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Biomedical subjects

F Difford

Publications and source records attributed to F Difford.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

General practitioners' attendance at courses accredited for the postgraduate education allowance.

An analysis was undertaken in the northern half of the South Western Regional Health Authority of general practitioners' attendance at courses accredited for the postgraduate educational allowance over one year. A total of 358 courses provided 2341 hours of accredited education and produced a total general practitioner attendance of 50,389 hours. The mean attendance per principal in the area was 49.2 hours although the region may be a net importer of attenders from outside the area. Of the 50,389 total hours of attendance, 28.3% were in health promotion, 48.2% in disease management and 23.5% in service management. Course provision and attendance varied considerably over the year. September, October and November accounted for 42.7% of the total hours of attendance, compared with 6.8% in June, July and August. Courses of two to four days or of one week duration accounted for 48.3% of total attendance hours; 10.1% of total attendance hours were at commercially organized courses and 5.6% at courses organized by practices. A total of 66.1% of attendance hours were in postgraduate centres and 6.8% in the practice. Courses with more than 30 participants accounted for 15.9% of courses attended. A total of 174 general practitioners and others organized courses, 21 of them influencing 33,521 hours of general practitioner education. The study shows that in this area, there was an encouraging provision, range and uptake of continuing education courses for general practitioners. The concentration of educational activities in postgraduate centres underlines the need for increased provision for developing educational skills for clinical tutors.

Education, Medical, Continuing↗
PubMed1991

Experience of using rating scales for the assessment of vocational trainees in general practice.

For two years trainers in the northern half of the south western region have been asked to assess their trainees with a condensed version of the new Manchester rating scales for vocational training in general practice and to send copies to the regional adviser. The condensed version retains the 23 scales but does not include the subscales. Trainers' workshops and comments from individuals suggested that no radical improvements to the scales were required and that they were an adequate statement of what was required from trainees. The response rate of 89% for returning at least one assessment and 38% for returning all three suggested that use of this condensed version would be more feasible than using the full version of the scales. Analysis of 86 first assessments and 48 sets of three assessments showed a range of variation both in trainee ratings and use of individual scales that was consistent with expectations. A lack of significant rank correlations between the scales indicated that each of the scales measured a different characteristic of behaviour. We suggest that the most useful way to achieve systematic assessment of vocational trainees is by the use of the 23 main rating scales, with regional variations where appropriate.

Communication↗
PubMed1988

Performance review using sequential sampling and a practice computer.

The use of sequential sample analysis for repeated performance review is described with examples from several areas of practice. The value of a practice computer in providing a random sample from a complete population, evaluating the parameters of a sequential procedure, and producing a structured worksheet is discussed. It is suggested that sequential analysis has advantages over conventional sampling in the area of performance review in general practice.

Computers↗
PubMed1987

Continuous opportunistic and systematic screening for hypertension with computer help: analysis of non-responders.

For two years an office computer was used to identify patients to prompt for opportunistic screening and call for systematic screening. After the two years 92% of patients on the list had had blood pressure readings recorded within the previous five years, of which 34% resulted from special prompts and 22% from screening letters. Those who failed to respond to letters were sent questionnaires, and their records were compared with those of screened patients. With the help of a microcomputer it is practicable to sustain a continuous screening rate of between 90% and 95%.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

A computerized audit of a screening programme to establish rubella immunity.

This paper reports the use of a practice computer to help establish rubella immunity in all women that are likely to bear children. The rubella status by serological testing for each woman in the practice together with the date of the test is entered in the computer by ancillary staff as soon as results are obtained. The computer audit can be carried out by practice staff and takes half an hour. The resulting print-out gives details of rubella immunity for all women aged 14-39 years and also for all women at the beginning of pregnancy. Results of successive audits show consistent increases in the numbers of women with established rubella immunity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Mapping practice population and morbidity with a computer.

A method of dividing a map of the practice area into a grid based on postcode locations is described. The distribution of the practice population may thus be shown graphically and trends observed. The geographical incidence and prevalence of morbidity may also be charted and variations of statistical significance determined. This is a practical tool that will have greater potential as information technology in general practice develops.

Aged↗
PubMed1985

Maintaining the accuracy of a computer practice register: household index.

In this practice, with a family practitioner committee list of 9726 patients, we use a computer register for recall, screening, morbidity data, audit, and repeat prescribing. The computing techniques used to achieve accuracy in maintaining the register are described. After one year of full use the register was validated by using the computer to select a random sample of 200 patients from patients' computer records that had not been updated recently. Two patients were untraceable, and in only 11 records were errors of information found, none of which was important. We think that it is feasible and valuable to have a household index.

Computers↗