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Thunderstorm Asthma Epidemic-A Systematic Review of the General Practice Perspective.

ABSTRACT: : Thunderstorm asthma (TA) epidemics have been recognized globally as a rare phenomenon, producing a rapid surge of acute asthma presentations leading to an increased demand on emergency medical services and healthcare resources. General practitioners (GPs) are well placed in the community to contribute to healthcare during TA epidemics and similar disaster events. The aim of this review was to synthesize current evidence of the experiences of GPs during TA epidemics and similar surge events. A comprehensive systematic search of eleven electronic databases, including ancestry searching for peer-reviewed studies and grey literature published in English was conducted. Quantitative and qualitative study designs were included, and a quality assessment conducted. Of the 125 records identified, 16 were included for synthesis. During TA epidemics and surge events, GPs experience an increased demand for services, yet it is not known if general practice clinics experience resource limitations from this patient surge. While GPs express a willingness to help, few structures are in place to liaise, support and provide information to GPs during surge events. Following most surge/disaster events, no GP data is collected so it is not known how to improve coordination and communication between general practice services and emergency services. GPs have well-functioning adaptive management systems, and resources of space, supplies and staff thus the ability to increase surge capacity of their clinics.

SUBMITTER: Farouque A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7312025 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Thunderstorm Asthma Epidemic-A Systematic Review of the General Practice Perspective.

Farouque Ambereen A Walker Rae R Erbas Bircan B

International journal of environmental research and public health 20200527 11

<b>:</b> Thunderstorm asthma (TA) epidemics have been recognized globally as a rare phenomenon, producing a rapid surge of acute asthma presentations leading to an increased demand on emergency medical services and healthcare resources. General practitioners (GPs) are well placed in the community to contribute to healthcare during TA epidemics and similar disaster events. The aim of this review was to synthesize current evidence of the experiences of GPs during TA epidemics and similar surge eve ...[more]

PMID: 32471129

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Project description:BackgroundThe world's most catastrophic epidemic thunderstorm asthma event (ETSA) affected Melbourne in 2016. Little is known about the natural history of individuals affected by such extreme events.ObjectiveIn this single center prospective 3-year longitudinal study, symptomatology and behaviors of individuals affected by ETSA were assessed.MethodsStandardized telephone questionnaire was used to evaluate frequency of asthma symptoms, inhaled corticosteroid preventer use, asthma action plan ownership, and healthcare utilization. Questionnaires were administered at 12, 24, and 36 months after 2016 ETSA. Subgroup analyses of the 'current', 'past', 'possible,' and 'no asthma' subgroups were also conducted.ResultsTwo hundred and eight, 164, and 112 completed questionnaires were analyzed in 2017, 2018, and 2019, respectively. Seventy to eighty five percent of respondents reported ongoing asthma symptoms in any given year, of which 20%-28% experienced weekly symptoms. Nearly 50% of respondents were prescribed preventers, with approximately 45% adherent at least 5 days a week. Less than 40% had an asthma action plan and 15%-20% sought urgent medical attention for asthma over the follow-up period. Among 106 individuals with 3 consecutive years of completed questionnaires, those with no prior doctor diagnosis of asthma were significantly more likely to be asymptomatic on follow-up than those with a prior doctor diagnosis of asthma (p = 0.02). Subgroup analyses suggest that large proportions of respondents with 'past' and 'no asthma' continue to remain symptomatic throughout the 36-month period.ConclusionIn individuals affected by ETSA, we found evidence of ongoing loss of asthma control in those with previously well controlled asthma, and the persistence of symptoms suggestive of asthma in those with no history or symptoms suggestive of prior asthma, even after 36 months from initial ETSA. Low rates of inhaler adherence and asthma action plan ownership may contribute to increased morbidity and mortality from future ETSA events. Further research is required to confirm these findings.

Project description:The use of information technology, including internet- and telephone-based resources, is becoming an alternative and supporting method of providing many forms of services in a healthcare and health management setting. Telephone consultations provide a promising alternative and supporting service for face-to-face general practice care. The aim of this review is to utilize a systematic review to collate evidence on the use of telephone consultation as an alternative to face-to-face general practice visits.A systematic search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, The Cochrane Library, and the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform was performed using the search terms for the intervention (telephone consultation) and the comparator (general practice). Systematic reviews and randomized control trials that examined telephone consultation compared to normal face-to-face consultation in general practice were included in this review. Papers were reviewed, assessed for quality (Cochrane Collaboration's 'Risk of bias' tool) and data extracted and analysed.Two systematic reviews and one RCT were identified and included in the analysis. The RCT (N?=?388) was of patients requesting same-day appointments from two general practices and patients were randomized to a same-day face-to-face appointment or a telephone call back consultation. There was a reduction in the time spent on consultations in the telephone group (1.5 min (0.6 to 2.4)) and patients in the telephone arm had 0.2 (0 to 0.3) more follow-up consultations than the face-to-face group. One systematic review focused on telephone consultation and triage on healthcare use, and included one RCT and one other observational study that examined telephone consultations. The other systematic review focused on patient access and included one RCT and four observational studies that examined telephone consultations. Both systematic reviews provided narrative interpretations of the evidence and concluded that telephone consultations provided an appropriate alternative to telephone consultations and reduced practice work load.There is a lack of high level evidence for telephone consultations in a GP setting; however, current evidence suggests that telephone consultations as an alternative to face-to-face general practice consultations offers an appropriate option in certain settings.PROSPERO CRD42015025225.

Project description:BackgroundThe inclusion of pharmacists into general practices in Australia has expanded in recent years. This systematic review aimed to synthesise the literature of qualitative and quantitative studies, and identify the knowledge gaps, related to pharmacists working in general practice in Australia.MethodsThis systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. PubMed, EBSCOhost, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched from the inception of databases to January 2021. The search was focused on studies investigating general practice pharmacists in Australia. The quality of each study was appraised using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool criteria. The narrative synthesis approach was utilised to describe data due to the heterogeneity among study designs and measures.ResultsTwenty-five studies were included in this review. General practice pharmacists engaged in various non-dispensing patient care services, with medication management reviews being the primary activity reported. General practice pharmacists' characteristics and an environment with a willingness of collaboration were the notable influencing factors for successfully including pharmacists in general practices. Factors that posed a challenge to the adoption of general practice pharmacists were lack of funding and other resources, poorly defined roles, and absence of mentoring/training.ConclusionThis review has summarised the characteristics, activities, benefits, barriers, and facilitators of including pharmacists in general practices in Australia. General practice pharmacists are well accepted by stakeholders, and they can engage in a range of patient-centred activities to benefit patients. There is a need for more robust research to explore the patient and economic outcomes related to clinical activities that a pharmacist can perform in general practice, as a foundation to developing an appropriate and sustainable funding model. The findings of this review will be beneficial for pharmacists, researchers, policymakers, and readers who wish to implement the role of general practice pharmacists in the future.

Project description:OBJECTIVE:To identify and assess the performance of clinical decision rules (CDR) for chest pain in general practice. DESIGN:Systematic review of diagnostic studies. DATA SOURCES:Medline/Pubmed, Embase/Ovid, CINAHL/EBSCO and Google Scholar up to October 2018. STUDY SELECTION:Studies that assessed CDRs for intermittent-type chest pain and for rule out of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) applicable in general practice, thus not relying on advanced laboratory, computer or diagnostic testing. REVIEW METHODS:Reviewers identified studies, extracted data and assessed the quality of the evidence (using Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2)), independently and in duplicate. RESULTS:Eight studies comprising five CDRs met the inclusion criteria. Three CDRs are designed for rule out of coronary disease in intermittent-type chest pain (Gencer rule, Marburg Heart Score, INTERCHEST), and two for rule out of ACS (Grijseels rule, Bruins Slot rule). Studies that examined the Marburg Heart Score had the highest methodological quality with consistent sensitivity (86%-91%), specificity (61%-81%) and positive (23%-35%) and negative (97%-98%) predictive values (PPV and NPV). The diagnostic performance of Gencer (PPV: 20%-34%, NPV: 95%-99%) and INTERCHEST (PPV: 35%-43%, NPV: 96%-98%) appear comparable, but requires further validation. The Marburg Heart Score was more sensitive in detecting coronary disease than the clinical judgement of the general practitioner. The performance of CDRs that focused on rule out of ACS were: Grijseels rule (sensitivity: 91%, specificity: 37%, PPV: 57%, NPV: 82%) and Bruins Slot (sensitivity: 97%, specificity: 10%, PPV: 23%, NPV: 92%). Compared with clinical judgement, the Bruins Slot rule appeared to be safer than clinical judgement alone, but the study was limited in sample size. CONCLUSIONS:In general practice, there is currently no clinical decision aid that can safely rule out ACS. For intermittent chest pain, several rules exist, of which the Marburg Heart Score has been most extensively tested and appears to outperform clinical judgement alone.

Dataset Information

Thunderstorm Asthma Epidemic-A Systematic Review of the General Practice Perspective.

Publications

Thunderstorm Asthma Epidemic-A Systematic Review of the General Practice Perspective.

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