Contents – July 2006

News

National Service Framework for COPD to be developed

Parkinson's disease diagnosis requires review at regular intervals

Editorial

Your articles on local initiatives are welcomed

The Guidelines in Practice readership survey highlghts an interest in new and existing guideline implementation

Personal View

Should hypertension be treated with beta-blockers?

Dr Mark Davis discusses the changes to the treatment algorithm in the updated NICE/BHS hypertension guideline

New Guidelines: Review

Guidance will help GPs to identify and treat atrial fibrillation

NICE guideline recommends that GPs should adopt a patient-centred approach when managing and treating individual cases of AF, says Dr Alan Begg

GP Contract: QOF2

Teenagers are set to lose out with the new epilepsy indicators

GPs should continue to treat patients aged 16 and 17 in primary care even though the epilepsy register now starts at 18 years, as Dr Andrew Orr explains

Medico-legal Issues in Practice

Open access to official NHS Trust and PCT information

Dr Gerard Panting discusses th Freedom of Information Act and how the availability of publicly accessible information impacts on GPs and the NHS

Notes for Authors

Writing for Guidelines in Practice: instruction for authors

Focus on CME

Guidelines in Practice CME questions: 58

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

QOF2 Indicators

QOF2 clinical indicators: summary tables

NICE Referral Guide

NICE referral summaries

Meetings & Conferences

Diary of events

Please let us know of your forthcoming meetings and workshops for inclusion in our events diary

Out of Hours

Can star ratings ever be accurate or meaningful?

Dr Phil Hammond, broadcaster and GP returner in Bristol