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- Page navigation anchor for The role of general practice in surgical trialsThe role of general practice in surgical trialsWe read with much interest the editorial by Keshav and Stevens,1 which discusses a broad overview of the advancements in the knowledge of iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) with emphasis on management. We encourage GPs and community medicine to engage in this research, which remains one of the greatest burdens to global health.2 Your comments regarding implementation of parenteral iron therapy to manage IDA is of particular importance for a number of reasons.The awareness of and education currently available to general practitioners for IDA does not reflect major advances in the aetiology and particularly the unrecognised impact on patient welfare. This has led to considerable under management of IDA. For example, a large percentage (the average being 30%) of elective surgical patients, many of these who are pre-emptively referred by GPs, are in fact found to have IDA.3 Preoperative anaemia is independently associated with poorer outcomes.4,5 Recognising and managing preoperative anaemia is supported by authorative bodies such as the AAGBI, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and NICE.6-8However, it is not clear whether intravenous iron is the optimal treatment option in this setting. The PREVENTT (Preoperative intravenous (IV)iron to treat anaemia in major abdominal surgery) phase III randomised controlled trial addresses this question of whether intravenous ir...Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared.