It’s the sheer variety, the sweep of it, that makes the specialty of primary care medicine so compelling. Primary care is truly cradle to the grave, although that verges on cliché. The phrase also rings loud in British ears as the promise of the NHS. This issue of the BJGP could slide comfortably into a typical clinic.
Research on managing UTIs, consultations for skin conditions, end-of-life care, and children with sore ears nestle into the quotidian routine of general practice.
The editorial from John Robson and colleagues on the Cumberlege report reminds us that medicines safety hasn’t been given the attention it needs. Gordon Macdonald and colleagues take us to the ‘Far End’ and how we manage vulnerable, older people. Would you rather go on a home visit or house call? And Margaret McCartney and Victoria Tzortziou Brown point out the flaws in appraisal that may do us more harm than good.
- © British Journal of General Practice 2020