The Primary Care Effectiveness Programme involves research mainly on the management of medical conditions including depression and diabetes; screening and prescribing issues, and lifestyle issues.

Major developments include the Case-finding and Help Assessment Tool (CHAT) for lifestyle and mental health issues, which has been extensively evaluated, validated and is now being implemented in an electronic format (the eCHAT). Also, the Department of General Practice and Primary Health Care is now the Cochrane Primary Care administrative centre along with Dublin and Nymegen (Netherlands). Systematic review research continues, with a systematic review published in the BMJ on antibiotics for acute purulent rhinitis.

Visit the BMJ website