GPAtlasWhat Changed This Week
19 October 2026. New UK guidance, drug safety updates and the primary care journals for UK general practice, gathered every Monday.
From the GPAtlas Spotlight
Once-weekly insulin for type 2 diabetes approved
NICE TA1200 assesses insulin efsitora alfa (Onswik), administered once weekly, reducing annual injections from 365 to 52.
Read the topic: Type 2 Diabetes & Insulin therapy (T2DM) in The Ocean
Antidepressant safety: new guidance on suicidal risk
The MHRA requires GPs to discuss suicidal thoughts and persistent sexual dysfunction when starting or changing SSRIs and SNRIs.
Read the topic: Depression in The Ocean
Continuous glucose monitoring cuts HbA1c in type 2
CGM improved HbA1c from 8.8% to 7.2% versus 8.7% to 8.0% with routine care, with more time in target glucose range.
Read the topic: Type 2 Diabetes & Insulin therapy (T2DM) in The Ocean
Digital platforms for joint replacement preparation
NICE HTG783 recommends digital tools to support patient preparation and recovery from hip and knee replacement surgery.
Read the topic: Osteoarthritis (Knee OA) in The Ocean
NHS weight management programme is highly cost-effective
Analysis of 31,753 participants showed cost of £4,202 per quality-adjusted life-year, meeting cost-effectiveness threshold.
Read the topic: Obesity in The Ocean
Psychotropic drugs strongly predict persistent ED high-use
Psychotropic medication use and social deprivation strongly predict persistent ED high-use patterns.
Read the topic: Depression in The Ocean
This week's podcast
Diabetic nerve pain: the codeine in his coat pocket
A sixty-seven-year-old with burning diabetic feet asks for something stronger. We cover this week's news on spotting nerve entrapment, then the red flags, the examination and bloods, choosing one first-line drug, and the gabapentinoid, opioid and alcohol risk.
MHRA safety
Antidepressants: new safety measures for all patients to improve communication of the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours and persistent sexual dysfunction
New safety measures are now being implemented to improve how the risks of suicidal thoughts and behaviours and persistent sexual dysfunction are communicated to patients taking antidepressant...
In practice: Depression in The Ocean
The journals
Family Practice: Information theory and diagnostic reasoning in primary care: a framework for navigating uncertainty.
An overview explains how information theory provides a structured framework for understanding diagnostic reasoning in primary care, showing why targeted questions reduce uncertainty better than routine investigation.
BMC Primary Care: Primary healthcare providers' strategies of handling patients presenting with potential cancer symptoms following the introduction of standardized cancer patient pathways in Sweden.
A qualitative study of Swedish primary care providers using standardised cancer patient pathways found that nurses and physicians handled potential cancer presentations through a process balancing professional competence with clinical decision-making and pathway utilisation.
Family Practice: Entry into long-term care disrupts primary care continuity-but only at entry: a national cohort study of transitional and post-entry continuity in facility- and home-based care in Australia.
An Australian national cohort study found that 72 per cent of older adults entering facility-based long-term care switched to a new GP compared with 10 per cent in home-based care, though continuity was rapidly re-established post-entry.
Family Practice: An innovative hybrid cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia approach to insomnia treatment: a retrospective chart review study.
A retrospective review of a hybrid cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia programme combining app-based lessons with virtual sessions found significant improvements in sleep metrics and medication discontinuation in 67 per cent of patients on sleep medication tapering.
BMC Primary Care: Here it is everything at once: a qualitative study of district nurses' experiences caring for older individuals with multiple chronic health problems in primary care.
A qualitative study of Swedish district nurses found they feel competent to identify and address individual needs for older people with multiple chronic conditions but require visible, well-defined role boundaries to manage their responsibility effectively.
Topic of the week
Menopause and Perimenopause in The Ocean, and its one-page summary in The Scope.
Earlier editions
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