BIG NEWS!

Frailty, polypharmacy, and the case for pragmatic prescribing in primary care Primary care clinicians are often caught between conflicting recommendations for clinical care. On one side, specialist guidelines and trial evidence urge intensive treatment, such as tight blood pres...

🆕 In their Comment, Peter Hanlon and colleagues discuss pragmatic prescribing for people with moderate or severe frailty in primary care
Read the full Comment here ➡️ www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Hidden harms in #End-Of-Life injectable symptom control #HealthCare: many patient safety incidents reported as 'no harm' contain descriptions of physical/psychological harm experienced by patients and families doi.org/10.3399/BJGP... @drbenbowers.bsky.social @carsonstevens.bsky.social #PrimaryCare

Opening slide of the NADEGS conference listing the man speakers

Had the opportunity last week to present my research on clinical trial applicability as an elevator pitch at the #NADEGS 2026 #primarycare conference in Edinburgh. Good to chance to consolidate thoughts and highlight main points. Looking forward to next year’s turn with Glasgow!

Hi Benn, Anna Podlasek at Uni of Dundee is doing research on ultrasound in remote and rural general practice and is happy to be contacted regarding apodlasek001@dundee.ac.uk

Graphical representation of the total number of primary care publications per country for the period 1975 to 2024. A map of the world, with a coloured scale showing one to more than ten thousand publications. Figure 2 of the Comment.

🆕 "The dominance of research... from mostly high-income countries means that much of the knowledge shaping primary care policy and practice reflects the priorities, populations, and health system structures of wealthier regions [limiting] the knowledge translation to the different contexts" ...

Douglas G Adamson Memorial Lecture 2026 | University of Dundee, UK Dr Douglas G Adamson was a Consultant Physician and Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Dundee until his sudden death in 1979.

I will be honoured to deliver this lecture:

www.dundee.ac.uk/events/dougl...

Doctor talking to a patient

"The more I support people with obesity and learn about the impact of stigma and the drivers of ill health, the less I talk about weight at all in short primary care consultations."

@ellenfallows.bsky.social on reframing consultations away from numbers on scales
www.bmj.com/content/392/...

Construction begins on first phase of West Edinburgh Link Construction begins on first phase of West Edinburgh Link

Excited to see work’s started on this new active travel link in Edinburgh:

www.edinburgh.gov.uk/news/article...

Topical hydrogen peroxide versus fusidic acid for non-severe impetigo in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand (the TIARA trial): a single-blind, randomised controlled trial Topical hydrogen peroxide was not non-inferior to topical fusidic acid for treatment of non-severe impetigo. However, as these infections are mild and the difference in cure rate is small, when balanc...

🆕 In a single-blind RCT, topical hydrogen peroxide was compared with topic fusidic acid and simple wound hygiene in the management of non-severe impetigo lesions in school-aged children in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand.

Read the findings of the TIARA trial ➡️ www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

@bjgp.bsky.social
bjgp.org/content/bjgp...
Evidence-biased medicine? Applying a health equity lens to Sackett's methodological framework
#GeneralPractice
#DeepEndGP
#FamilyMedicine
#PrimaryCare
@nihrspcr.bsky.social @nihrarcs.bsky.social

@joeburt1.bsky.social

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

Are you a GP registrar about to start your out-of-hours (OOH) shifts? Or a qualified GP looking to get back into OOH? Check out our new article to help get you ready @rcgp-innovait.bsky.social
#primarycare

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

🎉 Congrats to Sameera Toenjes and her team for an excellent publication in @plosone.org highlighting the perspectives of primary care clinicians regarding perceived barriers, facilitators, and team roles in addressing prescribing cascades:

Read the full article here!
buff.ly/yscPvts

Proud to see our research featured on my news feed this morning:

Frailty index could improve life for younger patients www.bbc.com/news/article...

"Undermining confidence in one of the few safe and effective pain and fever relief drugs in pregnancy risks causing unintended harm."

Pregnant women are often excluded from clinical trials and evidence gaps enable unsubstantiated claims, @louiseckenny.bsky.social
www.bmj.com/content/391/...

Use of unscheduled care in the last year of life for people with multiple long-term health conditions: a retrospective cohort study of 299,361 decedents Background People living with and dying from multiple long-term health conditions are high users of healthcare services. Unscheduled care, the unplanned use of healthcare services, rises dramatically ...

Useful and important primary care research
⬇️
bjgpopen.org/content/earl...

As we head into autumn, in many instances, patient expectations following a community acquired pneumonia can have a profound effect on repeat appointments (“I feel better but I’m still coughing, Doc”). Here’s a timely reminder from NICENG250

VERY EXCITING
launch of the CENTRE FOR EVIDENCE AND VALUES IN HEALTHCARE at the Uni of St Andrews
first event 31st October with Sir David Haslam and Scotland's new patient safety commissioner Karen Titchener
find out more here medicine.st-andrews.ac.uk/centreforevi...
please sign up and come

Participation of Women in Cardiovascular Trials, 2017 to 2023 This systematic review describes the representation of women across a broad range of cardiovascular trials registered from 2017 to 2023.

More women in cardiovascular trials still needed (and CVD trials are pretty good compared to other medical specialties...)

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Applicability of the electronic frailty index in younger and older adults in England: a population-based cohort study Similarly to older adults, the eFI identifies younger adults with frailty at high risk of mortality and emergency hospital admission. The eFI might be a tool to identify individuals for further assess...

The electronic frailty index (eFI) is used to identify older adults (≥65 years) who may be living with frailty. In our new study, we found that the eFI also identifies younger adults (18-64 years) at high risk of mortality and hospital admission:

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

#frailty #medsky

MHRA approves UK’s first new type of antibiotic for urinary tract infections in nearly 30 years As with any medicine, the MHRA will keep the safety of gepotidacin under close review.

MHRA approves UK’s first new type of antibiotic for urinary tract infections in nearly 30 years

#Pharmsky #Medsky

www.gov.uk/government/n...

Ever wonder what percentage of hospital admissions are caused by medications? 💊

A systematic review published in the Age and Ageing Journal finds adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and adverse drug events (ADEs) are significant causes of hospitalization in older adults.

buff.ly/4Vuv4T2

As we age, changes in our bodies can affect drug exposure, leading to potentially increased risks of both medication toxicity and treatment failure. 💊

Great review article highlights major age-related physiological changes that can impact drug use:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Scotland’s Quiet Crisis: Why Clinical Research Needs Urgent Rescue — Universities Scotland

Open letter from the heads of Scotland’s medical schools on the threat to the clinical academic workforce.

“If we do not act, we risk weakening the very system that has delivered some of the most transformative advances in modern medicine”

www.universities-scotland.ac.uk/clinicalacad...

Non‐pharmacologicaL InterVEntions for Antipsychotic‐Induced Weight Gain (RESOLVE) in People Living With Severe Mental Illness: A Realist Synthesis Introduction Antipsychotic medications are used to treat individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) but are associated with rapid weight gain and several physical and mental risk factors. Early, p.....

Our realist review from #RESOLVE study funded by @nihr.bsky.social published today
@thementalelf.bsky.social @sapc.ac.uk @cmhpcommunity.pharmsky.app

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

BMA and other national medical organisations come together as a voice for doctors in Europe to call for immediate action in Gaza

Illustrative

A study highlighting sex differences in antihypertensive prescription patterns and efficacy in primary care reveals that women achieve better blood pressure control with lower doses and distinct drug types. This calls for sex-specific optimisation in hypertensive management
➡️doi.org/10.3399/BJGP...

Falling over finishing line in race.

Great day at the North Uist Highland Games today. Just about crossed the line in the Men’s 100m Flat Race for 2nd place!