CONTINUITY OF INTEGRATED PATIENT CARE: A patient centred study of medication management

This research is about enhancing the continuity of patient care. It focuses on medication management at the time of patient discharge from a cardiology unit in an Australian acute care hospital. That is, during the time of the patients’ transition from tertiary to primary care. The philosophical concept underpinning the research is centred on continuity of patient care which is defined, and then described, in the context of each chapter study undertaken. The main aim of the overall research was to conduct an original, empirical research project to identify, characterise, and investigate a cohort of patients in need of ongoing care after discharge. Those subjects recruited into the Continuity of Care Project were 281 acute on chronic, cardiovascular patients. In this research, the individual chapter studies investigated the need for continuity of care by analysing the quality of prescribing recorded at hospital discharge and at medication review in the community

I’m having a blogsistential crisis! I am a blogger. And I am an academic. But am I an academic blogger?

Lynne Murphy‘s blog began life as a ‘limbering up exercise’ before she wrote work for peer-review. A somewhat accidental academic blogger, she notes that her online presence has become part of her professional profile… even if it occassionally serves as a distraction. Lynne also questions whether she is working for the University when she blogs, but doubts a future model of higher education that involves timetabling blog time for academics

Diabetes prevalence, diabetes regimen and co-morbidity in depressed patients compared with non-depressed patients in primary care in the Netherlands

Diabet. Med. 27, 718-722 (2010) AbstractAims To assess the prevalence of diabetes in depressed patients compared with non-depressed matched controls and to compare diabetes regimen and co-morbidity in depressed patients with diabetes vs. non-depressed patients with diabetes in primary care in the Netherlands. Methods A retrospective case-control study over 3 years (2002-2004). Data for depressed patients (n = 7128) and non-depressed matched controls (n = 23772) were available from an electronic medical record system of 20 general practices organized in one large primary care organization in the Netherlands. Matching was based on year and month of birth, sex and general practitioner. Diabetes, diabetes regimen (i.e. oral glucose medication, insulin or both) and co-morbidity were defined using Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification codes of delivered medication. Results The prevalence of diabetes was 5.5% (n = 393) among depressed patients, which was 2.6 times higher than in non-depressed matched controls where the figure was 2.1% (n = 494; P < 0.001). Diabetes regimen, i.e. the proportions of subjects on oral glucose medication, insulin or both did not differ among depressed patients with diabetes (51, 27 and 22%, respectively) compared with non-depressed patients with diabetes (51, 30, 19%; P = 0.53). Co-morbidity was significantly more prevalent among depressed patient with diabetes than in non-depressed patients with diabetes. Conclusions Compared with non-depressed matched controls, adults with treated depression have almost three times higher rates of diabetes. Depressed patients with diabetes had more co-morbidities compared with non-depressed patients with diabetes, whereas diabetes regimen did not differ. © 2010 Diabetes UK