Abstract
InnovAiT is produced on a 3 year cycle. However, many articles do not significantly go out of date in that time. This section of InnovAiT summarizes articles from the previous cycle of InnovAiT that GPs and GPs in training might still find useful today.
The new general practice curriculum—being a General Practitioner
Professor Steve Field
InnovAiT 2008 1(1): p. 6–7
The general practice curriculum was granted unconditional approval by the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) in 2006. It is the first nationally approved curriculum for training GPs in the UK. This article sets out the foundations and aims of the GP curriculum.
Consultations with children
Dr Francoise van Dorp
InnovAiT 2008 1(1): p. 54–61
Patients under 15 years of age comprise around 20% of the average GP list and account for one in four GP consultations. School children visit the GP between two and three times a year, but this figure is doubled in the under fives who visit the GP an average of six times per year. The under fives also have more home visits than any other group except the elderly. Children form an important part of a GP's workload and this article aims to give the GP a strategy with which to approach their assessment in the community.
Congenital heart disease
Dr Francoise van Dorp
Dr Chantal Simon
InnovAiT 2008 1(1): p. 34–40
Congenital heart disease simply means heart disease present at birth. It comprises genetic heart disease and structural abnormalities of the heart. This article describes the presentation of congenital heart disease and outlines common structural and genetic heart problems.
Neonatal bloodspot screening
Dr Chantal Simon
InnovAiT 2008 1(1): p. 62–68
Neonatal bloodspot screening involves taking a small blood sample obtained by pricking a baby's heel. The blood is placed on special filter paper and sent for analysis. The test is offered to all newborn babies in the UK and is usually carried out by the midwife when the baby is 5–8 days old. It is part of the National Child Health Promotion Programme. This article introduces the neonatal bloodspot screening test and describes the features of the important diseases that are currently screened for.
Urinary tract infection in childhood
Dr Chantal Simon
InnovAiT 2008 1(1): p. 69–72
Eight percent of girls and 2% of boys have a urinary tract infection (UTI) in childhood—the majority in the first year of life. Childhood UTI can have long-term consequences. Around 1 in 10 children with UTI develop renal scarring within 2 years of their first infection. There is a higher incidence of renal scarring in children with renal tract abnormalities and vesicoureteric reflux. Infections causing renal scarring are associated with adult pyelonephritis, hypertension, impaired renal function and renal failure. Prognosis is worst for children with recurrent infection, severe reflux and renal scarring at the time of first presentation. This article reviews the presentation and initial investigation of children with UTI. It also reviews further investigations and follow-up that are necessary to prevent long-term complications.
Funny turns in small children
Dr Francoise van Dorp and Dr Chantal Simon InnovAiT 2008 1(1): p. 74–78
Small children are often brought to the GP by their parents because they have had a funny turn. The GP must make a decision on the cause of the child's funny turn and appropriate action to take. This article presents a strategy that a GP can use to deal with such situations and describes the major conditions that form the differential diagnosis.