Lindsay Forbes - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Lindsay Forbes

Occupational and environmental medicine, 2003

In July 1995 the volcano on the West Indian island of Montserrat erupted after being inactive for... more In July 1995 the volcano on the West Indian island of Montserrat erupted after being inactive for several hundred years. Since then, clouds of ash have been released intermittently from the volcano. Some of this ash is <10 micro m in diameter and therefore respirable. Concerns were raised that the particles might cause respiratory problems. To evaluate whether ashfalls had any effect on the respiratory health of children in Montserrat. A survey of asthma diagnoses, respiratory symptoms, exercise induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), and current and previous exposure to volcanic ash was carried out in schools in Montserrat during February 1998. Questionnaire information was available for nearly 80% of the 443 children on the school rolls. The prevalence of wheeze symptoms in the previous 12 months was 18% in children aged 12 years and under and 16% in children aged 13 years and over. In children aged 12 and under, the prevalence of wheeze was greater in those who had ever been heavil...

Background For the last few years, English general practices, which are traditionally small, have... more Background For the last few years, English general practices, which are traditionally small, have been encouraged to work together to serve larger populations of registered patients, by merging or collaborating with each other. Meanwhile, patient surveys suggest worsening continuity of care and access to care. Aim To explore whether increasing size of practice population and working collaboratively are linked to changes in continuity of care or access to care. Design and setting Observational study in English general practice using data on patient experience, practice size and collaborative working Methods The main outcome measures were General Practice Patient Survey practice-level proportions of patients reporting positive experiences of access and relationship continuity of care. We compared change in proportions 2013-2018 among practices that had grown and those that had stayed about the same size. We also compared patients’ experiences by whether practices were working in close...

British Medical Journal, 2011

Women over 70 have poorer breast cancer survival than younger women, largely due to later stage a... more Women over 70 have poorer breast cancer survival than younger women, largely due to later stage at diagnosis. Promoting early presentation (PEP) in women attending for final round of breast screening may reduce stage cost-effectively, and is unlikely to lead to overdiagnosis. We tested the radiographer-delivered PEP Intervention to promote early presentation by increasing breast cancer awareness in a randomised controlled trial. Delivered in a positive, motivational way, the intervention aims to equip older women with the knowledge, motivation and skills to present promptly to primary care with breast symptoms.In the trial, research radiographers delivered the intervention in a separate room after the mammogram, requiring considerable service reconfiguration. Training was intensive, and ongoing quality assurance involved performance feedback on videorecordings of interventions.At 2 years, the PEP Intervention increased the proportion of women breast cancer aware compared with usual ...

Objectives: To develop an internationally validated measure of cancer awareness and beliefs; the ... more Objectives: To develop an internationally validated measure of cancer awareness and beliefs; the awareness and beliefs about cancer (ABC) measure. Design and setting: Items modified from existing measures were assessed by a working group in six countries (Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the UK). Validation studies were completed in the UK, and cross-sectional surveys of the general population were carried out in the six participating countries.

Background: Early recognition of symptoms of colorectal cancer enables prompt help-seeking and ti... more Background: Early recognition of symptoms of colorectal cancer enables prompt help-seeking and timely diagnosis that may save lives. We aimed to assess public awareness of symptoms of colorectal cancer, anticipated delay to help-seeking in relation to these symptoms, and knowledge of risk factors and most common types of cancer in the English population.

British Journal of Cancer, 2014

The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users ar... more The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users are advised to check http://kar.kent.ac.uk for the status of the paper. Users should always cite the published version of record.

Objective To determine the effect of home blood pressure monitoring on blood pressure levels and ... more Objective To determine the effect of home blood pressure monitoring on blood pressure levels and proportion of people with essential hypertension achieving targets. Design Meta-analysis of 18 randomised controlled trials. Participants 1359 people with essential hypertension allocated to home blood pressure monitoring and 1355 allocated to the “control” group seen in the healthcare system for 2-36 months. Main outcome measures Differences in systolic (13 studies), diastolic (16 studies), or mean (3 studies) blood pressures, and proportion of patients achieving targets (6 studies), between intervention and control groups. Results Systolic blood pressure was lower in people with hypertension who had home blood pressure monitoring than in those who had standard blood pressure monitoring in the healthcare system (standardised mean difference 4.2 (95% confidence interval 1.5 to 6.9) mm Hg), diastolic blood pressure was lower by 2.4 (1.2 to 3.5) mm Hg, and mean blood pressure was lower by ...

In people with essential hypertension, is home or ''self'' blood pressure (BP) monitoring more ef... more In people with essential hypertension, is home or ''self'' blood pressure (BP) monitoring more effective than usual BP monitoring in the healthcare system for improving BP control? METHODS

Background For the last few years, English general practices — which are, traditionally, small — ... more Background For the last few years, English general practices — which are, traditionally, small — have been encouraged to serve larger populations of registered patients by merging or collaborating with each other. Meanwhile, patient surveys have suggested that continuity of care and access to care are worsening. Aim To explore whether increasing the size of the practice population and working collaboratively are linked to changes in continuity of care or access to care. Design and setting This observational study in English general practice used data on patient experience, practice size, and collaborative working. Data were drawn from the English GP Patient Survey, NHS Digital, and from a previous study. Method The main outcome measures were the proportions of patients at practice level reporting positive experiences of both access and relationship continuity of care in the GP Patient Survey. Changes in proportions between 2013 and 2018 among practices that had grown and those that ...

European Respiratory Journal, 1999

There is some evidence that endogenous progesterone and oestrogen levels influence asthma severit... more There is some evidence that endogenous progesterone and oestrogen levels influence asthma severity in females, but little is known about the effects of hormonal contraceptives. This study aimed to describe how females with asthma perceived the effects of hormonal contraceptives on symptom severity, and to describe the association between asthma severity and current use of hormonal contraceptives. A questionnaire was sent to 891 females with asthma aged 20±30 yrs recruited from general practice registers in South London, UK. It asked about perceptions of the effects of hormonal contraceptives on asthma severity, about current use of hormonal contraceptives, and included an asthma quality of life questionnaire as a measure of asthma severity. About 6% of respondents who had ever used hormonal contraceptives reported that these had influenced asthma severity,~4% reporting worsening and 2% an improvement. There were no significant differences in asthma quality of life score between females currently taking hormonal contraceptives and those not, between those taking combined and progesterone-only preparations, or between users of different progestagen types. This study found no evidence of any important effect of hormonal contraceptives or their components on asthma severity in a group of females with relatively mild asthma.

European Journal of …, 2010

The readability of the BCAM was high. Over 90% of women found it acceptable. The BCAM was sensiti... more The readability of the BCAM was high. Over 90% of women found it acceptable. The BCAM was sensitive to change: there was an increase in the proportion of women obtaining the full score for breast cancer awareness one month after receiving the intervention promoting breast ...

Occupational and environmental medicine, 2003

In July 1995 the volcano on the West Indian island of Montserrat erupted after being inactive for... more In July 1995 the volcano on the West Indian island of Montserrat erupted after being inactive for several hundred years. Since then, clouds of ash have been released intermittently from the volcano. Some of this ash is <10 micro m in diameter and therefore respirable. Concerns were raised that the particles might cause respiratory problems. To evaluate whether ashfalls had any effect on the respiratory health of children in Montserrat. A survey of asthma diagnoses, respiratory symptoms, exercise induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), and current and previous exposure to volcanic ash was carried out in schools in Montserrat during February 1998. Questionnaire information was available for nearly 80% of the 443 children on the school rolls. The prevalence of wheeze symptoms in the previous 12 months was 18% in children aged 12 years and under and 16% in children aged 13 years and over. In children aged 12 and under, the prevalence of wheeze was greater in those who had ever been heavil...

Background For the last few years, English general practices, which are traditionally small, have... more Background For the last few years, English general practices, which are traditionally small, have been encouraged to work together to serve larger populations of registered patients, by merging or collaborating with each other. Meanwhile, patient surveys suggest worsening continuity of care and access to care. Aim To explore whether increasing size of practice population and working collaboratively are linked to changes in continuity of care or access to care. Design and setting Observational study in English general practice using data on patient experience, practice size and collaborative working Methods The main outcome measures were General Practice Patient Survey practice-level proportions of patients reporting positive experiences of access and relationship continuity of care. We compared change in proportions 2013-2018 among practices that had grown and those that had stayed about the same size. We also compared patients’ experiences by whether practices were working in close...

British Medical Journal, 2011

Women over 70 have poorer breast cancer survival than younger women, largely due to later stage a... more Women over 70 have poorer breast cancer survival than younger women, largely due to later stage at diagnosis. Promoting early presentation (PEP) in women attending for final round of breast screening may reduce stage cost-effectively, and is unlikely to lead to overdiagnosis. We tested the radiographer-delivered PEP Intervention to promote early presentation by increasing breast cancer awareness in a randomised controlled trial. Delivered in a positive, motivational way, the intervention aims to equip older women with the knowledge, motivation and skills to present promptly to primary care with breast symptoms.In the trial, research radiographers delivered the intervention in a separate room after the mammogram, requiring considerable service reconfiguration. Training was intensive, and ongoing quality assurance involved performance feedback on videorecordings of interventions.At 2 years, the PEP Intervention increased the proportion of women breast cancer aware compared with usual ...

Objectives: To develop an internationally validated measure of cancer awareness and beliefs; the ... more Objectives: To develop an internationally validated measure of cancer awareness and beliefs; the awareness and beliefs about cancer (ABC) measure. Design and setting: Items modified from existing measures were assessed by a working group in six countries (Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the UK). Validation studies were completed in the UK, and cross-sectional surveys of the general population were carried out in the six participating countries.

Background: Early recognition of symptoms of colorectal cancer enables prompt help-seeking and ti... more Background: Early recognition of symptoms of colorectal cancer enables prompt help-seeking and timely diagnosis that may save lives. We aimed to assess public awareness of symptoms of colorectal cancer, anticipated delay to help-seeking in relation to these symptoms, and knowledge of risk factors and most common types of cancer in the English population.

British Journal of Cancer, 2014

The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users ar... more The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users are advised to check http://kar.kent.ac.uk for the status of the paper. Users should always cite the published version of record.

Objective To determine the effect of home blood pressure monitoring on blood pressure levels and ... more Objective To determine the effect of home blood pressure monitoring on blood pressure levels and proportion of people with essential hypertension achieving targets. Design Meta-analysis of 18 randomised controlled trials. Participants 1359 people with essential hypertension allocated to home blood pressure monitoring and 1355 allocated to the “control” group seen in the healthcare system for 2-36 months. Main outcome measures Differences in systolic (13 studies), diastolic (16 studies), or mean (3 studies) blood pressures, and proportion of patients achieving targets (6 studies), between intervention and control groups. Results Systolic blood pressure was lower in people with hypertension who had home blood pressure monitoring than in those who had standard blood pressure monitoring in the healthcare system (standardised mean difference 4.2 (95% confidence interval 1.5 to 6.9) mm Hg), diastolic blood pressure was lower by 2.4 (1.2 to 3.5) mm Hg, and mean blood pressure was lower by ...

In people with essential hypertension, is home or ''self'' blood pressure (BP) monitoring more ef... more In people with essential hypertension, is home or ''self'' blood pressure (BP) monitoring more effective than usual BP monitoring in the healthcare system for improving BP control? METHODS

Background For the last few years, English general practices — which are, traditionally, small — ... more Background For the last few years, English general practices — which are, traditionally, small — have been encouraged to serve larger populations of registered patients by merging or collaborating with each other. Meanwhile, patient surveys have suggested that continuity of care and access to care are worsening. Aim To explore whether increasing the size of the practice population and working collaboratively are linked to changes in continuity of care or access to care. Design and setting This observational study in English general practice used data on patient experience, practice size, and collaborative working. Data were drawn from the English GP Patient Survey, NHS Digital, and from a previous study. Method The main outcome measures were the proportions of patients at practice level reporting positive experiences of both access and relationship continuity of care in the GP Patient Survey. Changes in proportions between 2013 and 2018 among practices that had grown and those that ...

European Respiratory Journal, 1999

There is some evidence that endogenous progesterone and oestrogen levels influence asthma severit... more There is some evidence that endogenous progesterone and oestrogen levels influence asthma severity in females, but little is known about the effects of hormonal contraceptives. This study aimed to describe how females with asthma perceived the effects of hormonal contraceptives on symptom severity, and to describe the association between asthma severity and current use of hormonal contraceptives. A questionnaire was sent to 891 females with asthma aged 20±30 yrs recruited from general practice registers in South London, UK. It asked about perceptions of the effects of hormonal contraceptives on asthma severity, about current use of hormonal contraceptives, and included an asthma quality of life questionnaire as a measure of asthma severity. About 6% of respondents who had ever used hormonal contraceptives reported that these had influenced asthma severity,~4% reporting worsening and 2% an improvement. There were no significant differences in asthma quality of life score between females currently taking hormonal contraceptives and those not, between those taking combined and progesterone-only preparations, or between users of different progestagen types. This study found no evidence of any important effect of hormonal contraceptives or their components on asthma severity in a group of females with relatively mild asthma.

European Journal of …, 2010

The readability of the BCAM was high. Over 90% of women found it acceptable. The BCAM was sensiti... more The readability of the BCAM was high. Over 90% of women found it acceptable. The BCAM was sensitive to change: there was an increase in the proportion of women obtaining the full score for breast cancer awareness one month after receiving the intervention promoting breast ...