Abstract
To develop an epidemiological database of morbidity in the community as presented to general practitioners and to support epidemiological research in general practice. The project is a sentinel network of 23 general practices in Northern Ireland that report the incidence of a list of selected diseases to a central unit for analysis. Results are presented for depression, diabetes, and myocardial infarction. The age--sex distributions of diabetes and myocardial infarction are comparable with other published data but the incidence of depression is under estimated. The importance of complete accuracy of data reported within sentinel networks depends on the purposes for which information is to be used. For some diagnoses, such as diabetes and acute myocardial infarction, the accuracy of the reported incidence is high while for other diseases, such as depression, where diagnostic behaviour varies more between doctors, the figures are much less reliable.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
