The burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is enormous and is increasing, but early, accurate diagnosis in a primary care setting can have a crucial impact on managing the condition. New NICE guidelines and the GMS Contract with incentives give GPs and practice nurses the opportunity to diagnose COPD patients and manage them in a structured fashion. This book brings together clear and concise information for GPs and primary healthcare teams on how this can be achieved accurately and effectively. This book sets out a very practical approach to caring for one group who can...

'Peripheral vascular disease is common and has a significant adverse effect on the quality of life. A general practice with a list size of 6000 patients will have approximately 30 symptomatic patients with peripheral vascular disease' - Anita Sharma Peripheral vascular disease is a commonly neglected condition and therefore often presents in an advanced stage or in a life-threatening manner. General practitioners can play a vital role by making early diagnoses, prompt referrals, and in coordinating vascular risk factor management in primary care. This book is a concise and practical guide to...

'The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) is a system to financially reward general practices for providing quality care to their patients. It is a fundamental part of the GMS contract, introduced in April 2004. QOF is estimated to have saved up to 10,000 lives a year since its introduction - ' - From the Preface Filled with practical guidance and tips, this book explains everything you need to do in order to score 'maximum' on all the clinical indicators in the QOF. Using tables and lists, it details areas such as setting up a disease register, ensuring that you have an accepted definition...