Volume 1, Number 3, September 2004

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TOPICBACK TO BASICSA BJPCN Guide – Erectile dysfunction

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TOPICCHDCChest pain in Primary Care – would you and your team know what to do?
Susan Fairlie, Gill Mathews

This article considers a possible scenario in primary care in which a patient presents with chest pain. Test yourself to see what you would do. Then check this against our recommendations, reflecting on your current procedures and policies within your practice.

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TOPICDISEASE FOCUSDisease Focus on... Angina
Professor Mike Kirby

Angina is a common problem in primary care, affecting around one in every six patients aged 65 years and over. It is predominantly chest pain due to transient myocardial ischaemia caused by coronary artery disease. Episodes of angina are typically caused by exertion or emotion, and are relieved by rest. Treatment with drugs and/or surgery that improves blood flow to the heart and lifestyle changes can significantly improve patients’ quality of life and survival.

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TOPICEDITORIALWelcome to the third issue of the British Journal of Primary Care Nursing for cardiovascular disease and diabetes management. We are delighted to hear that you are finding the issues we cover very relevant and useful in your day-to-day work. Latest figures show that more than 90% of readers say that the BJPCN provides very or highly relevant information for their daily practice. We are glad to be providing what you need and will endeavour to maintain this standard.
Jan Procter-King

Welcome to the third issue of the British Journal of Primary Care Nursing for cardiovascular disease and diabetes management. We are delighted to hear that you are finding the issues we cover very relevant and useful in your day-to-day work. Latest figures show that more than 90% of readers say that the BJPCN provides very or highly relevant information for their daily practice. We are glad to be providing what you need and will endeavour to maintain this standard.

EVIDENCE IN PRACTICEThere 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.
Dr Chris Harris

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-sized summary of new research, pulling out key points for primary care and recommending the action that you might consider taking.

HAVE YOU HEARD?Making full use of BJPCN online
Resources for smoking cessation
Aventis insulin withdrawals

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TOPICPATIENT COMMUNICATIONRaising the issue of obesity with patients who need to lose weight
Sarah Haynes

You know the scenario only too well. Your patient is sat in front of you, taking up more space than he or she used to, and you are discussing the increase in their blood glucose levels. How do you raise the issue of their weight, without offending them or making what seems to them a personal comment?

PRACTICE TOOLSDiabetes care: maintaining glycaemic control during fasting for Ramadan

Fasting during Ramadan – lasting from 15th October to 12th November this year – is one of the five pillars of Islam. The experience of fasting is intended to teach Muslims self-discipline and self-restraint, and to help them understand a little of the plight of the less privileged. But what are the implications of fasting for patients with type 2 diabetes?

PREVENTION IN PRACTICETackling the burning issue of smoking cessation

The number of people who smoke has fallen over the past 30 years under a barrage of tobacco control measures, including increasing the price of cigarettes, advertising bans, and health education campaigns. But, one in four premature deaths in the UK (adults aged 35–65 years) are still caused by smoking, and a study published recently warned that today’s smokers puff their way through more cigarettes and start at an earlier age than smokers of fifty years ago. This means that, on average, men who smoke now die ten years earlier than men who don’t smoke.
Can primary care make an impact on this ongoing problem? The good news is yes – and the new GMS contract is finally offering us incentives to include smoking in our health promotion activities. In this article, we give you the ammunition to put smoking cessation on your agenda – with the health and economic reasons why it makes sense to help patients quit. Practice nurse Rosemary Evans then explains how she does it in her Docklands practice.

PREVENTION IN PRACTICETalking to Practices
Rosemary Evans

Rosemary Evans, practice nurse at a Docklands practice, London, talks to BJPCN about why and how she set up her smoking cessation service

Q & AYour questions answered

THERAPEUTICS REVIEWEzetimibe: a new type of lipid-lowering therapy

Only half of patients being treated for elevated cholesterol levels are currently reaching targets, according to recent research. So what can we do to improve things? One option is to add a new type of lipid-lowering drug – ezetimibe – to a statin. This article reviews how ezetimibe works and its place in primary care management of raised lipids.