NNT: how many is too many?

All the pressure on GPs is to intervene earlier and prescribe more, and all within the confines of a 10-minute consultation. But Pulse looks in detail at new figures on ‘numbers needed to treat’ that show the absolute benefits of many common treatments, such as statins and antihypertensives. And the figures are very eye opening. We also have an exclusive interview with the minister in charge of primary care, David Mowat MP, who says that austerity for GPs ‘can’t last forever’ and urges the profession to hold him to account on delivering 5, 000 more doctors into general practice. In the views section, we have some wacky predictions for 2017 from our bloggers and editor Nigel Praities kicks off a ‘Great GP Debate’ which will see a series of blogs and columns over the next few months look at some radical ideas for the future of general practice. The whole magazine contains 2.5 CPD hours, with some key questions answered on erectile dysfunction and all the essentials covered for managing precancerous skin lesions in primary care. Lastly, we have the results of Pulse’s ‘War on Workload’, with 16 ideas submitted by Pulse readers on how GP practices can reduce paperwork and save time over the coming 12 months. Read the latest issue online here