Articles

Factors associated with facility-based delivery in Mayoyao, Ifugao Province, Philippines

The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in the Philippines is higher than in most other Southeast Asian countries, and home delivery is a major factor contributing to the high MMR. This study aims to explore the de...

Authors: Azusa Shimazaki, Sumihisa Honda, Marcelyn M Dulnuan, Jennylene B Chunanon and Akiko Matsuyama

Research consultation clinic: impetus towards facilitating primary care research

In Singapore, SingHealth Polyclinics (SHP) is an accredited Family Medicine (FM) training centre which managed 1.8 million primary care patient-visits in 2012. To promote research in the institution, research ...

Authors: Ngiap Chuan Tan, Yang Thong Tan and Patricia T Kin

Alberta family physicians’ willingness to work during an influenza pandemic: a cross-sectional study

Effective pandemic responses rely on frontline healthcare workers continuing to work despite increased risk to themselves. Our objective was to investigate Alberta family physicians willingness to work during ...

Authors: James A Dickinson, Gisoo Bani-Adam, Tyler Williamson, Sandy Berzins, Craig Pearce, Leah Ricketson and Emily Medd

Use of insecticide treated net and malaria preventive education: effect on malaria parasitemia among people living with AIDS in Nigeria, a cross-sectional study

Malaria and HIV are major causes of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa with both diseases highly endemic in Nigeria. This study was conducted to assess the effect of long lasting insecticide treated...

Authors: Samuel Anu Olowookere, Najemdeen Ajao Adeleke, Emmanuel Akintunde Abioye-Kuteyi and Ijeoma Soromtochi Mbakwe

Women’s impressions of their inpatient birth care as provided by family physicians in the Shizuoka Family Medicine Training Program in Japan

Even though Japan faces serious challenges in women’s health care such as a rapidly aging population, attrition of obstetrical providers, and a harsh legal climate, few family medicine residency training progr...

Authors: Mariko Yokota, Shinji Tsunawaki, Keiichiro Narumoto and Michael D Fetters

Prevalence of insomnia and its impact on daily function amongst Malaysian primary care patients

Insomnia is a common public health problem and the prevalence and impact of insomnia in primary care attendees is not well documented in the Asian population.

Authors: Abu-Hassan Zailinawati, Danielle Mazza and Cheong Lieng Teng

Primary care in the Asia-Pacific region: challenges and solutions

Authors: Richard Hays, Lam Tai Pong and Zorayda Leopando

Self-medication behaviors among Japanese consumers: sex, age, and SES differences and caregivers’ attitudes toward their children’s health management

Since 2009, when the revised Pharmaceutical Affairs Act was enacted in Japan, self-medication practices have increased. Because the concept of self-medication was recently introduced in Japan, few studies exist o...

Authors: Ikuko Aoyama, Shinichi Koyama and Haruo Hibino

General Practitioners’ responses to global climate change - lessons from clinical experience and the clinical method

Climate change is a global public health problem that will require complex thinking if meaningful and effective solutions are to be achieved. In this conceptual paper we argue that GPs have much to bring to th...

Authors: Grant Blashki, Alan Abelsohn, Robert Woollard, Neil Arya, Margot W Parkes, Paul Kendal, Erica Bell and R Warren Bell

Perception of picky eating among children in Singapore and its impact on caregivers: a questionnaire survey

Picky eating is relatively common among infants and children, often causing anxiety for parents and caregivers. The purpose of this study was to determine the key aspects of picky eating and feeding difficulti...

Authors: Daniel YT Goh and Anna Jacob

Reporting new cases of anaemia in primary care settings in Crete, Greece: a rural practice study

Early diagnosis of anaemia represents an important task within primary care settings. This study reports on the frequency of new cases of anaemia among patients attending rural primary care settings in Crete (...

Authors: Christos Lionis, Emmanouil K Symvoulakis, George Duijker, Foteini Anastasiou, Stilianos Dimitrakopoulos, Christina Kladou, Evanggelia Ladoukaki, Kornilia Makri, Chrisoula Petraki, Nektarios Sivaropoulos, Spiridon Sasarolis, Anastasia Stefanaki, Aggeliki Vasilaki and Theodoros Vasilopoulos

Clinical audit of health promotion of vitamin D in one general practice

The clinical audit of vitamin D health promotion in one Australian general practice was undertaken by measuring health service use and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in 995 patients aged 45 to 49 years.

Authors: Marjan Kljakovic, Cathy Davey, Rashmi Sharma and Divya Sharma

The effectiveness of face to face education using catharsis education action (CEA) method in improving the adherence of private general practitioners to national guideline on management of tuberculosis in Bandung, Indonesia

In many countries, private general practitioners are the first contact in health services for people with symptoms of tuberculosis. Targeting the private sector has been recommended in previous studies to impr...

Authors: Nita Arisanti

Impact of carpal tunnel syndrome on the expectant woman's life

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is known to be a common complication during pregnancy especially during the third trimester.

Authors: Zatel I Rozali, Faiz M Noorman, Prisca K De Cruz, Yam K Feng, Halimatun WA Razab, Jamari Sapuan, Rajesh Singh and Faizal M Sikkandar

Can we bridge the gap? Knowledge and practices related to Diabetes Mellitus among general practitioners in a developing country: A cross sectional study

Diabetes mellitus is becoming a serious public health problem in Sri Lanka and many other developing countries in the region. It is well known that effective management of diabetes reduces the incidence and pr...

Authors: Prasad Katulanda, Godwin R Constantine, Muditha I Weerakkody, Yashasvi S Perera, Mahesh G Jayawardena, Preethi Wijegoonawardena, David R Matthews and Mohamed HR Sheriff

Family resources study: part 1: family resources, family function and caregiver strain in childhood cancer

Severe illness can disrupt family life, cause family dysfunction, strain resources, and cause caregiver burden. The family's ability to cope with crises depends on their resources. This study sought to assess ...

Authors: Avegeille T Panganiban-Corales and Manuel F Medina Jr

Career shift phenomenon among doctors in tacloban city, philippines: lessons for retention of health workers in developing countries

At the height of the global demand for nurses in the 1990s, a phenomenon of grave concern arose. A significant number of medical doctors in the Philippines shifted careers in order to seek work as nurses overs...

Authors: Meredith P Labarda

Treat-to-target approach in managing modifiable risk factors of patients with coronary heart disease in primary care in Singapore: what are the issues?

The key management strategy for established coronary heart disease (CHD) patients is to control the underlying risk factors. Further complications will be reduced when these risk factors are treated-to-target ...

Authors: Ngiap Chuan Tan and Sally Chih Wei Ho

Working toward decreasing infant mortality in developing countries through change in the medical curriculum

High infant and maternal mortality rates are one of the biggest health issues in Pakistan. Although these rates are given high priority at the national level (Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5, respectively...

Authors: Iffat F Zaman and Ayesha Rauf

Predictors of switching from beta-blockers to other anti-hypertensive drugs: a review of records of 19,177 Chinese patients seen in public primary care clinics in the New Territory East, Hong Kong

Beta-blocker drugs are commonly used in family practice and studies showed that they were the most popularly prescribed medications among all antihypertensive agents. This study aimed to identify the factors a...

Authors: Martin CS Wong, Harry HX Wang, Johnny Y Jiang, Stephen Leeder and Sian M Griffiths

Paradigms of family medicine: bridging traditions with new concepts; meeting the challenge of being the good doctor from 2011

This is the paper for the Wes Fabb Oration for the WONCA Asia Pacific Regional Conference 2011. This paper will review the case for the important role of the family physician/general practitioner in worldwide ...

Authors: John E Murtagh

Cultural aspects of primary healthcare in india: A case- based analysis

Delivering quality primary care to large populations is always challenging, and that is certainly the case in India. While the sheer magnitude of patients can create difficulties, not all challenges are about ...

Authors: Roger P Worthington and Anupriya Gogne

In a free healthcare system, why do men not consult for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS)?

The prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) varies among different populations but the rate of seeking medical advice is consistently low. Little is known about the reasons for this low rate. In the ...

Authors: U Chong lai, Yuk Tsan Wun, Tze Chao Luo and Sai Meng Pang

Contact dermatitis presenting as non-healing wound: case report

Topical antiseptics are commonly used in the management of minor wounds, burns, and infected skin. These agents are widely used by health professionals and are often self-prescribed by patients as they are eas...

Authors: M Leelavathi, YY Le, H Tohid and AH Hasliza

Barriers and facilitators affecting vasectomy acceptability (a multi stages study in a sample from north eastern of Iran), 2005-2007

In this study we aimed to find factors affecting vasectomy acceptability in Shahroud (north eastern Iran).

Authors: Afsaneh Keramat, Afsaneh Zarei and Masoumeh Arabi

Are patient-centered care values as reflected in teaching scenarios really being taught when implemented by teaching faculty? A discourse analysis on an Indonesian medical school's curriculum

According to The Indonesian Medical Council, 2006, Indonesian competence-based medical curriculum should be oriented towards family medicine. We aimed to find out if the educational goal of patient-centered ca...

Authors: Mora Claramita, Adi H Sutomo, Mark A Graber and Albert JJ Scherpbier

The 13 item Family Support Scale: Reliability and validity of the Greek translation in a sample of Greek health care professionals

The Julkunen Family Support Scale aims to record the sense of support that a subject receives from the members of his family. The object of the present study was to investigate the reliability and to assess th...

Authors: Athanasios Tselebis, Tania Anagnostopoulou, Dionisios Bratis, Aikaterini Moulou, Alexia Maria, Christos Sikaras, Ioannis Ilias, Athanasios Karkanias, Georgios Moussas and Nikolaos Tzanakis

Bridging the gap in ageing: Translating policies into practice in Malaysian Primary Care

Population ageing is poised to become a major challenge to the health system as Malaysia progresses to becoming a developed nation by 2020. This article aims to review the various ageing policy frameworks avai...

Authors: Krishnapillai S Ambigga, Anis Safura Ramli, Ariaratnam Suthahar, Norlaili Tauhid, Lyn Clearihan and Colette Browning

Dengue Fever (DF) in Pakistan

Dengue is a widespread mosquito-borne infection in human beings, which in recent years has become a major international public health concern. Symptomatic dengue virus infections can present with a wide range ...

Authors: Fridous Jahan

Truth or fallacy? Three hour wait for three minutes with the doctor: Findings from a private clinic in rural Japan

While previous reports examine various aspects of Family Medicine in Japan, there is sparse research on consultation lengths. A common phrase permeates throughout Japan, sanjikan machi, sanpun shinsatsu that mean...

Authors: Adam N Wooldridge, Nóra Arató, Ananda Sen, Masaki Amenomori and Michael D Fetters

Characteristics in patients with headache in an outpatient clinic in Japan

Little is known about the prevalence of primary and secondary headache in clinics in Japan. The aim of this study is to characterize patients with headache in an outpatient unit where primary care physicians a...

Authors: Toshikatsu Okumura, Sachie Tanno, Masumi Ohhira, Satoshi Tanno and Tsukasa Nozu

The usefulness of a clinical 'scorecard' in managing patients with sore throat in general practice

Objective: To evaluate the usefulness of a clinical scorecard in managing sore throat in general practice.

Authors: Tony MO Bakare and Peter Schattner

Family physicians understanding about Mantoux test: A survey from a high endemic TB country

Tuberculosis is a global health emergency and is a big challenge to diagnose and manage it. Family physicians being first contact health persons should be well competent to diagnose and manage the patients wit...

Authors: Niloufer Sultan Ali, Kishwar Jamal and Ali Khan Khuwaja

Fourth Wes Fabb Oration Diversity of primary care in Asia Pacific: pathways to convergence

Asia Pacific is one of the 6 regions of the World Organization of Family Doctors (Wonca). It is a region with 16 full and 2 associate members coming from 14 countries. One of the main activities in the region ...

Authors: Zorayda E Leopando

Dietary salt reduction in rural patients with albuminurea using family and community support: the Mima study

Residents of rural communities are often more socially connected compared to urban dwellers. Using family and community support to motivate health behavior change may be useful in rural settings. The objective...

Authors: Shinji Fujiwara, Kazuhiko Kotani, Phillip J Brantley, Kokoro Tsuzaki, Yukiyo Matsuoka, Masayuki Domichi, Yoshiko Sano, Eiji Kajii and Naoki Sakane

Assessment of menopausal symptoms using modified Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) among middle age women in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

Menopausal symptoms can be assessed by several tools, and can be influenced by various socio-demographic factors.

Authors: Syed Alwi Syed Abdul Rahman, Siti Rubiah Zainudin and Verna Lee Kar Mun

Strengthening the Paediatricians Project 1: The need, content and process of a workshop to address the Priority Mental Health Disorders of adolescence in countries with low human resource for health

World Health Organization has identified Priority Mental Health Disorders (PMHD) of adolescence. To effectively address these disorders at the primary care level paediatricians have to be trained in the low-incom...

Authors: Paul SS Russell and Muttathu KC Nair

Strengthening the Paediatricians Project 2: The effectiveness of a workshop to address the Priority Mental Health Disorders of adolescence in low-health related human resource countries

Paediatricians can be empowered to address the Priority Mental Health Disorders at primary care level. To evaluate the effectiveness of a collaborative workshop in enhancing the adolescent psychiatry knowledge...

Authors: Paul SS Russell and Muttathu KC Nair

GP registrar well-being: a cross-sectional survey

To investigate the major stressors affecting GP registrars, how those at risk can be best identified and the most useful methods of managing or reducing their stress.

Authors: Peter Schattner, Dennis Mazalin, Ciaran Pier, Jo Wainer and Mee Yoke Ling

Making the 2007-2010 Action Plan work for women in family medicine in the Asia Pacific

The Wonca Working Party for Women and Family Medicine (WWPWFM) was organized in 2001 with the following objectives: to identify the key issues for women doctors; to review Wonca policies and procedures for equ...

Authors: Jan Coles, Amanda Barnard, Amanda Howe, Jo Wainer, Zorayda Leopando and Sarah Strasser

Health-related quality of life in patients with knee osteoarthritis attending two primary care clinics in Malaysia: a cross-sectional study

Measurement of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among patients with osteoarthritis (OA) helps the health care provider to understand the impact of the disease in the patients' own perspective and make he...

Authors: Zainal F Zakaria, Azman A Bakar, Hadzri M Hasmoni, Fauzi A Rani and Samiah A Kadir

The perception of the hidden curriculum on medical education: an exploratory study

Major curriculum reform of undergraduate medical education occurred during the past decades in the United Kingdom (UK); however, the effects of the hidden curriculum, which influence the choice of primary care...

Authors: Manabu Murakami, Hidenobu Kawabata and Masaji Maezawa

Rotavirus and adenovirus frequency among patients with acute gastroenteritis and their relationship to clinical parameters: a retrospective study in Turkey

Diarrhea is the third leading cause of death related to infectious diseases all over the world. The diseases related to viral gastroenteritis are gradually increasing, particularly in the developed countries. ...

Authors: Hülya Akan, Güldal İzbırak, Yesim Gürol, Sezgin Sarıkaya, Tehlile S Gündüz, Gülden Yılmaz, Osman Hayran and Ayca Vitrinel

Lifestyle changes of Japanese people on overseas assignment in Michigan, USA

Temporary work assignments in the United States (US) are widely considered to have negative health outcomes on Asians mostly due to adverse changes in diet and exercise, though there is little research on this...

Authors: Kazuya Kitamura, Michael D Fetters, Kiyoshi Sano, Juichi Sato and Nobutaro Ban

Developing a teaching research culture for general practice registrars in Australia: a literature review

To ascertain the issues all general practice educators need to understand when educating GP registrars to learn about research.

Authors: Marjan Kljakovic

Use of antibiotics by primary care doctors in Hong Kong

To determine the use of antibiotics by primary care doctors.

Authors: Tai Pong Lam, Pak Leung Ho, Kwok Fai Lam, Kin Choi and Raymond Yung

Helicobacter pylori related dyspepsia: prevalence and treatment outcomes at University Kebangsaan Malaysia-Primary Care Centre

Optimum management of dyspepsia in primary care is a debatable subject. Testing for Helicobacter pylori (HP) has been recommended in primary care as this strategy will cure most underlying peptic ulcer disease...

Authors: Aznida Firzah Abdul Aziz, Zuhra Hamzah, Seng Fah Tong, Sukumar Nadeson and Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh

Learning a novel technique to identify possible melanomas: are Australian general practitioners better than their U.K. colleagues?

Spectrophotometric intracutaneous analysis (SIAscopy™) is a multispectral imaging technique that is used to identify 'suspicious' (i.e. potentially malignant) pigmented skin lesions for further investigation. ...

Authors: Tony Watson, Fiona M Walter, Annabel Wood, Helen Morris, Per Hall, Simone Karner and Jon Emery

The prevalence and factors associated with obesity among adult women in Selangor, Malaysia

The prevalence of obesity in developing countries especially among women is on the rise. This matter should be taken seriously because it can burden the health care systems and lower the quality of life.

Authors: Sherina Mohd Sidik and Lekhraj Rampal

Care for chronic illness in Australian general practice – focus groups of chronic disease self-help groups over 10 years: implications for chronic care systems reforms

Chronic disease is a major global challenge. However, chronic illness and its care, when intruding into everyday life, has received less attention in Asia Pacific countries, including Australia, who are in the...

Authors: Carmel M Martin, Chris Peterson, Rowena Robinson and Joachim P Sturmberg