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Biomedical subjects

Philip C Hannaford

Publications and source records attributed to Philip C Hannaford.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Symptom experience and subsequent mortality: results from the West of Scotland Twenty-07 study.

BACKGROUND: Associations between symptom experience and mortality have rarely been investigated. One study has suggested that the number of symptoms people experience may be an important predictor of mortality. This novel and potentially important finding may have important implications but needs to be tested in other cohorts. METHODS: 858 people aged around 58 years were interviewed by nurses in 1990/1 as part of the West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study. They were asked about the presence of symptoms in the last month from a checklist of 33 symptoms. Measures of morbidity included symptom type (respiratory, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, mental health, neurological, systemic) and symptom summary measures looking at the number and impact of symptoms (total number; number participants tended to have; number participants did not tend to have; number which restricted usual activities; number which led to GP consultation). Hazard ratios for thirteen-year all-cause mortality were calculated for symptom types, symptom summary measures, and self-assessed health with and without adjustment. RESULTS: On unadjusted analysis, and after adjusting for gender, socio-economic status and smoking, mortality was elevated in individuals reporting respiratory, systemic and mental health symptoms. After additional adjustment for chronic conditions and self-assessed health, only the association between mental health symptoms and mortality remained significant. On unadjusted analysis, and after adjusting for gender, socio-economic status and smoking, mortality was elevated in individuals with many (> or = 6) symptoms in four of the symptom summary measures examined. These relationships were no longer significant after additional adjustment for chronic conditions and self-assessed health. A clear trend of increasing mortality as self-assessed health became poorer was observed. This pattern remained statistically significant after adjustment for gender, socio-economic status, smoking, chronic conditions and the total number of symptoms experienced. CONCLUSION: Symptoms often thought of as minor may have important consequences later in life especially for those reporting mental health-related symptoms or those experiencing many symptoms. In this study however, self-assessed health appeared to be a better predictor of mortality than the type or number of symptoms experienced, even when the tendency to have and impact of the symptoms were taken into account.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed2006

Effect of the UK incentive-based contract on the management of patients with stroke in primary care.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We wished to ascertain whether a new contract based on financial incentives for general practitioners has been associated with improved recording of quality indicators for patients with stroke and whether there was evidence of any difference in change between sex, age, and deprivation groups. METHODS: In a serial cross-sectional study, patients from 310 general practices with a computer record of transient ischemic attack or stroke in Scotland were analyzed for their recording of quality indicators before and after the introduction of a new quality-based contract on March 31, 2004. Multivariate analyses were used to explore any differences in recording between age, sex, and deprivation groups. RESULTS: Documentation of quality indicators increased over time, with absolute increases for individual indicators ranging from 32.3% to 52.1%. There was a large increase in the documentation of quality indicators among the oldest patients (>75 years) and the most affluent patients. This tended to attenuate age groups differences and to exacerbate differences between deprivation groups. Women tended to have larger increases in documentation than men; however, sex differences persisted, with women less likely than men to have smoking habits recorded (adjusted odds ratio, 0.87; 95% confidence interval, 0.81 to 0.95) or to receive antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy (adjusted odds ratio, 0.93; 95% confidence interval, 0.86 to 0.99). CONCLUSIONS: The recording and management of quality indicators among patients with stroke increased substantially. However, inequitable care exists, which may have important implications for female, older, and more deprived subgroups in terms of stroke recurrence and mortality.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2006

Experiences and perceptions of people with headache: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Few qualitative studies of headache have been conducted and as a result we have little in-depth understanding of the experiences and perceptions of people with headache. The aim of this paper was to explore the perceptions and experiences of individuals with headache and their experiences of associated healthcare and treatment. METHODS: A qualitative study of individuals with headache, sampled from a population-based study of chronic pain was conducted in the North-East of Scotland, UK. Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted with adults aged 65 or less. Interviews were analysed using the Framework approach utilising thematic analysis. RESULTS: Almost every participant reported that they were unable to function fully as a result of the nature and unpredictability of their headaches and this had caused disruption to their work, family life and social activities. Many also reported a negative impact on mood including feeling depressed, aggressive or embarrassed. Most participants had formed their own ideas about different aspects of their headache and several had searched for, or were seeking, increased understanding of their headache from a variety of sources. Many participants reported that their headaches caused them constant worry and anguish, and they were concerned that there was a serious underlying cause. A variety of methods were being used to manage headaches including conventional medication, complementary therapies and self-developed management techniques. Problems associated with all of these management strategies emerged. CONCLUSION: Headache has wide-ranging adverse effects on individuals and is often accompanied by considerable worry. The development of new interventions or educational strategies aimed at reducing the burden of the disorder and associated anxiety are needed.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2005

Use of exogenous hormones by women and lung cancer: evidence from the Royal College of General Practitioners' Oral Contraception Study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the risk of lung cancer among women who have used oral contraception or hormone replacement therapy (HRT), especially those exposed to both classes of exogenous hormones. DESIGN: This study is a nested case-control one using prospectively collected data from the Royal College of General Practitioners' Oral Contraception Study (OCS). The 162 case patients were women with a diagnosis of lung cancer recorded on the OCS database by August 2004. Each case patient was matched with 3 control subjects who were free of the disease at the time of the case patient's diagnosis, of similar age and with similar length of follow-up in the OCS. RESULTS: Compared with never use, current use of oral contraception was associated with a statistically nonsignificant reduced risk of lung cancer, with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 0.47 and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.08-2.95 (OR=0.86 and 95% CI=0.50-1.48 for former use; OR=0.84 and 95% CI=0.49-1.43 for ever use). Similar comparisons for HRT were current use (OR=1.21, 95% CI=0.23-6.37), former use (OR=0.62, 95% CI=0.23-1.68) and ever use (OR=0.71, 95% CI=0.28-1.78). The OR among women who had used both classes of hormones was 0.53 (95% CI=0.16-1.72), as compared with those who had used neither. CONCLUSIONS: Our results are compatible with findings from other studies that suggest that oral contraceptives may reduce the risk of lung cancer. Evidence for a beneficial effect of HRT is less convincing. Further study is needed to determine how long any benefit lasts and whether it is stronger in women exposed to both classes of exogenous hormones. The small number of events occurring in this very large cohort, however, shows that any public health benefit is likely to be marginal.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed2005

The use of medication for chronic pain in primary care, and the potential for intervention by a practice-based pharmacist.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The majority of people with chronic pain use analgesics regularly. Ensuring their safe and appropriate use is important. This study aimed to describe patterns of analgesic prescribing in one general practice, devise a method of identifying chronic pain patients from prescribing records, and assess prescribing recommendations made after a pharmacist-led review of analgesic prescribing and identify the proportion of these acted on by GPs. METHODS: Prescribing records in a practice of 6720 patients were searched and 678 patients were identified as receiving prescriptions for analgesics. 230 were invited to participate and sent a questionnaire, including questions about chronic pain severity, general health and medications used. This was repeated after six months. The pharmacist completed a detailed medication review using information from medical records, questionnaires and personal interviews. Prescribing recommendations were made to GPs. RESULTS: 192 recommendations about safe or appropriate prescribing were made for 86% of participants after records review, 56% being directly related to analgesic use. After 6 months all recommendations had been implemented in 77% of the patients. Few additional recommendations were made after interview. There was little or no relationship with changes in chronic pain severity or general or psychological health. CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated a method of identifying patients with chronic pain in primary care, and the feasibility and acceptability of a pharmacist-led intervention. This is of potential value in primary care, as relevant prescribing recommendations were made for most patients although further research is required to assess these.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Effect of multivitamin and multimineral supplements on morbidity from infections in older people (MAVIS trial): pragmatic, randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether supplementation with multivitamins and multiminerals influences self reported days of infection, use of health services, and quality of life in people aged 65 or over. DESIGN: Randomised, placebo controlled trial, with blinding of participants, outcome assessors, and investigators. SETTING: Communities associated with six general practices in Grampian, Scotland. PARTICIPANTS: 910 men and women aged 65 or over who did not take vitamins or minerals. INTERVENTIONS: Daily multivitamin and multimineral supplementation or placebo for one year. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes were contacts with primary care for infections, self reported days of infection, and quality of life. Secondary outcomes included antibiotic prescriptions, hospital admissions, adverse events, and compliance. RESULTS: Supplementation did not significantly affect contacts with primary care and days of infection per person (incidence rate ratio 0.96, 95% confidence interval 0.78 to 1.19 and 1.07, 0.90 to 1.27). Quality of life was not affected by supplementation. No statistically significant findings were found for secondary outcomes or subgroups. CONCLUSION: Routine multivitamin and multimineral supplementation of older people living at home does not affect self reported infection related morbidity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN: 66376460.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Long term effects of hysterectomy on mortality: nested cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the long term risk (mean > 20 years) of death from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer in women who had or had not had a hysterectomy. DESIGN: Nested cohort study. SETTING: Royal College of General Practitioners' oral contraception study. PARTICIPANTS: 7410 women (3705 flagged at the NHS central registries for cancer and death who had a hysterectomy during the oral contraception study and 3705 who were flagged but did not have the operation). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. RESULTS: 623 (8.4%) women had died by the end of follow-up (308 in the hysterectomy group and 315 in the non-hysterectomy group). Older women who had had a hysterectomy had a 6% reduced risk of death compared with women of a similar age who did not have the operation (adjusted hazard ratio 0.94, 95% confidence interval 0.75 to 1.18). Compared with young women who did not have a hysterectomy those who were younger at hysterectomy had an adjusted hazard ratio for all cause mortality of 0.82 (0.65 to 1.03). Hysterectomy was not associated with a significantly altered risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease or cancer regardless of age. CONCLUSION: Hysterectomy did not increase the risk of death in the medium to long term.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

The prevalence of ear, nose and throat problems in the community: results from a national cross-sectional postal survey in Scotland.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of ear, nose and throat (ENT) symptoms experienced by individuals living in Scotland, and their use of GP or hospital services for these problems. METHODS: A cross-sectional postal self-completed questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 12,100 households throughout Scotland. 15,788 individuals aged 14+ years living in the 7244 households who returned the questionnaire (adjusted response rate 64.2%) participated in the study. RESULTS: Roughly a fifth of respondents reported currently having hearing difficulties, including difficulty following conversations when there is background noise and hearing problems causing worry or upset; few wore a hearing aid regularly. A fifth reported noises in head or ears (tinnitus) lasting more than five minutes. In the previous year, between 13 and 18% of respondents reported persistent nasal symptoms or hayfever, 7% sneezing or voice problems and 31% had at least one episode of severe sore throat or tonsillitis. Nearly 21% of all respondents reported ever having had dizziness in which things seemed to spin around the individual; 29% unsteadiness, light-headedness or feeling faint; 13% dizziness in which the respondent seemed to move. Important gender, age, occupation and deprivation differences existed in the occurrence of these ENT symptoms. There was considerable variation in the proportion of individuals consulting their GP or being referred to hospital for different problems. CONCLUSIONS: ENT problems occur frequently in the community, and most are managed without consulting medical services. Whilst reasonable for many problems, there are likely to be important groups in the community with ENT problems that might benefit from modern interventions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

The 'number needed to sample' in primary care research. Comparison of two primary care sampling frames for chronic back pain.

BACKGROUND: Sampling for primary care research must strike a balance between efficiency and external validity. For most conditions, even a large population sample will yield a small number of cases, yet other sampling techniques risk problems with extrapolation of findings. OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficiency and external validity of two sampling methods for both an intervention study and epidemiological research in primary care--a convenience sample and a general population sample--comparing the response and follow-up rates, the demographic and clinical characteristics of each sample, and calculating the 'number needed to sample' (NNS) for a hypothetical randomized controlled trial. METHODS: In 1996, we selected two random samples of adults from 29 general practices in Grampian, for an epidemiological study of chronic pain. One sample of 4175 was identified by an electronic questionnaire that listed patients receiving regular analgesic prescriptions--the 'repeat prescription sample'. The other sample of 5036 was identified from all patients on practice lists--the 'general population sample'. Questionnaires, including demographic, pain and general health measures, were sent to all. A similar follow-up questionnaire was sent in 2000 to all those agreeing to participate in further research. We identified a potential group of subjects for a hypothetical trial in primary care based on a recently published trial (those aged 25-64, with severe chronic back pain, willing to participate in further research). RESULTS: The repeat prescription sample produced better response rates than the general sample overall (86% compared with 82%, P < 0.001), from both genders and from the oldest and youngest age groups. The NNS using convenience sampling was 10 for each member of the final potential trial sample, compared with 55 using general population sampling. There were important differences between the samples in age, marital and employment status, social class and educational level. However, among the potential trial sample, there were no demographic differences. Those from the repeat prescription sample had poorer indices than the general population sample in all pain and health measures. CONCLUSIONS: The repeat prescription sampling method was approximately five times more efficient than the general population method. However demographic and clinical differences in the repeat prescription sample might hamper extrapolation of findings to the general population, particularly in an epidemiological study, and demonstrate that simple comparison with age and gender of the target population is insufficient.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Weight change in adult life and health outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between weight change in adult life and subsequent mortality and cancer incidence in women. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: In 1994 to 1995, all women (age range, 42 to 81) still under general practitioner observation in the United Kingdom's Royal College of General Practitioners Oral Contraception Study (n = 12,303) were sent a health survey asking about health and lifestyle issues, including current weight and weight at age 30. The main outcome measures were 6-year all-cause mortality and cancer incidence among different weight change deciles. Cox regression was used to calculate hazard ratios that were adjusted for: social class at recruitment, BMI at age 30, and age group, parity, smoking status, and hormone replacement therapy status in 1995. RESULTS: Women who had been obese at age 30 were more likely to die and significantly more likely to develop cancer in the 6 years after the health survey than non-obese respondents. Women reporting weight gains between age 30 and 1995 were significantly less likely to die during the 6 years after the health survey than those with a stable weight, whereas those with weight loss did not fare any better than those in the stable-weight group. DISCUSSION: Although obesity at young age was associated with subsequent mortality and cancer incidence, weight gain over a time period of 12 to 51 years appeared to be beneficial when compared with women with stable weight over the same time period. Further research is needed to confirm or refute our findings and to allow detailed examination of potential explanations for them.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Is living in a rural area good for your respiratory health? Results from a cross-sectional study in Scotland.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the epidemiology of self-reported chronic respiratory disease throughout Scotland, and to explore the relationship between quality of life and geographic location in those reporting disease. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. Self-reported data on age, gender, socioeconomic factors, smoking habits, selected illnesses (major respiratory and atopic diseases, and other major conditions), respiratory symptoms, use of medicines and health services, and quality of life were collected using a postal questionnaire. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 4,560 adults registered with 1 of 57 family practices (22 rural and 35 urban) throughout Scotland. RESULTS: The response rate was 60%. Following adjustment for potential confounders, participants from rural areas reported a significantly lower prevalence of any chest illness (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58 to 0.91), asthma (adjusted OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.46 to 0.76), and eczema/dermatitis (adjusted OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.52 to 0.87). Rural location was less likely than urban location to be associated with the reporting of persistent cough and phlegm and different symptoms (types of breathlessness and wheeze) indicative of asthma. No difference in prevalence was found for other respiratory problems. Participants from rural areas reporting COPD or emphysema, or cough or phlegm symptoms had significantly better quality of life scores than their urban counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, living in a rural area was associated with a lower prevalence of asthma but not other chronic respiratory disorders, and a lower prevalence of some respiratory symptoms (including wheeze). Although the prevalence of COPD or emphysema did not differ between rural and urban areas, rural residency appeared to be associated with better health status among subjects with these conditions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Temporal change in the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and obstructive airways disease 1993-2001.

BACKGROUND: There has been little available information regarding secular changes in the prevalence of respiratory symptoms since the mid-1990s. AIM: To examine changes in the prevalence of respiratory symptoms for 1993-2001. DESIGN OF STUDY: A series of postal questionnaire surveys. SETTING: Two general practice populations, including all age groups. METHOD: Four postal respiratory questionnaire surveys were conducted between 1993 and 2001. Subjects who replied to two or more surveys (8058 adults and 2350 children) were included in the main analyses. Validated scoring systems were used to define obstructive airways disease in adults and asthma in children. RESULTS: Over the 8-year observation period there were increases among adults in the crude prevalence of wheeze, being woken by cough, receipt of current asthma medication, and of obstructive airways disease, compared with decreases in children for wheeze, night cough, asthma attacks, and asthma. For adults, adjusted odds ratios per year of secular increase were 1.03 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02 to 1.03) for wheeze, 1.03 (95% CI = 1.02 to 1.03) for being woken by cough, 1.03 (95% CI = 1.02 to 1.04) for asthma medication, and 1.02 (95% CI = 1.01 to 1.03) for obstructive airways disease. These increases were greater in those aged over 44 years, in males, and in those without a family history of asthma or a history of hayfever or eczema. Corresponding decreases for children were 0.94 (95% CI = 0.92 to 0.97) for wheeze, 0.93 (95% CI = 0.91 to 0.96) for night cough, 0.93 (95% CI = 0.90 to 0.95) for asthma attacks and 0.98 (95% CI = 0.95 to 1.00) for asthma. CONCLUSION: The increases found in adults are more likely to be due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than asthma. This is supported by the decreases in symptom and asthma prevalence in children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Factors related to the onset and persistence of chronic back pain in the community: results from a general population follow-up study.

INTRODUCTION: We compared the prevalence of chronic back pain (CBP) at two points 4 years apart and examined socio-demographic, health, and pain-related factors associated with its onset and persistence. METHOD: A random population sample of 2,184 adults was surveyed in 1996 and resurveyed in 2000. The questionnaire included chronic pain case definition questions (pain for 3 months or longer); the cause (1996) or site (2000) of any chronic pain; the Chronic Pain Grade questionnaire; the Level of Expressed Need (LEN) questionnaire; the SF-36 general health questionnaire; and demographic questions. Those with CBP in 1996 and 2000 had "persistent" CBP; those with CBP in 1996 but not 2000 had "recovered" CBP; those with CBP in 2000 but not 1996 had "new" CBP. RESULTS: Corrected response rates were 82.3% (1996) and 83.0% (2000). The sample prevalence of CBP was 16% (1996) and 27% (2000). Factors in 1996 independently associated with "persistent" compared with "recovered" CBP were preexisting arthritis, high LEN, poor mental health, and not living alone. Factors independently predicting "new" CBP compared with no previous CBP were previous chronic pain elsewhere and poor physical health. "Persistent" CBP was associated with more severe pain, higher LEN, and poorer general health than "new" CBP. DISCUSSION: CBP is a common and lasting problem, whose persistence and onset are predicted by clinical (especially pain) and help-seeking behavior factors, rather than socio-demographic. Prevention should focus on these factors.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

The use of non-prescription medicines by general practitioner attendees.

PURPOSE: Against a background of increasing availability and use of non-prescription medicines, this study set out to explore: use of such medicines by patients seeing their general practitioner (GP); frequency of GP enquiry about such use; and frequency of recommendations to use a non-prescription medicine. METHOD: Patients attending four general practices in Aberdeen, Scotland, completed separate questionnaires (before and after seeing their GP). RESULTS: Some 461 individuals waiting to see their GP were invited to participate: 427 (93%) completed the pre-consultation questionnaire and 305 (71% of questionnaires issued) completed the post-consultation questionnaire. Almost half (45%) of all participants reported using non-prescription medicines in the 7 days prior to visiting their doctor; with 20% of the medicines purchased from non-pharmacy retail outlets. Thirteen per cent of participants were asked about their use of non-prescribed medicines by their GP. Eight per cent of participants were recommended to use a non-prescription medicine by their GP. CONCLUSION: Although there was a high level of recent use of non-prescribed medicines by the general practice attenders, relatively few reported being asked about such use, or were recommended to use such medicines by their GP.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2004

Childhood asthma: healthcare resource utilisation in those with and without a diagnosis of the condition.

AIM: To examine healthcare utilisation and the direct financial costs in providing medical care to a population of children aged 5-15 years with respiratory complaints. Secondarily, to assess whether these costs depended upon having specific asthma diagnosis or not. METHOD: A postal respiratory questionnaire was sent to the parents or guardians of all children registered with two general practices. A search of the general practice medical records over a 2-year reference period was made for a stratified random sample and results are presented for 488 children aged 5-15 years. RESULTS: The cost of primary care lower respiratory tract consultations in children with 4-5 symptoms/risk factors was pounds sterling 17.02 per patient per year for those with a previous diagnosis of asthma compared with pounds sterling 6.08 per patient per year for those with the same number of symptoms but no diagnosis (t = -4.446, P<0.001). The cost of primary care lower respiratory consultations in those with no GP diagnosis of asthma and no symptoms/risk factors was pounds sterling 2.25 per patient per year. CONCLUSIONS: Studies, which fail to include the costs associated with treating children with respiratory symptoms but without a formal diagnosis, will seriously underestimate the costs of treating asthmatic children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Is chronic pain a distinct diagnosis in primary care? Evidence arising from the Royal College of General Practitioners' Oral Contraception study.

BACKGROUND: and Objectives. There is a case for considering chronic pain as a distinct diagnosis in primary care, independent of its cause or body site, to allow development of common management strategies. This study examined the prevalence and factors associated with chronic pain among women still in the Royal College of General Practitioners' Oral Contraception Study, and compared the factors associated with chronic pain arising at different body sites, to examine the support for this case. METHODS: A survey of 11797 women examined the presence and site(s) of chronic pain, and other health factors. Socio-demographic factors, attendance at the family doctor for the pain and self-rated health were examined for their association with any chronic pain and site-specific chronic pain. RESULTS: Thirty-eight percent of women reported any chronic pain, for which most had attended their family doctor. Manual social class, former oral contraceptive use and area of residence were independently associated with any chronic pain. Chronic pain at different sites was associated with different socio-demographic factors, and different proportions of women consulting their family doctor or reporting unfavourable health. These proportions rose with the number of reported sites of chronic pain. CONCLUSIONS: The findings confirm the high prevalence of chronic pain and its importance to primary care. They suggest that chronic pain occurrence at different body sites varies across population subgroups, with differences in its impact on health. These differences call into question the independence of a chronic pain diagnosis. However, other factors common to any chronic pain support the development of common management and prevention strategies in primary care, and the variations highlighted will inform the targeting of these. The number of sites of chronic pain may be more important than the actual site(s) in determining its impact.

Academies and Institutes↗