Contents – May 2004

Guidelines in Practice Conference

CHD tsar praises GPs’ initiatives in secondary prevention

News

NICE issues guidance on the use of newer drugs for epilepsy in children

Guidelines in Practice Awards – entries close at the end of June

In Reply

Deciding who to include on the hypertension register

Personal View

Can GPs provide cognitive behavioural therapy?

The new contract’s aspirations for enhanced care for depressed patients are laudable
but underfunded, says Dr Phillip Bland

New Guidelines: Development

British guideline updates advice on inhaled steroids in mild asthma

Dr Hilary Pinnock explains how SIGN and the BTS have been able to react quickly to the latest evidence by electronically updating their guideline each year

New Guidelines: Review

Hypertension guideline stresses importance of estimating CVD risk

Updated BHS recommendations on hypertension will aid GPs in assessing cardiovascular risk and tailoring treatment to the individual patient, says Dr Alan Begg

New GP Contract

Meeting the challenge of the COPD indicators

Ensuring that your practice has the right skill mix will be important for gaining maximum points for the new contract’s COPD indicators, says Dr Peter Saul

New GMS contract changes the relationship between GPs and PCOs

GMS regulations have replaced terms of service under the new contract. Dr Gerard Panting explains how this affects working partnerships in primary care

Medico-legal Issues in Practice

Guidelines, protocols and the duty of care

Could you defend your clinical practice if it differed from that recommended by a guideline? Dr Gerard Panting explains the legal position

Focus on CME

Guidelines in Practice CME questions: 33

Write the answers in the spaces provided, then cut out the pages and put them in your personal development plan

Out of Hours

Taking the colonoscopy challenge

Dr Phil Hammond, GP and broadcaster