Australian Family Physician June 2005 - Healthy Heart
Vol 34, (6):402-512
This month's issue of Australian Family Physician is
Healthy Heart. Articles featured include management of cardiovascular
disease, motivating patients to move, exercise and hypertension.
Cardiovascular risk factor control in Australia
Christopher M Reid, Mark R Nelson
Over the past 30 years there has been a major decline in coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke rates in Australia.
Management of cardiovascular conditions in Australian general practice
Janice Charles, Helena Britt, Anthea Ng
The BEACH program, a continuous national study of general practice activity in Australia, gives us an analysis of the management of cardiovascular conditions in general practice. This provides a backdrop against which articles in this issue of Australian Family Physician can be further considered.
Motivating patients to move
Nancy Huang
Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of regular physical activity (30 minutes of moderate activity 5 days per week) for a range of chronic diseases including the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease.
Exercise and hypertension
Tom Baster, Christine Baster-Brooks
Exercise is advocated for the prevention, treatment and control of hypertension. However, the treatment effect of exercise on hypertension is difficult to determine as many studies are poorly controlled and involve small sample sizes.
Smoking and GPs: time to cough up
John Litt
Smoking is the largest single preventable cause of death and disease in Australia. Tobacco smoking causes an estimated 19 000 deaths and 142 500 hospital admissions per year.
Secondary prevention of CHD
Mark R Nelson, Andrew Tonkin
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is still the single largest health problem for Australia. It is considered essentially preventable.
Keeping the diabetic heart healthy
Mark Harris, Qing Wan
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an important and preventable complication and major cause of death in diabetes.
Management of hyperlipidaemia
Nigel Stocks, James Allan, Peter R Mansfield
Hyperlipidaemia is a general term for elevated concentrations of any or all lipids in the plasma. An elevated cholesterol is one of several risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD).
Dietary dilemmas in diabetes
Connie Stanton, Pat Phillips
Two of the 'f' words summarising pre-disposition to type 2 diabetes are fixed (family history, age forty years), but the third (fat) can be changed.
Smoking cessation guidelines for Australian general practice
Nicholas Zwar, Robyn Richmond, Suzanne Stillman, John Litt
The Smoking cessation guidelines for Australian general practice is based on published evidence, review of overseas guidelines, existing general practice programs, and a process of stakeholder consultation. It was distributed to Australian general practitioners in 2004.
Breast imaging in general practice
Nehmat Houssami, Meagan Brennan, James French, Peter Fitzgerald
This is the fourth article in a series of breast disorders with an emphasis on diagnosis and management in the general practice setting.
Assessing fitness to drive (Part 2)
Morris Odell
The requirement for general practitioners to write reports about their patients' fitness to drive will increase as the population ages and licensing criteria change.
Brain teaser: Itchy, pigmented ulcer
Keng Yin Loh
Case history: A diabetic patient aged 55 years presented to the outpatient clinic with an itchy skin ulcer at the sole of his right foot. The ulcer had been present for 3 months.
Clinical challenge
Jenni Parsons
Questions for this month's clinical challenge are based on theme articles in this issue. The style and scope of questions is in keeping with the MCQ of the College Fellowship exam.
Orientation of IMGs
Neville Carlier, Meredith Carlier, Glenys Bisset
Successful orientation and continued support for international medical graduates (IMGs) and their families might improve the retention of doctors in the rural medical workforce to the benefit of rural communities.
Acute myocardial infarction
Sara Bird
Up to 50% of the medical negligence claims arising in general practice result from an allegation of failure to diagnose a patient's condition.
The proof of the pudding...
Ronald McCoy
A cursory examination of the literature will quickly demonstrate that Scotland has one of the highest rates of cardiovascular disease in Europe.
Compassion fatigue and burnout
Jill Benson, Karen Magraith
General practitioners are often the 'first port of call' for patients with a range of mental health problems, many of whom have a history of trauma or loss.
GPs views of absolute cardiovascular risk and its role in primary prevention
Donna Torley, Nicholas Zwar, Elizabeth J Comino, Mark Harris
Clinical guidelines recommend using absolute risk to inform clinical decisions in cardiovascular disease prevention.
Smoking cessation for Australian general practice
Robyn Richmond, Nicholas Zwar, Ron Borland, Suzanne Stillman, John Litt
General practitioners are the first point of contact for patients seeking health advice as more than 80% of Australians consult with a GP at least once a year.
Preventive activities during consultations in general practice
Oliver Frank, John Litt, Justin Beilby
The relationship between the performance of opportunistic preventive activities in general practice consultations and characteristics of patients, general practitioners, consultations and preventive opportunities is poorly understood.