AMJ

It may be that computers will not only become a tool for the relay of information but also change the nature of information that has meaning in the social system currently defined as general practice. If that happens it is possible that medical practitioners will become a more homogenous social system with a common language. For now the dilemma of which patient to refer and why remains a matter of opinion and for many conditions requires the exercise of a so-called sixth sense. As the predictive value of objective tests that can be performed by GPs increase then we may begin to speak of the post-Balint era.

Suboptimal aspirin usage was demonstrated in this study among both cohorts of Residential Aged Care Facility residents in Australia inspite of strong recommendations from national guidelines. Various predictors of aspirin usage and non-usage were identified. Significant efforts should be made to encourage aspirin usage in the elderly ‘at risk’ population.

Professor Jeff Hughes and colleagues quantify the association between anticholinergic drug use (burden or load) and cognitive function (MMSE), blood pressure and the presence of anticholinergic side effects in 182 older people.The anticholinergic load was associated with statistically significantly increased risk of peripheral anticholinergic adverse effects in the sample, however not with cognitive decline.

These preliminary data map the plethora of issues that influence cancer patients in the years following treatment. Women who were attending follow-up appointments for breast cancer experienced similar levels of enablement following SBN consultations as would be expected from consultations with general practitioners.

The response to a sexually active adolescent presenting in general practice demonstrates marked differences in the law in the two different countries. However in cases where patients opt for a home birth our authors are unanimous that most general practitioners do not have the skills or experience to provide obstetric care in the UK or in Australia.