Interesting discussion with our Pharmacy Advisor today.  SIGN Guidelines
highlighted using Calcium and Vitamin D to prevent hip fractures in
"institutionalised patients".  We have a lot of patients in Nursing homes,
etc. and so enquired whether we should do this and would they uplift our
budget accordingly. She said that the LOCAL committee was working on this
subject to interpret the SIGN Guidelines and not to be so silly in asking
for more money.

Why has all this public money been spent on SIGN Guidelines when the local
great and good spend more money meeting to decide whether they agree with
them or not. Is it any wonder that GP's at the coalface get fed up with all
the conflicting advice.  Maybe I should become a committee man as this seems
to be where all our money is getting spent.

Douglas Soutter
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~dsoutt

-----Original Message-----
From: Robin Harbour <[log in to unmask]>
To: gp-uk <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 16 March 1998 10:56
Subject: SIGN Guideline on lipid management


The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) has posted the first
draft of the forthcoming guideline on lipids and the primary prevention of
coronary heart disease on their Web site.  This draft will be discussed at
a national meeting in Edinburgh later this week, but has been posted on the
Web to give a broader audience the opportunity to comment.  An e-mail
facility is attached to the site through which comments can be forwarded to
the guideline development group.

This version of the guideline will be available only during the next few
days, though subsequent drafts may be posted at a later date.

The guideline is intended for use by the NHS in Scotland, but all comments
are welcome.  The site can be accessed at:

http://show.cee.hw.ac.uk/sign/home.htm

(Start with the "What's New" section)


Robin T. Harbour
SIGN Information Officer
[log in to unmask]




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