Facilitating improvement in primary care

"Practice coaching, also called practice facilitation, assists physician practices with the desire to improve in such areas as patient access, chronic and preventive care, electronic medical record use, patient-centeredness, cultural competence, and team-building."

Facilitating improvement in primary care: the promise of practice coaching
K Grumbach, E Bainbridge, T Bodenheimer
The Commonwealth Fund
June 2012

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Effectiveness of booklet based vestibular rehabilitation for chronic dizziness in primary care

"Booklet based vestibular rehabilitation for chronic dizziness is a simple and cost effective means of improving patient reported outcomes in primary care."

Clinical and cost effectiveness of booklet based vestibular rehabilitation for chronic dizziness in primary care: single blind, parallel group, pragmatic, randomised controlled trial
L Yardley, F Barker, I Muller, D Turner, S Kirby, M Mullee, A Morris, P Little
British Medical Journal, 2012, 344:e2237

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The economic impact of improvements in primary healthcare performance

"Better health outcomes have a positive impact on employment, productivity and economic growth."

The economic impact of improvements in primary healthcare performance
Canadian Health Services Research Foundation
May 2012

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Improving general practice by working differently

"The biggest single challenge for general practices, therefore, is the need to shift from treating episodic illness to working in partnership with patients and other providers to improve health, and treat people in the community more cost-effectively."

Primary care: today and tomorrow: improving general practice by working differently
Deloitte Centre for Health Solutions
May 2012

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Effectiveness of organizational interventions to reduce emergency department utilization

"The evidence suggests that interventions aimed at increasing primary care accessibility and ED cost-sharing are effective in reducing ED use."

Effectiveness of organizational interventions to reduce emergency department utilization: a systematic review
G Flores-Mateo, C Violan-Fors, P Carrillo-Santisteve, S Peiro, J-M Argimon
PLoS One, 2nd May 2012

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Improving general practice by working differently

"The focus of this report is on the general practice as a provider of primary care services, and while it is based on the English NHS, many of the solutions could apply equally to general practice in the rest of the United Kingdom."

Primary Care: Today and Tomorrow - Improving general practice by working differently
Deloitte Centre for Health Solutions
May 2012

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Investigating the prevalence and causes of prescribing errors in general practice

"Strategies for reducing the prevalence of error should focus on GP training, continuing professional development for GPs, clinical governance, effective use of clinical computer systems, and improving safety systems within general practices and at the interface with secondary care."

Investigating the prevalence and causes of prescribing errors in general practice: the PRACtICe Study (PRevalence And Causes of prescrIbing errors in general practiCe): a report for the GMC
General Medical Council
May 2012

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Involving primary care clinicians in quality improvement

This report provides a candid critique of quality improvement approaches and evaluation methods.

Involving primary care clinicians in quality improvement
T Ling, B Soper, M Buxton, S Hanney, W Oortwijn, A Scoggins, N Steel
The Health Foundation
April 2012

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NICE guideline update: Infection control in primary and community care

"This clinical guideline (published March 2012) updates and replaces NICE clinical guideline 2 (published June 2003)."

Infection: prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections in primary and community care: CG139
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)
March 2012

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Investing in emotional and psychological wellbeing for patients with long-term conditions

"This report brings together the evidence across diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and coronary heart disease, plus medically unexplained symptoms, to present a business case for investing in psychological services."

Investing in emotional and psychological wellbeing for patients with long-term conditions
Mental Health Network - NHS Confederation
April 2012

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"NHS Confederation summarises the new Mental Health Network report, and describes how primary and secondary health services can improve patient outcomes, while reducing the overall costs of care for the NHS."

Read a summary here.

Emergency hospital admissions for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions

"This data briefing aims to highlight for commissioners the opportunity for improving the quality of care and saving costs that reducing emergency hospital admissions for ACSCs presents."

Data briefing: Emergency hospital admissions for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions: identifying the potential for reductions
Y Tian, A Dixon, H Gao
The King's Fund
April 2012

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Levels of harm in primary care

"This research scan found that about 1–2% of primary care consultations may include adverse events, with the most common errors relating to medication and communication."


Evidence scan: levels of harm in primary care
The Health Foundation
November 2011

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Infection: prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections in primary and community care

"Patient safety has become a cornerstone of care, and preventing healthcare-associated infections remains a priority."

Infection: prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections in primary and community care
NICE clinical guideline 139
March 2012

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Guidance for commissioners of primary mental health care services

"Mental health problems should be managed mainly in primary care by the primary health care team working collaboratively with other services, with access to specialist expertise and to a range of secondary care services as required."

Guidance for commissioners of primary mental health care services: volume 2: practical mental health commissioning
Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health
February 2012

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Guidance for commissioners of dementia service

"Specialist dementia services support people during particular phases of their illness, including at diagnosis, during a stay in an acute general hospital, or when they are experiencing behavioural or psychosocial problems that require expertise beyond that normally provided by the primary care team."

Guidance for commissioners of dementia service: volume 2: practical mental health commissioning
Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health
February 2012

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Guidance for commissioners of liaison mental health services to acute hospitals

"Commissioning of acute liaison services should be universally included in contracts for the provision of acute hospital services and concord to standards set by professional and regulatory authorities."

Guidance for commissioners of liaison mental health services to acute hospitals: volume 2: practical mental health commissioning
Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health
February 2012

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Guidance for commissioners of mental health services for young people making the transition from child and adolescent to adult services

"Commissioners must work with public health colleagues to ensure that the needs of young people with mental health problems, including those young people whose needs are primarily met within education, social care and nonstatutory agencies and young people in contact with the criminal justice system, are identified in the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)."

Guidance for commissioners of mental health services for young people making the transition from child and adolescent to adult services: volume 2: practical mental health commissioning
Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health
February 2012

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Practice facilitation within primary care settings

"Practice facilitation has a moderately robust effect on evidence based guideline adoption within primary care."

Systematic review and meta-analysis of practice facilitation within primary care settings
NB Baskerville, C Liddy, W Hogg
Annals of Family Medicine, 2012, 10(1):63-74

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Value based clinical commissioning of elective surgical care

"The aim of this report has been to make recommendations for consideration by the NHS Operations Board with regard to effective commissioning of elective surgical procedures."


Right Care Elective Surgery Project: Phase 1 report: Value based clinical commissioning of elective surgical care: emerging views of commissioners and surgeons and production of high value care pathways
M Gray, S Swift, M Suleman, N Beasley, D Hakes, M Qualie, A Mitchell, S Dutch
Right Care
November 2011

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Person-based resource allocation

This research summary describes what lies behind the Department of Health's new approach to setting target allocations for hospital care to commissioning general practices.

Person-based resource allocation: new approaches to estimating commissioning budgets for GP practices
M Bardsley, J Dixon
December 2011

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