Volume 3, Number 5, September-October 2006

BACK TO BASICSDiabetic Foot Guide

POPULAR
TOPICDIABETES MANAGEMENTOrganising Care For The Person Newly Diagnosed With Diabetes
Sandra Waddingham

The focus of diabetes care is well established in general practice, with practice nurses taking on much of the responsibility for diabetes management. The white paper Our Health, Our Care, Our Say talks about high quality care being delivered to patients close to where they live. So, in the future, general practice can expect to take on more responsibility for conditions such as diabetes. This article discusses the priorities for the newly diagnosed patient, and the importance of sound advice and guidance in the early stages.

DISEASE FOCUSBeating Arrhythmias
Mike Kirby

Arrhythmias are extremely common. They are usually benign but their significance depends on the symptoms they cause. Some arrhythmias are more serious and can be life-threatening. In this article we clarify the causes of arrhythmias and help you sort out the different types that can occur, dividing them into the two main categories – tachyarrhythmias, where the heart rate is faster than normal, and bradyarrhythmias, where the heart rate is much slower than normal.

EDITORIALEditorial
Jan Procter-King

POPULAR
TOPICEVIDENCE IN PRACTICEEvidence in Practice
There are just not enough hours in the day to read all the research journals, even if you wanted to. This section of the BJPCN – Evidence in Practice – will keep you on top of relevant research without having to spend hours in the library. Each journal review gives you a bite-size summary of new research, pulling out key points for primary care and recommending the action that you might consider taking.

POPULAR
TOPICMONITORINGBlood Pressure: How Different Devices Measure Up
Terry McCormack

PREVENTION IN PRACTICENurse Prescribing: Pandora's Box or Practical Plan?
Ghislaine Young

Nurse prescribers can prescribe the full range of drugs and other items in the British National Formulary under the latest arrangements from the Department of Health. This move has been met with mixed reactions. Nurses see it as the rightful acknowledgement of their responsibilities, conferring authority commensurate with their role and enabling them to perform their role honestly and openly. In contrast, the British Medical Association, representing doctors, issued public warnings about patient safety if nurses were allowed to prescribe more freely. In this article, we review the opportunities and challenges of nurse prescribing, and explore strategies for its effective and safe implementation.

POPULAR
TOPICTHERAPEUTICS REVIEWSuccessful combining of antihypertensive drugs
Mike Kirby

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is estimated to affect 60-70% of people aged over 60 years of age and increases the risk of complications such as coronary heart disease, heart failure and stroke. Although it is well accepted that lowering blood pressure is crucial in reducing overall cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, the number of people whose raised blood pressure is reduced below target levels remains defiantly low. In this article, we review why so many patients fail to reach blood pressure targets and how we can improve this, including use of more than one antihypertensive.