'Medical technology is beneficial for well researched dangerous diseases. However, most symptoms that people bring to their primary care physician have no single clearly identifiable cause: investigations and drugs do more harm than good - and also waste resources - ' - Wilfrid Treasure Diagnosis and Risk Management in Primary Care teaches that adopting an evidence-based approach to primary care improves patient care and treatment outcomes. It demonstrates that brief clinical assessments, repeated if necessary, allow effective diagnosis while avoiding the costs and complications associated with more advanced testing. Adopting a fresh approach, this book sets consultation skills alongside evidence-based information by both itemising the specific techniques and facts that are needed in the consulting room, and providing detailed information on odds and likelihood ratios to quantify risk and deal with uncertainty. This book provides food for thought, and helps doctors develop communication skills that support their personal styles of consulting, encouraging a more traditional, intuitive treatment. It provides a map of the consultation and a compass to navigate through symptoms, signs and evidence - listening to their patients with one ear and, with the other, to the reflective inner voice of reason. General Practitioner Specialist Trainees and their teachers will find much of interest, as will established General Practitioners with an interest in maintaining traditional models of care. Undergraduate medical students and candidates for the MRCGP will find this an ideal reader for the clinical skills assessment. 'What a breath of fresh air to find an author capable of putting the patient back at the centre of the consultation and who is able to entertain at the same time as he informs and to stimulate critical reflection while nudging us in the direction of a rigorous approach to diagnosis, and the assessment and communication of risk.' From the foreword by Roger Jones

General practitioners (GPs) and other members of the Primary Health Care Team (PHCT) play a crucial role in the provision of health care for children. At least 25% of GP consultations are with children, and many of the problems encountered are specific to this population group. However, children do not represent a homogeneous population and several ages of childhood are recognised, each with its unique set of illnesses and problems: the neonate, infant, pre-school child, school age child and the adolescent. Furthermore, both the childhood population and their illnesses change with time; new illnesses such as HIV have appeared and others, not seen for many years (such as rickets, tuberculosis and congenital rubella syndrome) have returned. Thus a comprehensive knowledge of the varied aspects of child health is needed; recognition of the acutely ill child, developmental surveillance, immunisation, treatment of chronic illness, and psycho-social issues. GPs are also increasingly involved in influencing configuration and the commissioning of services at a local level. This textbook provides practical guidance for GPs, GP registrars, practice nurses and health visitors dealing with child health in the 21st century. It undertakes a focused, problem-orientated approach based on the more common childhood problems encountered by GPs. Each chapter includes the essential background theory, but the emphasis is on making the clinical approach relevant and sensitive to primary care. Solutions to clinical scenarios are provided, based upon current, best available evidence. Site and system specific chapters are combined with sections looking at wider issues such as ethics and law, multicultural issues, and immunisation.

The field of medical education and training has undergone dramatic changes within the past few years, and continues to evolve. Modernising Medical Careers, changes in the statutory role of the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board, and the Good Doctors, Safer Patients report from Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer, are just some of the factors affecting the way doctors are now learning. In this book, Yvonne Carter and Neil Jackson, experienced medical educators of both undergraduates and postgraduates who have demonstrated a long standing commitment to multi-professional education and training, bring together a prestigious team of contributors with a wide variety of experience across diverse academic, service and lay backgrounds, to provide a comprehensive, up to date review of medical education and training.
With the demands on young doctors increasing, along with higher patient expectations, the need for ongoing education and training within the medical profession has never been higher. This book offers theoretical and practical guidance for those planning, delivering, and receiving education and training in ever-changing healthcare environments. Themes covered include assessment, professionalism and medical regulation, educational standards, patients' expectations, Continuing Professional Development, leadership and management, the European Working Time Directive, Fitness to Practice, interprofessional learning, the development of the NHS workforce, equality and diversity, and ethical and legal issues. Medical education needs to be a lifelong process, and this book integrates both undergraduate and postgraduate issues throughout, to encourage continued learning.
This book will help ensure that future generations of doctors are trained to meet the changing needs of our population.

'For patients, good quality primary healthcare is of fundamental importance. In order to provide quality care education and training is paramount to professionals in primary care. Yvonne Carter and Neil Jackson have brought together a group of well-known practitioners to help them give an up to date and comprehensive overview of education and training in primary care. Readers will find much here which will help them chart the way forward in their own practice teams in ways which should lead to good results for patients and that enhanced professionalism in practitioners so crucial to their satisfaction and morals.' from the foreword by Sir Donald Irvine

With the advent of PCGs/PCTs and a huge government programme of primary care development comes a great need to understand the education and training system, and its relation to other systems in the NHS, ie. service provision and research and development - a 'three systems approach'.The book encourages and facilitates strategic thinking and planning in relation to education and training at various levels including organisation, team and individual healthcare professional. The Handbook of Education and Training in Primary Care contains up to date information on educational concepts and practice for the benefit of all healthcare professionals in primary care and the wider NHS.

The handbook covers a range of issues paramount to education and training including clinical governance, quality and audit, research methods, clinical effectiveness and evidence-based primary care. A chapter devoted to learning from patients and coverarge of the interface between primary and secondary care make this handbook a unique and valuable resource for all in primary care.

About the Editors

Professor Yvonne Carter is Professor of General Practice and Primary Care and Head of Department at Barts and the London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of London. She is editor of many books and is committed to increasing the research capacity in primary care and is particularly interested in the accreditation of research practices and the development of primary care research networks.

Dr Neil Jackson is Dean of Postgraduate General Practice London Deanery, University of London. He is currently advising the Governments of Georgia and Uzbekistan to develop systems of Primary Care, a network of GP trainers and Family medicine Training programme in collaboration with the Department for International Development and Imperial College, London.

Yvonne Carter is a mother of five ranging in ages from 18 to 36 years old. She has two sons, Vaughn and Sean Jones and three daughters, Alicia, Joy and Yvonne Carter. She began writing and creating greeting cards for her children and eventually included family, friends and church family etc. She found true purpose when she came to know Jesus Christ and accepted Him into her life. Her heart's desire is to show the love of Christ to others that they, too, may know, love, worship and obey Him. Along with her business partner, Gwendolyn Cary, she begun a Christian Greeting Card Business called "Refreshing the Spirit Ministries." Some of Yvonne's poetry God birthed out of frustrations, challenges or struggles in her life. Some came forth out of joyful experiences, simply awakening to a new day or just questioning something she would see or hear. God would sometimes just give her a word to minister to another in need of edifying. She sees a central theme of "love" in her writings. She is growing in her love for the LORD and prays that each reader would as well. It is all to the Glory of God