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October 1999

News

BHS updates guidelines on hypertension

Standard questions could predict asthma outcomes

Editorial

RCP Report aims to improve domiciliary oxygen services

Dr Michael Rudolf, respiratory physician and Chairman of the RCP Working Party on Domiciliary Oxygen Services

Letters

Do junior doctors recognise their consultants?

Guidelines in Practice welcomes letters; if would you like to share your views with other readers, please write in

Personal View

Back pain guidelines highlight psychosocial factors

Yellow flags are an important aid to our management of acute low back pain, as Dr Charles Sears explains

Guideline Development

RCN takes child-centred approach to pain assessment in children

Noelle Llewellyn explains how the RCN's guidelines will help healthcare professionals and parents assess pain accurately in children of all ages

Locality Protocol

GP referral protocol cuts waiting times for joint replacements

Dr John Orchard describes the development of a demand management tool which enables GPs to prioritise patients for hip and knee replacements and reduces waiting times

Guideline Implementation

Local guideline aims to unify approach to cancer pain relief

Jayne Wood describes how a multidisciplinary group from primary and secondary care adapted a national guideline for local use to improve cancer pain management

Tips on Guideline Use

How to monitor the progress of a guideline

The effectiveness of a guideline is best measured using indicators of key processes, explains Dr Mark Charny in the eighth article in this series

Questions & Answers

Your problems solved

Our editorial board answer your questions on whether guidelines will stand up in court and current guidance on tetanus vaccination

Out of Hours

Guidelines on dealing with road rage

Dr Phil Hammond, GP, lecturer and presenter of BBC2's Trust Me, I'm a Doctor