Influence of general practice opening hours on delay in seeking medical attention after transient ischaemic attack (TIA) and minor stroke: prospective population based study
The authors clearly demonstrate that people trust their own GPs more
than NHS Direct or PCT organised OOH. No surprise there. But their
conclusions are quite clearly wrong. Strokes and TIAs cannot be
investigated or treated in a standard General Practice surgery, most of us
do not have a CT scanner nor access to IV thrombolysis. The best place for
these patients is a hospital and as quickly as possible. Arranging to see
your GP is merely a delay when time is of the essence. The correct
conclusion is that we need to educate people about the symptoms of a
stroke/TIA (now sometimes referred to as a brain attack) and encourage
them to head directly to hospital. In the current atmosphere of government
lead GP bashing the authors conclusion is at best mistaken.
Rapid Response:
Wrong conclusion
The authors clearly demonstrate that people trust their own GPs more
than NHS Direct or PCT organised OOH. No surprise there. But their
conclusions are quite clearly wrong. Strokes and TIAs cannot be
investigated or treated in a standard General Practice surgery, most of us
do not have a CT scanner nor access to IV thrombolysis. The best place for
these patients is a hospital and as quickly as possible. Arranging to see
your GP is merely a delay when time is of the essence. The correct
conclusion is that we need to educate people about the symptoms of a
stroke/TIA (now sometimes referred to as a brain attack) and encourage
them to head directly to hospital. In the current atmosphere of government
lead GP bashing the authors conclusion is at best mistaken.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests