complex
counselling development personal issues can be explored if they arise, but it
is important to acknowledge that science does not
have all the answers.
Negotiated While pregnancy is a healthy situation for many,
Figure 11.3 Beattie’s model (Beattie et al., 1993). during the antenatal period a number of problems

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 212 HEALTH PROMOTION IN GENERAL PRACTICE

could arise that must be dealt with early to mini- regard to sexual health, whether related to con-
mize harm. Smoking and obesity present serious traception, sub-fertility or infection prevention,
health risks and early referral to behaviour modi- screening and treatment.
fication services is advisable but needs to be done In summary, the healthy patient is an infre-
with care. Motivational interviewing and support quent consulter in general practice, yet many
are indicated. Blood pressure and urine analysis opportunities exist to be proactive as a health
may indicate preeclampsia and/or gestational dia- promoter for that individual patient and for the
betes, conditions which need to be addressed with local population. Good listening skills, awareness
some urgency. of reliable information and local referral options
In areas of deprivation, health inequalities are are essential, as well as demonstrating a willing-
especially evident in antenatal and postnatal out- ness to be open to new knowledge, consult and
comes, indicating the greater need for support. use NICE guidance. Recording a summary in the
Higher stillbirths, low birthweight, complications patient’s notes with regard to the essence of your
and poor maternal health can be expected, as intervention becomes an integral aspect of health
well as greater numbers of teenage pregnancies. promotion within the general practice.
Breastfeeding rates may be low, living conditions
and income may be poor and higher prevalence
Thinking and Discussion Point
of child and maternal morbidity experienced.
Community midwives and health visitors pro- A young woman, recently separated from her
vide much of the routine care and support and partner of 3 years, has resumed smoking. She
will know what services are available locally and has come because of an irritating and persistent
what interventions are in place. They will also cough. During the consultation she tells about
have information about various health promo- her financial anxieties and her job being under
tion campaigns at certain times of the year, threat. Would you raise the issue of her smok-
such as child safety and breastfeeding awareness. ing? If so how and if not why?
They will have lists of local parent and child
groups and will run baby clinics which offer
routine advice on child development, manag-
ing weaning and teething, nappy rash and other Practical Exercise
such concerns as well as the crying baby. While
In your practice review the cervical screening
many parents source information from reliable
rates and identify the processes used to inves-
websites and professionals as well as friends and
tigate non-attendees. How does your practice
family, and are able to discern good information,
compare with others locally for uptake of cervi-
more vulnerable parents will need the support
cal screening?
of professionals who are easily accessible. They
may present more frequently at general practice.
The Department of Health have published two
books – The Pregnancy Book and The Birth to Health promotion for patients
Five Book – for first time mothers and these are with early signs and symptoms
also available on-line (Department of Health,
2007a, 2007b). These books cover a wide range A patient may arrive at the practice with some
of issues and are a useful resource during clinics concerns, or has been asked to see the GP or nurse
and ­consultations. following some routine investigations. The patient
Sexual health is also an aspect of the health pro- may be a ‘well’ patient needing a form signed for
motion role sometimes offered in general practice. health insurance, requesting a ‘sick note’ because
While this can vary with local arrangements, such of a sports injury, or wanting the contraceptive
as whether there is a young persons’ sexual health pill. Another patient, recently made redundant,
clinic provision, most general practices will be may be wondering what is best for an aged, frail
able to prescribe, advise or refer patients with and forgetful parent.

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 Health promotion for patients with early signs and symptoms 213

GPs have a role in understanding the medical, Stages of change Stable, ‘safer’
social and psychological issues that impact on lifestyle
patients and their well-being, but it can be difficult
to prioritize and decide how best to proceed with Making
what is presented. Preventative medicine links changes
both population health and individual health.
Preparing Maintaining
Rose et al. (2008) present complex arguments
to change change
regarding large-scale programmes that prevent
or identify disease in a small number of people
and the caveats about such strategies. The alterna- Thinking
about change Relapsing
tive approach is targeting those at high risk. The
continuum of disease has to be explored in the
context of people’s lives, with the GP often hav- Not interested
in changing ‘risky’
ing to decide whether to intervene or not and to lifestyle
explain risks.
Figure 11.5 ‘Stages of Change’ model (Health Education
Moynihan (2010) discusses the challenges of Authority, 1993).
identifying the ‘pre-hypertensive’ patient and
whether they should or should not have drug
treatment. Having blood pressure readings that
are at the upper range of normal should, he Time invested, albeit ‘brief intervention’, in
argues, be ‘treated’ with lifestyle advice, but the health promotion at these consultations is advised,
pressure to prescribe is ever present and subse- given that the patients have themselves presented
quently a well person becomes a ‘patient with concerns. The Stages of Change Model (Figure
hypertension’ yet no overall change is evident in 11.5) can guide the trajectory of the consultations,
population health and lives saved. Lifestyle advice assessing where the patient is in terms of want-
may also be ignored by the patient given they feel ing to change and readiness to change as well as
well, changes may be difficult and they don’t con- the opportunity to do motivational intervening
ceptualize the ‘risks’. Blood pressure readings have (Health Education Authority, 1993).
come to represent this notion of when a patient is
sick or well, at risk with the potential to reduce or
manage risk, and when medication could make
a difference but only to a few. Hypertension, on Thinking and Discussion Point
the other hand, is classed as the ‘silent killer’,
Breast cancer awareness month is October.
with cardiovascular diseases still representing one
What are the pros and cons of such events for
of the major causes of morbidity and premature
GP practices and for patients?
mortality and yet potentially it could be modified
with lifestyle change.
Signs without symptoms are also identified
by routine clinical encounters or through mass
Practical Exercise
media alerts, and campaigns suggest that you see
your GP if you notice signs such as a change in Review the patient information in the practice
bowel habit, moles and lumps, or weight gain or – posters and leaflets and website – and assess:
loss. Mass screening such as cervical screening ❏❏ Is it up to date and current?
can also identify a ‘change’ that may justify fur- ❏❏ Is it likely to make a difference in prompting
ther investigations. a patient to change/take action?
Equally patients may present with concerns ❏❏ Is it accessible to most patients? Who may
about symptoms that may be time-limited condi- be excluded?
tions or easily managed but some lifestyle advice ❏❏ Does it link to local services/opportunities?
may be appropriate.

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 214 HEALTH PROMOTION IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Health promotion for patients to be referred to the dietician. But many patients
will benefit from becoming ‘healthy eaters’, reduc-
with non-communicable diseases ing their BMI, and increasing intake of certain
The growth in non-communicable diseases and foods and vitamins, such as those with or at risk of
complex comorbidities dominates the workload osteoporosis. In general, eating habits have proved
of general practice and although much of this to be very difficult to modify. Within general
work will be associated with clinical concerns, practice an awareness of local context will help
such as reviewing medication and regular moni- health professionals provide supportive informa-
toring of blood pressure and renal function, for tion and advice.
example, improvements and/or maintenance of Cultural habits, the availability of fresh fruit
current health status can probably be enhanced and vegetables at low cost, cooking skills and
with lifestyle intervention and modification. facilities, and local programmes to improve diets,
The regular contact with these patients also sometimes with health trainers, all influence the
provides regular opportunities to assess readiness options available.
to change and early detection of deterioration, For type 2 diabetic patients the DESMOND
whether physical, social or psychological. programme (Diabetes Education and Self
Older smokers with chronic illness can benefit Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed)
from referrals to smoking cessation programmes. is now seen as an evidence-based option for
Vogt and co-workers reported that some GPs have referral, addressing not only dietary modifica-
been reluctant to make these referrals (Vogt et al., tion but also increasing patient understanding
2005, 2007). GPs are well placed to look at the of the nature of the disease, other factors such as
wider social context of these patients, and to con- smoking and physical activity change and how to
sider, if their partners and carers are also smokers, sustain change. It has been developed based on
whether they should both be referred. Do they sound adult education principles (Davies et al.,
need motivational interviewing to assess readiness 2008). For patients with type 1 diabetes DAFNE
to change, and how easy are the cessation services (Dose Adjusted for Normal Eating and Exercise) is
for such patients to access? Patients need also to be in place and has also shown promising results with
aware of chance of relapse and that they will prob- regards to helping people to modify behaviour
ably need to be referred to a cessation programme and sustain change.
more than once. Alcohol consumption has become a greater
Smoking is also associated with boredom and cause of concern in recent years, not only because
lack of social engagement, and withdrawal from of social problems such as increased sexual risk
former activities that may now seem unrealistic. associated with alcohol consumption (and drugs),
Income and an increasing dependency on ben- but also trauma and an increase in chronic illness
efits may be influencing factors in patients with at younger ages. Liver diseases and chronic alco-
chronic illness who continue to smoke. As Tones holism remain major challenges for healthcare
and Green remind us, the healthy choice needs professionals, but within general practice the
to be the easy choice (Tones and Green, 2004) so additional burdens, such as family breakdown,
within general practice there is a need to consider may also be obvious. Local social programmes for
whether benefits are being maximized and where support may be variable and some will be based
to refer for further information and activities with not-for-profit agencies or charities. For those
that may be beneficial, such as local Walking for patients with access to the internet the ‘Down
Health groups. your drink’ website offers a pragmatic option
Malnutrition, poor nutrition, dietary restric- for the GP and health professionals as well as the
tion and obesity have an important role in all patient and their family (www.downyourdrink.
stages of chronic illness. Patients with specialist org.uk/).
needs – such as those with coeliac disease, raised People may be defensive about their drinking
cholesterol levels, kidney disease and obstructive and dietary habits but may freely offer details
problems such as oesophageal cancer – may need about their physical activity levels. People with

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 Health promotion for patients with non-communicable diseases 215

chronic illness may have inadequate physical varies but Crossroads schemes are widely available
activity which exacerbates their condition, increas- (www.crossroads.org.uk). For patients with can-
ing the trajectory of the degenerative process. It cer and their families, Macmillan Cancer Support
may seem obvious that people tend to become offers a range of support to carers (www.macmil-
less active with age and disease, especially where lan.org.uk). Carers’ needs vary, from first recog-
an individual has been sedentary for a number of nizing they are carers to adapting to a changing
years. However, being mobile and active is advis- situation. Equally their own health, independent
able for all, according to circumstances. Physical of the situation, may easily be neglected and
activity helps with general well-being. However subsequently they present late with serious or
patients may be uncertain about what is safe and acute situations, which may precipitate a crisis
possible and frequently will encounter directives with regard to care needs. It is in general practice
such as ‘check with your GP’. that such situations can be anticipated and either
Exercise on prescription has now become wide- alleviated or managed in such a way as to reduce
ly available as an option for GPs, with exercise potentially harmful and distressing outcomes.
specialists able to assess patients and devise pro-
grammes with high levels of supervision. Patient
Thinking and Discussion Point
rehabilitation, for example following a stroke, can
improve the outcome for patients. Often these Knee problems have been discussed at the
programmes work in conjunction with clinical practice team meeting and some feel surgery is
physiotherapists as a follow-on after the initial justified while others argue that patients must
rehabilitation, with the overall aspiration being have a successful weight reduction programme
that patients will have the confidence to continue and the practice needs to design a protocol.
being active as best they can, using local facilities. Consider how this protocol could be designed
For older people with restricted options ‘arm- and piloted.
chair aerobics’ have been shown to be beneficial,
especially when done within a social context.
Patients with chronic illness may benefit from
Practical Exercise
lifestyle modification and this can be facilitated by
accessing or referring to local services and provi- Assess how many patients have been referred
sion, being aware of charities and not-for-profit to exercise programmes, identify the chronic
organizations that can support social change and conditions they have and what follow-up is in
infrastructure, and engaging with the patient place. For the same patients, assess their smok-
self-help groups often related to the disease, such ing status and their experiences of smoking
as diabetes UK (www.diabetes.org.uk) and the cessation referral.
British Heart Foundation (www.bhf.org.uk).
Indeed, the growth of self-help groups has become
beneficial to the wider healthcare workforce, ena- Everyday work in general practice will entail
bling the public and patients to gain good reli- some aspect of health promotion but this is
able information as well as actively campaigning especially so with patients with chronic diseases.
and advocating and fundraising for research and By glancing at any of the 100 cases in the book
improved services. 100 Cases in General Practice (Stephenson et al.,
Finally, carers, often registered at the same prac- 2009) it becomes clear that GPs have an exten-
tice as their cared for, can be vulnerable and their sive role in health promotion and healthcare in
needs should be addressed. Again, local provision their ­communities.

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 216 HEALTH PROMOTION IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Summary points
To conclude, the most important messages of this chapter are as follows:
■■ Health promotion is an integral part of general practice work.
■■ Health promotion is difficult to define, is eclectic and contested, as well as political in nature.
■■ A number of theories and models are used to guide practice and identify relevant skills for practice.
■■ Within the context of general practice, health professionals can be health promoting in their practice
and can engage specifically in planned health promotion interventions.
■■ The planning of health promotion activity facilitates evaluation, thereby contributing to the growing
evidence base that is related to interventions rather than determinants.
■■ Evidence is from qualitative and quantitative paradigms.
■■ Ethical issues need to be identified and considered.
■■ Health promotion seeks to address health inequalities at local, national and international levels, through
collaborative working, within and beyond the medical arena, endorsing WHO charters and declarations.

References
Abdullahi, A., Copping, J., Kessel, A., Luck, M. and Bonell, C. 2009: Cervical screening: perceptions and
barriers to uptake among Somali women in Camden. Public Health 123, 680–5.
Acheson, D. 1998: Independent inquiry into inequalities in health: a report. London: The Stationery Office.
Ashworth, M., Medina, J. and Morgan, M. 2008: Effect of social deprivation on blood pressure monitor-
ing and control in England: a survey of data from the quality and outcomes framework. British Medical
Journal 337, a2030.
Beattie, A., Gott, M., Jones, L. and Sidell, M. 1993: Health and wellbeing: a reader. Basingstoke: Macmillan.
Boyce, T., Peckham, S., Hann, A. and Trenholm, S. 2010: A pro-active approach. Health promotion and
ill-health prevention. An inquiry into the quality of general practice in England. London: The King’s Fund.
Cunningham, C. 2010: Health of indigenous peoples. British Medical Journal 340, c1840.
Davies, M.J., Heller, S., Skinner, T.C., Campbell, M.J., Carey, M.E., Cradock, S., Dallosso, H.M.,
Daly, H., Doherty, Y., Eaton, S., Fox, C., Oliver, L., Rantell, K., Rayman, G., Khunti, K., on behalf
of the Diabetes Education and Self Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed (DESMOND)
Programme 2008: Effectiveness of the Diabetes Education and Self Management for Ongoing and
Newly Diagnosed (DESMOND) programme for people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes: cluster
randomised controlled trial. British Medical Journal 336, 491.
Department of Health 2003: Tackling health inequalities: a programme for action. www.dh.gov.uk/
en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4008268 (accessed
May 2011).
Department of Health 2007a: The birth to five book. London: Department of Health.
Department of Health 2007b: The pregnancy book. London: Department of Health.
Dormandy, E., Gulliford Martin, C., Reid Erin, P., Brown, K. and Marteau, T.M. 2008: Delay between
pregnancy confirmation and sickle cell and thalassaemia screening: a population based cohort study.
British Journal of General Practice 58, 154–9.
Duncan, P. 2007: Critical perspectives on health. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Ewles, L. and Simnett, I. 1999: Promoting health: a practical guide. London: Baillière Tindall.
Ewles, L. and Simnett, I. 2003: Promoting health: a practical guide. Edinburgh: Baillière Tindall.
Health Education Authority 1993: Helping people change: training course for primary care professionals.
National Unit for Health Promotion in Primary Care. Oxford: Health Education Authority.
Kane, P. 2008: Sure Start Local Programmes in England. The Lancet, 372, 1610–12.

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 Further reading 217

London Health Observatory 2011: Health inequalities. www.lho.org.uk/LHO_Topics/National_Lead_

Areas/HealthInequalitiesOverview.aspx (accessed May 2011).
Marmot, M. 2010: Fair society, healthy lives – strategic review of health inequalities in England post 2010.
London: The Marmot Review.
Marmot, M., Friel, S., Bell, R., Houweling, T.A.J. and Taylor, S. 2008: Closing the gap in a generation:
health equity through action on the social determinants of health. The Lancet, 372, 1661–9.
Moynihan, R. 2010: Who benefits from treating prehypertension? British Medical Journal 341, c4442.
NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) 2006: PH1 Brief interventions and refer-
ral for smoking cessation: guidance. http://guidance.nice.org.uk/PH1/Guidance/pdf/English (accessed
May 2011).
Naidoo, J. and Wills, J. 2000: Health promotion; foundations for practice. London: Baillière Tindall.
Parker, R.M., Wolf, M.S., Jacobson, K.L. and Wood, A.J.J. 2009: Risk of confusion in dosing Tamiflu oral
suspension in children. New England Journal of Medicine 361: 1912–13.
Prochaska, J.O. and Diclemente, C.O. 1986: Towards a comprehensive model of change. In: Millen,
W.R. and Heathen, N. (eds) Treating addictive behaviours: process and change. New York: Plenum Press.
Protheroe, J., Nutbeam, D. and Rowlands, G. 2009: Health literacy: a necessity for increasing participa-
tion in health care. British Journal of General Practitioners 59, 721–3.
Raffle, A. and Gray, M. 2007: Screening evidence and practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Rose, G., Khaw, K.-T. and Marmot, M. 2008: Rose’s strategy of preventive medicine. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Royal College of Physicians 2010: How doctors can close the gap: tackling the social determinants of health
through culture change, advocacy and education. London: Royal College of Physicians.
Stephenson, A., Mueller, M. and Grabinar, J. 2009: 100 Cases in general practice. London: Hodder Arnold.
Tones, K. and Green, J. 2004: Health promotion: planning and strategies. London: Sage.
Townsend, P., Whitehead, M. and Davidson, N. 1988: Inequalities in health: the Black Report and the
health divide. London: Penguin.
Vogt, F., Hall, S. and Marteau, T.M. 2005: General practitioners’ and family physicians’ negative beliefs
and attitudes towards discussing smoking cessation with patients: a systematic review. Addiction 100,
1423–31.
Vogt, F., Hall, S. and Marteau, T. 2007: General practitioners’ beliefs about effectiveness and intentions
to recommend smoking cessation services: qualitative and quantitative studies. BMC Family Practice
8, 39.
World Health Organization 1986: Discussion document on the concepts and principles of health pro-
motion. Health Promotion 1.
Wylie, A. 2002: Health promotion in medical undergraduate curricula: a question of definition. Paper
presented at the 10th Ottawa Conference on Medical Education, Ottawa.
Wylie, A. 2004a: Health promotion in general practice. In: Stephenson, A. (ed.) A textbook of general
practice. London: Arnold.
Wylie, A. 2004b: Health promotion in medical undergraduate education; an exploration of the episte-
mology and the challenge. PhD, King’s College, London.
Wylie, A. and Thompson, S. 2007: Establishing health promotion in the modern medical curriculum: a
case study. Medical Teacher 29, 766–71.

Further reading
www.nice.org.uk
www.bhf.org.uk
www.plainenglish.co.uk/examples/gobbledygook-generator.html
www.heacademy.ac.uk/best

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 218 HEALTH PROMOTION IN GENERAL PRACTICE

www.wfh.naturalengland.org.uk
www.nice.org.uk/usingguidance/commissioningguides/pulmonaryrehabilitationserviceforpatients
withcopd/specifying.jsp

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS

11.1 Mark, 29, has a football-related knee injury c) Do you suggest a follow-up appointment at
and needs a statement for fitness to work and which time you will discuss his smoking?
some analgesic. He is a rare visitor and you take d) Do you joke about his lifelong smoking – you
the opportunity to update his records. He tells you can’t teach old dog new tricks?
he smokes about 20 a day. How best should you e) Do you give him a leaflet?
respond to this information? 11.4 Khalid’s blood pressure was raised when he
a) Provide information about the cessation went to the ‘health check’ bus at work and was told
service to see his GP. He is 49 and has BMI 29, otherwise
b) Ignore the information and make no further well, with normal BP readings at the consultation
reference and a non-smoker. His parents both died in their
c) Explore his smoking history and ask him if he sixties with CVDs. Taking a history suggests his
has any concerns diet is calorie dense with saturated fats and refined
d) Give him a leaflet about the harm smoking does carbohydrates. He exercises ‘a little’ but works
e) Make him an appointment to see the nurse. long hours as a taxi driver. Do you:
11.2 Mary agrees to the antenatal screening offer a) Tell him not to worry – all is basically OK?
and wants to get a scan photo. She is 40, with BMI b) Decide to arrange fasting blood tests for
32 and has been trying for this pregnancy for some cholesterol check and other tests for diabetes?
time. Do you: c) Advise him to lose weight and take more
exercise?
a) Make the arrangements without further
d) Arrange for him to see the dietician?
discussion?
e) Provide him with and discuss some
b) Explore her concerns, if any, about this
information about healthy eating via the
pregnancy?
British Heart Foundation?
c) Tell her about the increased risk associated
with her age and screening? 11.5 Paula’s husband died six months ago after
d) Tell her about the increased risks to her and a stroke. She is lonely, eats out of boredom and
baby with her BMI? fears the same could happen to her. She stopped
e) Ask what she knows about screening apart smoking when he did 4 years ago but is often
from the option to have a scan photo? tempted. She noticed a poster about health walks
11.3 Jim, 56, has COPD and has come for his which said ‘check with your doctor’ at some point.
influenza vaccine. He is well known to the practice She wants to know more about these walks and if
team and still smokes, although has cut down and she can go on them.
rolls his own for economy as he is not working. On a) You encourage her to join the scheme and
looking at his notes you realize he has never been explain more about it
referred to the cessation services in the practice. b) You tell her to look into it
a) Do you leave him alone with regards to his c) You take a history and consider depression
smoking? d) You suggest the exercise referral programme
b) Do you ask if he would like to have an appoint- instead
ment with the smoking cessation advisor? e) You discourage it given she has not been very
active in the past.

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 CHAPTER

12 Healthcare Ethics and Law

■■ Conflict and compromise ■■ Duty

■■ Deciding for others: the question of capacity ■■ An absolute duty?
■■ Moral and legal thinking in everyday clinical ■■ Four principles and scope
practice ■■ Virtues and values
■■ Sitting in: a suitable case for treatment ■■ Perspective and narrative
■■ The professional framework ■■ Putting it all together
■■ The law and professional regulation in ■■ Summary points
practice ■■ References
■■ Good practice and the moral stranger ■■ Further reading
■■ Moral antennae: paying attention to the issues ■■ Single best answer questions
■■ Roles, rules and duties

Broader questions about what is best for patients or staff, what it is right to do, or whether we are acting
within the law commonly arise in practice for anyone who reflects on their work. This chapter suggests ways
of approaching these issues and reaching conclusions that are satisfactory for all concerned.

Learning objectives
By the end of the chapter, you will be able to:
■■ identify where moral and legal questions may arise in your work;
■■ understand how the law, professional regulation and medical ethics may ask different things of the practis-

ing doctor;
■■ confront the complexity of these requirements by using a framework to think though the issues;

■■ explore the different perspectives of all involved to create the best outcome possible in each situation.

Conflict and compromise wrong or cannot legally do. A diagnosis or a treat-

ment may mean that someone can no longer do
There may seem to be enough to do as a doc- their job. Two patients may present at once with
tor, making clinical decisions at speed, without a shared complaint but different points of view
complicating things by asking ‘whether some- about the best solution. Things that were hidden
thing broadly accepted is really right’, or ‘what is or unmentionable in families may suddenly need
really best’ for this particular patient. Sometimes, to be discussed, or members of that family may
however, those questions won’t seem to go away, disagree about what should be done. The doc-
because the implications of the decision go beyond tor may discover something that he or she feels
medicine, or because there is genuine conflict to should be reported to police or social services. All
be resolved. For instance, someone may ask the these problems may pile onto the doctor’s desk in
doctor to do something that the doctor thinks is the same day.

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 220 HEALTHCARE ETHICS AND LAW

Luckily these sorts of problems are not new Here are two people trying to reach a good
to us. Negotiating life in a family or in the play- decision. Each has special knowledge. There is
ground requires us to develop a sharp set of ideas conflict. Both have made assumptions. Behind
about what is right or wrong, or what is best or those assumptions may be attitudes, and these
most prudent to do in different circumstances. may depend on cherished values or derive from
This is called a moral sense, and although we may bitter experience.
each make slightly different decisions, the ability
to detect and think about these sorts of things is as
much part of human nature as wanting to eat nice Thinking and Discussion Point
food and making friends. As psychologists would
Take the above simple exchange and list as
say, the need for moral thinking and some of the
many different attitudes as you can think of
skills are ‘hardwired’ into our brains.
(like ‘Everyone should be at work unless they
So we have innate skills; but do we really need to
have a serious illness’ or ‘I’ve every right to take
do this extra work? Surely it is possible to bash on,
sick days off – everyone else does’) that might be
ignoring the sort of problems outlined above? Our
behind each statement. How might each affect
job as doctors is medicine, after all. Other things
the outcome and what compromises would
will somehow have to sort themselves out.
have to be made to reach an agreement?
One of the flaws in this approach is that, wheth-
Try imagining the speakers swapping roles.
er we like it or not, the decisions we are making as
What does this do to the ideas you have just
doctors are not (or certainly not principally) for
had?
ourselves; they are for the welfare of other people.
There are lots of ways to look at ethical and legal
cases, but try approaching the next case with the Have you heard a similar exchange while observ-
following ideas in mind: ing clinical work? If so, subject that exchange to
■■ What are the main features of this case? (sum- the same processes.
marize)
■■ What moral and legal questions are we facing? Tutor quote
(focus) If you look carefully, you can detect legal or moral
■■ Are we making any unwarranted assumptions? issues in almost every consultation. We don’t neces-
Should they be challenged? sarily need to address them, but we need to be aware
what they are.
Sometimes we need to think about the following:
■■ Can we analyse the dilemma in terms of our
ethical principles? Deciding for others: the question
■■ What are the possible consequences of different of capacity
actions?
■■ Are there any professional duties or guidelines? Is Making decisions with other people may not
there law about this situation? always be easy, but it may be even more compli-
■■ What are the reasons to accept or reject any pos- cated when we are being asked to make decisions
sible solutions? for someone else; for instance, for someone who
■■ What on balance should be done? (conclude) no longer seems to be able to make them for
■■ What are the implications of this for future themselves. We need to think carefully how to
practice? approach complex decisions.

Case Study 12.1 Case Study 12.2

Tutor to patient: ‘Good, you’re well enough to go A woman in her late forties presented to her
back to work now.’ GP with headaches. She was getting increasingly
Patient to tutor: ‘But you don’t understand what I frantic about her mother’s bizarre behaviour. Her
have to deal with at work, doctor.’ mother had been diagnosed with early dementia

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 Deciding for others: the question of capacity 221

and had been started on some medication. A carer decisions for them about their health, home and
had been arranged. Now the old lady was insisting finances. Each judgement is ‘decision specific’:
on keeping mouldy food in the fridge and fid- there is no ‘enduring declaration’ of incapacity.
dling with the gas heating. She seemed withdrawn Capacity is a flexible and relative status that may
and did not even recognize her grandchildren or flux in the course of a patient’s condition, and so
understand the surroundings of her own home. a judgement will have to be made in reference to
Neighbours had begun to insist something had each new decision being considered.
to be done. The daughter thought her mother Every doctor ought to be familiar with the out-
needed to live in a safer environment where there lines of the current law (see Box 12.1). However,
were trained staff, and wanted this organized the doctor must find a way of working so that
quickly: she was worried there would be a crisis. proper concerns are not dismissed because of def-
However, when she had talked to her mother, the erence to a legal construct.
old lady, in spite of her apparent confusion, was
very clear that she did not want to leave her own Student quote
house. She had said she had always wanted to live ‘I know we are all looking for a black and white
out her days in her own home. ‘There is no way answer, but it seems to me that more often we are
I’m going to let them move me out of my house dealing with shades of grey.’
at my age. And remember whose side you are on.’
The daughter wanted the doctor to intervene. He The Mental Capacity Act (Box 12.1)
could raise the matter firmly with her mother, The aim of the Act is to help those who care for
or make a referral to social services. She felt her others (over 16) who, through problems such as
mother was not in her right mind anymore and mental health problems, dementia or learning dif-
couldn’t make rational decisions. ‘After all, you ficulties, may be considered unable to make deci-
have a duty to keep my mother safe, even if that sions about not just their healthcare, but many
means going against her wishes.’ aspects of their lives. It offers a framework for
decision making in these situations.
In this case the doctor has a duty to both mother
and daughter as his patients (and possibly to the
wider society locally if things get worse), but it
Box 12.1 The Mental Capacity Act
is also very clear there is no easy solution. Her (England and Wales, 2005)
The Mental Capacity Act (England and Wales,
patient is asking the doctor to consider acting
2005) is underpinned by five main general
against the wishes of her mother. Is this is a mor-
principles:
ally or legally acceptable thing to do? What does 1) An individual must be assumed to have
the doctor need to know? Has the old lady’s judge- capacity to make judgements about
ment been called into question before? Do any themselves unless it is proven otherwise.
others share the daughter’s concern? Is there a real 2) Individuals must be helped as much as
possibility something dangerous might happen? possible to make their own decisions before
When you are not sure what to do, there is a they are considered to lack capacity.
temptation to gather more and more information, 3) If a decision seems unwise this in itself is
not a measure of the individual’s capacity to
to amass more details. Sometimes this seems to be
make that decision.
just a way to avoid confronting a difficult moral
4) What is done must be done in the person’s
issue. The bottom line in this case, however, is best interests.
that the doctor has to make a judgement about 5) The option chosen should be one that least
whether the old lady knows what she is doing, restricts their basic rights and freedoms.
whether she is capable of making proper decisions
about herself, that is, about her mental ‘capac-
ity’. That is not something to be done lightly. The Act provides for Independent Mental
There is extensive legislation governing those who Capacity Advocates (IMCAs) who can be allo-
lack capacity and the ways to go about making cated to those judged to lack capacity to make

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 222 HEALTHCARE ETHICS AND LAW

certain decisions, but do not have friends or fam- everyday, ordinary work that we do in general and
ily who may be able to provide a view of what they community practice. New practitioners are often
may have wished for. IMCAs can also be involved surprised by the way something apparently small
where there is dispute amongst relatives or friends can suddenly become of enormous consequence
about what decision to take for someone who and, if it goes wrong, take a long time to sort out.
lacks capacity.
Tutor quote
I’m afraid I’m allergic to the idea that small con-
Thinking and Discussion Point
cerns can be ‘trivial’. Let’s remember that the word
■■ What help or directions does the Mental ‘trivial’ comes from the Latin for ‘crossroad’ – where
Capacity Act give in this case? there is a decision to be made about which direction
■■ Do you think it still leaves the doctor uncer- to take.
tain as to what might or should be done?
What other factors seem to you relevant to This chapter cannot cover every problem
the decision? nor provide more than a sketch of moral and
■■ Do you think the way that things are done legal thinking, but it can offer frameworks and
may be as important as what is done? If so, ways of approaching things: it can begin to
what should be aimed for and what avoided? provide the tools to help, pointing to the right
approach in looking for answers when faced with
­confusing ­situations.
Student quote
‘I think there’s nothing medicine can’t solve if you Ethics alert: some alarm ‘symptoms’ in
leave ethics and law out of it!’ consultations ⚑
■■ Feeling angry, or possibly any intense emotion
■■ Being tempted to tell a lie
Moral and legal thinking in ■■ Trying to rush through something complex
everyday clinical practice because you want to leave work
■■ Being very tired at the end of a long shift
Ethics and law may seem quite separate from ■■ Using the phone when you should really see
clinical medicine: after all, the thinking is not someone face to face
based on what scientists observe, but on reasoning ■■ Having to have a second consultation about the
about what is right or best, perhaps as outlined by same problem (not as a follow-up)
‘experts’. On the other hand, both our cases above ■■ Two patients at once in the same consultation
seem to suggest that ethical and legal thinking ■■ ‘Better not write that down’
is intrinsic to the practice of medicine: in other ■■ Sitting in.
words, we can’t practise successfully as doctors
without having an understanding of legal and
moral thinking and how they might apply to the Sitting in: a suitable case for
clinical problem in hand. treatment
This latter idea seems to be backed up by the
guidelines about various areas of practice pub- If you are a student or new GP about to sit in on
lished by statutory bodies, by the requirement a consultation with a teaching GP, there may be a
before we practise to have some recognized medi- series of obvious but important questions to ask.
cal insurance, and by what we see as the process in Is your focus on sorting out the patient’s prob-
law when things appear to have gone wrong. But lems, or is it on helping you to learn medicine? Is
while the big issues that all these refer to feel like the the patient happy to have someone sitting in and
exceptions to normal practice (and naturally none hearing what is said? Has the patient been offered
of us wants to fall foul of the law or the authorities), the option of the student leaving or of seeing
this chapter is just as concerned about the regular, another professional without a student?

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 The law and professional regulation in practice 223

Conventionally, these last questions bring

together the two issues of confidentiality and
consent. However, other issues may be lurking in
the wings. You may be keen to learn, but have
to get away to prepare for another class. The
doctor may have to sort out an employment
problem in the practice or squeeze other activi-
ties between the surgery and his or her after-
noon visits. In the rush, you may find yourself
watching or even being asked to do something
that does not feel to you to be the best prac-
tice. Have you done all you could, or even the
best you could in the circumstances? Have all
the patient’s concerns been properly addressed?
Have you helped, or have you hindered, the pri-
mary clinical task?
Daily Scoop
Tutor quote News
Breakingrs
D oc to
There are trade-offs to be made to get through a Mad,Bad, &
Dangerous!!
working day, and sometimes these leave us with
lurking dissatisfaction or guilt – or even, perversely, A never-ending stream of
a sense of pride in coping which our best selves know advice, demands and values....
is only waiting for a fall.
Figure 12.1 Sometimes it feels like there is a never-ending
stream of advice, demands and values to satisfy with every
medical decision.
The professional framework
Most medical schools these days do not ask
qualifying doctors to swear an oath, but all who The law and professional
practise in the UK must work to the rules or regulation in practice
guidelines laid down by the General Medical
Council (GMC). Most other countries have The frameworks of legal and professional regula-
similar arrangements, some directly following tion are both derived from what a society consid-
the lead of the GMC. Doctors could act com- ers it right to do. As the emphasis or balance of
pletely within the law of the country they work thinking in any society may change, so may laws
in and still find themselves in trouble with their and professional regulations.
regulating authority. These rules, guidelines or
statements act like a sort of evolving ‘oath in Tutor quote
progress’. We may not think about them all the Remember there might be important differences
time, and may not be able to quote them, but between what you can do in different countries. Any
they exist to form and frame the world we work health professionals going to practise in another
in. Some of this helps to make it clear when we country would be foolish not to check out the
might fall foul of the law, were we not doctors, approaches in that country.
and some of it helps to clarify legal require-
ments. Sometimes, however, it appears more Surprisingly the law often says little specific
complicated than that. So sometimes it feels about things that matter a lot in medical prac-
like there is a never-ending stream of advice, tice. For example, until recently, the law in
demands and values to satisfy with every medi- England and Wales on medical confidentiality
cal decision (Figure 12.1). was very sparse. But doctors are seen in law as

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 224 HEALTHCARE ETHICS AND LAW

having to do things that other people are usually

not allowed to do, hence the need for examina- Thinking and Discussion Point
tions, regular appraisal and a special registration.
You may be aware of ‘incident forms’ at your
The law expects doctors to get on with being
own hospital that are intended to flag up prob-
doctors without the law having to intervene: it
lems that can be addressed before they become
is only likely to become involved if something
more serious. How are such things done in
goes or is done wrong. What would constitute
general practice?
a crime may of course not be absolutely obvi-
ous; in the words of one English lawyer, ‘the
law doesn’t tell you what to do, it only tells you
after you’ve done it whether it was lawful or Practical Exercise
not.’ But courts know all too well how difficult
Think of a time when a decision you have made
it is to make good judgements in the heat of the
has been called into question by colleagues,
moment and so are reluctant to criticize doc-
friends, family or tutors. How did you feel?
tors. What is more, they are likely to be cautious
What was your initial response? Why was the
about making a legal decision that would have
question raised in the first place? Was there a
the consequence of depriving patients of medi-
protocol that you were unaware of? Think about
cal care because doctors would be unable or too
positive outcomes that have arisen due to this
nervous to act. Most judgements will therefore
questioning, medical or otherwise.
follow rather than lead changes in public opin-
ion; certainly in countries where the law is based
on the English legal system, which relies to a
great extent on cases and precedent. Tutor quote
Speak to the person directly and find out what went
wrong; apologize and use the complaint to change
‘Being questioned’ – a change for good?
your ways.
Change in medical practice comes about for
many reasons, but is sometimes spurred by the
discovery that previous practices were danger- Good practice and the moral
ous, or allowed errors and even crimes to go stranger
unnoticed. In 2000, Harold Shipman, a single-
handed GP, was convicted of murdering 15 If we want to be good doctors and deliver the best
elderly patients with overdoses of sedative or practice, every single contact between one per-
analgesic drugs. (It is suspected that he killed son and another has the potential for improving
many more than that.) Shipman’s activities were things, or the reverse, and so has a moral com-
brought to light by another local GP who raised ponent. It is almost as if each consultation has its
concerns about the high death rate in Shipman’s own little textbook of medical ethics waiting to be
practice. After an extensive enquiry, the case written about it.
highlighted flaws in the systems used to manage Ethics means ‘how people should live’. One of
the prescription and dispensing of controlled the earliest writers (outside religious books) was
drugs. Several changes have been made to this the Greek philosopher Aristotle. He often used the
process since then, based on the outcome of this work of a ship’s captain to illustrate his thinking.
investigation, many which affect the day-to-day There is the tide, the wind, the condition of the
prescribing practice of both GPs and hospital boat: even with the latest computer, all who ven-
doctors. Although this was an extreme and dis- ture to sea have to use all their knowledge, skill,
tressing example, it highlights the importance of experience and intuition to get the best out of the
asking questions, and being prepared to be ques- voyage and return safely to land.
tioned, as a way that change may be made to It is the same in the consultation. We may have
medical practice (Smith, 2005). the charts, but it is the rest that may drive us

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 Roles, rules and duties 225

onto the rocks. What is uncharted may be very may see when sitting in that the patient is look-
extensive, especially in general practice. Patients ing uneasy or trying to talk about something that
bring so many different things to their GPs. It is the doctor, because of the focus on the physical
likely they will be wondering, too, what sort of symptoms or on teaching, has not noticed. A
person they are going to meet and what his or her question from the clinician may catch the patient
approach will be. Even if patient and professional off guard, and the patient may start to unburden
know each other well, the tide and weather of anx- him- or herself about something deeply personal;
iety, exhaustion or excitement may overwhelm the it may be clearly inappropriate for the student
usual responses on either side. One of the fascina- to be involved and the student may feel the need
tions of medicine (and law) is that when private to withdraw.
lives become more public, what actually happens All of these observations may be part of the skill
in private is often very different from what the that some have in abundance, but others may
outside world might expect. The bouncer who lis- need to develop: of being sensitive to moral and
tens to Mozart, the social work manager who goes psychological issues and responding appropri-
on gambling holidays, the vicar who beats up her ately. It may not always be easy to give a name
husband, the doctor who seems the model medic precisely to all of these issues. We may just have a
but is struggling to keep up: life is full of surprises. feeling. The importance of noting that something
Pluralistic modern society raises further problems. is going wrong or that there is a hidden problem
It might be possible in very settled societies to be needing to be addressed cannot be overstated.
clear about what the ‘rules’ are, or how each fam- Our natural moral antennae link to our emotional
ily would ‘play it’, but in a modern urban society awareness, and it is this as much as anything else
people have multiple identities, and signposts are which helps us to find our way on the moral chart.
few or may even point in the wrong direction at Unnoticed or unaddressed, the issue may act as a
times of crisis. People of different generations and trap for all involved, and the emotional feeling,
with different experiences may make choices for instead of being a signal for reflection or for going
themselves outside their ethnic, religious or fam- carefully, may burst out. Someone may become
ily tradition. upset. Responses may be inappropriate; the treat-
So each patient comes to us as what has been ment may be poorly directed or key issues may be
called a ‘moral stranger’. We do not know how held back and missed. A patient may complain or
they will approach a particular problem. As doc- leave the list, a doctor may go home dispirited or
tors, we have to get to know not only our patients’ go off to do some other type of work. So one of
medical problems, but also the choices they intend the important things to notice in medical work is
to make and why – their moral responses. We a change in the emotional climate, within oneself,
have to make a values diagnosis as well as a medi- in the patient, or in the interaction. It signals, usu-
cal one; and we need to do it swiftly and surely and ally, a moral problem; one that is unidentified or
without compromising our own moral position. unaddressed and desperately needs attention.

⚑ Alarm symptom
‘I know what to do, and just what this patient Roles, rules and duties
wants.’
Case study 12.3
During a teaching session, an enthusiastic GP
Moral antennae: paying attention called the student away from her teacher’s surgery
to the issues to show her the physical signs of shingles in the
patient he was seeing next door. The patient was a
Some moral issues we meet in a patient encounter young man and clearly had no option but to raise
might be absolutely obvious. However, it may not his shirt to the student and show her the lesions.
be quite so easy to see everything that could go The GP then began to teach the student, and,
wrong without paying particular attention. You without talking any more to the patient, bundled

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 226 HEALTHCARE ETHICS AND LAW

him out of the room, leaving a very embarrassed duties define what else we could or could not do
student with a self-satisfied GP. in the course of our work.

One thing that commonly causes a consultation Duty

to stall is confusion about the task in hand. With
the best will in the world, clinicians may find Case Study 12.4
themselves changing what they are doing or being A public problem
asked to do without realizing it. You are a GP registrar in an inner city practice.
We see above a role conflict for a doctor between You often see young people who have been caught
duty to an individual patient and to teaching, but up in criminal activity – drug offences, petty theft
even within one consultation, roles may suddenly and antisocial behaviour. You know that in the
change. A patient may reveal something that may community your practice serves a large number
challenge the doctor as a fellow citizen, such as a of children under 16 who have been victims of
crime. Either party may start a conversation that knife crime. Your practice has contributed to an
owes more to friendship or more intense feelings audit addressing long-term outcomes for those
than to a professional relationship. Other conflicts seen in the local trauma centre with stab wounds.
of role may simply be built in and unrecognized. It is a major public health concern. Several young
Country doctors may have to look after their lives, including practice patients, have been lost or
staff’s medical problems, or those of their own spoilt due to knife crime.
family. The counsel of perfection would be to It is something that you feel passionately about.
avoid the situation, but if that is not possible we Primary care can play a vital role in helping to
should at least be aware of these conflicts even if reduce the numbers of lives destroyed by crime,
they are not made explicit. and you are very active in your practice in helping
One of the main reasons for keeping a close to promote services like your teenager’s drop-
check on the task in hand is that each role may in clinic.
carry its own rules, formal or informal and sepa-
rate from those of clinical practice: a teacher may An individual’s concern
be bound by one set of regulations, a researcher One morning, a 13-year-old boy comes to see
by another; a friend may feel bound to act, or a you. He hasn’t been to the surgery for over 5
neighbour be inhibited from doing so. These rules years, and never on his own before. He complains
may seem to get in the way, designed to trip us up, of acne over his upper back and face. It’s getting
but in reality they are to protect us from making him down. He’s stopped swimming because of
mistakes. They look ahead, as it were, to the job it. While you are writing a prescription towards
to be done and say: ‘If you are to do this sort of the end of the consultation, you ask ‘is anything
job or to be in this sort of position, you must be stressing you out at the moment?’
prepared to be the kind of person who acts in this The real reason?
sort of way.’ After a long silence, fiddling, he mutters that it’s
For other people involved, as a doctor you make his elder brother. ‘He got arrested for carrying a
implied promises about what you are going to do knife … like all the kids on the estate.’ His brother
and how you are going to do it, and these promises has finished his community service but can’t find
become part of broader duties that we undertake. a job. He’s always around, after food or cash. They
Without them, others don’t know what to expect, get on alright, discussing games and girls. But he’s
and how to trust us in difficult situations. Without never stopped carrying a knife, despite his convic-
them, we as professionals would not know how tion: he says ‘You’d be stupid to walk round here
to resist other desires or outside forces that come without some form of protection.’ He’s going to
to frustrate these promised actions. We are only get his little brother a knife too, to get him used
human, and get tired, distracted; our concentra- to it.
tion goes elsewhere. Our promise in practice keeps Your patient says he’d seen his brother in a
us at the task until we have completed it. Our bad mood, and how angry he gets. The blade is

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 An absolute duty? 227

serrated, 5 inches long. He can’t stop thinking

about his brother using it. He’s afraid just walking
Box 12.2 Fraser Guidelines
‘Fraser Guidelines’ (or ‘Gillick Competency’)
around the estate, afraid his brother won’t get off refer to situations where the competence of a
the next time he’s caught carrying a blade, afraid child under 16 to make their own decisions
of what his brother might do when he’s angry about their healthcare without parental consent
at home. is being assessed. Mrs Gillick took her local
The patient is suddenly aghast at what he’s done. health authority to court in 1982 to challenge
‘You’re not going to tell my mum, are you? You’re the fact that children under 16 may receive
not going to tell the police?’ treatment without parental consent. She lost
her case. Appeal found in favour of the initial
A duty to whom? judgment:
This case presents you with lots to think about: ‘Whether or not a child is capable of giving the
necessary consent will depend on the child’s
■■ Confidentiality: The threat is not specific. If he maturity and understanding and the nature
had said his brother is going to kill this named of the consent required. The child must be
girl and he told you so this morning that he will capable of making a reasonable assessment
do it tonight, that would justify breaking con- of the advantages and disadvantages of the
fidentiality to the police, with or without con- treatment proposed, so the consent, if given,
sent. General threats and potential concerns are can be properly and fairly described as true
consent.’
much harder to evaluate, and we must be able
Although the initial case was about
to clearly explain the gravity of our immediate
contraception, the judgment has come
concerns if we do break confidentiality. to have a broader application. The Fraser
■■ Competence: What about his parents? Doesn’t Guidelines provide a framework for judging the
his mum have the right to know one of her sons competence of a young person.
is coming into her home with illegal weapons? A doctor in this situation should take the
Would the patient discuss it with his mum following questions into account:
himself? Perhaps she would rather know from ●■ Can the young person understand the

her own family rather than waiting for a catas- information given to him or her?
●■ Can they retain that information?
trophe, and her response may not be negative.
●■ Do they have an insight into the
What is his response to this suggestion? Does
consequences of their decision? (i.e. Do they
he understand the information you are giving have capacity to make a decision?)
him? Do you think the consequences are clear ●■ Are they unlikely to be persuaded to inform
to him? their parents or guardian?
■■ Age of responsibility: Sometimes, is it necessary ●■ Is the decision in their best interests?

to decide whether a child under 16 can be given ●■ May withholding treatment cause them

responsibility for decisions, with or without harm? (e.g. the young person will continue
parental consent or even parental involvement. to have sexual intercourse whether they are
prescribed a contraceptive or not).
This is where we refer to ‘Fraser Competence’
(see Box 12.2).
■■ Wider issues: What are the possible consequenc-
es in this situation? Might you risk alienating An absolute duty?
your young patient, lose his precious trust?
Might an offer of subtle intervention with the Duty is a word with rather a heavy feel to it. It
mum or the family from an impartial adult be is something we owe because we said we would.
a welcome relief from the burden of the stress People then have a claim on us to deliver. They
he is under? But are you getting too involved? have a right to expect something from us. But
Is public safety more important than your rela- we must try to be consistent as well as reason-
tionship with your patient? You are not a law able. We cannot pick and choose. Because that
enforcement service: should the police simply consistency is so basic to professional lives, such
be informed? duties (and, reciprocally, other people’s rights)

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 228 HEALTHCARE ETHICS AND LAW

are often thought of as absolute. To go back to the so all these people – student, group teacher, sec-
issue of confidentiality, patients might not be as retary, receptionist, professional colleague – are
open as they would otherwise be to doctors when still bound by the same duty of confidentiality,
discussing some conditions if they did not know and that this formed a cordon around this group
that what they describe or relate will be kept in of people. Researchers have found that the general
confidence between them and the doctor. public does not understand confidentiality like
Where there is some other reasonable but this (Carmen and Britten, 1995), so there is prob-
conflicting claim on us, however, the idea of ably a lot more work to be done.
an ‘absolute’ claim starts to lose its meaning. The case of the young man and his brother
Confidentiality is not ‘absolutely absolute’, after raised another duty; in this case, to protect vulner-
all. It can, indeed it must, be broken in some situa- able people in danger. Society expects us to deal
tions. We have to negotiate these new and difficult with medical harms, but we also have to deal with
waters and decide what to do. some harms unearthed in the consultation that go
beyond the strictly medical.

Thinking and Discussion Point Handling duties and consequences

When we make a promise to people we are close
By coming into a consultation as a student to
to, we may not have foreseen all the possible
learn, you have already broken into the confi-
situations that may arise which may challenge
dential relationship between the doctor and the
that promise. But in medicine, we should know
patient. How can we then view that confiden-
enough at least about the possibility of conflicting
tiality? How does your teacher view it? What
demands and so should think ahead. If we think
do you think patients will think? How can you
there is even the outside chance that we might
find out? Are there any rules you must make
have to break confidentiality, we should not make
yourself?
a promise we know we cannot fulfil.
However, duties do not only face competition
from other duties. Medicine judges itself in scien-
Case Study 12.5
tific terms or in terms of evidence assessed largely
After conducting a family interview in depth at a
by outcomes. Is this treatment better than that?
patient’s home, written up in long hand as it had
What should we do in order to improve lives or
to be, the medical student left his notes by mistake
reduce suffering? In some situations, where one
on the bus. He never found the notes again. His
outcome would clearly be the best (‘best’ in the
presentation was spoilt, but worse he worried that
limited sense of best for the immediate people
someone has found all the notes, with his name
we are concerned with), duties prevent us from
on them and the patients all identified and their
overstepping the mark. The daughter in Case
address given, and that one day all this will burst
study 12.2 could clearly see where things might
into the open or the patients will come to harm.
lead. There might be many options – an old peo-
He still does.
ple’s home, extensive daycare services or whatever
This case raised an obvious issue before it all would enable both mother and daughter to live
went wrong: the student was to share this infor- reasonable lives in their different ways. But some-
mation with a teaching group. Did the patient times getting the balance right may seem difficult.
know this, and consent? What if a doctor needs to
write a letter to a specialist and so has to put the Case Study 12.6
letter on a tape to be typed by a secretary? What Before the elderly mother in Case study 12.2
about a receptionist making a phone call about the developed her dementia, a routine blood test
patient, or the doctor consulting a colleague about demonstrated that she had some leukaemic cells
the best form of referral? From inside the system, in her white cell series. These were mildly aggres-
we can see that all of these situations may be sive, and certainly not likely to threaten her life
necessary for effective care and proper teamwork, more than other things: the specialist advice was

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 Four principles and scope 229

to do nothing. She asked whether her blood test At least three different ways have been advanced
was all right. The doctor took a deep breath and to help us try to bring incommensurable things to
told her it was fine. a balance. In the first, we can analyse what princi-
ples underlie different arguments, and bring them
together to create a way forward. As another way
Thinking and Discussion Point
of thinking, we can focus not so much on what to
Telling a patient that she ‘had leukaemia but do as on what sort of person we should be, and try
that I am going to do nothing about it’ hardly to act in that way (looking at virtues and values).
sounds like the recommended communication. Finally, we could examine the different perspec-
But it is the truth. What would you say? Does tives of the actors in each drama and combine
it matter that doctors don’t tell lies? If the old them into a type of story, turning our responses
lady, or her relatives, eventually find out, what into a narrative, and try to ‘tell our way’ through
would happen to their trust in you or their view the problem.
of doctor’s veracity? Does that matter? In the paragraphs that follow, we look at each
of these approaches. One may be more appealing
than the others; one may fit the circumstances
There may be many ways round this problem by better than others. There may be yet other ways
thinking about how we might express ourselves, of looking at things that may be important for
but at this stage, this case pits a clear duty that individuals, or may help particular branches of
the doctor has – to tell the truth to the patient the healthcare professions. Probably, however, the
about issues which concern her health – against best (or better) option requires us to use at least
a consequence – telling her about something that all three of these approaches as part of the ‘ethical
might cause major anxiety, and possibly blight the circuit’ of thinking (Figure 12.2).
rest of her life.
Thus we find ourselves trying to balance things
that not only are not similar, but are not even Four principles and scope
measured on the same scale. These are incom-
Benefit and harm
mensurable, and we just have to accept that. We
are left to make a moral balance. Outside groups At work we are obviously trying to help or benefit
are unlikely to have the answer. It is just that pro- people, and to reduce things that may be harmful
fessionals tend to act in one way, while perhaps to them. The principle of doing good for people –
our intuitions or conscience may point in another, often called in medicine a ‘duty of care’ – is known
and so we may be left confused. The culture of our as beneficence. There is a contrast with commerce;
society may be in transition, or people may differ. however ‘ethical’ a company, the bottom line in
We need a way of assessing the options and com- business is profit for shareholders, not benefit or
ing to a decision. care for customers. (However, even in business, a

rules
the perception rights
that something duties
is wrong roles values/virtues

the issue(s)
identified benefit justice

harm respect for

outcomes/processes autonomy
narrative
perspective/purposes
setting limits of the different players
Figure 12.2 The ‘ethical circuit’ of thinking.

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 230 HEALTHCARE ETHICS AND LAW

company might get into trouble if it caused harm do anything that affects them directly. This think-
to its customers.) In medicine the imperative to ing about individual choice grew out of the politi-
minimize or avoid harming people is very strong. cal arena in Europe and America over the last 400
This principle of reducing harm is called non- years (the earlier part of which is sometimes called
maleficence: it has defined our decision that we ‘the Enlightenment’ because it opposed the tradi-
might break confidence if a consultation revealed tional but unscientific approaches of mediaeval
abuse or danger to others. Sometimes even more times). The words used were similar to those used
important is the idea that in order to help people in political discussion about countries wishing to
we actually have to do things that, outside medi- rule themselves. Each individual was seen as his or
cine, would be considered as harms: the surgeon her own sovereign in matters of personal choice.
has to cut; the medicine has side effects. So doc- Each person should be treated as an autonomous
tors usually cannot avoid the possibility of harm, individual. Autonomy means ruling oneself or
but must reduce it as much as possible and set it oneself providing the laws for oneself. That could
against the good to be achieved. Thus we have to be interpreted as each person doing what he or she
balance benefits and harms, just as politicians or liked, but that freedom is, of course, constrained
economists balance these ideas. by other people’s freedom, so some of the bound-
aries are clearly set. As one Enlightenment thinker,
Jeremy Bentham, said, ‘your freedom to swing
Thinking and Discussion Point your stick ends where my nose begins.’
Every person should acknowledge the impor-
Take five patient situations you have been tance of the choices individuals make about their
involved in. What did the patient want? What own lives: we should respect their autonomy in
could be achieved? Was there a clear difference? being able to think, desire and actually do what
If there were harms of various possible actions, they wish whenever we can if that is not in conflict
where might the harms fall? How were these with the autonomy of other people.
balanced? Was all this made explicit in the con- That freedom to make choices about things that
sultation? If not, why not? concern our own personal lives has been translat-
ed from the grand political scene into that of per-
sonal politics in some sectors of modern life in the
Respecting autonomy West. Between consenting adults in private, for
In Western societies recently another idea has instance, their sexual preferences are their busi-
become important. Even if the doctor can see ness and theirs alone, much as choice of clothes,
what is best done to help a patient, what about music or flowers to put in a windowbox are theirs
that patient’s own view of what should be done? (in our ideal world!) and no one else’s. Where
Even if the doctor knows best in general, second there are clashes, in home or at the workplace, we
guessing a patient’s own personal choices or prefer shared or negotiated decisions to someone
preferences is not the right way to work. People simply being told what to do. We believe that
should be able to choose what happens to their people should achieve their potential and should,
own bodies and lives. Overriding their decisions, wherever possible, as adults, be empowered to
with the best of motives, is likely to lead to a poor make their own decisions and choices.
outcome and may actually disable the individual
into being a ‘permanent patient’. It may simply
Thinking and Discussion Point
be illegal. Helping people to achieve their own
goals is a great benefit in itself. Doing something In those five situations you thought about
that seems like the best medicine at the time above, whose decision was it that was done? Was
but which the patient does not want could be a it the doctor’s, the patient’s, or someone outside
major harm. the room? Was it a shared decision or one sided?
These sorts of ideas lie behind keeping medical
secrets and getting people’s permission before we

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 Four principles and scope 231

It has often been said that ‘doctor knows best’. had a good voyage, you know it. I’m tired out.
One of the reasons why individual choice is dif- Death holds no horrors for me like being stuck in
ficult to apply is that people often cannot eas- four walls would. I want to see and smell the west
ily make medical judgements about themselves. wind. Just keep me out of pain as much as you
Patients cannot easily examine parts of their own can. You’re the last friend I’ve got; I trust you.’
bodies. If they can, they may not know what that
The same sort of thinking or reasoning should
examination means or what to do about it because
help doctors through difficult minor choices,
they lack the medical knowledge. That drugs are
like a patient refusing a ’flu jab or wanting to use
dangerous poisons as well as potential cures means
complementary medicine, as it did with brave old
that most important ones are available only on a
Mr Mason. By all means doctors should explain,
doctor’s prescription. So, until the middle of the
inform, try to persuade, to act as an advocate, as it
last century, most healthcare practice was paternal-
were, of the choice that seems better to the medic
istic in style: the patient’s duty was to obey orders.
but not to the lay person. But ultimately, by not
listening to the patients’ decisions or choices,
Thinking and Discussion Point healthcare workers can treat them like children.
This is not only wrong in itself, but sometimes
Are there situations in medicine today where it delays recovery.
is still vital that the doctor makes the decision
for the patient? What justifies that? Justice
Thus three important principles contribute to
resolving a conflict – doing good, avoiding harm
Even with improving self-diagnostic aids, more
and respecting autonomy. However, our choices
access to medical knowledge for lay people and
may be limited not only by what we know, but
over-the-counter medicines, patients are still often
also by what can be afforded. A practitioner in
not able to express their choices properly. They
Somalia may have a different range of options
may be disabled by anxiety, too ill to think straight
from one in Southwark or Saskatchewan. We may
or actually unconscious. If the healthcare worker
regret that, but it is reality. Equally, in different
is to act properly, the autonomy of the patient
countries the healthcare system may have made
has to be respected even if it cannot be expressed.
different decisions about what type of care takes
This may be done by acting as the person would
priority for funding, or how one chooses between
choose to act, or we know did choose to act before
two people with the same condition when only
they became ill, by working to get patients into a
one can be treated. These are issues of justice.
situation in which they can really make their own
We are all brought up in our families to have a
choices again, or by avoiding going beyond certain
view of what is fair, and how to address the situ-
sorts of boundaries in decision making – unless
ation when something is unfair. Many political
there are overwhelming reasons to do so, defined
movements are driven by similar thoughts writ
by obvious benefits or harms. This is important
large. These ideas of what is fair or just permeate
whether the concerns are major or the decisions
healthcare too, whether it be to deal with a prob-
are everyday ones.
lem when someone has overstepped the mark and
done something really wrong (retributive justice),
Case Study 12.7
or in circumstances in which there is not enough
A retired sailor, Mr Mason had been treated suc-
of something to go round (distributive justice).
cessfully for renal and liver failure after a major
road accident when he was 75, and now, cough-
ing away on his own in the old people’s home at Thinking and Discussion Point
92, with all his close relatives and friends dead or
distant, the doctor was faced with telling him that Some people think that there is a natural ceil-
his tests showed he had lung cancer. Mr Mason ing for healthcare demand, when everyone has
almost looked relieved. ‘Let me go doctor – I’ve enough for their needs. Do you agree?

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 232 HEALTHCARE ETHICS AND LAW

The National Health Service (NHS) in the UK impinge on his or her afternoon visits. Drawing
was planned with that last idea in mind: it was lines in anticipation may be common sense but
assumed that as people got healthier, calls on the also may need clear thinking. Even the time given
service would be reduced. For whatever reasons, to thinking things through has limits!
however, most people now do not think it works
that way. It seems as if, however much is put into
any healthcare system, it will be inadequate for Virtues and values
everyone’s wants and for improvements in health-
We all have casts of character that are quite obvi-
care. Distributive justice in this view will always
ous to our friends and family, if not to us. We
be with us. This approach not only sees a problem
may be good timekeepers or decision makers,
of how to distribute resources, such as curative
excellent at listening to people, open and honest
drugs or doctors’ time, but also (whether funding
about our opinions, and so on. These we conven-
comes from the state or some commercial system)
tionally call virtues, and we prize them. They may
detects a general shortage of what is needed to
make us effective in certain circumstances, and
satisfy the needs of the population overall. If the
prone to make certain sorts of choices. Some of
majority are right, or if the political will to correct
these will have led us into doing medicine: oth-
an overall deficiency is not found, people working
ers may take us into particular branches of care.
in healthcare will always have to make awkward
Neurosurgery and community psychiatry may
decisions about how to allocate resources, not
share many things, but the virtues required of
only on the expanding edge of bioscience but also
doctors and nurses in each area are likely to be
in the centre of routine medical work. There will
very different. This in turn is in part because the
be conflict facing students and busy teaching GPs
outcomes expected and the processes used are dif-
concerning how to make sure each patient’s needs
ferent: but in these two areas of work, the balance
are properly addressed and the other calls on the
is struck differently between tolerance and active
student’s and doctor’s time are attended to. Good
inquisitiveness or intervention. (Perhaps this is in
communication and time management skills will
part due to the different dangers that each area of
help, but something more is needed: choices have
work poses for its patients.)
to be made.
The moral challenge may thus be about what
Student quote sort of person (or professional) we should be.
To the degree that we change this – and we can
‘When I was a kid I was often upset because things
probably all change our professional practice a lot
didn’t seem to be fair, and my parents were good at
more than we might think – we have to identify
trying to explain it or make it right. There seems a
the important attributes to develop in a certain
lot that’s unfair in health and illness, though; and
area of work or to display in a certain situation.
still in healthcare too. I hope I’ll be able to see my
Thus a particular approach may prevent problems
way through this when I get to practise on my own.’
arising (or the reverse!). The doctor facing the
Scope elderly patient with an incidental and probably
irrelevant blood test abnormality may have less of
Some progress may be made to solve problems by
a problem if he or she is always open and honest
looking at the scope or limits of the issue under
with patients. They have grown to trust her truth-
discussion. A patient may present a concern, such
fulness and judgement.
as a dispute with a neighbour, which is quite prop-
erly not in the doctor’s province. Someone else
may want to talk so extensively about a psycho-
Thinking and Discussion Point
logical problem or has such a complex complaint
that specialist help is needed. Perhaps the student What do you think are your particular strengths
should have prepared for his or her afternoon ses- of character that may impinge on your work as
sion the night before, or the doctor not allowed a doctor? Do your friends agree?
the management demands of the practice to

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 Putting it all together 233

What applies to individuals can, to a degree, made. Each person who has a stake in a difficult
apply to groups. In this context we usually talk moral decision ideally should have the opportu-
about a deliberate choice of values. A particular nity to offer his or her own perspective where it
service, say an oncology department or a group is appropriate to do so. This is (partly) the theory
practice, may make a conscious decision to take a behind case conferences.
particular approach for the benefit of patients, or In practice, whereas professionals may be
to reduce or stop their commitment elsewhere in expected to present coherent options and the jus-
order to give their work a particular focus. There tifications for and against a particular approach,
may be local factors that are decisive. There are most people are more concrete thinkers, and
likely to be trade-offs. The same practice above express their preferences in other ways. Some
involved in adolescent work might find it dif- of this is demonstrated in the desire to tell and
ficult when patients from a part of the locality hear stories. While most of us respond well to
that has gone ‘upmarket’ come in with internet people telling interesting stories, the imperative in
printouts and complain about being kept wait- modern medicine to look for scientific evidence
ing past appointment times. So both values and in treatment evaluation has led to some clinicians
virtues are on a spectrum: the tolerance the above insisting that such things are ‘mere anecdotes’.
practice may have developed will be a menace for This seems not only to misrepresent what some
a busy executive superwoman who just wants her patients are doing when they are telling stories,
pills and to get home to take over from the au but also to underestimate the importance that
pair. Someone appearing to be brave in one situ- such stories may hold at their heart. We are prob-
ation may in another appear simply foolhardy. If ably used to the idea that a religious leader may
we value choice, we also need to value choice of use a narrative to illustrate a moral point or clarify
values, and each of us may have made particular a particular belief, but modern novelists or soap
choices of our values because of experiences we opera directors are often doing the same. Though
have had, or new goals we now need to achieve. writers usually have several ideas they want to get
across, the point is the same: telling about events
Perspective and narrative is usually the vehicle for presenting the clash
between ideas. When this happens in the con-
We saw that each encounter with a new person sultation, there is usually a purpose to the story
could be a meeting between moral strangers. told; perhaps to help define what sort of person is
Understanding one person’s relevant aims and consulting and why they are like that, and how the
goals may be quite a task, but understanding the patient can help the doctor make sense of what has
experience or culture of a group or family, and and is happening, separately or together.
how one individual blends with or differs from Some may prefer to stick to the concept of per-
that group, gives a special extra dimension to spectives. Understanding where each person in an
family practice. It makes decision making, when interaction is ‘coming from’ is not the only aim of
there is dissonance, a real skill. Respecting the modern ethical practice – we still have to put each
patient’s choice may be supported by the law, point of view together and reach a reasoned and
regulating bodies and principles, and is unlikely reasonable conclusion – but it is certainly a good
to be far from the value set of most modern starting point.
practitioners or service groups. However, within
families these concepts may begin to unpeel like
an onion, as illness or distress upsets a previously Putting it all together
established and artificial harmony between differ-
ent people’s expectations, needs and experiences. Much professional medical ethics derives from
Choice implies that there is also something that is philosophical thinking down the ages, and law is
not chosen; so the path not taken, the unvalued made by judges and juries deliberating at length.
expectation, an unmet need or a negative experi- No one would want to make a virtue out of work
ence may need to be addressed before progress is pressure, but the passage of time means something

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 234 HEALTHCARE ETHICS AND LAW

different in medicine. For the clinician, the patient thinking through or discussing the ethics of an
is there in front of him or her and is likely to encounter afterwards is a professional imperative,
remain so unless some sort of decision is made. so that in follow-up, or the next time something
Other problems clamour for attention in the similar happens, our thinking may be clearer and
waiting room. Medical practice worldwide would our responses more coherent.
grind to a halt if clinicians took time out to think
deeply and extensively through each dilemma that (Ancient Greek) tutor quote
came their way. Equally, even the most strident
If treatment is good, treatment after thought must
political advocate of patient choice would not
be better.
expect clinicians to act like a dispensing machines,
simply waiting for their buttons to be pressed. The The other marker we need to lay down is that we
practice of medicine is complex, but many of the should try our best not to be pressed into doing
difficult decisions have already been made. These something that we know, in our heart of hearts, is
decisions may be made by the people who set up wrong. This is even more so if the pressure is sim-
the service, or by the GMC or the government. ply of routine or workload. Medical ethics and law
They may be based on the choices that patients or are often annoyingly short on prescriptions, and
relatives have made before they arrive. They may we may not find it easy to know what we should
be affected by the place in which the encounter do, but it is extraordinarily obvious, in most cases,
occurs, or by the way two people interact. what we should not do.
Where difficulties remain, two things at least Thinking in medical ethics and law can be
stand out. One is that patients spend quite a lot exciting or challenging, and can take us to some
of time after consultations ruminating about what unusual places. However, the ‘bottom line’ is that
happened, and so doctors should too. For doctors, it helps us to practise well and stay out of trouble.

Summary points
To conclude, the most important messages of this chapter are as follows:
■■ You should be clear what laws and regulations govern your work before you start to practise medicine,
especially in primary care, which can be either very supportive or isolating, depending on your approach
to your work.
■■ You should keep alive your own sense of right and wrong in all aspects of your work, and particularly
be alert to unusual or unexpected emotions that may arise, as these may indicate that there is a moral
problem for you to think about.
■■ Emotional reactions are not enough, however, and your moral intuitions need to be subjected to scru-
tiny through some or all of the approaches suggested here to keep your healthcare in good shape.
■■ Doing that thinking or discussion and coming to conclusions that you feel are justified, respecting the
wishes and needs of people you work with and protecting them from harm, will enable you to feel good
about your work and sleep in peace at the end of the day.
■■ Having conversations with other colleagues within the cordon of professional confidentiality can be very
helpful, so it is important to find careful and responsive colleagues who can help you to think through
difficult issues that may arise wherever you work.

References
Carmen, D. and Britten, N. 1995: Confidentiality of medical records. British Journal of General Practice
45, 485–8.
Gillick v. West Norfolk and Wisbech Area Health Authority [1986] AC 112 1ALL ER.
Smith, Dame Janet 2005: The Shipman Inquiry – The Sixth Report. London: HMSO.

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 Single best answer questions 235

Further reading
The General Medical Council (www.gmc-uk.org) publishes on good medical practice, consent, confi-
dentiality, doctors in management, and other issues of importance that arise. These are required read-
ing for all doctors who intend to practise within UK or related jurisdictions.
The Journal of Medical Ethics (www.jmedethics.com) is the leading journal that discusses ethical issues,
and this site provides a list of classified websites, articles from the journal and abstracts of many articles
published in the last decade.
Her Majesty’s Stationery Office (www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk) provides publications detailing
UK statutes.
Boyd, K.M., Higgs, R. and Pinching, A.J. 1997: The new dictionary of medical ethics. London: BMJ
Publishing Group.
Blackburn, S. 2001: Ethics: a very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
As it says, very short, but extremely readable introduction to modern ethical thinking and writing.
Brazier, M. and Cave, E. 2003: Medicine, patients and the law. London: Penguin.
Campbell, A.V. and Higgs, R. 1982: In that case: medical ethics in everyday practice. London: Darton,
Longman and Todd.
Dickenson, D., Huxtable, R. and Parker, M. 2010: The Cambridge medical ethics workbook. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
A very wide-ranging explanation of approaches to bioethics that is designed to be used in a similar way
to this book.
Gillon, R. 1986: Philosophical medical ethics. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons.
Glover, J. 1990: Causing death and saving lives. London: Penguin.
This is the classical study of this area, which has never been surpassed.
Harris, J. 1985: The value of life: an introduction to medical ethics. London: Routledge.
This is an exciting and challenging book about many of the issues at the expanding frontiers of
medical science.
Hope, T., Savulescu, J. and Hendrick, J. 2003: Medical ethics and law: the core curriculum. Edinburgh:
Churchill Livingstone.
Kuhse, H. and Singer, P. 2009: A companion to bioethics. Oxford: Blackwell.
This and its companion volume, A companion to ethics, are very useful gateways to the range of
modern writing.

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS

12.1 A man of 75 on a simple anti-hypertensive d) You should inform him as much as you can in
drug regime comes in to ask you, as a locum, if words he can understand about the possible
the drugs he is taking could cause impotence. side effects of his medication, help him make
sense of that information to decide what to
a) There are many possible side effects of most do, and ask him if he wants to discuss sex or
drugs and you should tell him to leave it to any other personal problems while he is here
his normal doctors to sort out which are e) You should give him details of where to look
important it all up on the internet, as that would fully
b) No one at 75 has decent sex anyway, and most empower him to make his own decisions and
men of that age would be impotent regardless save time for others in what might be an over-
c) Everyone has an absolute right to know all running consultation.
about their treatment

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 236 HEALTHCARE ETHICS AND LAW

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS CONTINUED

12.2 A man of 75 who is on an expensive 12.4 A shy young woman of 15 comes in to see
new anti-hypertensive regime is found to have you with her mother. The mother, who does all
widespread and treatment-resistant (and so the talking, explains the daughter has a urinary
terminal) cancer. tract infection.
a) Don’t tell him the diagnosis as it will upset a) When you get a urinary sample to test you
him: he has enough to cope with in this should also quietly test for pregnancy
shocking situation b) You should accept the situation with grati-
b) All drug treatments should be reviewed in tude as at 15 she is too young to make her
that situation: he may not need some, but own decisions
he may now need specialist terminal care c) You should tell the mother her daughter has
regimes the same right as anyone else to be seen on
c) The expensive treatment should be stopped their own
because it is now a waste of resources d) When the daughter is on her own, she should
d) His relatives should be reminded to persuade be given what she wants without telling her
him to make a will mother, just like with anyone else
e) It is only fair to tell him exactly how long he e) After talking with both, you should suggest
has to live. that the daughter might like to talk to you a
bit on her own or with a chaperone, and ask
12.3 A man of 85 who is hypertensive, but
the daughter if she would like that.
with no other abnormal physical signs, begins
to be vague and confused at the time it has 12.5 The ‘four principles and scope’ approach
been planned for him to move from home to to medical ethics may be best defined as follows:
sheltered accommodation. a) Respect for autonomy means doing what the
a) He is likely to be dementing and an assess- patient wants, whatever you think right as a
ment of competence should be done to cover doctor
his last years of life b) Benevolence means doing the best for the
b) His drugs should all be stopped as it might be patient, an alternative way of expressing ‘the
a side effect duty of care’
c) His decision-making capacity is important at c) Non-maleficence means doing nothing what-
the time of a potential move, but is related to soever that might harm the patient
that decision and that time d) Justice is only about retribution, not about
d) If his confusion were caused by an infection, how to best distribute the ‘goods’ of health-
he would be pyrexial care
e) Everything possible should be done to pro- e) Scope covers the question of to whom or to
long his life, as if he were a younger man. what these principles apply.

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 CHAPTER

13 Quality Assurance in
General Practice

■■ There is plenty of scope for improvement ■■ Clinical audit

■■ Unexplained variation and value for money ■■ Summary points
■■ Rising expectations and patient choice ■■ References
■■ What is quality in general practice? ■■ Single best answer questions
■■ Practical approaches to quality assurance in
general practice

Medical knowledge and technology change at an ever-increasing rate, making it very difficult for general
practitioners (GPs) to keep up with the latest best practice and patient safety information. Economic con-
straints and the demands of patients make the cost efficient and clinically effective use of resources vital.
Ensuring that the risks to patients in this rapidly changing environment are minimized, that new and effec-
tive treatments become available to patients quickly and that the experience of using services is improved
requires good managerial strategies and clinical skills. This chapter will provide you with an understanding
of three common and practical approaches to quality assurance to equip you for this.

Learning objectives
By the end of this chapter you will be able to:
■■ understand that you and the healthcare systems you are a part of are fallible and sometimes something
will go wrong;
■■ understand that there are quality assurance systems that help minimize the chances of things going wrong;

■■ understand the basics of three common and practical approaches to quality assurance used in

­general practice.

Thinking and Discussion Point There is plenty of scope for

improvement
So you want to be a doctor. Brilliant! I hope that
you make it. In this chapter you are set a chal-
lenge that hopefully will stay with you for the
Medical error ⚑
About 300 million patient consultations take
rest of your chosen career.
place in general practice every year. This huge
■■ How will you know if your practice is safe?
volume of workload is matched by the huge vari-
■■ How will you know that you are providing
ation in patient presentations, which range from
the most clinical and cost effective care to
routine coughs and colds to the complex manage-
your patients?
ment of long-term conditions and the delivery
■■ How will you know whether your patients
of specialist procedures, including surgery. The
value the healthcare that you provide?
National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) reports
The challenge for you is to be able to answer
that ‘medical error occurs between five and 80
these three questions and back up your responses
times per 100 000 consultations, mainly related to
with clear evidence at any point in your future.
diagnosis and treatment’ (NPSA, 2011). This is an

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 238 QUALITY ASSURANCE IN GENERAL PRACTICE

intriguing statistic for two reasons. First, the range NHS to make efficiency savings of between £15
‘between five and 80 times per 100 000 consulta- and £20 billion by 2014, equivalent to 5 per cent
tions’ shows that the data are not very precise and productivity gains year by year. This is a massive
that reporting mechanisms are possibly not as challenge for the NHS and can only be achieved
accurate as they might be. Second, it shows that by improving the clinical effectiveness and cost
the vast majority of consultations pass without effectiveness of patient services.
a hitch but the sheer number of consultations Research has shown that there is wide variation
presents plenty of opportunity for error. At the in the delivery of effective care in general practice
higher end of the range the incidence of medical (see Case study 13.1 for an example from the
error in general practice is higher than the 2007 King’s Fund). Only part of this variation can be
reported incidence of lung cancer in the English explained by differences in patient case mixes and
population, at 61.8 per 100 000 (Cancer Research by socio-economic factors. We know this to be the
UK, 2011). case in part because research has shown that the
Of course not all medical errors or ‘untoward variation is not always just between general prac-
incidents’ lead to or cause patient harm although tices but within individual general practices too.
these may be those most likely to be reported. Reducing this variation to improve quality and
The National Health Service Litigation Authority productivity has become a central concern for
(NHSLA) the organization that manages clinical general practice in the NHS and for healthcare
negligence claims against the UK National Health systems around the world. As in all industries,
Service (NHS), reported that there were 6652 quality assurance in healthcare is therefore also
new claims made in 2009/10 and that they paid about improving productivity or cost and clini-
out £659 973 000 against claims in the same year cal effectiveness.
(NHSLA, 2010). These sorts of statistics prompted
Professor James Reason to declare that ‘If Patient Case Study 13.1
Safety was a disease it would be the top public In 2011 the King’s Fund published a report into
health priority’ (Reason, 2010). a major inquiry they had commissioned called
Improving the quality of care in general practice
(King’s Fund, 2011). The key messages from this
Unexplained variation and value inquiry summarized the current state of quality in
for money English general practice. The inquiry found that
there was significant room for improvement and
The problems facing general practice are not highlighted the need for more accurate data.
just about safety issues, however. In the UK, and Diagnosis
indeed the rest of the world, demand for health- ‘A variety of factors can lead to delays and errors in
care, driven by advances in medical technologies, diagnosis, but there is not enough evidence to ascer-
ageing populations and rising public expectations, tain the scale of such problems in general practice.’
has risen faster than the ability of governments
and private insurance companies to provide suf- Referral
ficient funding. The Ford Motor Company in ‘There are wide variations in the rate of referrals
America once famously announced that it spent between practices. The evidence suggests that a
more on healthcare for its employees than it spent significant proportion of referrals made in general
on sheet steel. The NHS website informs us that practice may not be clinically necessary. However,
the NHS budget in 1948 was just £437 millions the appropriateness of a referral is specific to the con-
‘roughly £9bn at today’s prices’. By 2008/09 the text, and it may be difficult to decrease unnecessary
budget had increased to over £100 billion, ‘a referrals without also decreasing necessary referrals.’
rise of more than 4% per year over and above Prescribing
inflation’. It is widely considered that this year- ‘Variation in the level of prescribing between general
on-year growth is no longer affordable and the practices is common and widely reported. Much of
most recent two UK Governments have asked the the practice-level variation in prescribing [but not

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 Rising expectations and patient choice 239

all] results from differences in the clinical case-mix and even patients’ reviews of services and indi-
of patients and socio-economic factors.’ vidual doctors. Patients and patient advocate
Acute illness groups have made great use of this information
‘The evidence suggests that GPs are more likely to to demand better local services for themselves and
make a misdiagnosis of acute illness compared to their loved ones. Much of this information comes
non-acute illness.’ directly from the NHS itself as successive govern-
ments have tried to open up the NHS to market
Long-term conditions forces and use competition amongst service pro-
‘[ … ] the evidence suggests that recommended care viders as a lever to drive up quality.
is not reliably delivered to all patients – especially to In recent years the Government have published
those with multiple long-term conditions.’ details of a national GP patient survey in a form
Health promotion which allows patients to compare the results of
■■ ‘There is a need to target childhood immunisa- their own practice with any other in the country
tions at those groups where uptake is low. (Department of Health, 2011). The survey asks
■■ Most general practices meet targets related to questions about access, choice, continuity of care,
smoking cessation advice, but there is evidence the doctor–patient relationship and outcomes
that a more proactive approach to supporting and has become a key performance indicator for
patients may help people to quit smoking. English primary care trusts. Overall, the results
■■ Approaches to the management of people with suggest that patients are very happy with general
obesity are inconsistent, and obesity is often seen practice services but again there is marked varia-
as a lifestyle issue rather than as a priority for tion. This variation was highlighted by the King’s
general practice. Fund in 2011 (see Case study 13.2).
■■ More evidence is needed for appropriate interven-
tions in general practice.’ Case Study 13.2
In 2011 the King’s Fund published a report into
a major inquiry they had commissioned called
Rising expectations and patient Improving the quality of care in general practice
choice (King’s Fund, 2011). The key messages from this
inquiry summarized the current state of quality in
It has become a truism in recent times that English general practice. The inquiry found that
patients’ expectations of the services that they there was significant variation in the ‘non-clinical
receive from general practice and the NHS more aspects of general practice’.
widely have risen and continue to rise rapidly.
It is thought that a number of factors coming Access
together are driving these increased expectations. ‘Most people, most of the time, report good access to
These include the wide availability of easily avail- care. However, there are wide variations across all
able information to patients, the introduction dimensions of access.’
of patient choice, the ever increasing tax burden Continuity of care
required to fund healthcare and a cultural change ‘Enabling patients to see the same doctor and other
in attitudes. clinical staff with whom they build a relationship
In the past, GPs commonly told stories of ‘heart over time is regarded as a priority by GPs and
sink’ moments when patients arrived at the sur- patients alike. There is evidence to show that in
gery with the latest copy of their daily newspaper, recent years it has been more difficult for patients to
seeking explanations and changes to their treat- see a preferred GP, raising concerns about continu-
ment regime often as a result of poorly researched ity of care.
and sensationalist news stories. Today the inter- There is a need to improve co-ordination of care
net provides patients with easy access to reliable – particularly for those patients with complex and
sources of information which includes recognized long-term care needs. Greater priority needs to be
treatment protocols, comparative outcomes data given to continuity of care and care co-ordination,

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 240 QUALITY ASSURANCE IN GENERAL PRACTICE

and innovative ways need to be found to assess the from new and innovative service providers. GPs
quality of such care in practices, and between prac- are therefore under increasing pressure not only
tices and others providing public services.’ to provide good clinical care but also a good
Engagement and involvement of patients patient experience.
‘Patients report high levels of confidence and trust in
general practice, but patients’ experiences of involve- What is quality in general
ment in decisions about their care and treatment
vary. Overall, patients and carers remain poorly practice?
engaged in making decisions about their own health. Before we move on to discussing how to measure
More effort and attention in general practice needs and assure the quality of the care that we provide,
to be placed on enabling patients to be engaged in it is important to first have an understanding of
decision making, and in supporting people to care what we mean by ‘quality in general practice’.
for themselves.’ This has already been the subject of debate in a
great many textbooks, lectures, research papers
and, indeed and unfortunately, in the law courts.
Thinking and Discussion Point
For the purpose of this chapter, however, there
How does your practice compare with others are two definitions that fit nicely together and
locally and nationally? Log on to the GP Patient although they do not tell us the whole story
Survey website (www.gp-patient.co.uk/). they give a satisfactory working definition for
Choose an indicator where your practice seems our purposes.
to be doing better than the average and ask
yourself and colleagues why this might be the Thinking and Discussion Point
case. What could other practices do to improve?
Now choose an indicator where your practice ■■ How would you define ‘quality’ from the
seems to be underperforming compared with point of view of a GP?
the average and again ask yourself and col- ■■ Discuss with your colleagues and peers.
leagues why this might be the case. What could What does ‘quality’ mean to them when
you do to improve your practice? applied to healthcare?
■■ Discuss with your friends and family who
are not doctors or training to be a doctor.
As patients and the public have become more What does ‘quality’ mean to them when
aware of the range of treatments and services that applied to healthcare?
are available and the costs to taxpayers of these ■■ How do the different views compare? Is
services, they have become more demanding for there any agreement?
better and fairer services. In tandem with this the ■■ Try to define what ‘quality in general prac-
generations that were born before the introduc- tice’ means to you without using the word
tion of the NHS in 1948 are now in a minority. ‘quality’.
Few of us can remember what it was like before
the introduction of universal healthcare and few
of us are prepared to wait in long queues for sec- In 2008 the NHS celebrated its 60th anniversary
ond best healthcare services. and the Government at the time published a series
The movement to open up competition between of reviews written by Lord Darzi to set out a vision
service providers is particularly important for and a plan for the development of the NHS over
general practice providers who find themselves the next ten years (Department of Health, 2008).
right at the heart of this emerging world. The vast Central to this vision was to put quality at the
majority of general practices are private, for profit, heart and as the driving force of the NHS. For the
business partnerships working under contract first time the Boards of NHS organizations were
to the NHS and now face very real competition asked to account for the quality of services that

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 What is quality in general practice? 241

they provided or commissioned with the same rig- ■■ Patient experience. Quality of care includes qual-
our and accountability as they had previously for ity of caring. This means how personal care is
financial accounting and a duty to provide quality – the compassion, dignity and respect with which
care was enshrined in law. patients are treated. It can only be improved by
Darzi defined quality in three domains (see Case analysing and understanding patient satisfaction
study 13.3): with their own experiences.
■■ Effectiveness of care. This means understand-
■■ patient safety;
ing success rates from different treatments for
■■ clinical effectiveness; and
different conditions. Assessing this will include
■■ the experience of patients.
clinical measures such as mortality or survival
Patient safety, according to Darzi, is about ‘first rates, complication rates and measures of clinical
causing no harm’ and you will recognize this improvement. Just as important is the effective-
statement from the Hippocratic Oath. For Darzi, ness of care from the patient’s own perspective
patient safety was to be measured in terms of which will be measured through patient-reported
medical errors, prescribing errors, infection rates outcomes measures (PROMs). Examples include
and other avoidable harm. Clinical effectiveness improvement in pain-free movement after a joint
was described by Darzi as the success rate of dif- replacement, or returning to work after treatment
ferent treatments for defined clinical conditions for depression. Clinical effectiveness may also
and was to be measured by focusing on clinical extend to people’s well-being and ability to live
outcomes such as mortality and morbidity rates, independent lives.’
and by patients’ own views of the success of their
treatments – so-called patient-reported outcome Some 20 years earlier Avedis Donabedian in a
measures (PROMS). For Darzi, the patient experi- series of lectures and papers addressed the ques-
ence was all about the ‘quality of caring’ in terms tion ‘The quality of care. How can it be assessed?’
of compassion, respect and dignity and was to be He wrote:
measured using patient satisfaction surveys of real ‘There was a time, not too long ago, when
patients’ real experiences. this question could not have been asked. The
quality of care was considered to be some-
Case Study 13.3
thing of a mystery: real, capable of being
In 2008 Lord Darzi in his next stage review, High perceived and appreciated, but not subject
quality care for all (Department of Health, 2008), to measurement.
defined quality from the perspective of patients The very attempt to define and measure
and identified three key domains: quality seemed, then, to denature and belit-
‘If quality is to be at the heart of everything we do, it tle it. Now, we have moved too far in the
must be understood from the perspective of patients. opposite direction. Those who have not
Patients pay regard both to clinical outcomes and experienced the intricacies of clinical prac-
their experience of the service. They understand that tice demand measures that are easy, precise,
not all treatments are perfect, but they do not accept and complete – as if a sack of potatoes was
that the organisation of their care should put them being weighed.’ (Donabedian, 1988)
at risk. For these reasons, the Review has found that
Donabedian died in 2000 but his words will ring
for the NHS, quality should include the following
as true today to doctors and healthcare managers
aspects:
swamped with targets and regulatory returns as
■■ Patient safety. The first dimension of quality they did in 1988. Of course, academic theory of
must be that we do no harm to patients. This quality in care and the science of measuring qual-
means ensuring the environment is safe and ity have developed a great deal since then and he
clean, reducing avoidable harm such as exces- left us with two foundation stones (amongst much
sive drug errors or rates of healthcare associated else) that are vital to our understanding of quality
infections. in general practice today.

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 242 QUALITY ASSURANCE IN GENERAL PRACTICE

For Donabedian, there were two elements to process, and good process increases the likelihood
the performance of practitioners: (1) technical of a good outcome.’
performance and (2) interpersonal performance. Crucially, the links between structure, process
Technical performance is judged in terms of com- and outcome in any given healthcare setting have
parison with known best practice at the time: that to have been determined previously. Today there
is practice that is known to or believed to produce is a great emphasis on measuring outcomes as the
the greatest improvement in health. It is important key to defining and assessing the quality of care in
to note that Donabedian was very clear that this general practice. We ignore structure and process,
element of performance was time-­specific, and however, at our peril.
related to what was regarded as best practice at the
time care was delivered. He said: ‘Even if the actual Case Study 13.4
consequences of care are disastrous, quality must In 1988 Donabedian wrote a series of semi-
be judged as good if care, at the time it was given, nal lectures and papers defining quality in care
conformed to the practice that could have been and approaches to assessment that underpin our
expected to achieve the best results.’ thinking today (Donadebian, 1988).
Interpersonal performance was important for
‘The information from which inferences can be
Donabedian because it ‘is the vehicle by which
drawn about the quality of care can be classified
technical care is implemented and on which its
under three categories: “structure,” “process,” and
success depends.’ He described the process of the
“outcome.”
interpersonal relationship as the patient provides
information on which a diagnosis can be made and ■■ Structure – Structure denotes the attributes of the
the physician provides information on the nature settings in which care occurs. This includes the
of the illness and its treatment and motivates the attributes of material resources (such as facili-
patient to collaborate. The success of an episode ties, equipment, and money), of human resources
of healthcare is therefore dependent on both (such as the number and qualifications of per-
elements – technical and interpersonal – of prac- sonnel), and of organisational structure (such
titioner performance. The continuity of thought as medical staff organisation, methods of peer
revealed in Darzi’s safety, effectiveness and patient review, and methods of reimbursement).
experience domains of quality is clear to see. ■■ Process – Process denotes what is actually done in
Donabedian also guided us on approaches to giving and receiving care. It includes the patient’s
measuring the quality of care that remain vital to activities in seeking care and carrying it out as
our understanding today (see Case study 13.4). well as the practitioner’s activities in making
These approaches include: a diagnosis and recommending or implement-
ing treatment.
■■ structure,
■■ Outcome – Outcome denotes the effects of care on
■■ process, and
patients and populations. Improvements in the
■■ outcome.
patient’s knowledge and salutary changes in the
Structure refers to the settings in which care patient’s behaviour are included under a broad
is provided. Are the facilities appropriate? Are definition of health status, and so is the degree of
healthcare teams properly qualified, reimbursed the patient’s satisfaction with care.’
and resourced to provide care? Is there proper
review of the services provided? Process refers
to what is actually done in the provision and Practical approaches to quality
receipt of care by the practitioner and the patient.
Outcome refers to the effects of care on patients
assurance in general practice
and populations and includes improvements in Quality assurance is a management process used
the patient’s knowledge and behaviours. This in all industries to help organizations meet their
approach, Donabedian tells us, is possible because strategic goals by ensuring that products and
‘good structure increases the likelihood of good services are safe, meet customer needs and pro-

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 Practical approaches to quality assurance in general practice 243

vide value for money. Good quality assurance The General Medical Services Contract
programmes combine quality control, the need to Quality and Outcomes Framework
meet minimum standards and continuous quality The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) for
improvement, and the need to encourage devel- general practice was introduced as part of the new
opment and innovation. 2004 General Medical Services (GMS) contract
In this section we will look at some of the (see also Chapter 14 on management and Chapter
different ways that approaches to quality assur- 16 on being a GP). It is a voluntary quality assur-
ance have been applied in general practice. By ance programme but is linked to strong financial
adopting some or all of these quality assurance incentives and has been described as the first
methods in your own practice, both personally attempt to introduce ‘performance-related pay’
and within your practice team, you will begin to for doctors working for the NHS. The Framework
be able to meet the challenge set at the beginning is based on a set of agreed standards that form
of this chapter. four domains: clinical, organizational, patient
experience and additional services (Table 13.1).
Table 13.1 The Quality and Outcomes Framework domains and indicators 2011/12
Domain Indicator
Clinical domain Secondary prevention of coronary heart disease
Cardiovascular disease – primary prevention
Heart failure
Stroke and transient ischaemic attacks
Hypertension
Diabetes mellitus
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Epilepsy
Hypothyroidism
Cancer
Palliative care
Asthma
Dementia
Depression
Chronic kidney disease
Atrial fibrillation
Obesity
Learning disability
Smoking
Organization domain Records and information
Information for patients
Education and training
Practice management
Medicines management
Quality and productivity
Patient experience domain Length of consultations
Additional services domain Cervical screening
Child health surveillance
Maternity services
Contraception

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 244 QUALITY ASSURANCE IN GENERAL PRACTICE

Payments are made to practices for meeting and annually thereafter will ensure that practices
target thresholds and in some instances are calcu- continue to develop and improve as in each year
lated according to the number of patients treated, they must demonstrate that they have met more of
known as the ‘practice prevalence’. There are 19 the developmental criteria.
indicators in the clinical domain and each of these The accreditation scheme is divided into six
have a number of criteria. Most of the clinical domains and each domain has a number of
indicators have a criterion that requires the prac- core and developmental criteria that were devel-
tice to have a relevant disease register, an essen- oped by the RCGP and the National Primary
tial first step in delivering structured care to all Care Research and Development Centre at the
appropriate patients. There are criteria within the University of Manchester:
domains that cover the ‘structure’, ‘process’, and
■■ Health inequalities and health promotion
the ‘outcomes’ of care, and incentive payments
■■ Provider management
are made for many of the criteria at two levels, a
■■ Premises, records, equipment and medicines
lower threshold to set a minimum standard and a
management
higher threshold to encourage continuous qual-
■■ Provider teams
ity improvement.
■■ Learning organization
There is general agreement amongst commenta-
■■ Patient experience/involvement.
tors that the Quality and Outcomes Framework
has resulted in improvements to services provided It is too early to know if the scheme will be a
in general practice. However there has been some success but a pilot of 40 practices in 2008 showed
criticism that improvement has only come in promising results.
those areas covered by the various indicators and
innovation elsewhere has been stifled. The Quality
and Outcomes Framework has also been criticized
for being too easy to achieve and has rewarded
practices for implementing only the minimum
standards that patients had a right to expect any-
way. Partly as a response to this criticism, indica-
Thinking and Discussion Point
tors have been regularly updated or replaced with
The Quality and Outcomes Framework and
new, more challenging criteria.
the RCGP Primacy Medical Care Provider
Accreditation can be seen as examples of
Royal College of General Practitioners
what is known as ‘total quality management’
Practice Accreditation
approaches to quality assurance. That is, they
In 2008 the Royal College of General Practitioners
attempt to define and measure quality across the
(RCGP) launched a voluntary scheme of practice
whole organization and not just one part of its
accreditation called the Primacy Medical Care
activities.
Provider Accreditation (PMCPA), which aims
What do you think of them? Do they measure
to support general practices to provide patient-
what you and your friends defined as quality in
centred care and to improve the quality of their
general practice in the thinking and discussion
services (Table 13.2). The accreditation scheme
point above? What do they miss and what do
has three key stages: a pre-entry stage that includes
you think might be added to improve them?
criteria that are legal requirements of all provid-
Ask your practice manager if your practice takes
ers, a set of 30 core criteria and a set of 80 devel-
part in either scheme. If so, ask him or her to
opmental criteria. To become accredited over a
show you how the practice has implemented the
three-year period, practices must first qualify for
quality assurance work into routine practice life.
the pre-entry stage and to receive accreditation the
How does your practice fare? Where does the
practice must meet all 30 of the core criteria and
practice do well? What are the difficulties and
at least 40 of the development criteria. External
what could be improved?
assessment, by the RCGP, at entry to the scheme

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 Clinical audit 245

Table 13.2 RCGP Primacy Medical Care Provider Accreditation: domains and number of criteria
per domain
Domain Number of Formative dimensions Number of
summative criteria formative criteria
Health inequalities and 2 Health needs assessment 11
health promotion Children
Patient responsiveness
Supporting parents
Specific groups
Provider management 6 Roles and responsibilities 13
Team member records
Infection control
Managing performance
Policies and procedures
Premises, records, 5 Medicines management 13
equipment and medicines Branch surgeries
management
Information for team members
Records
Provider teams 7 Home care 15
Patient responsiveness
Patient safety
Team values and team working
Learning organization 6 Continuous quality Improvement and 17
audit
Training and professional
development
Patient complaints
Relationships with other organizations
Patient experience/ 4 Patient responsiveness 13
involvement Specific groups
Interpersonal continuity
Information for patients
Patient and public Involvement

From Lester and Campbell (2008).

Clinical audit als and managers within their respective teams.

The White Paper contained two definitions of
The term ‘medical audit’ was first described clinical audit:
as being an expected part of the professional
duties of all doctors in the Government White ‘The systematic, critical analysis of the
Paper Working for patients published in 1989 quality of medical care, including the pro-
(Department of Health, 1989). Since that time, cedures used for diagnosis and treatment,
the term ‘clinical audit’ has taken its place and the use of resources, and the resulting out-
reflects the fact that audit is now a multiprofes- come and quality of life for the patient.’
sional activity, involving many clinical profession- (Department of Health, 1989)

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 246 QUALITY ASSURANCE IN GENERAL PRACTICE

‘[Clinical audit involves] looking at what with an agreed standard for each aspect of care
you do in a way that allows you to see how under review. Criteria are arrived at by discussions
you might do things better, making appro- within the team and may be influenced by external
priate changes and then looking again to information such as research evidence, local or
assess improvements in clinical practice.’ national guidelines, and other audits performed
(Department of Health, 1989) or designed elsewhere. Each criterion is agreed
by the practice team and represents an important
In recent years, the basis of clinical audit has measurable aspect of care that can be influenced
developed to be much more focused on the agree- within an appropriate time scale by the practice
ment and subsequent implementation of realistic team. Criteria are constructed specifically to allow
plans to improve patient care. Such change plans, them to be judged as present or absent when data
rather than being in the form of vague recommen- are collected.
dations, can take on the rigour of plans familiar In practice, criteria can be devised to look at clin-
to the business community and be informed by ical care from a range of perspectives. A frequent
a variety of professionals, managers and, increas- classification for criteria follows Donabedian and
ingly, the patients themselves. divides them into structure, process and outcome.
The basis of audit is that incorporated within Examples of criteria classified in this way, for an
the audit cycle, an example of which is shown in audit of patients with known ischaemic heart
Figure 13.1. This shows a simple model for under- disease, are shown in Case study 13.5. Structural
taking audit. Within it, however, lies a variety of criteria concern the structures needed to be in
complexities if professionals are to respond to an place for care to occur effectively. Process criteria
audit by being willing to make changes to their concern actual events in clinical practice that have
clinical practice. or have not taken place. Outcome criteria concern
An audit consists of a group of criteria – measur- whether those events have resulted in a positive
able statements about the clinical topic – together effect on the health of the patient.

Selection of an audit topic

by all involved in care

Re-audit

Implementation of Agreement by team on

change plan criteria and standards

Collect data
THE AUDIT CYCLE and measure
current practice

Team plans changes Team compares

which are acceptable, current practice with
realistic and specific the standards set

Team identifies possible

reasons for not meeting
standards Figure 13.1 The audit cycle.

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 Clinical audit 247

Case Study 13.5 However, intermediate outcome measures (or

proxy outcome measures) can be used where
Structure A register of all patients with
ischaemic heart disease exists/does research evidence has shown that a specific inter-
not exist within the practice. vention can result in health gains for the indi-
A recall system is/is not in vidual patient. Research supports the assumption
place to review all patients with that our patients’ health may well gain if we can
known ischaemic heart disease at show that patients with hypertension have their
least annually. blood pressure controlled.
The practice has/does not have The setting of standards is an important step in
agreed guidelines for risk factor
management in patients with audit as this defines, following agreement by the
ischaemic heart disease. team, what is an appropriate level of perform-
Process The records show that patients ance in delivering clinical care. A standard is set
eligible for aspirin therapy have/have specifically for each criterion in the audit. The
not been prescribed aspirin. actual level of standard set can be influenced by
The records show that a serum lipid a number of factors. It is meant to be a realistic
result is/is not present. target of the level of care you feel is appropri-
The records show that for patients ate at a particular time, given the resources and
with abnormal serum lipids, dietary systems you have in place. It follows that as
advice has/has not been given.
a result of audit, these resources and systems
The records show that a patient’s
may change, and so realistic standards may well
blood pressure has/has not been
measured in the last year. increase in subsequent audits. Standards can also
Intermediate The records show that patients be informed by external factors such as research
outcome with abnormal lipids prior to one evidence, other audits and recommendations
year ago now have/do not have a from organizations such as the British Diabetic
lipid measurement within the target Association or the British Hypertension Society.
range agreed. Examples of standards are shown below for an
The records show that the last blood audit of patients with known ischaemic heart
pressure reading for patients with
disease. (The particular percentages given here
hypertension diagnosed prior to
one year ago was/was not below are arbitrary.)
90 mmHg diastolic.
Long-term The mortality rate of patients with Structure
outcomea known ischaemic heart disease. ■■ A register of all patients with ischaemic heart
The incidence of strokes in patients disease should exist within the practice.
with known ischaemic heart disease. ■■ A recall system should be in place to review all
patients with known ischaemic heart disease at
aThis is not usually appropriate within audit: see text. least annually.
■■ The practice should have agreed guidelines for
The last 3–4 years have seen a greater empha- risk factor management in patients with ischae-
sis on trying to define outcome criteria for our mic heart disease.
patients. However, within general practice any use
of long-term outcome measures is severely ham- Process
pered. Let us consider a major goal in clinical care: ■■ Eighty per cent of patients eligible for aspirin
to reduce the mortality rate of certain groups of therapy should have been prescribed aspirin.
patients with ischaemic heart disease. The mean- ■■ A serum lipid investigation should have been
ingful demonstration of this rate is impossible carried out for 80 per cent of patients with
within a single practice due to the small numbers ischaemic heart disease.
of patients concerned and the general turnover of ■■ Seventy per cent of patients with abnormal
patients who change practices. The same would serum lipids should have been given die-
be true for blindness or renal failure in diabetes. tary advice.

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 248 QUALITY ASSURANCE IN GENERAL PRACTICE

■■ Eighty per cent of patients should have had a

You may wish to discuss aspects of your thoughts
blood pressure recording in the last year.
with other students. Hopefully you will have
Intermediate outcome been reminded of some of the important factors
that influence changes in our behaviour.
■■ Sixty per cent of patients with abnormal lipids
prior to one year ago should have a lipid meas-
urement within the target range agreed.
■■ Eighty per cent of patients with hyperten-
Once clinical audit criteria and standards have
sion diagnosed prior to one year ago should been set and data have been collected, the results
have a blood pressure reading below 90 mmHg for each criterion are compared with its cor-
­diastolic. responding standard. Implicit in clinical audit
is the assumption that where the criteria do not
Thinking and Discussion Point meet the standards a quality improvement plan
is agreed and implemented and a re-audit is per-
Of necessity, clinical audit frequently involves formed to check that the changes made have had
making changes to our clinical behaviour. The the desired effect and that all criteria now do meet
factors involved in successfully changing our the standards.
behaviour, or indeed the behaviour of others, Clinical audit has been and will continue to be
are not straightforward. Think about the last a core component of quality assurance in general
time you changed some aspect of your social practice. There are two key benefits of the clinical
lifestyle (e.g. joined a club, started exercise): audit cycle for use in primary care. First of these
■■ What motivated you to change? is its scalability: clinical audits can be of the whole
■■ What did you need to enable you to make practice or of an individual doctor’s practice and
the change? can be of one or a great many criteria. The second
■■ In what way did you gain from the change? key benefit of clinical audit is the built-in assump-
■■ What were the costs for you or others? tion that the cycle includes a process of improve-
■■ What did you need to maintain the change? ment and re-evaluation.

Summary points
To conclude, the most important messages of this chapter are as follows:
■■ The huge volume and scope of general practice provides plenty of opportunities for things to go wrong.
■■ Overall the quality of general practice services is good but there remains unexplained and unaccept-
able variation.
■■ Quality in general practice can be defined in terms of patient safety, effectiveness and the patient expe-
rience and in terms of practitioner’s technical and interpersonal performance.
■■ Quality in general practice should be assessed in three categories: structure, process and outcome.
■■ Good quality assurance programmes have two elements: quality control to ensure minimum standards
are met and quality improvement to encourage development and innovation.
■■ There are three common and practical approaches to quality assurance in general practice.

References
Cancer Research UK 2011: Lung cancer – UK incidence statistics. http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/can-
cerstats/types/lung/incidence/ (accessed 21 April 2011).
Department of Health 1989: Working for patients. London: HMSO.
Department of Health 2008: High quality care for all. NHS Next Stage Review final report. London: The
Stationery Office.

00-Textbook_GP_text-cccp.indd 248 01/11/2011 14:55

 Single best answer questions 249

Department of Health 2011: GP patient surveys. www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/

PublishedSurvey/GPpatientsurvey2007/index.htm (accessed 21 April 2011).
Donabedian, A. 1988: The quality of care. How can it be assessed? Journal of the American Medical
Association 12(260), 1743–8.
King’s Fund 2011: Improving the quality of care in general practice. Report of an independent inquiry com-
missioned by The King’s Fund. www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/gp_inquiry_report.html (accessed
21 April 2011).
Lester, H. and Campbell, S. 2008: Accreditation of primary care providers. RCGP News June, 2.
NHSLA (National Health Service Litigation Authority) 2010: Report and accounts. www.nhsla.com/NR/
rdonlyres/3F5DFA84-2463-468B-890C-42C0FC16D4D6/0/NHSLAAnnualReportandAccounts2010.
pdf (accessed 21 April 2011).
NPSA (National Patient Safety Agency) 2011: General practice. www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/resources/health-
care-setting/general-practice/ (accessed 21 April 2011).
Reason, J. 2010: Patient safety in primary care (DVD). TVC Films Ltd, London.

Acknowledgements
Thank you to Dr Steve Smith who was co-author in previous editions.

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS

13.1 What do we know of the current state of b) Darzi believed that quality in healthcare
‘quality’ in general practice? should be defined from the patient’s perspec-
tive
a) There are insufficient reliable data to be able
c) Darzi defined quality in healthcare in terms of
to say whether the current state of quality in
clinical and cost effectiveness
general practice is good or poor
d) Darzi thought that patients should be treated
b) Overall the current state of quality in general
with dignity and respect
practice is good but there is plenty of oppor-
e) For Darzi, quality in healthcare is all about
tunity for error
ensuring that patients are not harmed by
c) The current state of quality in general practice
their healthcare.
is marked by widespread and unexplained
variation within and between practices 13.3 How did Donabedian recommend that
d) In the main the current state of quality in quality in healthcare be assessed?
general practice is good; however research has
a) Donabedian recommended that quality in
shown that there are widespread and unex-
healthcare be assessed in terms of technical
plained variations
performance and interpersonal performance
e) Research has shown that there are widespread
b) For Donabedian quality of care was some-
variations in referral rates that put patients at
thing that could not be easily measured
unnecessary risk and do not provide taxpayers
c) Donabedian thought that healthcare should
with value for money.
be assessed in terms of clinical outcomes for
13.2 How did Lord Darzi define ‘quality in patients and populations
healthcare’? d) Donabedian recommended that healthcare
should be assessed in terms of structure, proc-
a) Lord Darzi in his 2008 review of the NHS
ess and outcomes
defined quality in health as having three key
e) Donabedian recommended that quality in
dimensions; patient safety, the patient experi-
healthcare should be assessed by clinical audit.
ence and clinical effectiveness

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 250 QUALITY ASSURANCE IN GENERAL PRACTICE

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS CONTINUED

13.4 What is quality assurance in general 13.5 What is clinical audit?
practice?
a) Clinical audit is a process of measuring clini-
a) Quality assurance is a management process cal performance against agreed standards
used to ensure that general practice is safe, b) Clinical audit is a process that involves look-
effective and improves the patient experience ing at what you do in critical way so that you
b) Quality assurance is external, independent can see how you might do things better, mak-
assessment of general practitioner’s perform- ing appropriate changes to your practice and
ance then looking again to see that you have made
c) Quality assurance was introduced in the 2004 things better
General Medical Services contract as a way of c) Clinical audit is about setting standards of
rewarding doctors for good practice care against agreed criteria and measuring the
d) Quality assurance is a form of clinical audit difference
e) Quality assurance in general practice is a d) Clinical audit is a tool for improving patient
framework of clinical and non-clinical indica- care
tors of good practice. e) Clinical audit is a process for measuring clini-
cal performance in terms of structure, process
and outcomes.

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 CHAPTER

14 The Management of
General Practice

■■ Organizational structure ■■ Summary points

■■ Contract with the NHS ■■ Reference
■■ Practice income ■■ Further reading
■■ Strategic planning ■■ Single best answer questions

The management of a general practice is complex. To all intents and purposes it is a business like any other
which gets paid for the service it provides. However it has to balance the needs of patients, comply with
numerous regulations and meet government targets all whilst remaining financially viable. It requires plan-
ning for the future as well as managing the present. The owners of the business have a responsibility to its
customers/patients and also a duty to its employees. How well an organization performs is down to how well
it is managed. The majority of general practitioners (GPs) employ a practice manager or business manager
to help them to run their business.

Learning points
By the end of this chapter you will be able to:
■■ outline the key responsibilities of the management team;
■■ discuss the different types of contract a general practice can have with the NHS;

■■ describe why strategic planning is important;

■■ identify the main functions of management within general practice;

■■ understand the different operational aspects of the practice manager’s role;

Organizational structure to work with them on the strategic aspects of

running their business, but also to manage all
A general practice is ‘owned’ or contracted by self- of the operational aspects. As most GPs have
employed practitioners. The ‘owner’ or ‘contrac- had very little training in business management
tor’ could be an individual GP or a partnership skills, it is important to bring those skills into the
where two or more individuals form a partnership, ­business.
one of whom must be a medical practitioner. A
third option could be a limited company whereby Management team
one of the shareholders is a medical practitioner. Typically the management team is made up of
A general practice is an organization and, the partners and the practice/business ­manager.
dependent on size, will have a number of indi- In larger practices the management team may
viduals working for that organization with vary- also include an assistant practice man­ager and/
ing skills and knowledge. Most partnerships will or a finance manager and/or a patient services
employ a practice manager or business manager manager.

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 252 THE MANAGEMENT OF GENERAL PRACTICE

In the past, general practices have been run by the workforce will not be directly employed by the
partners who have shared all of the clinical work. practice but will work closely with the team. This
The profits of the practice are split between the group includes health visitors, midwives, dieti-
partners. Since the 2004 General Medical Services cians and drug and alcohol counsellors. This list is
(GMS) contract was introduced there has been a not exhaustive. (See more about the roles of some
move away from increasing the size of partner- of the team members in Chapter 2 on general
ships. One of the reasons for this has been that practice and its place in primary care.)
it has become more cost effective to employ sala- Such a vast range of skills all housed under one
ried GPs as opposed to reducing the profit share roof makes the task of managing and utilization
between the remaining partners. of all these skills a challenging one. It requires
The management team will determine the stra- careful strategic planning, good communication
tegic direction of the practice. In many practices and excellent organization. The design of such an
each partner will take a lead role in a particular organization is crucial to its success.
area. For example this could be a clinical area or a Most importantly, a general practice is in place
management area such as human resources (HR) to provide a service to its customers/patients. It
or information technology (IT). As with any busi- has to be aware of its customers’ needs and tailor
ness, the owner has to take ultimate responsibility its approach to meet those needs. Just like any
for the way that business performs. Having said other business, a general practice needs to fulfil
that, the practice manager plays a key role in influ- its contractual responsibilities. A general practice
encing and implementing the way the business is a private business that has its biggest contract
is run. A practice manager will have the added with the NHS!
knowledge and experience of managing a business
which a GP may not.
Practical Exercise
Workforce
List the different categories of employee within
The size and structure of the workforce within a
your practice. Find out from the practice man-
general practice is dependent upon a number of
ager who is directly employed by the practice
factors, including:
and who is not. How does the practice integrate
■■ the number of patients on its list; those that are not directly employed?
■■ the availability of doctors and nurses in the
local area;
■■ the skills and experience of the current work- Contract with the NHS
force;
Each general practice has a contract with the NHS
■■ the demographics of the local population;
to provide medical services. Each GP contractor
■■ the staffing budget in relation to income and
has a choice of whether to sign up to a nation-
overall expenditure.
ally agreed standard contract, a General Medical
It will be up to the management team to deter- Services (GMS) contract, or whether to agree to
mine how the skills within the practice are split. A a locally negotiated Personal Medical Services
typical general practice might employ the follow- (PMS) contract (see also Chapter 16 on being a
ing categories of employee: general practitioner).
■■ salaried GP; Primary care trusts (PCT)
■■ practice nurse;
The primary care trust is given authority by the
■■ healthcare assistant;
National Health Service to commission services
■■ receptionist;
for its local patients within agreed budgets. It pays
■■ administrator/medical secretary.
hospitals a national tariff based on the services they
Additional skills can be bought in by employing can provide to the local population. The tariff is
counsellors, therapists, bookkeepers, etc. Some of agreed as part of an overall contract. The job of the

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 Practice income 253

PCT is to ensure that care is provided to the whole nationally, a PMS contract is defined locally. This
community. The PCT may directly employ people gives primary care trusts the ability to tailor serv-
to deliver that service, for example health visitors ices to the needs of its local patient population.
and district nurses. The PCT provides support and There are many similarities to the GMS contract.
funding to general practices for service develop- Both contracts must provide the basic services
ment and will performance manage practices that described above. A PMS contractor has a wider
are not meeting the requirements of their contract. choice of additional services that it can offer which
If a GP contractor has a GMS contract the role of are agreed locally with the local PCT.
the PCT is to ensure that the contract is imple- A PMS contract gives GP contractors more flex-
mented. If the GP contractor has a PMS contract ibility and its funding is distributed in a different
the role of the PCT is to negotiate that contract but way to allow more flexibility, in particular for
also ensure that it is implemented correctly. employing salaried GPs and nurse practitioners.
At the time of writing, the coalition Government
has outlined its proposals for the future within a
White Paper, Equity and excellence: liberating the Practical Exercise
NHS, published on 12 July 2010 (Department of
Find out which type of contract the practice
Health, 2010). Primary care trusts will cease to
has. Discuss with a member of the management
exist from 2013 and in their place will be small local
team their thoughts on the practice’s current
health authorities and an NHS Commissioning
contract. How much flexibility does the contract
Board. Most of the services commissioned will
offer?
be commissioned by local GP consortia. This will
change the mechanism for paying practices. A full
review of the GP contract will also take place over
the coming year/years. Practice income
The main source of income that the practice
General Medical Services contract
receives is from the contract it has with the NHS.
In 2004 the General Medical Services (GMS) con-
There are other ways in which a practice can
tract was introduced. At the time of writing this
generate income but there are restrictions on how
contract is about to come under review.
much private income is generated.
A GMS contract is a standard national contract
which general practices can choose to work under. NHS income
The contract states that GP contractors must pro-
vide essential medical services. These services are
Global sum
to treat patients that are sick, terminally ill or who Practices are paid money based on the number of
have a chronic disease. This is the basic service patients that they have on their list. An amount
that all GP contractors must provide. Practices per patient is given to the practice and a practice’s
can offer additional services such as immunization list size is reviewed every quarter to take into con-
of children, child health surveillance, maternity sideration any variation. This is called the ‘global
services, contraceptive services, cervical screening, sum’. The global sum can be adjusted up or
vaccinations and immunizations, and minor sur- down during the year accordingly. A practice can
gery. Practices can opt in or out of these services increase its income by increasing its list size. This
on a temporary or permanent basis. They can also sounds simple but an increased list size will also
subcontract these services. generate additional costs based on more demand
The GMS contract is nationally defined but from patients. The practice has to ensure it gets
locally implemented by primary care trusts. the balance right.
The global sum incorporates money for certain
Personal Medical Services contract items of expenditure which in the past had been
A Personal Medical Services contract is slightly separated out. For example, the global sum will
different. Whereas a GMS contract is defined include monies to pay for out-of-hours services

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 254 THE MANAGEMENT OF GENERAL PRACTICE

which the practice may or may not have deputized choose whether or not to provide these services.
to an out-of-hours provider. It could also include Examples could include:
money to fund protected learning time, which the
■■ providing GP services to local nursing homes;
practice can use to hold team learning events on
■■ sexual health clinics;
a regular basis.
■■ chlamydia screening;
■■ talking therapies;
Enhanced services
■■ governance;
In addition to the global sum, a practice can decide ■■ end of life gold standard care.
to provide additional or enhanced services. Some
of these services are directed nationally and some This list is not exhaustive.
locally. An enhanced service commands addi-
tional payment. Each enhanced service will have Quality and Outcomes Framework
its own service level agreement which stipulates In addition to the global sum and enhanced serv-
the criteria that have to be met before payment ice payments a practice can earn income by ensur-
is made. It will also outline monitoring arrange- ing quality across clinical and organizational indi-
ments and reporting requirements to which the cators. The Quality and Outcomes Framework
practice has to adhere. It is therefore important (QOF) is a points-based system split into clinical
for the management team to read the small print and organizational domains. Each area has a list
before signing up to a new service. Practices can of indicators. The more a practice reaches a tar-
be caught out by the additional work involved get within an indicator the more points they are
in meeting all of the requirements of the service awarded. The points are worth money. Primary
level agreement. care trusts pay practices an aspiration payment
based on the expected achievement against the
Directed enhanced service QOF. Seventy per cent of the expected achieve-
The Department of Health determines areas for ment is paid up front, split into monthly pay-
priority and gives national guidelines on how ments. At the end of the financial year the practice
certain services should be carried out. Examples of and the primary care trust agree the total number
these types of directed enhanced service are: of points actually achieved and the difference is
paid or taken back from the practice.
■■ flu immunization; As part of the July 2010 White Paper, a new out-
■■ minor surgery; comes framework is being introduced. At the time
■■ childhood vaccines and immunizations; of writing, the National Institute for Health and
■■ improved access (e.g. extended opening hours). Clinical Excellence (NICE) has been tasked with
These services would be commissioned by pri- the development of the new Framework.
mary care trusts following national guidelines.
Practical Exercise
National enhanced services
These services are additional services which any Find out what QOF points the practice achieved
practice can sign up to. They are services which in the last financial year. How do you think a
have been initiated nationally and sign-up is vol- practice can improve upon its results? What do
untary. Examples of this type of service would be: you think the impact would be if these points
were not achieved?
■■ fitting of intrauterine devices;
■■ provision of drug and alcohol services.
Non-NHS income
Local enhanced services In addition to the income generated by the GMS/
These are services which the local primary care PMS contract, practices can carry out private
trust has determined would help to meet the needs services which generate additional income. There
of the local patient population. Practices can are many different ways a practice can increase

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 Strategic planning 255

its level of income. The following list gives some forecast changes in these areas based on goals that
examples of how this can be done: have been set for the future. A plan is typically
spread over a five-year period broken down into
■■ Medical examinations, for both registered and
actions for the next 12 months. It is the responsi-
non-registered patients
bility of the management team to drive this plan
■■ Medical/insurance reports, often requested by
and review it on a regular basis (e.g. every 6–12
insurance companies and solicitors
months). Environmental factors will require that
■■ Provision of GP services to a local prison
the plan adapts as and when needed. The plan is
■■ Provision of GP services to a nursing home
normally cascaded to the rest of the team; good
■■ Occupational health services provided to local
practice would be to involve the practice team in
businesses
the development of the plan. It is important for
■■ Data collection for research projects. In addi-
the team as a whole to have bought in to the plan
tion, practices can participate in research
and have individual performance objectives that
projects and earn additional income from this
are linked in to the plan.
■■ Acting as medical referees for the local crema-
torium Vision for the future
■■ Sports club GP
When determining the future direction of the
■■ GP with a specialist interest – GPs can provide
practice a good starting point is to consider what
specialist services to patients within the locality
the vision is for the future. The vision is about
(see Chapter 16 on being a GP).
visualizing what you want the practice to look like
As you can see there are many different ways a in the years to come and is about determining the
general practice can earn extra money. There is a goals for the future. This should take into consid-
cap on how much private income a practice can eration the values of the partnership/management
earn. This is to ensure that the requirements of team. If a vision for the future is at odds with the
the PMS/GMS contract can be met. The manage- personal values of one or more of the manage-
ment team need to ensure that any additional ment team, this will mean the vision is distorted
services do not put too much pressure on the and will be difficult to achieve. This will need to
practice’s core service. This requires careful plan- be discussed and a way forward agreed.
ning and regular reviews of the services that the The vision can then be broken down into
practice provides. achievable SMART goals: specific, measurable,
agreed, realistic and time related.

Environmental factors
Strategic planning
The management team will need to consider if
As part of the process of managing a general there are factors that could prevent or change the
practice it is important to consider not just short- goals that have been set. These could be a change
term plans for the practice but also long-term in government or change in government policy.
plans for the future. This will help the practice They could also be changes to services provided in
meet the needs of patients both now and in the the local area or the impact of staff leaving.
years to come. This is called strategic planning. Strategic planning is about planning for the
Strategic planning looks at where we are now and future based on what you know now. Good prac-
then where we want to be in the future. The gap tice would be to hold a team event whereby the
is the journey or actions that will be required to practice as a whole carries out a SWOT analysis,
get there. which looks at the practice’s strengths, weak-
nesses, opportunities and threats that could affect
Business plan/practice development plan the future direction of the practice. This process
Many practices have business plans or practice can help to determine how to overcome difficul-
development plans that analyse the present in ties but also aids the practice’s ability to be more
terms of resources, skills and infrastructure, and alert to opportunities.

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 256 THE MANAGEMENT OF GENERAL PRACTICE

When planning for the future we have said Currently the primary care trust commissions
that we need to consider where we are now and the majority of services that are provided by
where we want to be. A good idea is to break this hospitals and community teams. As a result of
down into different management areas within the the White Paper brought out by the coalition
practice. Those areas could be patient services, Government in July 2010 this responsibility will
human resources, finance, IT and marketing/ move from primary care trusts to local GP con-
communication. We explore these areas in more sortia. This will open up a wealth of opportunity
detail below. to provide new services which have traditionally
been provided by the hospitals. A GP practice
could potentially provide a service for a local
Practical Exercise population which costs far less per patient than
that of a local hospital. This then provides savings
Find out from the practice manager if your
in order to provide more services in the locality.
practice has a business plan or practice develop-
The additional benefit for patients is in that they
ment plan. Ask to see this and then list what you
could have more services provided to them on
perceive to be the key priorities for the next 12
their doorstep, with a shorter waiting time to be
months. Discuss with a member of the manage-
seen. The management team would also need to
ment team.
identify who they have within the team to deliver
that service. If they do not have the required
Patient services knowledge or skills then this resource could be
bought in and new skills employed to deliver that
What services do we currently provide? service. Of course the service has to be cost effec-
A good starting point would be to review the serv- tive and a full financial review of the new service
ices a practice currently provides. Are those serv- would need to take place.
ices effective and do they make a difference to the Determining the need for new services requires
patient? For example, a practice could offer a phle- analysis of data (e.g. a practice could look at the
botomy service to patients. Do many patients use number of patients that require the service by
the service? Are the clinics always full? A patient reviewing and analysing referrals made to similar
survey would give valuable insight into how well services). Data can be collected from the practice’s
that service is delivered and received. Another clinical system but also from secondary care data
important consideration is whether the service is held by local trusts. GP practices now have access
cost effective (i.e. does the money received to run to these data along with information about money
the service pay for all of the costs associated with spent on outpatient and accident and emergency
that service?). care for their patients. Through careful analysis,
Once all of these factors have been taken into a practice can see where savings can be made by
consideration, the management team can decide providing services in the community.
if it is justifiable to continue providing that serv-
ice. Eventually the management team will have a Case Study 14.1
clear list of the current services that it wishes to Town Road Practice carried out a financial review
continue providing. of its phlebotomy service. The money that the
practice received to pay for the service was slightly
What services do we need for the future? less than the cost of employing a phlebotomist.
Is there a particular service that the practice is not The practice held a management team meeting
currently providing but that would be of benefit and decided to close the service, giving patients
to patients? A first point would be to consider one month’s notice of the change. Notices were
whether the service is needed. That need could put up in the practice to inform patients. When
be provided by the closure of a local service or a the patients read the notices many were unhappy
new service that has been put out to tender by the that they had not been consulted and would now
local commissioners. have to travel a few miles away to the hospital to

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 Strategic planning 257

have their tests done. One month after the prac- tions obtained from annual appraisals. ‘What if’
tice had closed its phlebotomy service the practice scenarios are also a good way of preparing contin-
administrator noticed that the number of tests gencies and succession plans. For example, what
required to be carried out for the Quality and if the nurse who sees all of our diabetic patients
Outcomes Framework had fallen. The practice leaves? Who would take over that clinic? Would
was not meeting its QOF targets as there were we still be able to provide that clinic? If the answer
considerable delays at the hospital phlebotomy is ‘no’ then a contingency plan must be put in
department. This led to delays in carrying out place which could mean training someone else to
patients’ chronic disease reviews. do that job even if it is just for an interim period
What other factors should the practice have taken while you recruit to replace. When someone
into consideration before deciding to close down leaves it should not be automatic that they are
a service? What was the impact of not taking these replaced by a new recruit. Proper consideration
things into consideration? should be given to the team as a whole as this
could be an opportunity to restructure the work-
Patient surveys also provide useful data on
force or elements of it.
which to determine what and how a service is
Once you have your current plan in place,
provided. For example where a practice wanted
the management team can then determine their
to set up an online booking service for patients
ideal manpower plan. The difference between
the practice could identify how many people cur-
the two will be the steps you take to get there.
rently use their website by reviewing the number
Whenever an opportunity arises (i.e. someone
of clicks made to the site and also could place an
leaves or is promoted), the management team
online survey on to the website to determine how
should take action to move closer towards their
many people would want to use the service. Data
ideal manpower plan. If it is thought that this will
analysis has become a key tool in supporting man-
take too long then a restructuring exercise should
agers in their decision making.
take place. Restructuring can mean that the way
Many practices now have patient groups which
in which people currently work will change and
they can use to gain feedback and suggestions on
this requires careful consultation with individual
how to improve patient care and pathways into
employees. Legal advice should be taken prior to
certain services. Another useful tool is through
taking this option.
patient complaints. Patient complaints can identi-
fy common problems and reinforce and influence Training and development
the reasons behind changing a current service or
One way in which to obtain new skills and knowl-
introducing a new one.
edge within the practice is to train the current
workforce. Individuals may have an interest in a
Human resources particular area which also meets the needs and
A business is as good as the people that it employs. aims of the practice. The practice can then enable
None more so than the business of general prac- the individual(s) to be trained in a particular area,
tice. Careful planning of a practice’s workforce which will mean the goals of the business are
will enable practices to succeed in delivery of those met. A training needs analysis can clearly show
all-important goals. where there are gaps in skills which can then be
addressed. Training of all practice staff is vital to
Resource planning ensure that the practice’s approach remains fresh
Good practice would be to carry out a ‘manpower and generates new ideas for improving current
analysis’ based on the current workforce. This working practices and also introduces new ones.
analysis looks at the skills and knowledge within It also helps to motivate teams and individu-
the current team; it also looks at where there may als. Clinicians and managers have a professional
be staff turnover in the future (i.e. forthcom- responsibility to continuously develop. Practices
ing retirements and leavers) based on previous therefore also have a responsibility to ensure that
levels of staff turnover or known career aspira- they continuously update their skills as a team

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 258 THE MANAGEMENT OF GENERAL PRACTICE

which will help them meet the goals within their management team may be able to plan ahead for
business plan. this by finding alternative sources of income or
by cutting costs to take into consideration the
Employee engagement cut in income. Good financial information will
Most practices will have a meeting structure in enable the management team to see whether a
place which allows them to make decisions. It new project is likely to be feasible. If the manage-
is important to gather the views of the team. ment team are unaware of the business’s finances
By taking on board everybody’s ideas there is then they will be unable to make informed deci-
more chance of a good idea being suggested and sions.
improvements made. In addition, appraisal sys- The practice may wish to expand in the future:
tems are a good method of gaining the views and expansion will mean an increase in income but
aspirations of individuals. This can help with stra- will also mean an increase in costs. If a practice
tegic planning by identifying manpower oppor- already has a detailed picture of its finances it is
tunities, training needs, ideas and suggestions for able to produce feasibility reports for any changes
the future. If people feel that they are listened to to how the practice operates.
they will engage more with what is going on in the
practice. Employee engagement and involvement Information technology
is motivational. Motivation means that people will
care about what they do and how they do it. Clinical system
Most practices will have a meeting structure Practices have a wealth of information technology
in place whereby members of the team can at their fingertips to aid them in the work that they
discuss issues and share ideas and suggestions do. A practice typically has a clinical system which
for improvements. holds records for every patient that is registered or
has been registered with the practice. Within these
Financial planning records treatments, tests and diagnoses can be
Many practices use the services of a bookkeeper to ‘Read coded’ so that information can be retrieved
manage the financial transactions of the practice. and used to determine future treatment or the
It is also important that someone within the prac- development of new services. Data management
tice has a good understanding of the management and analysis therefore becomes a key component
of the finances and not simply the process within to determining the direction of patient services.
which they are collated. This will be about under- Local primary care trusts will have a data-sharing
standing where the practice stands financially at agreement in place with general practices.
any given time. In some practices a partner will Many clinical systems now have the ability to
take the lead on this, in others the practice/busi- transfer patient data from one practice system
ness manager will. to another. The NHS is currently developing
To enable the management team to make a ‘summary care record’ which will mean that
accurate decisions, finance reports should be pro- NHS organizations can share patients’ informa-
duced to show projected income and expenditure tion. Initially this will only include basic details
and how the practice is performing against set about allergies, current prescriptions and any bad
budgets. Budgets should be set for both income reactions to medicines. Gradually more informa-
and expenditure. Past years’ performances can be tion will be added and will include details of any
used to do this as well as having a good under- health conditions, notes of any diagnoses, treat-
standing of what could happen in the coming ments or operations and plans for care in the
year. By having a clear picture of the practice’s future. Patients are able to opt out of the system
financial situation on a monthly/quarterly basis if they wish.
the management team can make adjustments
during the year. This could be by reining in Appointment system
expenditure or by chasing new contracts. If there A practice will also have an appointment sys-
is a potential loss of funding on the cards, the tem. The appointment system has the ability to

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 Strategic planning 259

produce reports and statistics based around how ■■ recruitment;

and when patients access practice services. This is ■■ induction;
another important management tool which can ■■ training and development;
be used to make decisions around how a practice ■■ communication;
meets patient demand for its services. ■■ performance management;
■■ decision making;
Online services ■■ team building;
Most practices will also have their own website ■■ discipline and grievance.
which can inform patients about the services
available and how they can access them. Online Each person will have a job description for their
booking systems for appointments are becom- job role. The practice manager will manage the
ing commonplace and the ability to order repeat process of recruiting staff into the practice. This
prescriptions and register with a practice online will involve advertising to attract people to the
provides a convenient way in which patients can vacancy and putting a process in place to ensure
access the practice without adding to the consid- all of the required checks are carried out and
erable pressure already placed on the receptionists individuals communicated to at every stage. The
and telephone system. practice manager will also be part of the inter-
view panel and ensure that the correct process
Operations management is adhered to. Once an offer has been made the
practice manager has to ensure that contracts of
The role of the practice manager employment are given to individuals. It is there-
As well as being involved in the strategic direction fore important that the practice manager has
of the practice, the practice manager is there to continuous professional development to ensure
ensure that the day-to-day operation of the prac- his or her management skills, especially in the area
tice runs smoothly. The manager is responsible of employment law, are kept up to date.
for ensuring that tasks are allocated effectively The practice manager is responsible for carrying
and that all processes and procedures are adhered out appraisals and assessing individual training
to. The practice manager line manages the staff needs. This will be carried out in conjunction
within the practice and has to ensure that the serv- with a GP partner when carrying out clinician
ice provided by the practice is carried out in line appraisals.
with what has been agreed as part of the contract The management of people also involves hav-
or service level agreement. Each manager will have ing difficult conversations from time to time.
his or her own management style. Management This could be around someone’s performance if
style describes the way in which managers set perceived to be below what is expected. It could
about achieving results through people. Some also mean dealing with disciplinary situations and
managers have an autocratic style, others a more grievances. It is important that the management
democratic approach. Managers have their own team have the right skills to be able to deal with
style based on the value systems of the organiza- these situations. Practices can make the mistake of
tion and their own natural inclinations and past focusing on administration skills in their practice
experiences. All will have the responsibility to manager over and above management skills. This
guide and support staff as required. is not advisable. Good managers can make the
difference to how people feel about their working
People management environment. A good manager will have the skills
The management of people involves encouraging, and experience to deal with some of the complexi-
motivating and developing teams and individuals ties of managing people.
to carry out their individual job roles efficiently The practice manager has to ensure that the
and effectively. The practice manager will manage practice is providing a good service and meets
all aspects of the employment relationship, which the targets that have been set. Some decisions will
encompasses the following: have to be made on the spot; others can be made

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 260 THE MANAGEMENT OF GENERAL PRACTICE

in advance when planning ahead. Action planning the numbers of appointments available on a
is a useful tool when organizing specific events daily/weekly/monthly basis. It is the role of the
such as the annual flu campaign or implementing manager(s) within the practice to ensure that
a new registrations process. In that respect the changes are planned for well in advance. The prac-
practice manager also becomes a project manager, tice manager has to ensure that there are protocols
managing projects in addition to the day-to-day in place which outline clearly the process in which
routines. The practice manager works as part people can book time off away from the practice.
of a team and must take time to listen to staff
views. Being a manager does not mean that you Case Study 14.3
are the only person to ever come up with a good One of the GP partners decides to take annual
idea. A good meeting structure is a good way of leave in the first week of June. Two other GPs
doing this. Regular meetings held with the whole have already booked this time off and booked
team or smaller teams and individuals encourage according to the practice protocol of six weeks
debate and discussion which then generates ideas. in advance. The GP partner decided to take this
The practice manager plays a key role in facilitat- holiday anyway as his wife had already booked this
ing this as they will normally be the person to leave with her employer some weeks before. What
chair practice meetings. do you think the impact will be to:

Core service ■■ the number of appointments offered to patients

during that week;
A practice’s core service is the delivery of medi- ■■ the morale of the other GPs left in the practice
cal care and treatment to those that are ill. The during the first week of June;
appointment system within any practice is vital to ■■ the future enforcement of the annual leave
the delivery of this service. Managing the appoint- protocol?
ment system means having adequate resource to
meet patient demand. It will require careful plan- If a clear process is not in place and not enforced
ning of rotas and shift patterns for clinicians and it will be impossible to meet the demand for
support staff. Working patterns will be agreed when appointments and can also prove very costly. If
a person joins the practice; this will be based on the changes are not planned for, short-term fixes
current need to meet demand at certain times. have to be used (i.e. locums employed at the last
minute often with little or no knowledge of the
Case Study 14.2 practice). In some situations it may be impossible
to get cover at short notice which will have the
A practice decides to recruit a new salaried GP.
impact of not providing adequate appointment
The successful applicant makes a request to work
numbers to enable patients to access medical care
on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The
when they require it. Patients would also much
practice agrees to this. However after the GP joins,
rather see a GP that they are familiar with rather
the practice manager realizes that there is a con-
than someone they have never met before.
siderable shortage of appointments on a Friday.
The practice manager asks the new GP to change Patient involvement and communication
to work on a Friday instead of a Wednesday. The
Information is provided to patients on a number
new GP refuses as she does not have any child
of things, posters and leaflets on a range of
care on Fridays. What do you think the practice
healthcare issues in addition to information about
manager could have done to avoid this problem
opening and closing times and services available.
in the first place?
Different media are used to communicate to
A practice will have to audit the demand for patients which can include utilizing the waiting
appointments on a regular basis and adapt to room to sufficient effect, via a website, signage
changes in that demand. An individual within outside of the practice, and newsletters. The prac-
the practice would typically manage/administer tice manager has to ensure that the information
the appointment system and regularly review displayed is relevant and has the desired impact.

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 Summary points 261

Many practices have patient groups which meet Health and safety
on a regular basis to discuss ways in which services All businesses are required to meet specific
can be improved. Focus groups are also a good health and safety standards. All practices must
way of gaining insight into how a particular group have a health and safety policy: staff should be
of people perceive the way certain services are trained in the key areas of health and safety,
run, or whether a new service would be of use; for for example, dealing with hazardous substances,
example, a practice could decide to hold a focus manual handling, infection control, what to do
group for diabetic patients to see if they would use in the event of a fire and how to report acci-
the services of a dietician. dents and to whom. Regular risk assessments
Patient complaints need to be carried out to identify potential haz-
ards. The practice must also carry out training
The practice must have a complaints procedure for staff with regular updates.
in place which gives clear guidelines as to how
complaints should be dealt with. All complaints
have to be taken seriously, which requires inves- Financial control
tigation and changes implemented if appropriate. The practice manager has to ensure that income
The practice team as a whole can learn from com- due in comes in and that the bills are paid on time.
plaints made. It is good practice to hold an annual The practice manager has to keep a keen eye on
complaints review where complaints are discussed cash flow to ensure that there is enough money
and learning points agreed. in the bank to cover expenditure. Planning ahead
using budgets and income forecasts enables the
Premises management
practice manager to do this affectively. The prac-
The premises may be owned by the partners or tice manager also has to ensure that employees are
leased from the primary care trust. Either way paid accurately and on time.
the practice is responsible for reasonable upkeep. It is vital that credit control is carried out on
Maintenance costs have to be factored into budg- a regular basis and that the practice is aware of
ets. Many practices have buildings which they every item of expenditure. A protocol should be
have outgrown and this means thinking creatively in place which details the flow of cash in and
about the space available and how it can be used. out of the business and the controls in place
The premises have to be accessible, clean and wel- to account for every transaction. The protocol
coming and meet infection control standards. A must also identify who the signatories are and
practice manager will need to be clear with clean- authorization rights. An audit should be carried
ing and maintenance contractors on the standards out periodically to check that everything is as it
required. This will require regular monitoring. should be.

Summary points
To conclude, the most important messages of this chapter are as follows:
■■ The management of general practice is complex and requires a strong management team and organiza-
tional structure.
■■ Strategic planning is about determining key priorities and about planning for the future as well as the
present. A business plan, or practice development plan, will aid this process.
■■ The management team has to monitor the demands of the business and put plans in place to meet
those demands.
■■ Patient feedback is important and must be included when determining future direction.
■■ A practice manager has many different areas of responsibility: strategic planning, operational manage-
ment including patient services, finance, human resources, and premises management and informa-
tion technology.

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 262 THE MANAGEMENT OF GENERAL PRACTICE

Reference
Department of Health 2010: Equity and excellence: liberating the NHS. London: The Stationery Office.

Further reading
Armstrong, M. 2009: Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice, 11th edn. London:
Kogan Page.
Drury, M. and Hobden-Clarke, L. 1994: The practice manager, 3rd edn. Oxford: Radcliffe Publishing.
First Practice Management: www.firstpracticemanagement.co.uk.
A comprehensive resource that provides guidance on all aspects of managing a general practice.
Gilbert, M. 2009: Managing money for general practitioners, 2nd edn. Oxford: Radcliffe Publishing.

Acknowledgements
Thank you to Sue Fish who authored this chapter in previous editions.

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS

14.1 What is the difference between a GMS and 14.2 What is a practice’s main source of income?
a PMS contract?
a) Income from QOF
a) A General Medical Services contract is a b) Global sum
nationally agreed contract which is predomi- c) Directed enhanced service payments
nantly given to GP practices with smaller d) Private income
patient populations. A Personal Medical e) Local enhanced service payments.
Services contract is a locally agreed contract
14.3 Why is it important for a practice to plan
predominantly for practices with a larger
strategically?
patient population
b) A Personal Medical Services contract was a) To ensure that a practice can raise enough
awarded to practices if they achieved certain funds to pay staff wages in the future
targets. If they did not achieve this they were b) To plan for a major policy change within the
awarded a General Medical Services contract NHS
which pays less per patient c) Strategic planning helps a practice to meet the
c) A General Medical Services contract is a needs of patients both now and in the future.
nationally agreed contract with standard The plan is the actions to be taken in order to
terms and conditions. A Personal Medical achieve that aim. It is about planning in both
Services contract includes much of the same the short and long term
standard terms but is negotiated locally so d) Strategic planning helps a practice to look at
that it can tailor its services to the needs of the the year ahead and plan for known changes
local population e) A practice would do this when deciding
d) A General Medical Services contract only whether to set up a new service
provides essential medical services whereas a
Personal Medical Services contract can pro- 14.4 What should be included in a practice
vide additional services development plan?
e) A General Medical Services contract gives GP a) Vision and goals for the future including
contractors more flexibility to offer different plans for services, staffing, technology and
types of services. A Personal Medical Services finances. It would also look at where environ-
contract has less flexibility and is limited with mental factors could impact on these plans
the types of services it can offer.

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 Single best answer questions 263

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS CONTINUED

b) An income forecast for the future b) So that you can see whether you are providing
c) Learning and development plan for the prac- a good service and plan improvements based
tice on feedback from patients
d) Planned changes to patient services in the c) It enables the practice to tailor its existing
future services to include unmet patient need
e) Manpower succession plan. d) In order to furnish you with information
about how to rebut patient complaints
14.5 Why is it important to gain patient views?
e) It provides patients with broader insight into
a) It enables a practice to determine whether why services are provided in the way they are.
there is a need for a new service

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This page intentionally left blank
 CHAPTER

15 Preparing to Practise

■■ Introduction ■■ Demonstrate an awareness of your own limi-

■■ Adopt consultation and reasoning modalities tations and an understanding of when and
appropriate to the clinical situation and the where to seek help
patient ■■ Accept and utilize constructive criticism, be
■■ Demonstrate good written communications willing to reflect on your own strengths and
skills weaknesses, and act upon them
■■ Demonstrate good working relationships with ■■ Maintain sound professional conduct
members of a primary healthcare team and ■■ Adopt strategies for lifelong learning
other agencies ■■ Summary points
■■ Show evidence of good time keeping and ■■ References
organizational skills ■■ Further reading
■■ Implement strategies for managing ■■ Single best answer questions
uncertainty

A placement in general practice offers opportunities for learning that are relevant to your development as a
practising clinician whatever your final career choice. The variety inherent in the cases you will deal with
should encourage you to look beyond the immediate case to the common elements; the thinking and learning
processes you employ will be generally applicable to all types of medical practice. This chapter considers some
of the practical ways in which you can use these opportunities.

Learning objectives
This chapter is based around nine selected learning objectives, and springs from experience gained design-
ing and running a course for senior undergraduates called ‘Eight Weeks in General Practice and Primary
Care’, at King’s College London School of Medicine.
By the end of this chapter you will be able to:
■■ adopt consultation and reasoning modalities appropriate to the clinical situation and the case;

■■ have good written communication skills;

■■ maintain good working relationships with members of a primary healthcare team and other agencies;

■■ show evidence of good timekeeping and organizational skills;

■■ implement strategies for managing uncertainty;

■■ operate within your own limitations and seek help when appropriate;

■■ accept and utilize constructive criticism, be willing to reflect on your own strengths and weaknesses, and

act upon them;

■■ maintain sound professional conduct;

■■ adopt strategies for lifelong learning.

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 266 PREPARING TO PRACTISE

Introduction ideas within a consultation even when the case

itself is not one you have encountered before,
‘I was able to work independently and had Don’t worry, no one knows all the answers to
real responsibility for the first time in medi- everything, you are here to learn, and your super-
cal school. The GP had an excellent balance visor will check your consultations. Try to use
of allowing me to work independently and a problem-solving approach, to be prepared to
still being on hand if I needed assistance. This justify your thought processes, and to safety-net
improved my confidence and made me more and follow-up your patients.
aware of the limitations of my knowledge.’ You will already have developed or be develop-
 (A final year medical student) ing your own personal style. An aspect of this
individuality is that we do not respond in the same
The nine learning objectives consider aspects of way to patients, and some consideration of the
your learning that are all achievable in the general impact different patients have on us as individuals
practice setting, and are designed to be as relevant is necessary so we understand how this can influ-
to those who will not eventually specialize in gen- ence our decision making. These are good areas
eral practice as to those who will. The sections can for discussion in one-to-one tutorials, or group
be considered separately, but they do interrelate, sessions with your peers.
and there are cross-references. Much of the activ- In group sessions, everyone is a source of infor-
ity leading to the achievement of these learning mation, expertise and views, and all contribute;
objectives is based in clinical practice (i.e. seeing you are all responsible jointly for each other’s
and consulting with patients yourself, ideally in learning. Functions of group sessions may include:
a separate room from your tutor but in close
■■ sharing individual experiences, learning vicari-
proximity, and with supervision and sanctioning
ously about unusual presentations,
of your decisions by your tutor). Reflection on
■■ sharing ideas of expected levels of competence,
your performance in those consultations will yield
■■ providing support for each other,
interesting and useful information, so we encour-
■■ debating difficult or sensitive issues in a pro-
age you to keep a log diary of your clinical ses-
tected environment,
sions. Reading the chapter, especially the thinking
■■ practising peer review and receiving construc-
and discussion points and practical exercises, will
tive criticism,
indicate the sort of information you could record
■■ working collaboratively on a particular topic,
in your diary.
■■ practising skills through role plays and group
Log diaries can be updated between consulta-
discussion,
tions with patients or by reviewing the notes at
■■ recruiting expert support in certain shared
the end of a clinical session. Sometimes it is useful
areas of learning need.
to use different techniques, recording immedi-
ately after a consultation is more influenced by the
emotional impact of the individual consultation
(an important factor that has to be considered in
its own right), whereas recording at the end may
illuminate how one consultation affected others in
Thinking and Discussion Point
the same session.
Take opportunities to discuss more than indi- The general practitioner (GP) may know his or
vidual patients with your tutor; consider how her patients well and over a long period. The
your performance is changing, evolving or getting apparent informality of this relationship might
stuck. Ensure you consider the big picture as well appear unusual to a learner; you might like to
as individual scenarios; take opportunities to see consider what the pros and cons of this might
common ground, similarities between patient sce- be. Where would be the best place to discuss
narios or between management strategies, as well this: with your GP tutor or with your group?
as the differences – this will enable you to generate

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 Adopt consultation and reasoning modalities appropriate to the clinical situation and the patient 267

Adopt consultation and reasoning supporting or refuting evidence – sometimes

known as ‘guess and test’ (Figure 15.2).
modalities appropriate to the A necessary part of this thinking is ‘pattern
clinical situation and the patient recognition’, which depends on experience and
which, at one extreme, may occasionally telescope
About clinical reasoning the whole reasoning process (Figure 15.3).
Many learners coming into general practice from Clinicians are able to use these models inter-
a hospital environment notice the apparently very changeably, shifting emphasis according to the
different consultation technique, and the speed at situation (Figure 15.4).
which consultations occur. First, it is important
to put aside speed as an independent goal – it is
easier to learn to do the job well and then speed
Fact
up than to learn to do it quickly and then get bet-
ter. Second, is this technique really as different as History and exam Fact

it seems? Fact
Some words about clinical reasoning may shed
light on this. Undergraduate medical students
are taught to take a history, perform a physical
examination and write up case notes with the dif- Differential diagnosis
ferential diagnosis at the end, as though it could
only ‘appear’ at that point. This linear model of
thinking is known as inductive reasoning, which
can be described as the completion of a compre- Investigations
hensive information-gathering programme before
thinking begins (Figure 15.1).
Most experienced clinicians actually use a
different model, hypothetico-deductive reasoning,
which involves the postulation of an hypothesis Definitive diagnosis
during the consultation and the gathering of
Figure 15.2 Hypothetico-deductive reasoning.

Fact
Fact
History and exam Fact
History and exam Fact
Fact
Fact

Differential diagnosis
Differential diagnosis

Investigations Investigations

Definitive diagnosis Definitive diagnosis

Figure 15.1 Inductive reasoning. Figure 15.3 Pattern recognition.

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 268 PREPARING TO PRACTISE

Fact the other way around – remember Procrustes and

his comfortable bed.
History and exam Fact

Fact Procrustes lived alone on a busy route

between two towns, and there were no hotels
nearby. He would invite tired travellers to
stay, but he was most particular that they
Differential diagnosis fitted the spare bed exactly. If they were too
tall, he cut off their feet, and if too short, he
stretched them on a rack.
We are not machines; we have individual per-
Investigations sonalities and our own foibles, all of which we
incorporate into our thinking. It may be useful to
consider how we rank the list of our differential
diagnoses. Several factors influence how we order
the diagnoses we have considered.
Definitive diagnosis
■■ Incidence – age, sex, race, job, lifestyle, etc. This
Figure 15.4 A synthesis of clinical reasoning. is hard information, not dependent on indi-
vidual personalities.
■■ Expertise – have you heard of it? You can-
Most trainee doctors use the inductive method,
not diagnose something you have never
as it is thorough and tends to avoid error; experi-
learned about.
ence makes it easier to use hypothetico-deductive
■■ Seriousness – how threatening is it? We tend
reasoning. Different tasks can influence the rea-
to give higher priority to those diseases that
soning approach used: the specialist must explore
cause major harm, e.g. is it carcinoma of the
possibility, reduce uncertainty and marginalize
rectum or piles causing this person’s rectal
error, so may make more use of inductive reason-
bleeding?
ing than the generalist, who explores possibil-
■■ Treatability – do we have any treatment?
ity, accepts uncertainty and marginalizes danger.
Conversely, we are sometimes slow to confirm
When diagnostic uncertainty is the reason for
the diagnosis if it is one for which we have no
referral to secondary care, an inductive model is
treatment, for instance dementia or one of the
likely to be used, even by an experienced doctor,
degenerative neuromuscular diseases. This is an
but many consultations in secondary and tertiary
inevitable corollary of doctors’ need to be seen
care, particularly in outpatients, are problem ori-
to have a remedy.
entated and use a hypothetico-deductive base, just
■■ Novelty – ‘I read a paper in the BMJ last
like the consultations in primary care.
week.’ Things stick in our minds – recent arti-
The terms ‘alarm symptom’ or ‘red flag’ are
cles, striking cases, or sometimes something
often used to identify clinical features which need
we missed once and are determined never to
investigating (e.g. a cough with haemoptysis or
miss again.
abdominal pain with rectal bleeding). Whether or
■■ Bias – ‘I don’t believe that chronic fatigue syn-
not a symptom gets ‘red flag status’ will depend
drome exists.’ If so, you cannot diagnose it.
on the patient’s age, sex, lifestyle, etc. The recog-
nition and response to red flag symptoms neces- So how should all this influence how you con-
sarily changes our consultation and reasoning duct consultations as a learner in primary care?
⚑ processes. If a possible diagnosis occurs to you during the
consultation, follow it up, look for supportive or
The influence of the clinician’s personality refuting evidence, do the relevant physical exami-
Dangers lurk: there is an ever-present danger of nation. If not, follow the inductive model until an
fitting the evidence to the hypothesis, rather than idea emerges. You should not expect to perform

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 Demonstrate good written communications skills 269

as fast as your tutor, and you will almost certainly with ‘if, then’ statements, especially if these have
not have as many well-known ‘patterns’ in your been negotiated with the patient. A further pur-
head as he or she does. Remember, your own pose is to enable self-audit and governance.
personality colours your choices, so you may have
to ‘correct’ for that, and, above all, remember that The reader
when you hear hooves, think of horses, not zebras
The reader may be another doctor or healthcare
– common things occur commonly.
worker. General assumptions about confiden-
tiality and professionalism are beginning to be
Practical Exercise questioned here, and even now some confiden-
tiality walls occur between, say, psychological/
❏❏ Look at a list of patients you have seen in counselling services and doctors, or between the
a morning surgery lately, and consider the genitourinary services and the rest of the National
diagnoses that you were concerned with. In Health Service (NHS). Tension occurs between
how many cases did you order investigations disclosure of unnecessary personal details and
in relation to diagnoses that were not actu- wish of some doctors to personalize the patient.
ally the most likely but that you felt obliged Some written documentation is for patients or
to consider for other reasons. What were their non-medical advocates, for instance appli-
those reasons? cations for housing or other social support, or
❏❏ How often were you able to shorten your for employment, insurance or other purposes.
consultation because the diagnosis became Assume this information will be dealt with by a
clear? How often did you perform a clas- non-clinician unless otherwise stated.
sical ‘clerking’ before you were clear what Recorded information may be for use by one
happening? of the governance agencies in audit and resource
❏❏ Repeat this exercise after a few weeks – reflect planning. Therefore, likely but unconfirmed
on any changes and the reasons for them. diagnoses are better recorded as symptoms, for
❏❏ Compare your pattern with that of the instance wheezing (instead of asthma) or chest
partners in your practice, or with a fel- pain (instead of angina), until the diagnosis is
low learner. confirmed objectively; likewise, once the diagno-
sis is confirmed, you should code it correctly (see
more about coding below).
Demonstrate good written
communications skills Inclusion/exclusion
The question of relevance is all-important. A use-
In writing notes, a report or referral letter, it is
ful guide is the need-to-know maxim; that is, to
important to consider the purpose, the reader
do the job requested, what does the reader need to
and what they need to know. What should be
know? The problem is that you may not be able to
included, and what left out? Do any ethical or legal
answer that, but there are some safety nets. First,
issues need addressing? (See also Chapter 12 on
if the letter/report is accompanying a clinical situ-
ethics and law.)
ation, the patient can be asked to supplement the
The purpose information, but you should ensure that informa-
This may be to provide information to optimize tion that the patient may not be clear about is in
future decision making: withholding sensitive your communication (e.g. medication history).
information may impair the patient’s future care if Second, you can indicate how the reader should
another doctor is unaware or does not think to ask contact you for supplementary information.
for it, but including it relies on clinicians behaving
non-judgementally. Another purpose may be to Ethical/legal issues
record decisions made and actions taken, includ- A few comments may help to identify the com-
ing postulation of strategies and future care plans, monest issues, but this list is not comprehensive.

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 270 PREPARING TO PRACTISE

Remember always, patients can have access to data, assessment, plan – headings for your notes;
notes written about them. Weed, 1969), the use of personalized shorthand
or cues etc. There is the additional problem of
■■ Non-judgementalism. Your language must be
free-text computer records being more problem-
non-judgemental. We all depend on our col-
atic to search/analyse/audit than formatted or
leagues being non-judgemental as well; if we are
field-based records.
not confident about this, we will be unable to
write what is needed. It is allowable to make ‘I What to include
statements’ if materially relevant. For example:
Notes need to be brief, giving a summary of the
‘I find it hard to understand what this patient
history and examination, any important positive
says’, rather than ‘This patient doesn’t speak
or negative findings, a record of any ‘red flags’
clearly’.
that are present or absent, your impression or
■■ Consent to disclose. This is particularly impor-
working diagnosis, management plan, and an idea
tant if you are writing to a non-clinician.
of your follow-up plan with safety netting. Safety
Alternatively, you can give the letter or report
netting is:
to the patient, allowing them to decide whether
or not to pass it on. ■■ What you expect to happen if you are right
■■ Third-party interest. In whose interest is the ■■ What you expect to happen if you are wrong
information to be used? It may not be your ■■ What you would do in both these cases.
patient’s. The best example is writing to insur-
Many note-recording systems use ‘Read cod-
ance companies. The patient should have con-
ing’. In the 1980s a GP, Dr James Read, developed
sented, but may not be aware of what he or
a medical diagnosis coding system for use in gen-
she has consented to. Remember, insurance
eral practice. It allows for audit trails and searches,
companies are not altruistic; they exist to make
and is almost universally used now when record-
money for their shareholders.
ing consultations electronically.
■■ Honesty and truthfulness. There is an important
Some referral systems now use pro-forma let-
but often misunderstood difference between
ters. These inevitably constrain the referring clini-
these. You can be honest and untruthful (‘I saw
cian, particularly around personalization, but they
you at the park yesterday’ – believing this to be
do prompt for relevant information that might
the case, mistakenly) or dishonestly truthful (‘I
be forgotten.
go running regularly’ – not mentioning that
it is only once a month; that is to say, hiding
behind words). You should aim to be both hon-
est and truthful.
■■ Governance issues. Some patients become Thinking and Discussion Point
anxious about information in their clinical
notes being used for governance. Issues about How do you respond to the question ‘Can I tell
agglomerated and anonymized information you something, but I don’t want you to write it
are still debated; society’s unresolved dilemma down in my notes?’ What are the advantages/
about individual autonomy claiming superior- disadvantages to the patient/doctor of agreeing
ity over the common good (e.g. ‘not in my to this request?
backyard’) is a problem here. Compare your notes with those of your tutor,
and consider the advantages and disadvantages
of both.
Issues about format
Does the content (thoroughness, competence,
With clinical record keeping now computerized,
etc.) of the referral affect the timing and confi-
issues about format are more charged. For some
dence of discharge back? Does the referral affect
time there has been wide variation in how notes
the nature, tone, interest of the consultation
have been kept ‘traditional’/problem orientated
itself?
(e.g. using ‘SOAP’ – subjective data, objective

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 Show evidence of good time keeping and organizational skills 271

Practical Exercise Practical Exercise

With a fellow learner, each write a referral let- Interview members of your primary healthcare
ter about a recent patient, then swap letters team to understand their roles and responsi-
and read the other letter as though you were bilities. Find out which patients they feel should
the specialist receiving the letter. Ask yourself, be referred to them and which not. Ask for
‘What am I being asked to do? Can I do this? examples of good and poor team working, and
What information is missing? Will the patient consider whether you agree.
be able to supply it?’

Practical Exercise
Demonstrate good working After you refer someone to another primary
relationships with members of healthcare team member, discuss with them the
a primary healthcare team and referral from their perspectives.
other agencies
You will also find material relevant in the chapters Show evidence of good time
on general practice and its place in primary care
and chronic illness. In most disciplines/special-
keeping and organizational skills
ties, doctors work within teams providing a mix Clinical work requires using time and resources
of knowledge, skills and experience, personalities efficiently. Importantly, before the placement
and approaches to care. Teams share caseloads, begins, think about what you want to achieve by
decision making and the uncertainty of working the end. Arrive punctually from day one, make a
with patients, therefore providing a professional good impression and maintain that throughout
safety net. the placement. These things form the evidence.
Teamwork can be challenging; in particular,
communication and mutual respect are key ele- Setting priorities
ments in a team’s success. As with hospital multi- First consider how you set priorities. One way is
disciplinary team meetings, primary care teams to use a system such as shown in Figure 15.5. You
often meet frequently to discuss patients and plan may need to set priorities within a consultation
their care. You should know about each member’s (e.g. the patient who presents a number of issues
role and responsibilities and how best to liaise simultaneously) or within a session’s work.
with them. Sitting in and observing them at work
is a valuable way of beginning to understand their
work, but you should aim after a short time to Important Unimportant
take an active role.
(Red) (Amber)
When working on the wards, planning a patient’s
Urgent

successful discharge, you will find it very useful to

have a practical knowledge of primary healthcare
team members and community professionals – for
instance, knowing that a speech therapist can be a
vital help for someone with swallowing difficulties (Purple) (Blue)
Not urgent

after a stroke. Understanding what services are

really likely to happen in the community will help
you avoid revolving-door readmissions, which are
distressing for patients and relatives, and expen-
sive and wasteful for the NHS. Figure 15.5 An example of a system for setting priorities.

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 272 PREPARING TO PRACTISE

At the end of a morning surgery, you may have

several activities to juggle – letters or emails, Thinking and Discussion Point
phone calls, discussing patients with colleagues,
With your tutor/supervisor, discuss their cri-
house calls, writing repeat prescriptions, having
teria for managing interruptions and try to
lunch or going to the loo. (Remember that the
develop your own sets of criteria for differ-
last two are important, as you may not function
ent situations.
effectively if you are physically uncomfortable or
hungry/thirsty.) Thinking about which tasks to
perform, when and how long they will take, will
help you plan the next few hours. Practical Exercise
Write a list at the end of morning surgery of
Allowing time
tasks you have generated, and other tasks ahead
Time expectations should not necessarily be the in the day. Consider how you give them priority
same for juniors as for seniors – you should expect and whether that priority then remains fixed or
to take longer over most consultations, letter writ- continues to change as the tasks unfold.
ing, etc. If you get into difficulty, it is best to find
a colleague to discuss it with or to ask help from.
If you run constantly over time, it may be more
appropriate to negotiate a different consultation Practical Exercise
period or insert frequent short breaks than merely
With fellow learners, set up role plays of consul-
to endure (and impose on others) the stress of
tations interrupted by telephone calls or visitors.
running late.
Practise the communications skills needed to
deal with these both during ‘ordinary’ morning
Multi-tasking surgery and during a ‘duty doctor’ session. Get
Some people find multi-tasking easier than oth- feedback from the people playing the inter-
ers. If you find it difficult, first acknowledge this rupter and the patient.
to yourself and your supervisor, and adapt or find
strategies to cope, such as taking more care with
setting priorities and making sure others are aware
of your working style. Implement strategies for
managing uncertainty
Coping with distractions
Telephone calls and other interruptions occur What is ‘managing uncertainty’?
continually. You need different criteria for allow- Our response to uncertainty has to include both
ing these, depending on whether or not you are our thinking (the ‘decisions’) and our behaviour.
the doctor on call. It is useful to have strategies for Although one might divide uncertainty in the
answering or deflecting requests for attention that clinical situation into diagnostic and therapeu-
do not offend or alienate the requester. tic uncertainty, the former is commoner. When
The opposite is important, too: how do you get a doctor is uncertain what to do, it is usually
and hold someone’s attention without annoying because he or she does not know precisely what
them? It is useful to set ground rules with your the problem is; management dilemmas occur
tutor/supervisor about how you get their atten- less frequently.
tion when you need it.
The way this learning objective is measured is Differentiation between uncertainty and
primarily through in-course assessment, but don’t ignorance/incompetence
forget that clinical examinations contain elements Because of the high premium put on knowledge
like coping with noise, time constraints, multi- both by society and by traditional medical edu-
tasking, prioritizing, etc. cation (and thus doctors), not knowing is easily

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 Implement strategies for managing uncertainty 273

equated with incompetence; this is much more in The patient may turn up in the accident and emer-
the doctor’s mind than in the patient’s. However, gency department later saying, ‘My GP told me it
clinical problems present in a multitude of ways was an upset stomach’, as the casualty officer looks
(as each patient is unique) and at a multitude incredulously at a ‘barn-door’ diagnosis of appen-
of points in the natural history of the problem, dicitis! Alerting the family involves ‘admitting’
so it may not be crystal clear to every doctor at uncertainty, but is more honest, more likely to
every consultation what exactly the problem is. enable the family to seek further advice if needed,
Consequently, handling uncertainty is the stuff of and more likely to nurture the GP’s reputation.
medicine, and general practice is where you can
learn about it.
Practical Exercise
Being a junior
In June you see a 15-year-old with a febrile ill-
Although we are all learning all the time, you are
ness and headache without meningism. What
in the lucky position of being junior, so expecta-
would you advise the patient and family? What
tions should be lower, and asking for help should
difference does the time of year make?
be easier. Also, you may have come to expect that
most clinical situations can be resolved within
the time frame of a hospital admission. Problems Other helping hands
in general practice often continue to evolve over
This is all about safety netting.
many consultations; even such things as child-
hood minor illness will evolve over time as the ■■ Open door. The security that the patient can
parents gain experience and confidence. The abil- consult again at short notice is a feature of gen-
ity to decide what needs to be dealt with now, and eral practice. This allows a sharing of respon-
what can be left, is often a major challenge to a sibility between doctor and patient, relieving
young doctor, and depends on the ability to ‘man- some pressure to sort everything out at one go.
age uncertainty’. It places more of the locus of control with the
patient, thus easing the doctor’s responsibility.
Use of time – as diagnostic aid or as therapy ■■ Use of negotiation. Discussing with patients
Time is one of the major tools in managing the various options available not only shares
uncertainty. Time enables the problem to evolve, some responsibility with them, but it may also
such that either new features appear, making a articulate the choices for the patient and make
diagnosis easier or the problem resolves itself. the right decision more obvious. Patients may
Time may also show the effect of other factors on have views about how acceptable some options
the problem – self-help, over-the-counter (OTC) would be – our advocacy of an option unac-
remedies or symptomatic treatment – which may ceptable to the patient (i.e. lack of concordance
illuminate the diagnosis. between doctor and patient) often leads to a
Here is an example of how time can be used poorer outcome.
to manage uncertainty. A youngster with colicky ■■ Appropriate goal setting. We cannot assume that
central abdominal pain, and some nausea, with- the endpoint of treatment we have in mind is
out very marked abdominal tenderness, may be the one that the patient shares. Some patients
seen by the GP, who advises symptomatic relief accept levels of risk that we might not; others
with fluids and paracetamol, suggesting ‘a virus’ might be looking for a goal beyond that which
or ‘an upset stomach’ as the cause. Indeed, many we can achieve with current medicine. Being
times this will be the case and the patient will honest and explicit about these things may help
recover; but the GP will know that, once in a in setting shared, achievable treatment goals;
while, one such patient will go on to develop the this is another aspect of concordance.
classic history and signs of appendicitis. Does the ■■ Being explicit about expectations. Distressed or
GP alert the patient and family to this possibility, needy people want answers; it is easy to fall into
or does he or she think this is harmful alarmism? the trap of finding a superficially credible expla-

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 274 PREPARING TO PRACTISE

nation or treatment simply to assuage the dis- take place without anyone ‘asking for help’
tress. It might be better to deal with the distress, explicitly. In primary care, discussions at the
acknowledge the need for answers, but honestly time, with a partner (or with the learner in
admit to the uncertainty. Disappointment and the room!), at coffee time, or days after the
disillusionment may occur, but in smaller doses event, when someone else has seen the patient
than if an expectation is created and subse- for a further consultation, are all ways of get-
quently not met. ting help.
■■ Referral. This could be from the GP to the spe- ■■ Advice from a specialist source on or off
cialist, but the same process occurs (and might site. Seeking advice either instantly or by
be equally useful) in the case of the learner ­appointment (a ‘referral’) is easily sanctioned.
asking his or her tutor, the registrar asking his However, when making the referral you might
or her trainer, the assistant asking a partner, consider not only the patient’s needs, but also
or one partner asking another. It might also your own (can you learn something from this
be appropriate to ask a specialist from another referral?).
discipline – nursing or therapy colleagues, for
example. Saying you need another opinion is Checking information should be acceptable,
not necessarily a sign of intellectual bankrupt- but some students or juniors (and some seniors)
cy, but more a sign of recognition of your own find it embarrassing to open the British National
limits (see below). Formulary in front of a patient. Consider which
is more embarrassing – looking in the Formulary,
or discovering afterwards that you made an error
Demonstrate an awareness of in prescribing. The manner in which it is done is
your own limitations and an important: if you feel uncomfortable or embar-
rassed (arising from a misplaced internal expecta-
understanding of when and where tion of ‘knowing’ lots) it will show, and the patient
to seek help will naturally assume that you are justifiably
embarrassed, and his or her expectations of you
Central to the correct response to the awareness
and your colleagues will simply increase. You are
of one’s own limitations is an honest view of what
at a stage where it should not be embarrassing to
might reasonably be expected of you, and being
check information, so you have the chance to set
open to feedback (see the section ‘Accept and
healthy behaviours for the future!
utilize constructive criticism’, below). If you are
Telephoning a specialist registrar may be help-
not yet at the expected level of competence, some
ful; they may be flattered that their advice is
more learning is required (see the section ‘Adopt
being sought, particularly if you are seeking
strategies for lifelong learning’, below).
advice about how you might handle the prob-
Alternatively, you might be at the level of
lem, and not just handing over the patient to
expected competence but be facing a problem
their care, without trying. Not infrequently, an
that is outside it; this is normal for any clini-
offer of an outpatient appointment may then
cian, whether generalist or specialist. Learning
come easily.
to respond properly is covered in the section
Unless one is in single-handed practice, there
‘Implement strategies for managing uncertainty’
are almost always fellow clinicians around. As a
(above), but you do need to be able to seek help.
learner in a practice, you may only rarely wit-
What kinds of help are there? ness your tutor ask a colleague, although you
may see him or her being asked. The reason is
■■ Written information, e.g. in a book or on that while you are there, your tutor already has
the internet. a colleague on hand – you! Otherwise, it is not
■■ Information or a second opinion from a peer/ that unusual for one clinician to ask ­another,
colleague on site. This happens informally in informally, for a second opinion, either at the
hospital, on ward rounds, when discussions time or later. Doing it afterwards provides a

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 Accept and utilize constructive criticism, be willing to reflect on your own strengths and weaknesses, and act upon them 275

sounding board, checking out what one has most GPs do not. Some GPs join peer-support
decided, and also helps the next consultation. groups as an informal form of supervision.
As you are a learner, your tutor will almost
invariably check the outcome of every consulta-
tion, but you may be uncertain about the physical Practical Exercise
examination or about what a certain part of the
history signifies, and so the enquiry (‘referral’) During or at the end of one morning session,
would be about these things. You should not be look back and ask yourself what, if anything,
reluctant to ask for this help, as without it you caused most difficulty in the consultation. Was
may make an avoidable clinical error (for which it something you didn’t know? Something you
the tutor would be responsible), and you would couldn’t do? Or something about yourself that
not benefit from the learning that might accrue. ‘got in the way’ (i.e. your knowledge, skills or
It is really important to learn healthy ways of ask- attitudes)? Make a note and discuss with your
ing for help before you get to your early years as a tutor how to deal with these learning needs.
junior doctor. Reflect on how you would do this if there
Doctors help themselves learn by reviewing were no ‘protected’ time for supervision in
their own performance, in audits, SEAs (sig- your timetable, and/or how you might set this
nificant event analyses), practice meetings, grand time up.
rounds, etc.

Problem areas
For some people, asking for help with their skills
Accept and utilize constructive
can be easier than asking about knowledge; the criticism, be willing to reflect
techniques are the same, so whichever you find on your own strengths and
easier, apply the same technique to the other. It is
often harder to ask for help if one’s attitudes are
weaknesses, and act upon them
causing problems, not least because these may be Contextualizing your own performance
more difficult to see in the first place, and more
As doctors in training, we need to identify wheth-
difficult to admit. Sometimes people think that
er our performance is above or below expecta-
their attitudes are private, part of ‘them’, and
tions, and to consider whose expectations those
therefore not on the agenda for change. However,
are and how realistic they are. You may appear
our attitudes can affect our behaviour, and if this
to be asked to perform the same task as in previ-
causes a problem, we must change it, even if we
ous firms or attachments, and not consider that
continue to hold our private underlying beliefs.
a higher standard of performance or a greater
Asking for help when one is ill can be hard-
assumption of responsibility is expected of you.
er, particularly if help-seeking behaviour is not
Conversely, a tutor may sometimes overlook the
securely established. Doctors not infrequently fail
fact that you are not yet a registrar. Try to dis-
to take time off when they are ill, and sometimes
cover the standards expected of you at your
treat themselves (though this is unprofessional).
summative assessment.
Guilt about increasing our colleagues’ workloads,
Using methods of self-assessment may also be
and deeper seated beliefs about showing vulner-
helpful, and the RIME model (Pangaro, 1999)
ability, deny us the time and space we need,
provides a helpful framework for the senior
and that we would advise for our patients. This
undergraduate years, and beyond.
can lead to clinical mistakes, and can contribute
to burnout. ■■ Reporter – acting as the patient’s mouthpiece
One area where doctors are out of step with ■■ Investigator – thinking about tests, referrals, etc.
other professions is supervision. Nurses belong to ■■ Manager – thinking about treatments
supervision groups, and practitioners of almost ■■ Educator – thinking about explaining to patient/
any kind of talk therapy have a supervisor; but peers.

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 276 PREPARING TO PRACTISE

Use this model to think about how, for a series

of patients, you may take on several different roles, Practical Exercise
and how the prevailing role changes with time.
Think about something you have experienced.
Another method of self-assessment is to notate
❏❏ Start by writing down what actually hap-
your learning objectives with confidence ratings,
pened; consider what you felt confident
comparing week-on-week or month-on-month
about and what you felt uncertain about.
improvements in confidence.
❏❏ How did it make you feel?
Obtaining and listening to feedback ❏❏ What do you think other people felt?
❏❏ What did you learn?
Direct feedback on your performance can be
❏❏ What might you have done differently?
incredibly helpful when it is expressed in a con-
❏❏ Draw up some action points to work on so
structive way that you can hear, accept and use to
you can feel more prepared for the next time.
change what you have been doing. It might some-
times contain direct suggestions about what you
might do instead, although ideally without any
element of obligation. It is entirely appropriate for
Aids to reflection may help: using open question
you to ask for this kind of feedback.
sheets, generating lists or writing full significant
One thing that many doctors in the UK find
event analyses. The process should embrace hon-
hard to accept is praise – often it is met with
esty, both in the narrative and, ideally, also in the
embarrassment and internal disbelief; as such it is
emotional underlay (the reflector’s emotions).
not ‘useful’, though what needs to change here is
There is an important link here with the use of a
the attitude of the recipient. It seems to be part of
portfolio (see below), which aids reflection as well
the medical mind-set that praise is base currency;
as forming a record of evidence.
perhaps, if punitive criticism were less the norm,
praise could be rehabilitated.
It is important to accept criticism in a construc- Johari Window
tive manner. By unlinking criticism from judge- Feedback, self-assessment and reflection on our
mentalism, one can ‘hear’ it, consider its truthful- work can illuminate issues that we wish to develop
ness, accept it and act on it. or change. However, problems can arise if we are
unaware of or wish to hide some of our weak-
Use of recording nesses, deficiencies or ‘black holes’.
This can be a powerful adjunct to another’s cri- The Johari Window, named after its develop-
tique: you yourself are the observer and can see ers, Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham (Luft, 1969),
your own performance. It can be challenging, shows clearly the various states of self-knowl-
sometimes disturbing, even embarrassing, but it edge (Figure 15.6). The idea of self-assessment,
can also be powerfully affirming. Video is ideal, feedback and reflection is to expand the ‘open’
but audio is useful and may be technically easier to box and minimize the other boxes. If you and
achieve; patient consent is essential. Suitable guid- your tutors become more aware of your prob-
ance and a downloadable consent form are avail- lem areas, you are in a better position to change
able from the General Medical Council (GMC, them. The relationship between learner and
2011a). tutor can play a central role in expanding the
open box. A trusting and supportive relation-
Personal reflection ship can provide a safe environment in which to
The biggest obstacle to personal reflection is the discuss sensitive issues.
allocation of protected time. Since it appears to be
entirely selfish, it is often demoted in importance, Need for change
but it is vital to the preservation of quality. There is an active process that precedes change
Some learners are uncertain how to reflect. The happening: first an acknowledgement that things
process is quite simple and unthreatening. are not right, and second an acceptance that

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 Maintain sound professional conduct 277

known unknown
ask
by self by self Practical Exercise
1 2
At the end of the week/course, think back

feedback solicitation
over what you have seen, experienced and
known open/free blind
by others area area learned. Use one of the suggested Thinking and
Discussion Points, or generate your own.
tell
self-disclosure/exposure shared others’ observation
discovery
Practical Exercise
unknown hidden unknown
by others self-discovery Evaluate your RIME score for the last ten
area area
patients, and consider how you would have
3 4 improved your score in each case. Re-evaluate
your score a week later.
Figure 15.6 The Johari Window. This version Alan Chapman
2003 www.businessballs.com.

Thinking and Discussion Point

Reflect on the consultations you have under-
taken on your own.
■■ Which one has affected your own personal
change is necessary; this is akin to the shift thoughts and feelings most?
from pre-conceptual to conceptual thinking with ■■ Why did it affect you?
which you may be familiar in the context of ■■ What did you learn about yourself from this
behaviour modification. experience?

Grounding
Key to knowing how much change is necessary Thinking and Discussion Point
is having an understanding of expectations (see
the section ‘Demonstrate an awareness of your Reflect on your learning experience in gen-
own limitations’, above). Being grounded with eral practice.
your peers is of inestimable value; in this context ■■ What would be the one most important
it means having an understanding of what your point of feedback you’d like to give to your
peers are able to do in similar situations, and tutor/supervisor?
having similar expectations of yourself. The best ■■ What have you learned in this course that
way of being grounded with peers involves, either has changed or consolidated your approach
formally or informally, some kind of small group to medicine?
activity, such as: ■■ What do you perceive are areas of weakness
■■ undergraduate seminars, that you have not addressed on this course
■■ journal club, and would like to build on in the future?
■■ significant event analysis discussion,
■■ half-day release groups,
■■ young (or mature) general practice princi-
pals groups.
Maintain sound professional
conduct
In discussions, you will gain an idea of where
the common standard of competence is, and be It is recommended that you read the guidance
able to establish whether that standard is sufficient on good medical practice on the GMC’s website
for the expectations of your course/job. (General Medical Council, 2011b). In particular,

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 278 PREPARING TO PRACTISE

you must know the duties of the doctor that the You will already notice how many of these
GMC has defined: resonate through the subjects of this chapter.
Getting feedback is essential for monitoring your
‘Patients must be able to trust doctors with behaviour, informally, or formalized in ways like
their lives and health. To justify that trust a 360 degree appraisal. Keeping a reflective diary is
you must show respect for human life and a way of self-monitoring. At all times, remember
you must: attendance is a proxy for commitment, and punc-
tuality for reliability.
■■ Make the care of your patient your first
concern
■■ Protect and promote the health of patients Adopt strategies for lifelong
and the public
■■ Provide a good standard of practice and care
learning
–– Keep your professional knowledge and Purpose
skills up to date
Why is lifelong learning important? Medicine
–– Recognise and work within the limits of
is changing and developing rapidly; you cannot
your competence
expect your present knowledge to be up to date for
–– Work with colleagues in the ways that
long. As professionals, we have a responsibility to
best serve patients’ interests
keep up to date to ensure we provide good care to
■■ Treat patients as individuals and respect
our patients (see also the previous section on the
their dignity
GMC’s guidance on good medical practice). We
–– Treat patients politely and consider-
need to be safe practitioners and analyse and learn
ately
from our mistakes; to enjoy our work, we need to
–– Respect patients’ right to confidential-
remain enthusiastic by stimulating our own inter-
ity
est. The public, through our governing body the
■■ Work in partnership with patients
GMC, needs to be assured that we are maintain-
–– Listen to patients and respond to their
ing high standards of care: annual appraisals with
concerns and preferences
revalidation every 5 years in the UK is now the
–– Give patients the information they want
norm. Doctors need to meet an established mini-
or need in a way they can understand
mum competence level to be relicensed to work in
–– Respect patients’ right to reach deci-
the NHS in the UK.
sions with you about their treatment
As learners and doctors, we must ensure we
and care
continue to learn and to develop strategies on how
–– Support patients in caring for them-
best we learn so that this learning is sustainable
selves to improve and maintain their
throughout our careers.
health
■■ Be honest and open and act with integrity What is it?
–– Act without delay if you have good
Incorporating adult learning principles is
reason to believe that you or a colleague
important for lifelong learning and continuing
may be putting patients at risk
medical education.
–– Never discriminate unfairly against
Adult learning is deciding what we want to
patients or colleagues
learn and using our past experiences. What we
–– Never abuse your patients’ trust in you
learn needs to be relevant to what we do in every­
or the public’s trust in the profession.
day practice, so that we improve patient care. It
involves:
You are personally accountable for your
professional practice and must always be pre- ■■ Identifying strengths and weaknesses: being
pared to justify your decisions and actions.’ able to say, ‘I don’t know about this’.
(General Medical Council, 2011b) ■■ Reflection (Kolb’s cycle): putting learning into

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 Adopt strategies for lifelong learning 279

action is very powerful, confirming the value ■■ Keeping a log: we often come across areas of
of what you have learned and stimulating ideas medicine that we are unsure of. By keeping a
on what else you would like to learn (see Figure log of things to look up when seeing patients
15.7; Kolb, 1984). There is more on reflection and following up what we are unsure of, we
in the section ‘Accept and utilize constructive learn ‘on the job’. Try not to be intimidated
criticism’, above. doing this in front of patients – it is much better
■■ Setting realistic objectives and goals for your- to feel sure you are doing the right thing.
self. ■■ Peer groups offer support and an opportunity
to reflect on your own practice, and set this
Lifelong learning is key to our professionalism,
in the context of the practice of others at your
and a crucial part of this is the ability to reflect on
level (see also the section ‘Accept and utilize
practice and learning.
constructive criticism’, above).
■■ Correspondence from colleagues can be a
How to do it
useful way of learning up-to-date manage-
There are many different ways that we can keep
ment approaches.
up to date. Some activities will suit you, others
■■ Asking for advice and help from a colleague is
will not:
a common method used when there is uncer-
■■ Update sessions/courses can be useful, but may tainty in clinical decisions.
not always meet your needs. ■■ Television/media: hearing something on the
■■ Journals and journal clubs: sharing information news or even in a television soap can often be
with peers includes grounding yourself and set- a learning point for us or to help us to under-
ting realistic standards of care in your practice stand patients’ thought processes.
or department. This can be a useful way of pro- ■■ Developing a portfolio (see below).
viding consistency of care within a team.
■■ Electronic information is available while you Portfolios
consult, and can be shared with the patient; These are increasingly prevalent in medicine but
many websites are available. are common in other professions. Nurses have
■■ Patients are an invaluable resource, particularly been using them for a number of years for con-
since the advent of the internet. Some doctors tinuing professional development and accredita-
feel challenged by well-informed patients (does tion. They originate in graphic arts and consist of
this threaten the role as keeper of ‘secret pro- a collection of evidence that shows learning has
fessional knowledge’?) but actually we have taken place.
the very important role of helping the patient The learner decides what goes into the portfolio.
understand how relevant/complete/accurate Seeing a patient with a particular illness may spark
the information is. your interest in finding out more about that ill-
■■ Developing a special interest or responsibility ness; when faced with a clinical problem that you
within a team will necessitate you keeping up to are unsure about, you can use the opportunity
date and being a resource to others. to include what you learn in your portfolio. The
portfolio uses your clinical experiences as the
starting point for your learning, so that when you
Experience next see a patient with a similar problem you are
more confident managing them. It is relevant and
“...opened my mind to
reflective, usable for future clinical practice.
Prepare self-directed Reflect The portfolio’s success depends on how much
learning that clearly effort and time goes into it. Be careful not to
makes a lot of sense…”
embark on huge projects that become unmanage-
Reformulate
able. Try to be specific (e.g. instead of writing
about ‘ischaemic heart disease’, consider focusing
Figure 15.7 Kolb’s cycle. on, ‘the pharmacological treatment of angina’).

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 280 PREPARING TO PRACTISE

Reflecting on experiences is central to devel- of professionalism. This is useful, given the

oping a portfolio. When thinking about clinical push from the public and the GMC to ensure
encounters, identify strengths and weaknesses – professional standards are met at graduation
areas where you feel confident or unsure. Think of and postgraduate levels.
strategies you can use to learn about the areas you ■■ Portfolios are authentic; they can chart what
do not feel confident in (e.g. read a review article, the learner actually does over a period of time.
go to an outpatient clinic, speak to a specialist, Multiple choice questions (MCQs) are useful for
read a book). Then write about your learning assessing knowledge, and objective structured
and how it may affect your clinical practice in the clinical examinations (OSCEs) assess ‘shows
future. For example, studying the management of how’, but this may not be what the learner actu-
urinary tract infections in general practice may ally does daily in practice when seeing patients.
increase or decrease your requesting of midstream
urines, or your referral rate, etc. Thinking about Making a habit of it
your learning can spark ideas of other areas you
It is our professional responsibility to remain up
would like to learn more about, which you can
to date and skilled in our area of medicine. To
include in your portfolio.
learn effectively, we need to use strategies that suit
It can also be useful to think about how you
us so that we can sustain our learning throughout
learnt: did you learn more by reading an article,
our career.
going to a presentation, or discussion group?
This helps you identify how best you learn, which
should make it easier the next time. Practical Exercise
Sharing your portfolio with a tutor or peer may
be useful, particularly when discussing what and Set your own learning objectives and start your
how you have learnt. portfolio; complete a self-assessment exercise or
Portfolios can replace formal examinations as a reflective journal.
a form of assessment. Some medical schools have
replaced the traditional final examinations with a
portfolio that students develop in their final year.
The advantages of a portfolio as a form of assess- Practical Exercise
ment include the following:
Write down how you found out about some-
■■ A portfolio can assess areas not easily assessed thing you were not sure about – books/col-
by other methods, particularly professionalism, leagues/internet.
because the ability to reflect is a key component

Summary points
Things you learn while you are in general practice are useful whatever you do in medicine. To conclude, the
most important messages of this chapter are as follows:
■■ Being aware of how you think and make decisions helps improve how you consult with patients.
■■ Reflective learning is easy and helpful.
■■ Fostering and maintaining relationships with colleagues is crucial to clinical team working.
■■ Organizing your time and resources helps in your working day.
■■ Being honestly self-aware is healthy and productive.
■■ Feedback from peers, colleagues and patients is a valuable resource.
■■ There are a multitude of ways to keep learning.
■■ Productive learning is satisfying and fun (Figure 15.8).

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 Further reading 281

Figure 15.8 Learning can be fun.

References
General Medical Council 2011a: Making and using visual and audio recordings of patients. www.gmc-
uk.org/guidance/ethical_guidance/making_audiovisual.asp (accessed May 2011).
General Medical Council 2011b: Good medical practice: duties of a doctor. www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/
good_medical_practice/duties_of_a_doctor.asp (accessed May 2011).
Kolb, D. 1984: Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood
Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Luft, J. 1969: Of human interaction. Palo Alto, CA: National Press.
Pangaro, L.N. 1999: A new vocabulary and other innovations for improving descriptive in-training
evaluations. Academic Medicine 74, 1203–7.
Weed, L.L. 1969: Medical records, medical education, and patient care. The problem-oriented record as a
basic tool. Cleveland, OH: Case Western Reserve University.

Further reading
Dowie, J. and Elstein, A. 1988: Professional judgement. A reader in clinical decision making. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Royal College of General Practitioners 1993: Portfolio-based learning in general practice: Occasional Paper
63. London: Royal College of General Practitioners.
www.gmc-uk.org
www.nosa.org.uk
www.londondeanery.ac.uk

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 282 PREPARING TO PRACTISE

Acknowledgements
Thank you to Dr Cath Miskin who was co-author in the second edition.

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS

15.1 A patient whom you know very well tells treatment which you should have given me,
you that they don’t want what they have told called …
you recorded in the notes. They only want you
a) You say “OK I will prescribe you the new
as their doctor to know about it. You feel that
treatment”
the information is relevant to the patient’s care. b) You apologise for making a mistake, and
a) You agree to their request prescribe the treatment the patient has men-
b) You make a record using oblique or obscured tioned
language that only you will understand, in c) You say that you don’t know anything about
order to ‘hide’ the information from others the new treatment, so cannot prescribe it for
c) You explain the purpose of the notes is to them
record what the patient tells you and that you d) You ask them to finish the current course
have an obligation to record everything they of treatment to see if it will work and, if the
say, honestly and truthfully problem is no better, to come back. You make
d) You explain the purpose of the notes is to a mental note to look up the new treatment in
ensure the patient’s care is optimized and case they come back.
that, if information is withheld from the e) You say you don’t know about the new treat-
notes, future care may be compromised so ment, and you can look it up, and check if
you cannot agree to their request it’s suitable and available, and if so, it may be
e) You explain, as in C above, and allow the possible to prescribe it; when you know the
patient to decide whether they want to take answers to those questions you will contact
the risk of future suboptimal care. the patient.

15.2 At the end of a morning surgery, hungry 15.4 Later the same morning, you realise that
and fretful, you still have some tasks to do. There the consultation with Mr Smith had irritated
is an urgent visit to do in the nursing home you more than you realised, you were grumpy
round the corner, a form for an MSU needs to and short with the remaining patients and made
be done before the pathology collection goes, more referrals than usual.
and you promised a letter for a patient you saw a) You decide that you need to go on a refresher
yesterday morning but didn’t have time for then. course to update your knowledge
Then a junior student arrives wanting you to b) You decide you are working too hard and that
teach them something. You prioritise: you should have a holiday
a) Eat, form, visit, letter, student c) You speak to some other GPs the same as you,
b) Form, eat, visit, student, letter and ask them whether they would have done
c) Visit, form, eat, student, letter the same or different
d) Eat, visit, form, letter, student d) You ask the receptionists what Mr Smith is
e) Letter, student, visit, eat, form like, and they say he is always rude and dif-
ficult with them. You ask them not to make
15.3 A patient, Mr Smith, challenges you in the Mr Smith any more appointments with you
consultation, saying, you gave me the wrong e) You talk to the senior partner in the practice,
treatment two days ago for my… I looked who says he always refers problems like that,
it up on the internet, and there is some new to keep his working life manageable.

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 Single best answer questions 283

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS CONTINUED

15.5 Your tutor has decided to offer you a tuto- c) You acknowledge the offer, and ask the tutor
rial on dermatology. This is your favourite topic to concentrate on common dermatology
about which you know quite a lot, as you have issues in GP
done a very good hospital attachment in this d) You ask if your tutor can change the topic, as
subject you don’t need to learn any more dermatology
e) You phone in sick on the morning of the
a) You welcome the opportunity to show what tutorial.
you know
b) You are glad not to be challenged on an area
of relative ignorance

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 CHAPTER

16 Being a General Practitioner

■■ Introduction ■■ The changing face of illness in general

■■ What is a general practitioner? practice
■■ Training for general practice ■■ Patient and public expectations of a GP
■■ The work of the GP ■■ Summary points
■■ A week in general practice ■■ References
■■ The GP Surgery ■■ Single best answer questions

The work of a general practitioner (GP) necessarily reflects the health needs of the population, and the many
changes in these needs, together with changing economics and social profiles in communities, means that in
most parts of the world, general practice is a dynamic place to be in. No more so that in the United Kingdom,
where radical changes to the National Health Service (NHS) are occurring in order to accommodate an age-
ing population, increasing prevalence of long-term conditions, and an urgent need to address prevention of
illness – all in an increasingly constrained financial framework. In this chapter we explore the emerging new
roles for GPs, and how they can be incorporated into traditional concepts, in order to preserve what is best
in terms of patient choice and personal care, while moving forward into a sustainable high-quality health
service for the future.

Learning objectives
By the end of this chapter you will be able to:
■■ define what a GP is, and where general practice fits into the NHS;
■■ understand the training and career opportunities for GPs in the UK;

■■ describe the main aspects of work of a GP;

■■ know the structure and the team, and importance of teamwork, in general practice;

■■ understand the changing nature of general practice in the UK;

■■ identify key skills and attributes of GPs.

Introduction The role of GPs has expanded over the years

and although traditional consultations in the sur-
General practice is the first place of contact for gery or patient’s home remain at the core of the
most patients with concerns about their health in profession, new roles have emerged in response to
the UK, and has been the backbone and one of the increased demands and needs within the NHS as
main strengths of the NHS since its inception in medicine and technology advance, and in recogni-
1948 (Parliament of Great Britain, 1947). About a tion of the need to establish balance between costs
third of all doctors who qualify in the UK become and benefits. Thus public health responsibilities,
GPs, dealing with more than one million consul- leadership skills within an expanding primary care
tations per day, and managing over 90 per cent of workforce, financial acumen to manage devolved
illness within primary care. budgets, and specialist skills as services move from

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 286 BEING A GENERAL PRACTITIONER

secondary to primary care are just some of the the multiprofessional environment that we see in
new roles for GPs to embrace. general practice today.
Significant work some years ago by the World Once GPs started to work collaboratively, they
Organisation of Family Doctors (WONCA) could not only introduce flexibility into their own
defined the key functions of general practice working lives, but also look at employing others,
(WONCA Europe, 2002). Since then GPs have had including other GPs, nurses and administrative
to embrace, and respond to, change demanded by staff to help in the running of their practices. Most
social and medical progress, while preserving the practices that you visit today will have a range
confidential and valued doctor–patient relation- of employed staff, including practice manager,
ship which is central to the NHS’s effectiveness in receptionist, practice nurse and employed doc-
both clinical and economic respects. tors. You can still find single-handed GPs, but
this is increasingly uncommon, and even here
What is a general practitioner? the GP is likely to have a small team of employees
around them.
When the NHS was established in 1948, GPs
chose to retain their independence as there was
scepticism about its likely success. This meant
Practical Exercise
that, unlike hospital doctors, who became When you are next in general practice, identify
employees of the NHS, each GP entered into a different professionals and personnel who work
contract with the Government which entitled at, or visit, the surgery. How do they comple-
them to claim fees for services provided under ment the role of the GP?
‘general medical services’. General medical serv-
ices included what we today recognize as the core
roles of consultation: diagnosis and management The description above provides the background
of patients. To these, over years and through to different types of GP you will find in general
contract revision, other specific services such as practice in the UK. Those who contract directly
maternity services, contraception and minor sur- with the NHS will still be self-employed and
gery (to name but a few) were added. GPs were will be GP principals, responsible for the overall
paid according to how many patients registered performance of the practice against budgets and
for their care (their list size) with additional pay- clinical standards in their contracts. Their income
ments for other specified services they contracted will depend upon profits after expenses (includ-
to provide. The importance of this is that we still ing paying their employees). They will often own
have the legacy of this structure which impacts their premises, but you may encounter some who
on current work. rent or lease space from other agencies. They have
GPs originally were responsible for their patients seen a number of changes to their contracts over
24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Time off was a the years.
rare occurrence and relied on GPs, who normally The central contract with Government for
worked alone and from home, finding someone General Medical Services (GMS) was supple-
to cover (a locum), or linking with a nearby col- mented in 1998 by an option for an alternative
league to provide mutual cover for patient care. contract, negotiated more locally with the primary
As medicine advanced and workload increased it care trusts to reflect local health needs – Personal
became increasingly difficult for GPs to sustain Medical Services (PMS) (NHS Executive, 1997).
these long working hours. A crisis in the 1960s led The latter was easier to manage by practices as
to the first of many significant changes to work- numerous claim forms for services were replaced
ing patterns of GPs, with the GP Charter of 1966 by unified budgets to cover all costs, including staff
(British Medical Association, 1965) leading the salaries. However, discrepancies arose between
way to the establishment of GP partnerships and remuneration for GMS and PMS practices, and in
improved premises. This enabled the concept of its drive for cost effectiveness, the Government is
the general practice team to grow and flourish into now seeking a new national contract that will be

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 Training for general practice 287

equitable and make all practices accountable for GPs work together to provide care for their
the resources they use for NHS services. Thus GP patients. From the 1960s, many GPs have worked
principals will increasingly need excellent nego- in groups to share responsibility for out-of-
tiation and management skills and ability to work hours care (traditionally between 6:30 p.m. and
closely with neighbouring practices in order to 8:00 a.m., and at weekends and Bank Holidays),
secure the best care for patients. and in the 1990s formed larger groups of GP
With the development of larger practices, it has cooperatives. Primary care trusts took over this
become possible for GPs to work in a variety of role employing sessional and salaried GPs to pro-
ways. As a GP principal it is now possible to work vide out-of-hours services, after GPs were given
part-time, although overall responsibility for the the opportunity to opt out of this in their con-
practice remains, and a partner could reasonably tracts in 2004. However, as GPs take on greater
be called to step in in any crisis. Those who want responsibility for organisation and funding of
less responsibility for managing the ‘business’ services in the community, including extending
of general practice can opt for salaried work. A their own availability within general practice, this
salaried GP is employed by the practice for speci- area is likely to be revisited.
fied hours and duties, and has the protection in This brief overview of the evolving GP role
law of an employee. They may, however, have through the lifetime of the NHS will hopefully
less flexibility if they wish to change aspects of give you some insight into the variety of general
their contract, and they will not necessarily have practice that exists within the UK. General prac-
as much say in how the practice is run. Some tice or family medicine exists in some form within
GPs who take time out of practice for maternity most healthcare systems, and although details may
leave or other activities may work in very limited vary, they will be dealing with similar issues to
capacity within the practice in order to retain those discussed in this chapter.
their skills (the Retainer Scheme), or to regain lost
skills (retraining after a period of absence), or to
combine GP work with education and research.
Practical Exercise
Many of these posts are part-funded by the GP Explore the structure of another healthcare sys-
deaneries which oversee the clinical education tem and consider why differences are appropri-
needs of the workforce and work closely with the ate to different circumstances.
Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP)
and General Medical Council (GMC) to maintain
clinical standards and fitness to practise. Training for general practice
The other group of qualified GPs that you will
encounter are sessional GPs. These include GPs Specific training for general practice was made
who work in a locum capacity, responding to compulsory in 1981, but had been optional since
needs of practices to provide medical cover when 1975. All medical graduates in the UK complete
regular GPs are away and internal cover is not fea- a Foundation Training Programme, currently
sible. They are trained in the same way as principal over 2 years, during which time they gain full
and salaried GPs but are self-employed, control- registration with the GMC and experience
ling their own working time by accepting work different specialities in primary and secondary
in different practices. The advantages in this type care services, including general practice. Those
of work are flexibility and variety, but downsides intending a career in general practice then
include lack of continuity of care with patients apply for Speciality Training Programmes of
and relative isolation without a regular team of 3 years’ duration. This includes 18 months in
support. To balance this many locums form local general practice and 18 months in approved
networks, as do salaried doctors, through ‘non- hospital posts relevant to the needs of general
principal’ support groups. practice. Throughout the training they have an
The complexity of medical care and increas- educational and clinical supervisor who monitors
ing patient demand has made it important that their training and progress. When in general

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 288 BEING A GENERAL PRACTITIONER

practice their supervisor is their GP trainer who The consultation

has specialized in education and training for
The consultation forms the basis of the doctor–
general practice. It is the trainer’s responsibility
patient relationship and is the heart of general
to ensure that the trainee (often called GP
practice (see Chapter 3). It focuses on the personal
registrar) has sufficient and broad experience to
interaction between GP and patient, where the
gain necessary skills for independent practice.
patient is able to share concerns and problems,
The RCGP has developed a curriculum for
sometimes when they have not shared them with
training for general practice, which explores
anyone else. This requires trust and confidence,
each clinical area and is a helpful aid to learning
not only in the GP’s clinical skills but also belief
(Riley et al., 2007).
in their integrity, honesty and desire to do good –
The trainee is responsible for their own learning
beneficence (see Chapter 12). With this trust, GPs
and is required to keep records in an e-portfolio
integrate past knowledge about the patient and
of their learning, with internal assessments and
family, medical knowledge and understanding of
reflection. This contributes to their six-month-
the context in which the symptoms are presented,
ly assessments with their educational supervi-
and formulate possible diagnoses and manage-
sor, which are submitted to the RCGP as part
ment plans. By sharing these with the patient, GPs
of the accreditation process. In addition, the
are able to involve the patient in the diagnostic
trainee has to pass examinations in knowledge
and management process, gaining their ownership
(Applied Knowledge Test – AKT) and consulta-
and commitment to the plan that is finally agreed.
tion skills (Consultation Skills Assessment – CSA).
Thus, the consultation model has moved from
At the end of training the trainee applies for
doctor-centred to patient-centred. Gaining the
a Completion of Certified Training Certificate
commitment of patients, their understanding of
(CCT) from the GMC which then enables then to
the problem and their involvement in treatment
work independently as a GP.
enables GPs to share responsibility and manage-
ment with patients, who are the only people able
to make sustainable changes in their lifestyle to
The work of the GP affect outcome – whether by taking regular medi-
cation, regular exercise or other action.
The core role of all GPs is to provide personal
Consultations have traditionally taken place
medical care to patients and families. Within this
in GP surgeries or in patients’ homes, but as
role they have to work closely with others in the
society’s needs have changed and demands on
practice team and collaborate with community
GP time have increased, several things have hap-
and hospital colleagues, to ensure best care for
pened to add variety to the types of consultation
their patients. In addition to their role in help-
that occur:
ing patients understand health issues and sharing
options and decisions with them, GPs need to be ■■ The length of average consultations has
aware of local and national health needs which increased over time, currently to 10 minutes,
influence how resources are used, and have to and may increase further. This allows GPs to
balance the needs of the individual with the needs explore more problems and in greater depth,
of the wider community. These influences impact and also give health advice and gain informa-
on the consultation and can cause a dilemma for tion which forms the basis of decisions about
the GP. In this respect, being part of a team and public health issues in the community.
being able to discuss concerns and share decision ■■ GPs may engage services of other profession-
making is increasingly important. Very few GPs als to help in the consultation process, such
now work without the support of a practice team, as practice nurses to see patients with chronic
or a network of colleagues to share dilemmas with, diseases like asthma, diabetes and hyperten-
in order to avoid isolation in decision making sion. Nurses manage illness within agreed
and risk management, and the stress that this can frameworks and refer back to GPs only if
otherwise cause. management is not going well. In this way GPs

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 The work of the GP 289

can use their skills for the more seriously ill Decision making and risk taking
patients, confident that others are being well How do GPs decide what symptoms are serious,
cared for by others. For the consultation this and what will resolve without intervention? One
means that patients learn to trust more than of the most difficult jobs for new junior doctors in
one professional in the practice, with transfer accident and emergency departments is to decide
of trust from the individual GP to the prac- which people to send home. The same is true of
tice team. GPs in general practice. It is easier to investigate
■■ Consultations can now occur by telephone and and refer to specialists as this avoids potential
electronic means. The GP must still protect risk. However, this does not always lead to best
confidentiality and trust, and practices have care and means that when a patient really needs
developed ways of ensuring these issues are urgent help it may not be available if the system
addressed, to protect patients and doctors, for is overwhelmed by demand rather than need. So
example by recording telephone calls, which GPs have evolved as ‘gatekeepers’ to secondary
verify what was said in cases where there is care services, and are expected to manage risk and
any confusion. demand, to create a sustainable NHS.
■■ Home visiting is now less common, given GPs manage risk and uncertainty by several
the mobility generally in the population. means. They use active listening skills in the con-
Home visits are, however, retained for the sultation to explore symptoms and understand
housebound and terminally ill, and add an the meaning behind what patients describe. They
additional dimension for GPs to appreciate use medical knowledge to develop differential
how patients cope with illness in their own diagnoses, weighing up the probability of serious
homes. Although less popular, the availability illness versus self-limiting problems. They discuss
of home visits is an important way for GPs to the patient’s underlying concerns and the reasons
reduce unnecessary hospital admissions. By for these, and they use clinical examination skills
understanding a patient’s home environment, to support or refute possible diagnoses. By these
GPs can mobilize community services, ena- means GPs can share options with patients to plan
bling patients with serious disease, including a route of management which may or may not
terminal illness, to choose to stay at home (see involve investigation or referral. Often GPs are
Chapter 10). able to explain why investigation or referral is not
required and give advice which will help patients
Case Study 16.1 manage their own health. This may sound similar
Mrs Y is a 78-year-old woman with diabetes to activities of all doctors but GPs have an addi-
whose condition has been poorly controlled on tional opportunity to test theories by reviewing
oral medication. Her GP has persuaded her to patients. Provided the situation is not urgent, the
start insulin, but she is anxious. She sees the GP can review the patient another time, for exam-
practice nurse who spends time showing her how ple later the same day for a vague abdominal pain
to give injections and test her blood sugar. The which might be early appendicitis, or in a week to
nurse calls her every day over the next week to see monitor treatment for a non-specific skin rash. In
how she is doing. After a week she comes back to each case the GP demonstrates commitment to
the nurse, happy with her progress and the sup- the patient through on-going care and also learns
port she has received. Insulin doses are adjusted by directly seeing the progress of illness.
and she begins to learn how to manage insulin
independently. By the time she sees the GP in a Case Study 16.2
month’s time she is feeling confident and her dia-
Miss G attends surgery with a mole on her shoul-
betic control is improving.
der. She does not like its appearance and requests
Here the GP shares clinical responsibility with referral for its removal. There are no suspicious
the nurse and also the patient. What are the features and the GP knows the NHS will not
advantages and risks in this management? remove lesions for cosmetic reasons. He also

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 290 BEING A GENERAL PRACTITIONER

knows that removing moles at this site can leave teamwork becomes vital for the patient to receive
significant scarring. He explains both issues to a smooth ‘seamless’ service.
Miss G who is initially upset but then decides she
would not want an ugly scar. The GP emphasizes Case Study 16.3
the importance of taking care in the sun and Miss Mr F has lung cancer. His wife calls the surgery
G leaves, satisfied without a referral. at 08:00 hours on Monday morning as he has
GPs often have to negotiate with patients. Why become more breathless. The receptionist rec-
do you think the outcome was satisfactory here? ognizes her and knows that breathlessness can
Despite the above there can still be times when mean an emergency. She immediately puts the
GPs feel anxious about particular decisions they call through to the GP who knows the patient.
have to make. In these cases being able to discuss The GP agrees to visit at the end of surgery but
them with colleagues, revising decisions where gives advice on medication in the meanwhile. She
necessary, not only helps GPs manage the stress also contacts the local hospice team whose nurse
of uncertainly, but also improves care for patients. visits at 10:00 hours. The nurse and GP discuss the
patient before the GP visit at 13:00 hours.

Working in a team When patient and carers are worried, effective

We have already referred to the importance of the teamwork is vital. What do you think enabled this
practice team in delivering comprehensive care patient to receive effective care?
for patients. When you visit general practice it Teamwork has taken on new concepts, par-
will be hard for you to imagine that GPs originally ticularly in using IT to increase efficiency.
worked alone from their homes with only their Communication between professionals, as with
wives as support and general administrator. You patients, used to be limited to direct contact
are now likely to see a team of receptionists who or telephone but can now be electronic. This is
can arrange appointments, organize recalls and particularly effective in speeding the process of
carry out a range of customer services, including investigation and referral and enables clinicians,
coordinating satisfaction surveys; a practice man- including GPs, to access information and advice
ager who will manage the day-to-day running of easily. Patients can also access information about
the practice, and manage staff, finance and rotas their health on-line and this allows them to be
(see Chapter 14); administrative staff who will more involved in their own care and decisions,
deal with correspondence and communicate with and effectively become members of the team when
other professional groups to coordinate care on addressing their own health needs.
behalf of the GP; nurses who will manage chronic
disease clinics as well as health promotion, immu- Working with patients
nization and general nursing (dressings etc.); In addition to working individually with patients
healthcare workers who may be responsible for with their personal health, GPs and their prac-
phlebotomy services and specific services like tices now engage directly with patients through
ECGs, spirometry and well person checks; and newsletters and patient groups, which are ways of
other GPs all working for the benefit of patients. seeking a wider view from the practice population
Together they can deliver a range of services that a about where the practice should be focusing to
single GP would be unable to do. meet local needs. Satisfaction surveys have been
When GPs appoint new members to their teams used in recent years to give GPs and practices
they will be acutely aware of the skills they need to feedback about how services are perceived, and
recruit to enable the practice to enhance its serv- have enabled practices to become more receptive
ices to patients – they may specifically look for a to patient suggestions, particularly in areas of
nurse who can manage diabetic patients, or a GP access and opening hours.
with information technology (IT) skills. In this Working collaboratively with patients also
way the practice competences are increased by the allows GPs to share dilemmas in balancing indi-
sharing of acknowledged resource and skills and vidual and population needs. Patients are now

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 The work of the GP 291

engaged in helping the decision process for where or locally – Local Enhanced Schemes (LES), to
resources and NHS services should be focused. deliver specific services, for example sexually
As GPs become responsible for managing NHS transmitted disease services in general practice.
budgets and commissioning services from the rest These initiatives tend to address areas where there
of primary care and secondary care, this dialogue is transfer of activity from another source to gen-
with patients will become even more important, eral practice, making them more easily accessible
and the GP’s role in these discussions is likely to for patients. The second initiative has been the
be a crucial factor in balancing wants and needs in Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), which
a financially constrained system. was a government initiative to improve standards
of care across a range of clinical areas (Department
Working within the NHS of Health, 2000). By rewarding GPs for perform-
The working options for GPs and potential for ance in managing specific diseases, and publishing
diversity through variable personal interests in results, the government was able to target areas
specialities that encompass all realms of medicine of greatest need (ischaemic heart disease and
are both assets and risks in the NHS. As assets smoking, as examples) and allow patients to see
they allow patients choice in registration with a which practices were performing best. This had a
GP or practice which delivers care in the style they dramatic effect on activity in general practice, with
prefer, and choice of practice where services they increased focus on prevention of illness and active
most value are delivered. As risks, however, they management of chronic disease.
enable variability in standards which might com- The QOF allowed the Government to increase
promise patient care in a worst case scenario. This the public health role of general practice, as some
diversity is one reason why individual GPs and targets were related to collection of informa-
practices have different thresholds for referring tion about patients (e.g. height, weight, smoking,
to secondary care or other agencies. Regulatory alcohol intake and exercise levels). GPs now need
bodies, including the GMC and the Department to incorporate collecting this information into
of Health, have sought various ways to retain the consultations as well as dealing with the patient’s
diversity that patients want, but to reduce vari- agenda. This can cause conflict of interest in
ability in standards of care. consultations, particularly where income of the
GPs were initially rewarded for attending a set practice is dependent on achieving targets, and is a
number of postgraduate education hours (PGEA) new area of dilemma for the GP to address.
per year, with the aim of helping GPs protect GPs will have a significant role in the future
time for continuing medical education. This was NHS in the use of limited resource to achieve
beneficial but one of the most useful outcomes the best clinical and cost-effective outcomes
was that GPs met together to discuss their clinical for patients. Traditionally, services have been
concerns. You can imagine, if you were working purchased (commissioned) by local health
as a single-handed GP or in a sessional (locum) authorities (primary care trusts in recent years)
capacity, you might be isolated from clinical dia- using public health data and historic patterns
logue with colleagues. This not only added to risks of referral from primary to secondary care as
of clinical error (and failure to recognize this), but a base. Relatively little clinical engagement has
also to stress for GPs who might be managing lev- contributed to this process and, with medicine
els of uncertainly and emotional burden that was advancing at an increased pace, using historic
detrimental to their own health. information is not encouraging new ways of
Using guidance for best practice established working. Given the close relationships between
through the National Institute for Health and GPs and patients, the Government intends
Clinical Excellence (NICE), incentive schemes to increase GP input into the commissioning
have been established to financially reward GPs process. GPs will be allocated budgets for their
for delivering care to specified standards. These practices and will be expected to work through
have included specific incentives set nationally – commissioning consortia with other GPs to pur-
Department of Health Enhanced Schemes (DES), chase services for their patients.

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 292 BEING A GENERAL PRACTITIONER

In 1991, the Conservative Government of the and to ensure the practice is not caught unpre-
time introduced a scheme called ‘Fundholding’ pared for change.
as part of their NHS reforms whereby indi-
vidual practices could purchase services for their
own patients (Rivett, 1997). GPs who took part Practical Exercise
in this voluntary scheme developed consider-
Make a list of all the activities a GP principal
able commissioning skills and were able to retain
might be involved in when running the practice
savings they made from budgets. The scheme
in addition to consulting with patients. Go
closed in 1998, with a change of government and
through these with the GP.
on recognition of the imbalance of care emerg-
ing between fundholding and non-fundholding
practices (Petchey, 1995). However, benefits in Despite delegating some management tasks, the
involving GPs in commissioning care were rec- GP principals continue to retain overall responsi-
ognized in terms of innovation and efficiencies bility for activities of the practice, as would owners
in care developed and the new scheme of GP of any business. GP principals will normally have
commissioning, which will commit all GPs to regular meetings within the practice to remain up
be involved, will require GPs to work in groups to date with clinical, premises, staffing and finan-
(consortia) with savings from budgets being fed cial issues. GPs working together will be advised
back into patient services. GPs will take a col- to have a practice agreement as a legal framework
laborative role in the development of the NHS to ensure that any disputes between partners are
and will need to agree where to prioritize services resolved in a satisfactory way. Regular meetings in
and how to work together to stay within budget the practice enable the practice to remain focused
(Department of Health, 2010). This will be one on identified goals in healthcare and share devel-
of the greatest challenges to face general practice opments within the whole team. These meetings
since the beginning of the NHS. The concept of may involve any combination of practice man-
individual autonomy is likely to change to one of ager, clinical team members, the whole practice
corporate autonomy within the profession, and team, and the extended practice team including
represents an enormous opportunity for those attached staff such as health visitors and com-
GPs interested in taking a leadership role in the munity nurses. In this way salaried and trainee
evolving NHS. GPs can learn about management and can engage
in some decisions taken in the practice. These
Running the practice activities require GPs to have management and
Most GP principals now employ practice manag- leadership skills which become more important
ers to manage day-to-day activities of the practice, the larger the practice becomes.
and accountants to deal with taxation liabilities, Although other clinically qualified staff will
and advise on financial issues and practice invest- have membership of a defence organization for
ment (see Chapter 14). The GP principal’s role in any clinical negligence issue, GPs need to retain
management is now in strategic direction. This an overview of the practice performance and will
role includes prediction of developmental needs likely to be involved with dealing with, and resolv-
within the practice and preparation for changes ing, any complaints.
the practice might face. For example, if a practice
is to deliver full diabetic care, it will need to ensure Maintaining standards
that team members are appropriately skilled by The importance of keeping up to date in a
training of existing staff or recruitment of people changing world cannot be overstated. In general
with existing skills. The GP will need to budget for practice, as in other disciplines, the profession is
training and recruitment needs. Similarly, if the facing the need for revalidation which is already
NHS undergoes substantial change, GP partners in place in a variety of forms in many other coun-
will need to identify who will take an active role in tries. In the UK, the GMC is working with the
understanding how the practice might be affected, RCGP to develop a process that is relevant but not

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 The work of the GP 293

unduly onerous. Since 2004 all GPs have had to Teaching

undertake an annual appraisal with a primary care Many GPs are involved in teaching in a variety
trust approved appraiser. This process requires of ways. Indirectly, GPs engage in teaching their
GPs to record their activities in continuing pro- patients when they give advice in management or
fessional development (CPD) with analysis of avoidance of illness. In a more formal role some
significant events and to reflect on their learning. GPs become GP tutors and seminar leaders and
The outcome includes production of a personal have medical students attached to their practices
development plan (PDP), which forms the basis for specific activities – to learn clinical skills, to
for future learning. The use of on-line facilities to learn about the consultation process or to explore
record information, such as the NHS Appraisal the impact of illness in communities. With so
Toolkit, RCGP portfolio, and the GP trainee’s much chronic disease now being managed in
e-learning portfolios, has considerably helped this the community it is difficult for students to gain
process and the annual appraisal is likely to be clinical experience for these illnesses in hospitals.
incorporated into revalidation. Extending this role, GPs can be directly linked
Case Study 16.4 to universities and medical schools as lecturers
linked with departments of general practice and
Dr S sees a 23-year-old female patient with a vagi-
primary care.
nal discharge. He realizes that he has not reviewed
At postgraduate level, GPs can become GP train-
management of sexually transmitted diseases for
ers linked with GP deaneries to train future GPs
some time. He speaks to a colleague in the next
through the GP Speciality Training Programme,
room for advice on managing the patient and
take newly qualified doctors for training during
records his own learning need. He subsequently
their Foundation training, or supervise retraining
attends an update course. With this knowledge, he
of GPs returning to general practice.
reports back to the practice team, writes a practice
In all cases GPs need teaching skills and are
guideline identifying the roles of nurses and GPs
encouraged or compelled to undertake for-
and when to refer, and records his learning in his
mal training. Many undertake Postgraduate
appraisal file.
Certificates in Education (PGCE) or equivalent,
One way of keeping up to date is recognizing and some take this training further to Master’s
when we cannot help a patient. What was the level. Universities and deaneries are responsible
significance of the action taken here in addressing for ensuring their GP teachers are delivering post-
a learning need? graduate teaching to required levels, and use a
The appraisal process recognizes that not all variety of measures to ensure this, from structured
GPs learn best through traditional educational curricula with student feedback, to three-yearly
meetings and lectures and now GPs can accredit reselection interviews and practice visits for GP
learning through reading, e-learning and meetings speciality and Foundation trainers. One advantage
in a variety of situations. The important outcome of this work is that it is largely practice-based. This
is the learning achieved and how this is used to means that GP teachers are still in the practice
improve clinical practice. for day-to-day work, and that practices are also
involved in the process, enabling the practice team
Other activities to benefit from the enthusiasm and variety that
So far we have focused on the GP in clinical prac- trainees and students bring.
tice largely dealing with patients, and negotiations
with others which directly support patient care.
We have referred to the GP’s role in teaching and Research
also in work to support change in the NHS as in Some GPs develop an academic career in general
clinical commissioning. Here we consider these practice research, linking with their clinical work.
further, together with other options that GPs While some do this formally through working
can undertake to extend their portfolio of skills with departments of general practice and primary
and activities. care or deaneries, some carry out research projects

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 294 BEING A GENERAL PRACTITIONER

independently in their practices. GPs have great diversity of life as a GP, as well as providing addi-
opportunity to monitor patterns of disease and tional sources of income.
effects of intervention with largely stable popula-
tions they can follow over many years.

Working with local health organizations A week in general practice

There are many ways for a GP to engage with You might appreciate, from the range of career
the political side of the NHS in primary care. options within general practice, that it is diffi-
GPs are represented by local medical committees cult to describe a typical GP. I have worked as a
(LMCs), and membership of this committee will GP principal for 25 years and have seen my role
give GPs good insight into developments that change many times. I now work as a teacher, at
affect their working lives in the NHS. This com- both undergraduate and postgraduate level, and
mittee feeds local views to the British Medical as a clinical commissioning lead within the PCT.
Association (BMA) which negotiates with gov- Before this I have spent time as an LMC and
ernment through the Department of Health. The professional executive committee (PEC) mem-
LMC gives advice to local health organizations, ber and have studied initially to be a GP trainer;
currently the primary care trusts (PCT), as does then to gain a PGCE and finally Master’s degree.
the Professional Executive Committee, which is During this time I have juggled family life, raised
recruited by the PCT with GP members to offer children and worked within the practice as a GP
strategic clinical input into local service develop- principal. Such experience and evolution of roles
ments. With the advent of clinical commissioning and responsibilities is common to many GPs, and
consortia, the PCTs may disappear, but clinical is one aspect that makes general practice an excit-
engagement will significantly increase, with GPs ing and excellent career choice for doctors with a
in the front line to help commission and redesign variety of skills and interests.
services within the NHS. Table 16.1 shows a week’s activities for you to
see how different activities can be incorporated
Developing clinical interest areas into the week. The first thing I hope you will rec-
GPs need sound knowledge in all clinical areas but ognize is how important it is for GPs to work in
many have areas they particularly enjoy and in effective teams. I could not spend time away from
which they gain advanced skills. They can pursue the practice if I did not have cover and support
interest areas through study for higher qualifica- in the practice from colleagues. I am away from
tions, academic work in deaneries or universities, the practice for commissioning activities and I do
or sessional work as clinical assistants in hospitals most of my teaching in the practice. The whole
working alongside consultants to gain practical practice is involved in training and teaching, par-
experience. They may have expertise from prior ticularly with GP trainees, and this is very enjoy-
work in other disciplines before entering general able and rewarding for all – patients included.
practice. With appropriate skills and experience, Making time to debrief with the trainees and
GPs can take the role of GP with a Special Interest practice team is very important, in order to keep
(GPwSI) and you may recognize this term when up with what is happening in the practice. For
you hear about services being moved from sec- example I need to know if staff members are sick
ondary to primary care, using GPwSIs and GPs or having difficulties personally inside or outside
with appropriate skills with consultant support. the practice in order to coordinate support they
Other areas for developing clinical interest activi- might need and ensure the practice continues to
ties include working as a police surgeon or in run smoothly. I choose to do this through direct
occupational health for large firms. Some GPs also conversations and time with the practice manager,
develop writing and journalistic skills, not only to which works well in a relatively small practice. In
publish research, but also to contribute in public larger practices you may find an administrative
debates in the media. All these, and other, activi- member delegated to take on these issues who
ties provide interests which add to the variety and then relates back to the partners.

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 The GP Surgery 295

My practice has weekly clinical meetings to communications by e-mail. Receptionists have

review clinical concerns, discuss referrals and guidelines for interrupting doctors for emergency
prescribing issues, and to learn about new NHS calls but apart from this it is the doctor’s decision
developments that will affect the practice. Here as to how to balance telephone calls and surgery
we share clinical uncertainty and the emotional consultation time. I like to deal with calls as I go
burden that caring for the chronic sick and dying along but one of my colleagues prefers to take all
can generate. The more junior the clinician the his calls at the end of surgery.
more vulnerable to these stresses they tend to be, I take time to review patients with my GP regis-
and I debrief at least daily with my GP trainee. trar as needed. If additional emergencies arise they
However I admit I am also grateful to be able to are added to the end of the list – hence the usual
share my concerns and sadness when a patient I finish at 12 noon. Patients are advised by recep-
have known for many years is taken ill or dies – tionists if there is likely to be a delay of more than
we are all human and have natural feelings of loss, 20 minutes to give them the option of rebooking
sadness and joy, which is one reason why patients or seeing another doctor.
value us so highly.
Practice meetings occur at six-weekly intervals Notes from the surgery
and include attached staff such as community
nurses, health visitors and counsellors. We also ■■ 08:00 Review of thyroxine dose post-thyroid­
have six-weekly partnership meetings which are ectomy. Discussed obesity. Agrees to see nurse.
additional to daily meetings with the practice I have my doubts about success here but
manager and allow for strategic decisions that offer encouragement.
have to be made and documented. Furthermore ■■ 08:15 Patient with osteoporosis, aggravated
we meet six-weekly with our palliative commu- by steroids she takes for bullous pemphigoid.
nity care team to review patients we care for who She fell as a result of osteoarthritis of her knees
have chosen to die at home. This is a particular and clinically has fractured her coccyx. More
interest area for us, and we benefit from sharing important than pain were the psychological
information and knowledge. It may seem from effects of immobility and loss of independence.
this list of meetings that there can be no time to We agreed she should see a counsellor. I refer
see patients – certainly meetings take more of our to occupational therapist for practical help
time than in past years, but benefits of close work- at home.
ing relationships and consistency in care make this ■■ 08:24 This lady had multiple problems associ-
investment invaluable. ated with ageing. She had developed gout as
a result of treatment of her heart failure with
diuretic. She also had a painful shoulder from
The GP Surgery arthritis. The only relief she had from this was
with an anti-inflammatory drug which aggra-
Table 16.2 illustrates a typical surgery on a Friday vated her heart failure. I have to compromise
morning. The scheduled time is from 8 a.m. to 11 between clinical best practice from guidelines
a.m., but I expect to finish by 12 noon. We run a and quality of life – the latter won, but the
10-minute appointment system for attendances, discussion with the patient meant she knew
but allow for 5-minute telephone calls which can risks as well as benefits of using anti-inflamma-
be booked like consultations. Patients are given a tory drugs.
time range for the call rather than a specific time. ■■ 08:40 Straightforward consultation with boy
This allows for flexibility when surgeries are busy, with ear infection who I gave a prescription
so that those in the waiting room are not delayed for antibiotic. Grandmother tried to do all the
if consultations overrun. You will notice that talking – I had to interrupt to ask the boy what
there is a 2 : 1 ratio of attendance : telephone call he thought.
consultations. This is fairly normal, as telephone ■■ 08:52 Patient has a swollen leg following DVT.
consultations are becoming more common, as are She had refused anticoagulation and presented

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00-Textbook_GP_text-cccp.indd 296

Table 16.1 A week in general practice

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

07:50 Arrive at surgery 07:40 Arrive at surgery. 07:45 Arrive at surgery 07:45 Travel to 07:45 Arrive at surgery Not my turn Afternoon spent
08:00–11:30 Surgery Deal with messages; 08:00–09:00 Messages; commissioning office 08:00–12:00 Surgery for Saturday reading preparing for
– 15 patients; 11 e-mails letters; prescriptions; 08:30–11:30 Meeting – 16 patients; 9 morning meetings in coming
telephone calls 08:15 Travel to four telephone calls to with other clinical telephone calls surgery this week; prepared
commissioning office patients commissioning leads re week, chance workshop I will run
11:30–12:00 Meet 12:00–12:30 Meet for lie-in! on facilitating group
practice manager 08:45–11:30 Meet 09:15–11:00 Four commissioning strategy practice manager meetings for GPs;
12:00–12:40 Debrief PBC manager to visits to housebound 12:30–13:00 Lunch planned student
with GP trainee review clinical patients. Follow-up teaching session on
guidelines and arrange telephone calls to communication skills
12:40–13:00 Lunch educational events. hospice nurse and local
12:00–13:00 Practice pharmacist regarding
visit – meet GPs and medication and
practice manager support
to review referral 11:00–12:00 Partners’
patterns. Established meeting – agreed
objectives for audit refurbishments and
and review rewiring in surgery.
13:00–13:30 Travel Discussed receptionist
back to practice – training and new
sandwich in car telephone system
12:00–13:00 Clinical
meeting – referrals
review and significant
event – missed case
of DVT in postnatal
patient. New guidelines
for headache
management discussed
13:00–13:30 Lunch
01/11/2011 14:55
00-Textbook_GP_text-cccp.indd 297

13:00–14:15 Two home 13:30–14:15 Debrief 13:30–16:30 Reading 12:30–14:30 Meeting 13: 00–14:00 Palliative
visits – COPD and with GP trainee – BMJ and new with PCT directors re care meeting –
dementia reviews 14:15–15:00 Joint visit developments in PBC. service redesign reviewed 7 terminally
14:15–16:00 Paperwork with GP trainee to On-line learning in child 14:30–15:00 Travel back ill patients with
– prescriptions; terminally ill patient protection completed to practice hospice nurse,
letters; results; talk to 16:30–18:00 Deal with community nurses
15:00–15:20 Meet 15:00–15:30 Debrief and practice clinical
colleagues practice manager results; letters and with GP trainee
messages team
16:00–16:30 Six 15:30–16:15 15: 30–16:00 Paperwork
telephone calls 19:00–20:00 Talk to 14:00–16:00 Tutorial
Paperwork and e-mails and messages with GP trainee –
16:30–18:45 Surgery – community group on
16:15–18:40 Surgery living wills 16:00–18:40 Surgery case-based discussion;
12 patients – 12 patients and 4 – 12 patients and 6 discussed breaking
18:45–19:30 Paperwork telephone calls telephone calls bad news
– letters, e-mails 18:45 Home 18:40–19:30 Results; 16:00–16:30 One visit
19:30 Lock surgery. letters; e-mails – elderly lady with
Home 19:30 Lock surgery chest infection
Home 16:30–17:30 Results
and e-mails
17:30 Home via
supermarket for
week’s shopping
01/11/2011 14:55
 298 BEING A GENERAL PRACTITIONER

Table 16.2 A Friday morning GP surgery

Patients seen in surgery Other activities during the surgery
Time Consultation Time Activity
08:00 55-year-old woman, post thyroidectomy 08:12 Reception query re prescription
08:15 71-year-old woman, fall 2 weeks ago 08:36 Home visit request – agreed
08:24 94-year-old woman, heart failure improving
08:40 13-year-old boy – high fever; earache 08:48 Tel. call from 61-year-old patient with
diabetes – insulin dose query
08:52 85-year-old woman – follow-up after DVT. 09:04 Tel. call from 74-year-old with back pain
Bereaved
09:15 66-year-old woman with rheumatoid 09:10 Tel. call from 74-year-old with breathlessness.
arthritis Known heart failure – arranged to see
09:28 77-year-old woman for dementia review
09:42 42-year-old woman with menopause 10:15 Review patient with rash with GP registrar
09:52 75-year-old man with lung cancer 10:28 Assist nurse with difficult cervical smear
10:05 76-year-old woman with arthritis and 11:00 Review patient with anxiety with GP registrar
obesity
10:20 88-year-old woman with temporal arteritis 11:05 Visit request – patient agrees to come to
surgery this afternoon
10:35 5-year-old boy with attention deficit and 11:07 Tel. call from community nurse – request for
hyperactivity disorder prescription
10:50 23-year-old woman 1st pregnancy 11:10 Tel. call – results of tests discussed
11:15 58-year-old woman – depressed – came as 11:45 Supervise GP registrar with shoulder injection
emergency
11:30 64-year-old woman – lump in breast – came 11:58 Tel. call to patient with sore throat – advice
as emergency given

late. She was grieving for her husband who had methotrexate. Her blood results were normal,
died a month earlier. We discussed how she was as was examination. I could not exclude a more
coping and she agreed to see the bereavement serious problem in the bowel and had to per-
counsellor. It would have been easy to offer her suade her to consider referral for colonoscopy.
antidepressants but grief and depression can We discussed the possibility of bleeding having
appear very similar and she really needed to talk been caused by medication, but that we should
rather than take medication. not always attribute everything to her arthritis.
■■ Emergency call at 09:10. 88-year-old man with She wants time to think about referral and we
gradually worsening breathlessness over last agree to talk again on Monday. Being able to
week. I checked that breathlessness was not give patients time to consider what they want to
severe, no chest pain, and was comfortable – do is a great advantage for the GP. [This patient
arranged to see after surgery but advised that if was subsequently found to have a sigmoid car-
worse to contact me again. cinoma.]
■■ 09:15 Rheumatoid arthritis under good con- ■■ 09:28 Reviewing a patient with demen-
trol but patient had had an episode of rectal tia involves not only assessing their level of
bleeding. She is taking a non-steroidal anti- functioning (I use the Mini-Mental State
inflammatory drug as well as steroids and Examination), but also general physical exami-

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 The GP Surgery 299

nation and assessment of social needs and how about the child’s newly diagnosed attention
their carer(s) is coping. Many patients with deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
mild or moderate impairment can still live in This was a difficult consultation as Mum had
the community but need support. We have a lots of concerns and questions while I tried to
carers’ group in our practice to help support prevent the child from wrecking the surgery
carers, which this patient’s husband finds very and from harming himself – not an easy task!
helpful. This patient is having problems taking I felt exhausted by the end of the consultation
medication in the evening when she is tired and and I appreciated the stress that his parents
irritable. I went through medication with her were going through on a daily basis.
husband and we changed all medication to be ■■ 10:50 I enjoy seeing patients with new preg-
given in the morning. nancies who are excited about the prospect of
■■ 09:42 This patient has reached the menopause a baby. It is a good opportunity to talk about
at an early age. She does not want hormone healthy living as well as explain the process of
replacement as her mother had breast cancer. maternity care and who will be involved. She
We discussed the value of exercise and cal- goes away with lots of literature to read and I
cium intake in the diet, and also the emotional make a note to make the appropriate referrals
impact of facing the ageing process – she was at the end of surgery.
quite upset and I listened. ■■ 11:00 My GP registrar calls me, having reached
■■ 09:52 This patient was recently diagnosed with an impasse with a patient with chronic anxiety.
lung cancer and is deteriorating rapidly. He is The patient has overwhelmed him with her
anxious, not only for his future, but also that list of complaints. Fortunately, I have known
of his wife, who suffers from dementia. He has this woman for many years and am aware of
become very breathless. We talk about manag- her underlying cancer phobia which emerges
ing his symptoms and I gently broach the sub- when she becomes depressed. I ask some direct
ject of managing symptoms rather than cure. questions and we are able to avoid repeating
I talk to him about what might happen and investigations. She agrees to restart her anti-
what we can do to help and support him. We depressants, and my registrar and I agree to
arrange to meet again on Monday to continue discuss somatization, using this consultation as
our discussions when he will bring his son. He a base in tutorial.
leaves and I feel quite sad – I have known him ■■ 11:15 This patient came as an emergency, feel-
for 20 years. ing life was no longer worth living. She was
■■ 10:05 This obese lady recognized her need to having relationship difficulties at home. I used
lose weight to help her joint pains. She agreed a depression questionnaire with her, and as we
to see the nurse and join our weight reduc- explored her symptoms it emerged that under-
tion programme. lying depression was contributing to arguments
■■ 10:15 My GP registrar sees a patient with pit- at home, together with financial worries since
yriasis rosea. This is a common rash in general her husband’s redundancy. She had no active
practice but not seen often in hospital, so was suicidal thoughts (something that is not as
unfamiliar to him. I make a note to review difficult to ask about as you might think) and
common skin problems in our next tutorial. agreed to see the counsellor as well as visit the
■■ 10:20 This patient with temporal arteritis Benefits Office to review the family entitle-
unfortunately lost sight in one eye before diag- ments to state support. We arranged to meet
nosis. She is coping well with her disability and again in two weeks.
has come for medication review. ■■ 11:30 It is uncanny how the last emergency
■■ 10:28 My nurse has a problem taking a cervical is often the most serious. This woman had
smear. Finding an anterior cervix is not always noticed a breast lump several weeks ago but
easy and I show her how to take a smear with had only just decided to come. She knew that
the patient on their side. the diagnosis would be cancer and I was not
■■ 10:35 Mother and child came together to talk going to deceive her. However, I was able to

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 300 BEING A GENERAL PRACTITIONER

explain possible options for treatment and how resources and clinical concerns, to achieve the best
the outlook for breast cancer had improved so care for their patients, and to enable their role to
much in recent years. She went away relieved expand within the new NHS.
– I think as much because she had shared her
burden, as for what I had been able to explain
about the next step. I sent an immediate fax Patient and public expectations
for an urgent appointment to the local breast of a GP
cancer clinic.
■■ 11:45 This was a planned shoulder injection When there was little on offer for treating illness,
for me to supervise my registrar learning the the main role of the GP was as the family friend
procedure. Doing joint injections is a useful and advisor. Although these traditional roles have
skill in general practice, saving many referrals remained, and are still valued through the concept
to secondary care and very satisfying for the GP of continuity of care, patients are generally well
when the patient improves! aware of advances in medicine, and expect their
GP to be able to offer an educated opinion in
almost all areas. However, no one can be expert
The changing face of illness in in all areas, and perhaps more important than
general practice knowledge alone is the ability to be honest and
admit to a patient when one does not know the
There is no doubt that the problems we manage answer. Honesty and integrity are vital attributes
in general practice are changing. At its incep- for GPs – many national scandals that have faced
tion, the NHS developed with the premise that as medicine in recent years have been where one
infection was treated so illness would disappear. or both of these attributes have been breached
This may seem naive in retrospect as there was no and trust has broken down. Government and
anticipation of the extended life that healthier and the GMC have stepped in to increase regulations
wealthier living environments would bring. for the profession, but patients will judge their
Living longer is a great achievement but we GP as an individual and will respect the doctor
now see more age-related illness, such as cancers who can acknowledge their limitations as well as
and arthritis, and also consequences of excess, their strengths.
namely obesity and alcohol- and smoking-related Seeking help when needed is not a weakness,
problems. Progress of medicine and the increas- and one of the challenges GPs face, as their role
ing range of medications available bring risks in the NHS increases, is to recognize the best and
of illness through drug interactions and adverse safest route of care for the patient – a traditional
effects of treatments (iatrogenic illness). These role modernized through the need to take on
factors mean that GPs are often dealing with mul- board issues of cost effectiveness as well as clini-
tiple health problems involving complex decision- cal effectiveness.
making processes. The GP needs to stay up to date with current
In addition, society is changing, with cultural best practice, as this knowledge has to be bal-
and religious diversity influencing patients’ health anced against individual need. The final decisions
beliefs, patterns of behaviour and illness. GPs need and options should now be a shared process
to be sensitive and aware of their own behaviour with patients but patients will expect that the
to avoid causing unwitting offence and to obtain GP’s advice will be sound and based on medical
the best outcome for all patients. Increased travel evidence. This will become even more important
means GPs can have to deal with tropical illness as services move from secondary to primary care
(e.g. malaria) and variable working patterns in and GPs take more responsibility for manage-
society require GPs to offer services that are ment of illness traditionally managed in hospitals.
appropriate in time and place to meet needs. At the same time GPs need to understand the
These factors make it more likely that GPs will facilities available in their locality. Many thera-
choose to work in groups to share their skills, peutic options will involve a number of different

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 Single best answer questions 301

professionals and advice GPs give needs to be servants it is a huge privilege to share in the inti-
based on local service availability. macy of patients’ lives and be able to influence the
The GP’s role continues to change in paral- future course of the NHS. I, for one, do not regret
lel with society’s needs and demands. As public my career choice.

SUMMARY POINTS
To conclude, the most important messages of this chapter are as follows:
■■ General practice offers a wide range of career opportunities for doctors with different interests and skills.
■■ GPs are responding to changes in society and the NHS which are going to place them in the forefront of
developing new services.
■■ GPs work within primary healthcare teams and collaborate with colleagues to deliver an increasing
range of services for patients.
■■ The doctor–patient relationship and continuity of care remain fundamental to general practice, with
focus on patient involvement in the decision-making process.
■■ A career in general practice is not static. Development is encouraged through continuing professional
development and response to public need.

References
British Medical Association 1965: New contract for general practitioners; a charter for the family doctor
services. British Medical Journal (Suppl. 1), 89–91
Department of Health 2000: Quality and performance in the NHS. NHS performance indicators. London:
The Stationery Office.
Department of Health 2010: Equity and excellence: liberating the NHS. London: The Stationery Office.
NHS Executive 1997: Personal Medical Services under the NHS (Primary Care) Act 1997. The contractual
framework for PMS provider pilots. Leeds: NHS Executive.
Parliament of Great Britain 1947: National Health Service Act of 1946. London: HMSO.
Petchey, R. 1995: General practitioner fundholding: weighing the evidence. Lancet 346(8983), 1139–42.
Riley, B., Haynes, J. and Field, S. 2007: The condensed curriculum guide for GP training and the new
MRCGP. London: RCGP.
Rivett G. 1997: From cradle to grave. Fifty years of the NHS. London: Kings Fund, 424–7.
WONCA Europe (World Organisation of Family Doctors) 2002: The European definition of general
practice/family medicine. www.woncaeurope.org/Web%20documents/European%20Definition%20
of%20family%20medicine/Definition%20EURACTshort%20version.pdf (accessed 10 June 2011).

Acknowledgements
Thank you to Dr Brian Fine who wrote this chapter in previous editions. Some of his ideas were retained
in this edition.

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS

16.1 The best way to approach continuing a) To go on annual update courses for
professional development and new medical GPs, covering a range of recent medical
developments is: developments

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 302 BEING A GENERAL PRACTITIONER

SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS CONTINUED

b) To read reputable journals regularly and ing support from the practice nurse and
thoroughly counsellor, and regular review of progress
c) To identify learning needs through reflec- c) Refer to the British Thoracic Society guide-
tion on significant events; patient unmet lines and increase medication
needs (PUNS) and doctor educational needs d) Explain it is normal to be more breathless if
(DENS), and practice development needs, weight goes up and that he should focus on
and plan learning according to preferred getting a new job
learning style e) Pass Mr Brown on to the practice nurse who
d) To ask the GP appraiser to say where to focus runs the asthma clinic to deal with.
learning for the future
16.4 The community nurse calls requesting a
e) To attend all education sessions arranged
locally by the GP tutor. home visit for a patient with swollen ankles.
How should the GP respond?
16.2 Mrs Smith has been a patient of Dr Red’s
a) Speak to the community nurse directly to
for 17 years. A blood result now suggests that
explore the problem, likely cause and agree a
Mrs Smith has developed type 2 diabetes mel-
plan of action, including joint visit
litus. How should Dr Red approach the concept
b) Ask the receptionist to tell the nurse you will
of continuity of care for Mrs Smith?
visit later today
a) Dr Red should ask his nurse to call Mrs Smith c) Add the patient’s name to the routine visit list
and ask her to book into the diabetic clinic for any doctor to do
b) The receptionist should call Mrs Smith and d) Call the patient and say you can’t visit today,
tell her to come and collect some literature but will call later in the week
before making an appointment to see the e) Call the patient’s relative and ask if they can
nurse bring the patient to the surgery.
c) Dr Red should call Mrs Smith and tell her she
16.5 The practice has a practice nurse vacancy.
has diabetes but that as it is not his area of
How should it approach filling this?
expertise he is asking the nurse to see her
d) Dr Red should arrange to see Mrs Smith to a) The practice manager should ask around
give her the diagnosis and the opportunity local practices to see if a nurse is looking for
to ask questions before exploring options for a new job
treatment and on-going management b) The practice should identify skills it already
e) Dr Red should refer her to the hospital. has and those it needs to recruit, and develop
a person specification to go with an adver-
16.3 Mr Brown attends his GP for review of his
tisement, with subsequent interview and
asthma. He has been more breathless and has
references
put on weight since being made redundant. c) The practice should ask its remaining nurses
Peak flow has not changed and examination is to take on extra hours to cover the vacancy
normal. What should his GP do? d) The practice should streamline its services to
a) Tell the patient to go to the gym and lose get more out of the remaining nurses
weight and that this will sort out the problem e) The practice should advertise in a national
b) Explore the reasons for weight gain and dis- forum and decide who to appoint when the
cuss how Mr Brown might address this, offer- applications come in.

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 APPENDIx

ANSWERS TO SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS

2.1 The best answer is D. Primary healthcare practice staff and the patient in order to consider
provides over 90 per cent of healthcare in the what might be done in future to make it less like-
UK. It provides healthcare in the first instance ly that this type of behaviour will happen again.
from a variety of community-based services and 3.1 The best answer is C. This tells of behav-
includes acute care, chronic care, rehabilitation iours within the consultation rather than the
and health promotion. tasks that are achieved during the consultation
2.2 The best answer is E. Primary healthcare is (the content).
aiming to achieve a service that is accessible to 3.2 The best answer is A. For some patients and
all, acceptable to the population, able to identify in some contexts (e.g. in an emergency) the
the health needs of a population, based on need patient prefers that the doctor takes control of
rather than demand and able to make the most the consultation. However many patients wish
cost-effective use of its limited resources. to take an active role in the consultation. Being
2.3 The best answer is C. The core activity of the patient-centred means that the doctor ascertains
majority of GPs is consulting with patients. All and acts on how active the patient wishes to be
the other answers are flawed. Outpatient activi- in the interaction.
ties are part of secondary care. Practice nurses 3.3 The best answer is E. A good relationship is
are registered general nurses with relevant nurs- not possible with all patients although one must
ing experience who can, if opportunities are do one’s best to foster this – it might take time
available, take part in practice nurse training. and many consultations to build such a relation-
District nurses manage care within the commu- ship. The reasons for a patient’s attendance may
nity outside of the general practice setting. not become clear until part way through or at the
2.4 The best answer is C. The British Medical end of a consultation, later or never. Not every
Association is the doctors’ union and account- consultation requires a physical examination,
ability of the practice is to the Secretary of for example where one is counselling a patient.
State for Health for General Medical Services Safety netting is making sure that no serious
(GMS) practices and locally to the Primary possibilities regarding the patient’s health have
Healthcare Trusts for Personal Medical Services been missed. Strong emotional responses are
(PMS) practices. In the UK patient participa- always important to reflect on as they affect the
tion can be through the practice, self-help and doctor–patient relationship and may lead you to
community groups, and Government-funded better understand what is going on for you and
Local Involvement Networks. GPs are mainly the patient; they may affect the outcome of the
accountable to their patients and their peers. consultation, and only you can accommodate or
2.5 The best answer is B. Abuse of NHS staff is alter them.
not acceptable and must be addressed in a way 3.4 The best answer is D. In such situations it
that supports practice staff and makes it clear is important to check out with the patient how
to the patient that this is so. It is also important they are in general. Patients often come with a
to talk through what led to the incident with physical symptom as a ‘ticket of entry’ when they

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ANSWERS TO SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS CONTINUED

wish to talk about something else that is hap- ance (as in C) is not likely to be helpful (would it
pening in their life that they feel uncertain about reassure you if you were in his situation?).
divulging. Sadness and anxiety may make minor 5.4 The best answer is B. Patients frequently
illnesses more worrying to the patient and recent request advice about alternative therapies. The
research has shown that they may also have an time and attention (and sometimes elaborate
effect on immune responses. investigations) lavished on patients will unques-
3.5 The best answer is C. All these options are tionably have strong placebo effects, but by
helpful but you will meet patients from so many their nature these will be short lived. The GP
cultures and sub-cultures that the best way to has an important role in advising and educating
learn is from the patients themselves. The trend patients about the claims of therapies and to do
these days is away from learning about groups of so may need to research them (so B is correct).
patients to learning about patients as individuals Often alternative therapies have no research
each with their own perspectives. Assumptions base, which does not necessarily mean they are
can often get in the way of communication ineffective. Some alternative therapies (of which
and understanding. celebrity nutritionists are a good example) make
5.1 The best answer is arguably A. The short elaborate scientific sounding claims and couch
history in a young woman is very unlikely to their writing to look like academic papers which
represent sinister pathology. Treating with a (deliberately) conceal an absence of any real
PPI is likely to be diagnostic as well as thera- scientific underpinning.
peutic (and so may obviate the need for inves- 5.5 The best answer is E. Either A or B would
tigations such as D and E). Stopping smoking represent current best practice as a choice of
and losing weight are both important but nei- antibiotics for community acquired pneumonia.
ther will relieve symptoms in the short term The simpler regime in B would certainly help the
(though are of unquestionable importance in patient comply. Stressing the importance of tak-
the longer term). ing the antibiotics properly (D) is important, but
5.2 The best answer is D. The similarity to the the interaction is all one way. On the other hand
previous question is deliberate. However a new fluffy ideas of patient centredness (C) where
symptom with weight loss in a patient of 63 you pass all responsibility over to the patient
makes sinister pathology far more likely. The deny the patient your expertise. Taking A, B, C
best answer is D as excluding such a cause is and D together, where you discuss the effective
vital. Advising on weight loss and smoking ces- treatments, explore the patient’s concerns and
sation are of course important and there is no come to an understanding, as in E, offers the
reason to withhold treatment (such as PPIs) best approach.
whilst other investigations proceed. Helicobacter 6.1 The best answer is B. This is an example
testing would reasonably be deferred until there of an idiosyncratic reaction (B), which is quite
is evidence that this is a chronic problem. uncommon but with potentially dangerous con-
5.3 The best answer is B. The brief story does sequences so it is important to warn patients
not suggest organic pathology, and irritable about taking prompt action when it arises.
bowel syndrome is high on the list of possible 6.2 The best answer is C. All these will help
causes. What we don’t know is why he should be patients take their medication (although B can
getting psychosomatic symptoms at this point. be a very patronizing way to achieve this).
Exploring the patient’s beliefs (B) will reveal Keeping dosing regimes simple (D) is impor-
that his mother was recently diagnosed with tant, although a three times daily regime hardly
stomach cancer at which point reassuring, as in meets this need. The doctor should always show
D, becomes relevant and useful. General reassur- empathy (E) and always stress the importance of

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ANSWERS TO SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS CONTINUED

the therapy (A), but to be effective these need to right hospital team quickly if there is a problem.
be combined into a shared understanding and So the best answer is E.
agreement (concordance) (C). 7.1 The best answer is C. The concept of com-
6.3 The best answer is D. The elderly are rela- mon symptoms refers to those symptoms which,
tively sensitive to drugs so reduced doses should in population surveys, are reported most fre-
normally be used initially (A). More than four quently. Unfortunately, just because a symptom
drugs constitutes polypharmacy (B): many eld- is commonly reported, it does not mean that it is
erly patients are on more than this which should always harmless and it does not mean that a doc-
be a warning to prescribers. Fixed combinations tor has no role to play in interpreting its mean-
of drugs may be inflexible, but the benefits of ing. Many common symptoms provide clues to
simple dosing regimes generally outweigh the the possibility of underlying disease.
disadvantages (C). Community pharmacists (D) 7.2 The best answer is D. At 66, this man is
have many roles and are an underused resource quite likely to be newly retired and adapting to
but to ensure compliance needs someone on the a new lifestyle. Headache is a common present-
spot which is why relatives or professional carers ing symptom of depression. Brain tumours only
are best placed to ensure the patient receives the rarely present with headaches even though this
support they need. is often the first thing a doctor thinks of when
6.4 The best answer is E. You must state the age seeing a patient with a headache. The other
of children, but this is not required for adults conditions are all possible, but less likely to be
(A). Milligrams (the commonest unit) may causes of headache in a man of this age, in rou-
be abbreviated to mg, but avoid abbreviating tine general practice.
micrograms, where it could potentially produce 7.3 Probably the best answer is C, although these
confusion. Latin dosage abbreviations are per- days, E is a close contender. It surprises most
mitted, but discouraged (D). Patients frequently medically trained professionals that under half
remember little of what has happened in a con- of all cases of new onset rectal bleeding ever get
sultation, including, critically, instructions on to present to the GP. The larger proportion of
taking drugs. Writing them onto the prescrip- cases is just ignored, probably in the hope that
tion (E) ensures they will appear on the bottle they will simply go away (which most do, of
and is an aid to compliance. course). However, the possibility of underlying
6.5 The best answer is E. Arguably this is the cancer of the colon means that new onset rectal
most important message in the book: as a foun- bleeding should always be taken seriously when
dation doctor you can have a profound effect seen by a doctor.
on your patients’ outcomes by writing clear 7.4 The best answer is D. Of course, the textbook
discharge notes. Write immediately (don’t wait answer is probably C but in the reality of day-to-
as in A). Give detailed information about each day general practice, it is not feasible to offer a
drug, so the GP understands the hospital’s inten- full medical clerking of all patients. A question
tions and give clear guidance as to how long such as ‘why now’ can often get to the bottom of
to continue each medication (B and C). Most whether a common symptom has more serious
hospital prescriptions last two weeks (hospital significance. In this case, it might be because the
drug budgets are cash limited, so they try to indigestion was no longer responding to simple
transfer prescribing to general practice as soon antacids (suggesting the need for stronger treat-
as possible – foolish given it all comes from the ments such a proton pump inhibitors), or he
same budget in the end) so a month (D) is too may have started to get dysphagia (a red flag
long. Giving your consultant’s name and contact symptom suggesting a possible carcinoma of
details legibly means the GP can contact the the oesophagus) or the pain might be occur-

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ANSWERS TO SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS CONTINUED

ring on the slightest exertion (suggesting that 8.2 The best answer is E. Picking on a recurrence
the patient had interpreted their cardiac pain as of the problem she had when she was 5 now
‘merely’ indigestion). she is over twice that age without eliminating
7.5 The best answer is A. Common symptoms or at least seriously considering the other pos-
are often medically unexplained. Perhaps sur- sibilities would be very risky medicine indeed.
prisingly, there may be a few cases in which the A and D are easily tested for, but C may require
patient would be helped by further investigation specialist help: if rape is an issue, obviously
or even a laparotomy. However, longstand- from specialized police. The school health serv-
ing, persistent and even quite disabling symp- ice (approached confidentially) may sometimes
toms are not uncommon. Often there is no have access to exactly what is needed without
clear diagnosis although it is important to rule stigmatizing Joanne or risking confrontation
out serious underlying pathology. Perhaps the with her Dad (who remains a possible suspect
single greatest skill a doctor can offer is the skill as a perpetrator, horrible as we might think that
of active listening. The patient who feels that idea to be). B needs exploration with someone
they have not been listened to is likely to either who can develop rapport with Joanne, and this
become a frequent attender or to become disil- might be a school counsellor, a local teenage
lusioned with their doctor and the primary care project or (we hope) it might be you.
team. Whereas if the doctor is able to listen to 8.3 The best answer is D. This is probably
the patient and explore their concerns, they may the main approach that unites professionals in
be able to address underlying concerns such as the ‘talking therapies’, who work in differing
a fear of cancer, or a story about a family mem- frameworks. It is not a bad watchword for a
ber who had a similar pain and then suffered a general practitioner either, though more may be
dreadful complication. For common medically required on rare occasions, as when the health
unexplained symptoms, reassurance is usually of of someone else or the general public is at risk.
little help, whereas exploring the patient’s con- Most counsellors work with practices on the
cerns is more likely to lead to resolution. understanding that what passes between them is
8.1 The best answer is D. As a single person with confidential and is only shared with another per-
no partner he is more vulnerable to suicidal acts son with the client’s consent or in exceptional
anyway, but as a person with an alcohol problem circumstance (like a real suicidal risk). Only
studies show his risk multiplying hugely, well rather domineering restrictive NHS manage-
over ten times in some. A doctor may be a per- ment has placed the limit of six visits on counsel-
son those contemplating suicide do consult, and lors, though it is often quoted. Few counsellors
of course if he is frankly suicidal hospital admis- will see someone who is currently drinking (see
sion may well be important, but he seems still far Q8.1 – if you got that wrong, take a break and
from understanding why he is so unwell. Seeing start again with a bit more concentration). B is
him every day may substitute one dependency a mistake that students often seem to make: the
(alcohol) for another, but there is no doubt that spelling is different.
persuading him to stop drinking is a first and 8.4 The best answer is E. Don’t conclude your
vital step, and local alcohol services and agen- first consultation without making another time
cies such as Alcoholics Anonymous may be very to meet. A is not usually a helpful strategy in the
helpful. A counsellor’s help and insight will be circumstances, unless you sincerely want this
helpful, but few would see him while he is still patient to make sure she never sees you again.
drinking. If you answered B, are you sure you are She may merit antidepressant treatment, but
in the right career? initiating that needs much more assessment
and should be the other side of understanding

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 Answers to single best answer questions 307

ANSWERS TO SINGLE BEST ANSWER QUESTIONS CONTINUED

together what has got under her skin. She may in the early years especially after radio-iodine
be unsafe with children, but D is a last resort treatment. The best test to assess the appropri-
if she insists on returning to work when she is ateness of levothyroxine replacement is thyroid
still seriously ill. C would be considered by most stimulating hormone (TSH) which should be
people as just a stupid waste of resources. done annually in the absence of symptoms.
8.5 The best answer is B. In all these examples The timing of testing is not critical and patients
the distress may be real. The symptom may be should not be put at risk of running out of their
caused by loneliness, which is a common condi- medication if they have not had the test done.
tion in some areas: so far no one to the writers’ 9.4 The best answer is C. Seventy-five per cent
satisfaction has come up with a good strategy of the population in the UK attends their GP
for loneliness in general practices, except the in any year. Raised blood pressure becomes
prudent thought that while rejection is cruel more common in patients over 35 years. This
it simply may not be possible to become every is a good threshold at which to begin seeking
patient’s best friend, and we should beware raised blood pressure. Raised blood pressure is
appearing to promise that. The symptom should an important risk factor in cardiovascular dis-
always be taken seriously but severe or psychotic ease but most people with raised blood pressure
mental illness should be considered if the patient have no other comorbidities. Inviting by letter
reports that two people are discussing him or her otherwise healthy patients to attend for blood
in derogatory tones in his or her head. Anxiety pressure checks does not lead to better rates
may cause E: bereavement C and serious depres- of blood pressure surveillance than taking the
sion D (though it may be for some a common blood pressure of those who attend their GP for
and annoying experience when their mood is other reasons.
normal – an ‘earworm’), but none of these links 9.5 The best answer is D. The best person to
are diagnostic or consistent except B. assess the blood pressure in this patient and to
9.1 The best answer is C. The GP’s clinical make a strategy for its management is the GP. It
responsibility begins when the patient registers. is appropriate to assess the patient at home, if he
Any communication received thereafter, wheth- is indeed housebound, because the strategy the
er a test result, a letter, or face-to-face consulta- GP develops should include an assessment of his
tion, becomes the responsibility of the GP. ability to undertake appropriate investigations
9.2 The best answer is D. Clear, truthful, and and where they should be done. After initial
accurate information is always important. assessment involvement of healthcare profes-
However information should always be given in sionals from other disciplines could be consid-
a way that enables the patient to make best use ered where appropriate.
of it, to incorporate it into their belief system, 10.1 The best answer is E. This patient is having
and to develop their understanding with time. chest pain that could represent a heart attack
Information and interpretations that directly by virtue of its position and character. The
oppose the patient’s understanding and beliefs main risk to the patient is the possibility of a
are likely to be rejected. fatal arrhythmia such as ventricular fibrillation
9.3 The best answer is C. Hypothyroidism is a or asystole. He should be taken to hospital by
relatively common condition which can occur ambulance by a paramedic crew. The paramed-
spontaneously or which follows chemical sup- ics could intervene if he had a cardiac arrest. He
pression or surgical removal of the thyroid should be assessed by the emergency medical
gland. Treatment is essential and lifelong and team on duty.
usually relatively uncomplicated. Thyroid 10.2 The best answer is A. GPs are not obliged
replacement dosage often requires adjustment to treat patients at home if in their view a home

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visit is not indicated. In doing so the GP should at the next visit, potentially motivating him
satisfy him- or herself that this position can towards contemplation for change. The doctor–
be justified if a complaint is made. Visiting a patient relationship is fostered.
patient at home unnecessarily would be a waste 11.2 The best answer is E. There is minimal
of the valuable resource of the GP, and set a understanding about antenatal screening options
bad precedent with the patient. The GP should and their purpose (i.e. to detect abnormalities).
follow up this home visit request to ensure he Yet ‘informed’ consent is required. A woman
or she understands the circumstances that led may be ‘shocked’ when informed of some pos-
to the outburst and make sure there is no other sible problem, be unsure as to how to respond
health or social problem contributing to it. and what options there are. An otherwise well
10.3 The best answer is A. The provision of woman can be now faced with distressing infor-
injectable morphine by syringe driver is widely mation and uncertainties. If later it is confirmed
used to control pain in terminal disease, easy to that her baby has Down syndrome, it is not
administer and relatively safe. Safety depends on possible to indicate how severely this child will
the familiarity of the operator with the equip- be affected. If amniocentesis results in a miscar-
ment and with the preparation of doses. For this riage and the tests are negative there may be a
reason it is best started by the nurse specialist. question of how well informed she actually was.
Liquid oral morphine is difficult to take in the 11.3 The best answer is B. You may also be
large doses which this patient requires. tempted with C so that you can assess his knowl-
10.4 The best answer is C. This couple are clearly edge and experiences about smoking cessation.
unable to cope with managing their home. It Jim is likely to be disadvantaged and on low
is possible, though unlikely, that this is their income, he has probably been told that stopping
chosen lifestyle. An urgent assessment by social smoking will not cure COPD but may improve
services should be made while the husband is his condition to some degree. You can reiterate
in hospital to get services in place before their this and thus justify referral. He is compliant
return, including home help and possibly meals and ‘free’ during the day so he is likely to try
on wheels. A reassessment of both of them to attend. His journey to being a non-smoker
together will be required when he returns home. may encounter relapses but if he is in the system
10.5 The best answer is E. Fever with rigors is he can continue to get support through relapse
common in respiratory infections. Fever is fre- phases. His significant other and/or carer may
quently associated with vomiting if uncontrolled, also be a smoker and going together will give
but the vomiting has been relatively minor. them support. From health inequalities data,
Blanching maculo-papular rashes are also com- smoking prevalence is higher amongst the most
mon in viral infections and not indicative of a vulnerable, often indicating more targeted and
serious underlying cause. The GP should ensure context-appropriate patient-centred support is
that the mother accepts the advice and is reason- needed, although evidence suggests that some
ably reassured. If the mother remains anxious GPs have been reluctant to refer people like Jim,
she could be offered a same-day consultation for fearing it is ‘too difficult’ for them to change.
her son if the paracetamol is ineffective. 11.4 The best answer is B. There is a potential to
11.1 The best answer is C. This enables a dia- argue A, C, D and E are all relevant. However,
logue to be started within the short consultation the first answer is too risky, given the family
time available and you can assess if his smoking history. Advising weight loss and more exercise
concerns him or not, whether he has tried to can disempower patients who may already know
stop or is interested. If he is not interested at that is needed but so far have not been able to
present, you can easily open the dialogue again change. The dietician may be reluctant to see

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patients with BMIs less than 30 and suggest he good quality as can possibly be. For some people
needs to learn about healthy eating, rather than the news should not be forced on them, but if
specialist diets. The British Heart Foundation they ask, the information should be given kindly
have good websites that enable exploration dur- but straightforwardly. It is this man’s illness, not
ing the consultation and either printing off the relatives’. It is a mistake to try to be exact
information or giving the link to the patient. about the time left to him, as no one can tell
Such intervention enables the patient to decide precisely, and outliving the estimate may cause
how much information he wants about risk fac- unnecessary stress.
tors and about approaches to behaviour modi- 12.3 The best answer is C. Capacity relates to the
fication. However, arranging the blood tests is decision at the time. Drugs could be causing this,
appropriate given the history and his potential but so could an infection (such as a UTI) even
concerns. He will return for the results and you in the absence of a raised temperature in the eld-
can further explore ways he can reduce risk and erly. Most people in developed economies now
discuss his concerns. think that the elderly should be given the same
11.5 The best answer is A. This may seem obvi- ‘chances’ to live as younger people: but there
ous but not all GPs or general practice teams might be a direct competition (such as a kidney
would be proactive in this regard. Local Walking to transplant), and he might not wish to have his
for Health schemes have had good recruit- life prolonged and have made that clear, such as
ment when the local campaigns are supported by an advance directive.
by the local practices and have been shown to 12.4 The best answer is E. This is one of those
be useful in encouraging social engagement delicate situations where doing the right thing
and active lifestyles. It further demonstrates badly is almost as bad as doing the wrong thing
how far general practice has engaged with the well. It would not be a good idea to get into the
wider social determinants of health and reflects habit of taking clandestine tests. The daughter
the implementation of the five domains of the has the right in current English law to request
Ottawa Charter. treatment off her own bat, and provided that is
12.1 The best answer is D. You should respect the best for her and that she is capable of under-
his right to know about his treatment but not standing and does understand all about that
leave him on his own with potentially anxiety- treatment she may also request that her parents
creating information: and the medical question are not informed. She has no right to demand
might be a way of opening up a discussion about a treatment that, in the doctor’s view, may be
potentially embarrassing issues for him. Many harmful. However, she has to continue to live
older people have less sex than they did when with her mother, we assume, and the three of
they were younger but some still have extensive you hope to remain in a positive relationship:
and happy sex lives, sometimes needing modifi- so whatever is done should be done slowly,
cation because of different abilities. The internet kindly and with as much explanation and tact
may be useful, but not as a way of avoiding a as possible.
proper discussion between doctor and patient. 12.5 The best answer is E. For instance, do these
It’s unlikely that it is helpful to think of people principles apply to a dead person’s kidney, a
having an ‘absolute right’ about anything, as this 10-week-old fetus or subsequent generations?
means there are no actual or potential conflicts Respect for autonomy is always to be balanced
that have to be taken into account. against the other principles and possibly the
12.2 The best answer is B. There is an extra new autonomy of others (including the people pro-
‘diagnosis’ here: he is dying. Treatment should viding healthcare). Benevolence means wishing
now be aimed at making his remaining life of as well/the best (for someone): the principle is

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about doing the best you can – beneficence. belief that good structures would lead to good
Medical care always risks some harm to patients, processes that would lead to good outcomes.
however minor and even at its best; so harm Structure refers to the facilities and resources in
should be minimized in every way possible but healthcare settings, process refers to what is actu-
cannot be excluded. The principle of justice may ally done by the doctor and by the patient, and
be both about retribution (such as in complaints outcomes refers to the effects of care on patients
or malpractice) and about fair distribution of and populations.
the resources available for healthcare. 13.4 The best answer is A. Quality assurance is a
13.1 The best answer is D. Research such as that management process used to ensure that health-
recently published by the King’s Fund shows care services that are provided by the practice
that in the main the current state of quality in are safe, meet patient’s needs and expectations
general practice is good. However, there are and improve health. For example, the Quality
widespread and unexplained variations, particu- and Outcomes Framework introduced as part
larly in the management of patients with multi- of the 2004 General Medical Services contract
ple long-term conditions. Variation in referral measures a set of structure, process and out-
rates revealed that many patients are referred for come criteria across the whole practice organi-
secondary care when they do not need hospital zation. Clinical audit has also been widely used
treatment and as well as causing potential harm across general practice as a tool to measure and
to patients and unnecessary inconvenience this improve clinical care by setting agreed stand-
does not provide the taxpayer with value for ards for evidence-based criteria and making
money. The King’s Fund also highlighted that improvements where appropriate.
some patients have difficulties accessing a doc- 13.5 The best answer is B. Two definitions of
tor of their choice and that there is a need for clinical audit are: ‘The systematic, critical analy-
better coordination of care. The NPSA reported sis of the quality of medical care, including the
between 5 and 80 medical errors per 100 000 procedures used for diagnosis and treatment,
consultations, an incidence rate higher than that the use of resources, and the resulting outcome
for lung cancer in the English population. and quality of life for the patient’ (Department
13.2 The best answer is A. Lord Darzi in his of Health, 1989). Clinical audit involves ‘looking
2008 review of the NHS defined quality in at what you do in a way that allows you to see
health as having three key dimensions: patient how you might do things better, making appro-
safety, the patient experience and clinical effec- priate changes and then looking again to assess
tiveness. By patient safety, Darzi meant that improvements in clinical practice’ (Department
patients should not be harmed when accessing of Health, 1989). The key point about clinical
healthcare through medical error or through audit is it incorporates in a cyclical manner a
infection rates, for example. By the patient expe- process of setting standards, measuring per-
rience, Darzi was referring to the caring side of formance, and crucially, making changes for
healthcare and in particular that patients should the better and reassessment to ensure that the
be treated with dignity and respect. By clinical changes have been effective.
effectiveness, Darzi meant that patients had a 14.1 The best answer is C. A GMS contract is
right to expect that they would receive the best negotiated nationally. The contractor has to pro-
evidence-based up-to-date treatments available vide basic medical services and can also provide
to meet their needs. additional services. A PMS contract has similar
13.3 The best answer is D. Donabedian argued terms and conditions but has more flexibility in
that healthcare quality should be assessed in the type of services that it can provide. The fund-
terms of structure, process and outcome in the ing for a PMS contract has more flexibility in the

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way in which it is distributed in particular for While you would need to ensure that a practice
employing GPs and nurse practitioners. The size can raise enough funds to pay staff wages in the
of the practice is irrelevant when determining future, this would be part of a larger process of
the type of GP contract. Contracts are negoti- ensuring the practice meets future challenges.
ated and while a GP contractor would need to To plan for a major policy change within the
demonstrate that it can provide a certain level of NHS would be part of a larger process of plan-
service and is qualified to do so, the type of con- ning the future for the practice, which would
tract is not determined by this. Both contracts take into consideration a number of factors,
must provide basic medical services and both not least planned changes to the NHS. Strategic
can provide additional medical services. planning is about both short- and long-term
14.2 The best answer is B. The global sum is a planning. It is also about determining the vision
payment made to the practice based on a price and goals for the future, not just about plan-
agreed per patient. The calculation of this sum ning for what we know will happen but also
takes into consideration money to pay for out- about what we want to change. A practice
of-hours services and staffing costs. The total will need to plan ahead when implementing a
sum is determined by the number of patients new service, although strategic planning in this
on a practice’s list. Income from the Quality and context is about planning for wider and longer
Outcomes Framework is linked to points earned term changes.
for meeting specific clinical and organizational 14.4 The best answer is A. Option A encompass-
targets. While achieving maximum points pro- es all elements of managing a general practice
vides a large chunk of income for the practice, and planning for changes to each. You would
it is still not the main source. QOF income include the other elements within your overall
is proportionate to its list size. For directed plan but they would need to be linked to specific
enhanced service payment the Department of goals and take into consideration the different
Health determines priority areas and offers pay- functions of the practice.
ment to provide certain services. The amount 14.5 The best answer is B. Patient demand does
paid is normally based on a price per patient; not necessarily equate to patient need. Need
however this amount is considerably lower than is also determined by the population’s abil-
the amount paid per patient as part of a prac- ity to benefit from a service and this is deter-
tice’s global sum. While private income can be mined by researching the incidence and preva-
a good way in which to supplement a practice’s lence of a health condition in that population,
income, a practice cannot earn over a certain services available for the health condition and
level of private income. If this happened the the effectiveness and quality of those services,
reimbursement for the rent/mortgage of the which includes canvassing the views of patients.
practice property will be reduced. Again, local Gaining patient views is a positive process in
enhanced service payments are a good source of order to improve services. Purely gaining patient
income but a practice cannot rely upon them. views would not provide them with insights
Contracts for local enhanced services are issued about the way the service is provided.
based on the needs of the local population. 15.1 The best answer is E. The patient may need
Those needs change over time, which can result to consult with someone while you are on leave
in the termination of a locally enhanced service. or in an emergency, and without this informa-
14.3 The best answer is C. Strategic planning tion whoever they see may make a flawed deci-
looks at where we are now and then where we sion, but that is something the patient should
want to be in the future. The gap is the journey decide, not you.
or actions that will be required to get there.

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15.2 Probably B is the best answer, though their preferred learning style and practice needs.
people will argue about it. The time sensitivity Attending meetings or reading may be useful, if
of the form and the visit are high, but you will that is how they learn best, but the content may
probably do everything more quickly and with not always be relevant, and we should be selec-
fewer errors if you have a quick snack; if you tive in what we focus on for greatest value. This
don’t do the form before the collection goes, question emphasizes the need for careful plan-
then the MSU is pointless, and it will take sec- ning of learning time – the individual GP is the
onds to do, while the visit is to a nursing home best person to explore and address their learning
close by, so the patient is probably not in danger. needs, and although an appraiser can help, they
You should have done the letter yesterday so the cannot tell them what needs to be done.
embarrassment factor is high but that shouldn’t 16.2 The best answer is D. As Dr Red has a long-
push its priority unless there is some other rea- standing doctor–patient relationship with Mrs
son. You may have sympathy with the student, Smith, he is much more likely to be able to break
but you could always share your sandwich and this news to Mrs Smith in a constructive way
take them on the visit with you. than relative strangers. Dr Red may not always
15.3 The best answer is E. This incorporates be the best person to look after Mrs Smith’s
honesty, admitting that you didn’t know about diabetes in the long run, but introducing her to
the new possibility, but also that you need to the diagnosis, and the practice services himself
check the information, suitability and availabili- will help her to adjust to receiving care from oth-
ty for the patient. You have not ‘made a mistake’ ers. Referring directly to hospital would not be
so do not need to apologize, although you can appropriate without assessing the need for this
be humble about the fact that you don’t know and discussing with Mrs Smith.
everything. D is dangerous behaviour. You are 16.3 The best answer is B. It is important for GPs
hiding, and you may forget to look it up. to involve patients in decisions that require their
15.4 C is probably the best first step. Try to con- cooperation. Here, weight gain may be second-
textualize the ‘upset’ and your own expectations ary to depression or change of lifestyle since
of yourself. If your colleagues all know more not working. The GP needs to understand the
about it than you do, then maybe a refresher patient’s perspective and how much the patient
course is not such a bad idea. If they say they is able to influence the process in order to
wouldn’t have let it get to them, then maybe you share options for best outcome. Giving instruc-
do need a holiday. tions, passing them to others or dismissing the
15.5 The best answer is probably C. Your knowl- problem will likely be resented and rejected
edge and your tutor’s insight will make for a by patients.
productive conversation for both of you. The 16.4 The best answer is A. Working collabora-
others are all rather self-indulgent: A might tively with colleagues requires good communi-
make the tutor feel small, B will make the tuto- cation and mutual respect. Here, direct discus-
rial boring for both of you, D is blind to the fact sion with the nurse will clarify the problem and
that your perspective on the subject is limited allow discussion about management, including
to what you saw in hospital, and E is disrespect- how best the GP can contribute to care, and
ful of any preparation the tutor might do in whether other professionals should be involved
advance, and also avoids an honest discussion (e.g. social care). The other responses bypass the
about your needs. input from the community nurse, undermining
16.1 The best answer is C. Time is a valuable her role and risking compromising care through
resource and GPs need to be sure their learning lack of clinical information.
time is effective, and that education is suited to

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16.5 The best answer is B. Vacancies bring need a sound organizational structure to ensure
opportunity for practices to develop existing appointments will deliver identified improve-
staff, recruit new skills and plan for future ments to patient services while also protect-
needs. In addition to meeting employment law ing the interests and working conditions of
requirements of equal opportunities, practices existing staff.

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 Glossary

Adult learning An active process, starting with Chaperone for intimate examination. Someone
becoming aware of what you need to learn (what who accompanies a patient during an examina-
you don’t yet know, what you can’t yet do, etc.) tion for the purposes of safeguarding the patient
and seeking ways to fill those gaps. from the possibility of abuse by the examiner and
safeguarding the examiner from the possibility of
Adverse drug interaction An adverse effect on wrongful allegations of abuse from the patient. It
health as a result of the interaction between two usually applies to examination of intimate body
or more medications. areas, and the chaperone is usually a friend or
relative of the patient or a member of the health-
Alcoholism or alcohol dependence An extension care staff.
of normal behaviour when there is a compulsion
to take alcohol. When you suspect such a problem Chronic illness Illness which, by its impact or its
may be present, the CAGE set of questions may be duration, has implications for the health of the
helpful: Have you ever felt you ought to cut down patient beyond the immediate presentation and
on your drinking? Have people annoyed you by usually for a period of more than three months
criticizing your drinking? Have you ever felt bad (although this interval is arbitrary). Thirty-three
or guilty about your drinking? Have you ever had per cent of illness presenting to general practice
a drink first thing in the morning to steady your is chronic.
nerves or get rid of a hangover (eye opener)?
Classification of drug In the UK, the Medicines
Anorexia nervosa Self-induced weight loss, Control Agency is responsible for classifying
together with an intense desire to be thin, is drugs as Prescription only (PoM), Pharmacy only
accompanied by the view that the patient (usu- (P: sold only in pharmacies under the supervi-
ally, but not always, a young woman) is still too sion of a registered pharmacist but without the
fat, whereas others clearly think she is now very need for a prescription) or General Sales List
thin. In its extreme form it is followed by body (GSL: available from a wide range of retailers,
changes and may be fatal in 10 per cent of cases, e.g. supermarkets).
although, with treatment, 40–50 per cent return
to normal eating. Clinical audit The agreement and subsequent
implementation of realistic plans to improve
Argument In ethics this is not about a dispute but patient care.
is the reasoning that justifies a particular course of
action or approach. Clinical effectiveness Clinical effectiveness and
evidence-based medicine comprise a systematic
Autonomy A person’s freedom to make choices quality improvement process that involves an
about themselves and about issues that concern appraisal of research evidence, the development
them is central to the concept of autonomy, of protocols and guidelines and their implementa-
which means literally ‘self-rule’. Without a jus- tion into clinical practice.
tifiable reason to do otherwise, an individual’s
autonomous choices should be respected by Clinical iceberg Only the ‘tip of the iceberg’ of
healthcare staff. symptoms experienced by the general population

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 316 GLOSSARY

is seen by healthcare professionals. In the UK, 79 Culture The shared beliefs, values, attitudes
per cent of symptoms are dealt with by self-care, and experiences that guide the behaviour of a
20 per cent by GPs and 1 per cent by hospitals. group of people. Examples relate to age, gender,
sexual orientation, physical difference, learning
Clinical reasoning Process of sorting clinical data ability, educational background, ethnicity, socio-
(history, physical examination, investigations) to economic background and health experiences
achieve a diagnosis and management plan. and values.

Communication skills Proficiency in the inter- Disease protocol A set of instructions for the
change of information between people. In relation optimal management of a disease from its iden-
to medical practice, communication is between tification through the range of possible disease
healthcare professionals and patients or members trajectories to its eradication or to the demise of
of the healthcare team. the patient.

Competence In medicine, this implies the broad Disease register A list of all those affected by a par-
ability of patients to make decisions about their ticular disease for whom a doctor or an institution
own care. A competent person is usually thought has clinical responsibility.
of as someone who can be informed about the
issue and make a choice, can retain the infor- Dispensing practice In the UK, a dispensing
mation and think about it in order to make a practice acts as a pharmacy, buying drugs in,
decision, and has a reasonably consistent, stable dispensing them and claiming payment from
and personal set of values. Ultimately, the law may the National Health Service. Practices are
have to judge, in which case the word ‘capacity’ is allowed to dispense drugs for those patients on
usually used to cover this area. their practice list who live more than 1 mile
from a pharmacy.
Compliance The extent to which a patient takes
or uses a medicine as intended by the prescriber. Drug formulary A document containing general
information on prescribing, the choice of drugs
Concordance A partnership between patient and available to treat particular conditions and detailed
health professional in which an agreement is information on individual drugs. National formu-
reached about whether and how medicines are to laries exist, such as the British National Formulary,
be taken/used. and individual hospitals and general practices may
develop their own local formularies; these usually
Consultation The meeting between a doctor and a specify a limited choice of drugs to use in any par-
patient at which health-related issues are present- ticular condition, chosen for their effectiveness,
ed and explored and management decisions made. safety and cost.

Computer-based prescribing Tools for com- Ethnic group A group of people who have cer-
puter-based prescribing range from existing tain background characteristics, such as language,
general practice systems such as repeat pre- culture and religion, in common, which provide
scriptions, through to computerized textbooks the group with a distinct identity, as seen by both
(e.g. the British National Formulary), software themselves and others.
systems including drug interaction alerts and
sophisticated decision support tools that can Evidence-based medicine A process by which
extract data from a patient’s record and suggest explicit use is made of research evidence in mak-
a ranked list of suitable drugs with appropri- ing medical decisions. Evidence-based medicine
ate doses. should integrate best research evidence with clini-
cal expertise and take into account individual
patients’ circumstances and values.

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 GLOSSARY 317

Formative assessment Assessment of the develop- explicit) and a detailed instruction section (with
ment of knowledge and skills during training. grades of recommendations tagged to the level of
evidence available).
General Medical Services (GMS) The contract in
the UK National Health Service under which GP Health belief model Individuals differ in their
principals provide medical care (or services) to perception of their susceptibility and vulnerability
patients registered with them. The patients are to illness, the severity of their symptoms, and the
often referred to as ‘being on the list’ of the GP. costs and benefits of health-seeking behaviour.
Under a GMS arrangement, an individual GP
contracts to deliver care to patients. Payment is Health promotion A field of study associated with
through a complex system of fees and allowances informed and planned interventions to prevent
aligned to nationally agreed services, without any disease and to maintain and improve health.
local flexibility. There are many definitions and it is an eclectic
and contested field. A working definition for
General practice An organization, also known as those in medical education could be ‘the study of,
a family practice, providing first-contact, person- and the study of the response to, the modifiable
centred, comprehensive and continuing care to a determinants of health and disease’. Equally, there
patient population. The task of those who work in are those who advocate health promotion as an
a general practice is to promote health and well- ideology, associated with addressing inequalities
being and to understand and treat illness in the and poverty, about principles such as autonomy
context of their patients’ lives, belief systems and and empowerment.
community and work with other professionals in
the healthcare setting to coordinate care and make Health promotion evidence This is usually related
efficient use of healthcare resources. to the intervention, its aims and objectives and
can relate to both the processes and the outcomes.
GP cooperatives A formal business arrangement Evidence can be qualitative and/or quantitative
between GPs to share in the provision of services but is rarely conclusive or generalizable.
for their patients. In NHS general practice in the
UK, GP cooperatives are concerned exclusively Health promotion specialist A professional who
with out-of-hours general medical services. works in this broad field, often at a strategic level.
These specialists are not regulated and come from
GP principal In the UK, a GP on the list of princi- many different academic and professional back-
pals of the primary care trust. grounds, but are most likely to have a master’s
degree in health promotion. It is usually a second
GP registrar In the UK, a qualified doctor going or third occupation for those whose previous
through a period of approved training to be eligi- experiences are relevant to the work area. Many
ble to become a GP principal. health promotion specialists will be members of
one or more professional bodies.
Grounding Having a realistic awareness of what
your peers can do, and what you should expect Health promotion theory The body of knowledge
of yourself. that informs health promotion activity is complex
and incorporates both sciences and humanities.
Guidelines Written statements providing ‘exten- Theoretical models and approaches to practice
sive, critical and well-balanced information on are well established but, being a contested field,
the benefits and limitations of various diagnos- they are constantly challenged, with new mod-
tic and therapeutic interventions’. Good-quality els emerging.
guidelines should consist of two components:
an evidence section (based on an up-to-date Hospital-at-home A service that provides treat-
literature review with the level of evidence made ment in the home by healthcare professionals of

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 318 GLOSSARY

illnesses that would otherwise require acute treat- actually clear of the disease and is calculated as the
ment in hospital. ratio of those who tested negative and do not have
the disease to all those who tested negative.
Hypochondriasis The persistent preoccupation by
the patient that he or she has a serious physical ill- Objective Structured Clinical Examination
ness in spite of appropriate medical examination (OSCE) A standardized method for the assess-
with explanation and reassurance to the contrary. ment of clinical competences in which a candidate
is observed and assessed in the demonstration of
Hypothetico-deductive reasoning Ideas generated a range of skills. These may include history-taking
by an early phase of information gathering are and communication skills, physical examination,
tested by eliciting further data, and so on in a diagnostic ability, patient management and clini-
repeating process until decision making occurs. cal skills. The observer uses a checklist to record
the candidate’s competences in the components
Illness behaviour The ways in which given symp- of the skill under observation.
toms may be differentially perceived, evaluated
and acted upon (or not acted upon) by differ- Out-of-hours care Healthcare provided outside
ent people. office hours. In NHS general practice in the UK,
out-of-hours care is usually considered to be
Inductive reasoning Information gathering is con- between 7 p.m. and 9 a.m. Out-of hours organiza-
cluded before decision making occurs. tions such as cooperatives usually only provide
cover from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Informed consent The process whereby a patient
agrees to a procedure, care or treatment after full Over-the-counter (OTC) medications Non-
information has been given by the person seeking prescription medicines purchased from
that consent. pharmacies and other outlets (including ‘alterna-
tive’ medications).
Major illness Acute and potentially life-threaten-
ing illness – 15 per cent of illness presenting to PACT data In England, detailed information on
general practice. GPs’ prescribing is available in the form of PACT
(prescribing analysis and cost) data; similar sys-
Medication review Structured review of the effi- tems exist in Scotland and Wales. PACT data
cacy and continuing appropriateness of a patient’s contain information on prescribing costs, the
medication. The ‘brown bag review’ is a particular number of items prescribed and the level of
example of this, where patients are asked to bring generic prescribing, at individual GP level, health
in all the medication they have. This allows dis- authority and national level.
cussion of both prescribed and over-the-counter
(OTC) medications, reveals stockpiles of particu- Paternalism Acting or deciding for someone else,
lar drugs, ancient medications and the patients’ supposedly in their best interests, but without
degree of understanding about what they take, regard to their choice in the matter (as a parent
when and why. might do for a child) is considered paternalistic.
This is not necessarily always wrong, but is to
Minor illness Self-limiting illness – 52 per cent of be avoided or minimized wherever possible in
illness presenting to general practice. ­medical care.

Narrative approach An approach used to help Pathognomonic ‘Specially or decisively charac-

people tell their stories. teristic of a disease; indicating with certainty
a disease.’ In practice, it means a sign or fea-
Negative predictive value This expresses how like- ture so characteristic of a particular disease that
ly it is that an individual with a negative test is after seeing it you would entertain no other

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 GLOSSARY 319

diagnosis. An example might be the Koplik’s for any test, i.e. it is the ratio of those who tested
spots of measles that occur in no other situa- positive and who genuinely have the disease to all
tion, but not, paradoxically, the morbilliform those who have tested positive.
(i.e. ‘measles-like’) rash seen not only in measles
but also in many other viral illnesses. From the Prescribing budget Budgets set by health authori-
Greek pathognomonikos: patho- + gnomonikos, ties or primary care trusts (UK) for prescribing
able to judge. costs for individual general practices.

Patient centredness Focusing on the patient’s Primary care trust (PCT) In the UK, primary care
story and taking into account the patient’s desire trusts are freestanding, legally established statutory
for information and for sharing decision making. NHS bodies that are accountable to the local health
authority. They are organizations that integrate
Patient safety The process by which an organiza- primary, secondary and community health serv-
tion makes patient care safer. ices for a locality. They have their own budget for
delivering healthcare in their area; they are able to
Personal Medical Services (PMS) A new type of employ staff (district nurses/health visitors etc.)
UK National Health Service contract for GP and to develop new integrated services for patients.
practices introduced in 1998. Under a PMS They are key NHS partners for local authorities
arrangement, all GP principals of a general and local voluntary and community organizations.
practice contract with their local primary care They hold a significant majority of the entire NHS
trust for the clinical services the practice will budget and are responsible for GP and community
provide for its patients. In return, the practice health services and other primary care services such
is guaranteed a budget to pay for this work and as dental, pharmaceutical and optical. In time,
the staff. This is a different contractual arrange- they may also extend to include social care and
ment from the General Medical Services. PMS support services. PCTs commission general and
GPs develop their own contract. This contract acute services, invest in primary and community
is with the PCT, not with the Secretary of State care and work to improve the health of their local
for Health; it is local not national. The contract population. GPs enter into a contract with the PCT
can be tailored to suit the needs of the local (either GMS or PMS) to provide medical services
population and local medical service provision, for patients registered at the practice.
focused towards locally agreed priorities. A PMS
practice agrees to provide a range of primary Primary healthcare That which provides health-
care medical services to a defined population for care in the first instance.
an agreed sum of money.
Primary healthcare team (PHCT) The primary
Polypharmacy Where a patient is prescribed four healthcare team is made up of everyone who
or more drugs. Prescribing of four or more drugs works at a general practice or primary healthcare
is not necessarily bad, and indeed may be neces- centre: doctors, nurses, health visitors, midwives,
sary. However, polypharmacy is a risk factor for physiotherapists, osteopaths, clinical psycholo-
potential harm from medication. gists, counsellors, dieticians, managers, secretarial
staff, clerical staff, reception staff, cleaning and
Portfolio A collection of evidence of work done, maintenance staff and others. The team members
learning achieved, personal reflection, testimoni- may be employed by the practice or by the pri-
als, etc. mary care trust.

Positive predictive value This calculates the like- Protocol A set way of dealing with a particular
lihood that an individual with a positive test condition, often based on a detailed development
actually has the disease. It is a simple statistic: of existing guidelines, for use by an individual
true positives/(true positives plus false positives) organization, e.g. general practice.

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 320 GLOSSARY

Psychosis The traditional clinical categorization other projects. Research aims to answer one or
of those (whom lay people might call ‘mad’) seri- more specific questions and tells us ‘what we
ously distressed by strange beliefs and abnormal should be doing’. Research evidence is often
perceptions. These beliefs and perceptions often thought of as being hierarchical and involving a
appear to lead the patients to violence or (self-) five-point scale:
destructive behaviour.
1. Strong evidence from at least one systematic
Quality assurance Ensuring patient safety, clinical review of multiple, well-designed, randomized
effectiveness and the quality of caring. controlled trials.

Quality improvement A systematic process to 2. Strong evidence from at least one properly
manage change within organizations to bring designed randomized controlled trial of appropri-
about better patient care. There are many tools ate size.
and methods used for quality improvement, the
most important being clinical audit. 3. Evidence from well-designed trials such as non-
randomized trials, cohort studies, time series or
Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) The matched case-controlled studies.
QOF rewards UK general practices financially for
the provision of quality care, and helps to fund 4. Evidence from well-designed non-experi-
further improvements in the delivery of clinical mental studies from more than one centre or
care. It measures practice achievement against a research group.
range of evidence-based clinical indicators and
against a range of indicators covering practice 5. Opinions of respected authorities, based on
organization and management. clinical evidence, descriptive studies or reports of
expert committees.
Randomized controlled trial (RCT) A study in
which people are allocated at random to receive Screening The process of discovering unknown
one of several clinical interventions. Typically, or undisclosed disease risk or actual disease with
RCTs seek to measure and compare different a view to intervening to prevent the occurrence or
events that are present or absent after the partici- the progress of the disease.
pants receive the interventions. These events are
called outcomes. As the outcomes are quantified Sensitivity A measure of how likely it is that a
(or measured), RCTs are regarded as quantita- screening test will correctly identify individuals
tive studies. who really have the disease. With a highly sensitive
test, there will be few ‘false negatives’.
Reflecting Thinking over what has happened and
why, what this shows you, and what you need Significant event analysis A formal type of reflec-
to do differently, or what you need to preserve tion, important after unusually good or bad
and strengthen. outcomes, that is sometimes particularly useful
when the event involves several people or a team,
Repeat prescribing When a GP makes a deci- as everyone can take part in the reflection.
sion to continue a drug long term, the patient is
allowed to request further supplies without need- Skill The ability to perform a task well, usually
ing to see the doctor each time. Usually the system gained by training or experience.
is computerized.
Skills checklist A list of the components of a speci-
Research evidence The published results of clini- fied skill that can be used as a method of ensuring
cal trials, experiments, evaluations, surveys and consistency in the performance of a skill.

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 GLOSSARY 321

Skills competence The possession of a satisfactory cutting/self-poisoning, which does not cause
level in the performance of a skill. immediate loss of life (typically in the young),
to the deliberate planning of a solitary death by
Skills performance The demonstration of a skill in the old and ill. However, since the best predictor
a real-life situation. of completed suicide remains an episode of self-
poisoning or self-injury, all such actions should be
Skills proficiency The attainment of a skill to an taken equally seriously.
advanced level. (Practising a skill with adeptness.)
Summative assessment Assessment of the acquisi-
Specificity A measure of how likely it is that a tion of and competence in knowledge, skills and
screening test will correctly identify individuals attitudes at the completion of training.
who do not have the disease. With a highly specific
test, there will be few ‘false positives’. Telephone consultations Consultations with
patients that take place by telephone. They may
Structured care A planned approach to disease be initiated by the doctor or the patient, and have
management based on a register of those affected medico-legal implications and obligations that
who can be recalled at set intervals for formal differ from those of face-to-face consultations.
review of the disease in order to maximize the Among these are the security of the commu-
potential to control the disease, treat symptoms nication line and the provision of confidential
and prevent complications. information when the identity of the other party
cannot be assured.
Suicide The taking of one’s own life is still widely
considered a tragedy under all circumstances and Valuing diversity in health The appreciation of
it remains the doctor’s duty to detect suicidal risk how variations in culture, background and health-
and prevent the act if at all possible. In self-harm, care may affect health and healthcare.
there is a spectrum from threats or aggressive

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 A TEXTBOOK OF
GENERAL PRACTICE
Third edition
An essential guide to general practice and being a general practitioner, A Textbook
of General Practice is written specifically with the medical student and foundation
doctor in mind, reflecting current teaching practice. Readers are encouraged to

GENERAL PRACTICE
A TEXTBOOK OF
learn through practice, with exercises provided throughout the book. Student and
tutor quotes offer insights into personal experience, while thinking and discussion
points encourage reflection.

Comprehensive – everything the undergraduate student or foundation

doctor needs for a general practice module or rotation

 idely applicable – skills and knowledge honed in reading this textbook can
W

A TEXTBOOK OF
usefully be applied to all areas of clinical practice

Relevant – encourages and supports experiential learning and reflective

practice, now acknowledged as a highly effective method of learning

GENERAL PRACTICE
E asy to read with numerous text features – learning objectives, student and
tutor quotes, practical exercises, and thinking and discussion points

Third edition
New for this edition – improved organisation, ‘red flag’ pointers to serious
illness and SBA-style self assessment questions

With content entirely updated to reflect the latest recommendations from

Third edition
Tomorrow’s Doctors, the third edition of A Textbook of General Practice is the
number one choice for undergraduates seeking a narrative introduction to this
important discipline. Edited by

Stephenson
About the Editor Anne Stephenson
Anne Stephenson MBChB MRCGP Dip. Obst. PhD (Medicine) FHEA is Senior
Lecturer in General Practice & Director of Community Education, Department
of Primary Care and Public Health Sciences, King’s College London School of
Medicine, UK

I S B N 978-1-444-12064-6

9 781444 120646

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