The aim of the present study was to describe the development of Families First, a new mentalization-based group intervention model for supporting early parenthood. The general aim of the intervention was to support well-functioning models of parenting and prevent transmission of negative parenting models over generations, and thus promote child development and overall family health.

In the Finnish society, great concern has aroused during the last decade regarding the well-being and mental health of children and adolescents. Increased number of divorces, poverty, substance abuse, and mental health problems among parents enhance the risk for child neglect and abuse. New effective, preventive, and health-promoting intervention tools are greatly needed to support families with young children. At present, the Families First intervention is being implemented in primary social and healthcare units all over Finland.

This article will provide a theoretical understanding of the importance of parental mentalization for the development of the parent–child relationship and the development of the child as well as proposed mechanisms of actions in order to enhance mentalizing capacity. The cultural context will be described. The article will also provide a description of the scientific evaluation protocol of the intervention model. Finally, possible limitations and challenges of the intervention model are discussed.

To better understand the type and range of health issues initiated by patients and providers in ‘high-quality’ primary-care for adults with diabetes and low socio-economic status (SES).

Although quality of care guidelines are straightforward, diabetes visits in primary care are often more complex than adhering to guidelines, especially in adults with low SES who experience many financial and environmental barriers to good care.

We conducted a qualitative study using direct observation of primary-care diabetes visits at an exemplar safety net practice in 2009–2010.

In a mainly African American (93%) low-income population with fair cardiovascular control (mean A1c 7.5%, BP 134/81 mmHg, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol 100 mg/dL), visits addressed a variety of bio-psychosocial health issues [median: 25 problems/visit (range 13–32)]. Physicians most frequently initiated discussions about chronic diseases, prevention, and health behavior. Patients most frequently initiated discussions about social environment and acute symptoms followed by prevention and health behavior.

Primary-care visits by diabetes patients with low SES address a surprising number and diversity of problems. Emerging new models of primary-care delivery and quality measurement should allow adequate time and resources to address the range of tasks necessary for integrating biomedical and psychosocial concerns to improve the health of socio-economically disadvantaged patients.

The aim of this research is to examine perceptions of those with comorbid chronic pain and obesity regarding their experience of comorbidity management in primary care settings.

Chronic pain and obesity are common comorbidities frequently managed in primary care settings. Evidence suggests individuals with this comorbidity may be at risk for suboptimal clinical interactions; however, treatment experiences and preferences of those with comorbid chronic pain and obesity have received little attention.

Semi-structured interviews conducted with 30 primary care patients with mean body mass index=36.8 and comorbid persistent pain. The constant comparative method was used to analyze data.

Participants discussed frustration with a perceived lack of information tailored to their needs and a desire for a personalized treatment experience. Participants found available medical approaches unsatisfying and sought a more holistic approach to management. Discussions also focused around the need for providers to initiate efforts at education and motivation enhancement and to show concern for and understanding of the unique difficulties associated with comorbidity. Findings suggest providers should engage in integrated communication regarding weight and pain, targeting this multimorbidity using methods aligned with priorities discussed by patients.

This research sought (a) to investigate the similarities and differences in how pharmaceutical services are provided by community pharmacies (CPs) and dispensing doctor practices (DPs) and (b) to identify the issues relevant to determining the quality of pharmaceutical services in these settings.

UK pharmaceutical services, including dispensing prescriptions and public health advice, can be provided from both (CP) and, in rural areas, (DP). While there is much similarity between CPs and DPs in the types of services provided, there is also the potential for variation in service quality across settings.

A postal questionnaire of DPs and CPs in South West England was conducted to provide a descriptive overview of pharmaceutical services across the settings. A subsection of questionnaire respondent sites were selected to take part in case studies, which involved documentary analyses, observation and staff interviews.

Survey response was 39% for CPs (52/134) and 48% (31/64) for DPs. There were three CP and four DP case study sites, with 17 staff interviews. More pharmacies than practices were open at the weekend and they had more staff trained above NVQ level 2. Both doctors and pharmacists saw themselves as medicines experts, as being accessible and having good relationships with patients. Workplace practices and organisational ethos varied both within and across settings, with good practice observed in both. Overall, CPs and DPs have much in common. Workplace culture and an evidence-based approach to checking prescriptions and error reporting need to be considered in future assessments of service quality.

The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of preventive home visits (PHVs) by district nurses (DNs) on the self-reported health of 75-year-olds, including changes in self-reported health after the visits. The study also investigated whether or not the participants believed the visit was useful.

There is a need for methods that promote health among older persons so that they can remain healthy as long as possible. One such method is PHVs. In Sweden, the Stockholm County Council decided to implement such visits to 75-year-olds.

The study was a cluster-controlled trial carried out in Stockholm. Sixteen healthcare centres (HCCs) were randomly selected from five geographic medical areas in the county. Eight were assigned to the study group (SG) and eight to the control group (CG). The 75-year-olds registered at these centres (SG n=176, CG n=262) filled in a questionnaire before and after the intervention. Each SG member received a PHV from a DN, and the CG was treated as usual.

At follow-up, both the groups reported decreased health and well-being. However, the SG reported a significant reduction in pain as an effect of the PHV. Participants in the SG reported increased knowledge of local community and county council services, more contacts with their HCCs and increased use of medication. The PHV had no effect on health behaviour. The CG reported significantly more problems in the categories of activities of daily living (ADL) and breathing/circulation. Eighty-four per cent of the participants reported that the PHV was somewhat useful, useful or very useful.

To report the development and psychometric evaluation of a scale to measure rural and remote (rural/remote) nurses’ perceptions of the engagement of their workplaces in key dimensions of primary health care (PHC).

Amidst ongoing PHC reforms, a comprehensive instrument is needed to evaluate the degree to which rural/remote health care settings are involved in the key dimensions that characterize PHC delivery, particularly from the perspective of professionals delivering care.

This study followed a three-phase process of instrument development and psychometric evaluation. A literature review and expert consultation informed instrument development in the first phase, followed by an iterative process of content evaluation in the second phase. In the final phase, a pilot survey was undertaken and item discrimination analysis employed to evaluate the internal consistency reliability of each subscale in the preliminary 60-item Primary Health Care Engagement (PHCE) Scale. The 60-item scale was subsequently refined to a 40-item instrument.

The pilot survey sample included 89 nurses in current practice who had experience in rural/remote practice settings. Participants completed either a web-based or paper survey from September to December, 2013. Following item discrimination analysis, the 60-item instrument was refined to a 40-item PHCE Scale consisting of 10 subscales, each including three to five items. Alpha estimates of the 10 refined subscales ranged from 0.61 to 0.83, with seven of the subscales demonstrating acceptable reliability (α⩾0.70). The refined 40-item instrument exhibited good internal consistency reliability (α=0.91). The 40-item PHCE Scale may be considered for use in future studies regardless of locale, to measure the extent to which health care professionals perceive their workplaces to be engaged in key dimensions of PHC.

The aim of this study was to explore the factors affecting role development in practice nursing in the United Kingdom.

General practice is currently central to National Health Service reform, producing favourable conditions for the practice nurse role to be further strengthened and developed. However, the literature has continued to describe evidence that practice nurses are a disempowered, isolated group with many constraints reducing their ability to respond to opportunities to develop their role. The rationale for conducting the study was therefore to provide a greater understanding about the constraining factors and their influence on practice nurses wishing to develop their role.

The method used to conduct the research followed a case approach, as the subject being investigated was complex with multiple inter-related factors and the approach was exploratory. The cases comprised six UK general practices and the participants within each case were a practice nurse, a GP and a practice manager.

A combination of factors was found to contribute to the way the practice nurse role evolves. These are education, practice culture, practice nurse personal characteristics and empowerment. Empowerment holds the key to maximising the conditions favourable to practice nurse role evolution. This is not, however, a ‘single’ factor; it represents the combined synergistic effects of practice culture and practice nurse personal characteristics on creating an empowering environment. The inter-relationship between these was captured in a framework and given the title ‘empowering employment principles’.

The ‘empowering employment principles’ illustrate the features most conducive to role evolution, thus providing a tool for practice nurses and their employers to enhance opportunities for nurses to develop their role.

To explore the current status of academic primary care research in Arab countries and investigate the barriers to its adequate implementation.

Research is an essential building block that ensures the advancement of the discipline of Family Medicine (FM). FM research thus ought to be contributed to by all family physicians; nevertheless, its development is being hindered worldwide by several challenges. The amount of research conducted by academic academic family physicians and general practitioners is scant. This phenomenon is more pronounced in the Arab countries.

An online questionnaire was emailed to all academic family physicians practicing in member Arab countries of the World Organization of Family Doctors WONCA-East Mediterranean Region.

Seventy-six out of 139 academic family physicians from eight Arab countries completed the questionnaire. Around 75% reported that they are required to conduct research studies, yet only 46% contributed to at least one publication. While 75% and 52.6% disclosed their interest in participating in a research team and in leading a research team respectively, 64.5% reported being currently involved in research activities. Of all, 56% have attended a research ethics course. Lack of training in research, the unavailability of a healthcare system that is supportive of research, insufficient financial resources, and the unavailability of electronic health records were perceived as major barriers in conducting FM research.

Although many physicians in Arab academic institutions expressed enthusiasm to conduct research projects, FM research infrastructure remains to be weak. This demonstrates the need for immense efforts from different parties particularly governments and academic institutions.