Family medicine in the Baltic countries

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The Malmo-Klaipeda WFH twinning programme: a comparative description of the haemophilia cohorts

In 1994, the Malmo-Klaipeda twinning programme was approved by the World Federation of Hemophilia. One of the first steps in the collaboration has been to set up a registry of the haemophilia patients in the Klaipeda area. In order to collect important clinical data the patients have been examined jointly by experts on haemophilia from the two centres. Seventeen out of 25 patients with severe haemophilia known at the Klaipeda centre were examined and compared to a matched cohort of patients from the Malmo centre. The main differences between the cohorts were that home treatment was not available to the Klaipeda patients, they received less treatment in general, had higher joint scores and more frequent bleeds. The pattern of transmission of blood-borne virus was very similar, with a high prevalence of hepatitis C antibodies. We conclude that the twinning programme between Malmo and Klaipeda has resulted in several achievements, including training of staff and a necessary inventory of the patients. This should not only form a suitable platform for the future development of haemophilia care in Lithuania, but could also serve as an example for liaisons between other haemophilia centres

A study of antibiotic prescribing: the experience of Lithuanian and Russian GPs:The experience of Lithuanian and Russian GPs

Background. Globally, general practitioners (GPs) write more than 90% of all antibiotic prescriptions. This study examines the experiences of Lithuanian and Russian GPs in antibiotic prescription for upper respiratory tract infections, including their perceptions of when it is not indicated clinically or pharmacologically. Methods. 22 Lithuanian and 29 Russian GPs participated in five focus group discussions. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results. We identified four main thematic categories: patients' faith in antibiotics as medication for upper respiratory tract infections; patient potential to influence a GP's decision to prescribe antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infections; impediments perceived by GPs in advocating clinically grounded antibiotic prescribing with their patients, and strategies applied in physician-patient negotiation about antibiotic prescribing for upper respiratory tract infections. Conclusions. Understanding the nature of physician-patient interaction is critical to the effective pursuit of clinically grounded antibiotic use as this study undertaken in Lithuania and the Russian Federation has shown. Both physicians and patients must be targeted to ensure correct antibiotic use. Further, GPs should be supported in enhancing their communication skills about antibiotic use with their patients and encouraged to implement a shared decision-making model in their practices

FVIII inhibitor development according to concentrate: Data from the EUHASS registry excluding overlap with other studies

PubMed ID: 26208036[No abstract available