Automated Medical History Taking in Primary Care: A Reinforcement Learning Approach

Online searching for healthcare information has gradually become a widely used internet case. Suppose a patient suffers the symptom but is unsure of the action he needs to take, a self-diagnosis tool can help the patient identify the possible conditions and whether this patient needs to seek immediate medical help. However, the accuracy and...

The Digital Entrance for Primary Care: Translating patients’ and caregivers’ needs into a new way to interact and connect

The current pandemic has drastically changed the primary care field. Suddenly, GP practices had to implement more digital or ‘care at a distance’ methods to keep interacting with patients. This was reflected by the strong increase in telephone consults and practices that used video calling for the first time. However, the sudden digital...

Identifying persistent somatic symptoms in electronic health records: Exploring multiple theory-driven methods of identification

Objective Persistent somatic symptoms (PSSs) are defined as symptoms not fully explained by well-established pathophysiological mechanisms and are prevalent in up to 10% of patients in primary care. The present study aimed to explore methods to identify patients with a recognisable risk of having PSS in routine primary care data. Design A...

Reprocessing filtering facepiece respirators in primary care using medical autoclave: prospective, bench-to-bedside, single-centre study

OBJECTIVE: There are widespread shortages of personal protective equipment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Reprocessing filtering facepiece particle (FFP)-type respirators may provide an alternative solution in keeping healthcare professionals safe. DESIGN: Prospective, bench-to-bedside. SETTING: A primary care-based study using FFP-2...