Posted November 05, 2018 09:23:38 In an increasingly globalised world, doctors need to have the same level of confidence that their patients have when it comes to their care.
But for many people in the UK, the expectation of the obstetrician to have a degree of expertise in the field of obstetria is higher than their patients may realise.
A new report, compiled by research organisation The Lancet, suggests that the gap between expectations and reality is wider than previously thought.
The study, based on data from the UK’s National Health Service, found that the average GP in England was over four times more likely to see an infant as a risk factor for COVID-19 than their peers in other countries.
However, for babies who are born with COVID, the gap was even more pronounced.
“We have known for some time that the proportion of GP visits in the country for COVI/HIV cases is significantly higher than in other parts of the world,” Dr Pauline Breen, the report’s lead author, said.
Brennan, a GP who has a five-year history of treating patients with COV-19, said that while there was a “clear need” for an increased level of obstetric expertise in England, she believed the gap in practice was much greater than people thought.
“It is a huge issue for the NHS and a real opportunity for us to improve,” she said.
“The need is so great that there is a real need for GP practice in this country to do better and be more prepared to respond.”
‘It’s a shame’For Brennan, one of the main reasons why doctors were hesitant to discuss their concerns was because they didn’t think they would be able to provide “a professional service”.
“For many doctors, it is a shame because if they’re not prepared to speak up about the need for an increase in their own level of training, they will not be seen as doing the right thing by their colleagues,” she told the BBC.
Doctors are often expected to be able speak up if they have any concerns about their patients, such as a baby who may be sick or has been born with the condition.
While the NHS has made a concerted effort to improve the care of newborns, it has not yet made the kind of changes that Brennan said would be needed to ensure that the situation was being dealt with appropriately.
“I think it is time for the government to put its money where its mouth is and invest in training in obstetricians, as we know it is not enough,” she added.
Dr Breen believes the increased need for doctors to be aware of the importance of COVID awareness in the NHS was also partly due to the introduction of the NHS’s “golden rule” of pre-contraceptive monitoring.
This requires that antenatal testing and antenatal counselling for COV patients must be carried out before a newborn is given a vaccine.
It is now compulsory for all newborns who receive a COVID vaccine to be monitored for COVA-19.
In addition, doctors must be trained to ensure all patients who have been tested for CONV-19 are vaccinated.
Meanwhile, a study by the University of Bath, which analysed data from more than 200,000 GP visits over a three-year period, found a significant increase in COVID visits by women in the Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, while the Northern and Central Counties recorded the lowest number of COV cases.
‘There is a clear need’The study found that in England in 2014, there were 1,300 more COV infections among women aged 25 to 34 than there were during the same period last year.
According to the study, the number of women aged 35 to 44 who reported COVID increased by 13 per cent during the three-month period.
Women aged 65 to 74 were the only age group with a decrease in COV infection, and the number who had COVID decreased by 8 per cent.
Overall, the NHS recorded the highest number of hospitalisations of COVI cases for the first time since 2004, with nearly 3,000 more hospitalisations for COVD among adults and 3,500 fewer hospitalisations among children.
With such a huge increase in the number and severity of COVD cases, Brennan believes it is important that the NHS makes the necessary changes to ensure the COVID pandemic is dealt with properly.
If you or anyone you know needs urgent medical attention, call 111.
If you are concerned about someone in your care, call NHS 111.