BMJ  2004;329:1103 (6 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7474.1103-b

Letter

Recent developments in Bell's palsy

Who should provide the care?

The first 100% of the full text of this article appears below.

EDITOR—In the United Kingdom, Bell's palsy is mostly managed in primary care.¹ In Holland and Weiner's thorough and helpful account of its management the authors recommend that patients should be referred to a specialist as soon as possible.² It would be interesting to know more about their thinking: this would represent a change in practice for many general practitioners who routinely provide comprehensive and evidence based assessment and care for patients with new onset Bell's palsy, referring to specialists when specialist input is needed.

Holland and Weiner are apparently both otolaryngologists, so well qualified to advise on the management of Bell's palsy. I wonder whether their review would have been much altered had a general practitioner been included in its authorship.

Adelaide Medical Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 8BE adam.sandell@nhs.net

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Competing interests: None declared.

1. Rowlands S, Hooper R, Hughes R, Burney P. The epidemiology and treatment of Bell's palsy in the UK. Eur J Neurol 2002;9: 63-7.[CrossRef][ISI][Medline]
2. Holland NJ, Weiner GM. Recent developments in Bell's palsy. BMJ 2004;329: 553-7. (4 September.)[Free Full Text]

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Relevant Article

Recent developments in Bell's palsy

N Julian Holland and Graeme M Weiner
BMJ 2004 329: 553-557. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]