Beijing, February 16, 2018: The February 2018 issue includes an editorial, five original research articles and two Qualitative Exploration articles addressing various topics in family medicine in both China and internationally.
The first featured article in this issue is an original research article entitled "Type 2 diabetes: Challenges facing GPs" by authors Lili Huo and Jonathan E. Shaw. China faces a huge task in managing the large numbers of people with diabetes. General practitioners (GPs) are in a privileged position to provide first contact and continuing care for most diabetic patients. However, the GP system in China is still in its infancy and faces a range of challenges, such as a shortage of health care providers, GPs' poor adherence to guideline recommendations, patients' poor adherence to treatment, and lack of access to health care. In this article we describe the challenges that GPs in China are struggling with and some of the management and organizational approaches that have been shown to be successful in tackling diabetes and similar chronic diseases.
The second featured article is an original research article entitled "Chronic heart failure: Role of the GP in management" by Leon Piterman, Hui Yang and Zhaoxia Yin. In keeping with the global rise in the prevalence of chronic and noncommunicable disease, the prevalence of chronic heart failure (CHF) is increasing globally, with estimates of 10% of the population older than 75 years affected in developed countries, despite improvements in the management of cardiovascular disease more generally. This article discusses current management of CHF, illustrating the important role played by the GP in coordinating care. Management includes nonpharmacological as well as pharmacological treatment, and self-care with careful monitoring of salt and fluid intake as well as regular weight measurement. Care planning and team-based care are essential in managing patients with CHF, who often have concurrent multimorbidity and are receiving polypharmacy.Other articles published in the issue include:
Editorial
Chronic non-communicable disease
Leon Piterman, Hui Yang
Original Research
Offshore teaching in chronic disease management: The Monash-Shenzhen experience
Leon Piterman, Hui Yang, Grant Blashki
Grant Blashki, Hui Yang, Leon Piterman
Chronic disease in a digital health environment
Christopher Pearce
Qualitative Exploration
Manasi Gaikwad, Simon Vanlint, Paul Aylward, Nigel Stocks
Nithra Kitreerawutiwong, Sunsanee Mekrungrengwong, Artitaya Wongwonsin, Chakkraphan Phetphum
FMCH is available on the IngentaConnect platform and at Family Medicine and Community Health. Submissions may be made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. There are no author submission or article processing fees. FMCH is indexed in the ESCI, EBSCO, OCLC, Primo Central (Ex Libris), Scopus, Sherpa Romeo, Ulrichsweb, DOAJ, WPRIM, NISC (National Information Services Corporation) and Index Copernicus Databases. Follow FMCH on Twitter @FMCHJournal; or Facebook. http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cscript/fmch/2016/00000004/00000004
Full bibliographic information
Volume 6, Number 1
Family Medicine and Community Health
ISSN 2305-6983 (Print); ISSN: 2009-8774 (Online)
###