Aliskiren (Rasilez) is the first in a new class of medicines – the direct renin inhibitors – to treat high blood pressure to become available in more than a decade. In this article we review how aliskiren works, what makes it different from other drugs acting on the reninangiotensin system (RAS), its efficacy and tolerability and its likely place in the management of hypertension.
Optimising your patients’ recovery after stroke
Around 150,000 people in the UK have a stroke every year, according to the Stroke Association. Most people affected are over 65, but younger people can have a stroke. Stroke is the third most common cause of death in the UK and is also an important cause of disability, with more than 250,000 people left disabled following a stroke. The recent National Stroke Strategy for England set out a quality framework to improve stroke services. In this article, we review what we can do to help optimise outcomes for our patients who have a stroke.
Building rapport with patients: actions speak louder than words
The use of language is obviously very important in effective communication, and gives important clues as to how people make sense of the world around them, and how they understand their experiences, as we saw in an introduction to neurolinguistic programming (NLP) in the last issue of BJPCN. In this article, we will look at how to use effective body language and non-verbal communication to its fullest extent in the clinic setting.
Starting on your GTN tablets or spray
GTN (glyceryl trinitrate) in tablet or spray form is used for the immediate relief of chest pain due to angina. The tablets have a short shelf-life and should be thrown away eight weeks after opening the bottle. The spray lasts longer, but you need to check the expiry date on the bottle. Angina is a […]
Putting prevention first: the new vascular risk assessment programme
Everyone between 40 and 74 years of age is to be offered checks for vascular disease as part of the new Putting Prevention First programme. The aim is to identify vulnerability to vascular diseases, with the goal of preventing up to 9,500 heart attacks and strokes and saving 2,000 lives every year. Who will this programme target, and what will we need to do to put it into action?
Making Sense of HbA1c
There are several blood tests available to measure blood glucose levels. Some require the patient to fast while others do not. Understanding and interpreting the results accurately are essential in optimising the management of our patients with diabetes. This article looks specifically at the HbA1c test and its significance. We define what it is and when we should carry out this test, as well as helping you to understand what the results mean and the targets we are aiming for.
