HKCFP Conjoint MCQ flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Calgary–Cambridge consultation

A framework describing the medical interview in stages: initiating the session, gathering information, examination, explanation and planning, and closing, with relationship-building applied throughout.

Rule of halves

Observation that only about half of people with a condition are diagnosed, half of those treated, and half of those controlled; used to justify systematic screening and audit in primary care.

White-coat hypertension

Raised clinic blood pressure with normal ambulatory or home readings; confirms the need for out-of-office measurement before committing a patient to long-term antihypertensive therapy.

Fasting plasma glucose threshold

A value of 7.0 mmol/L or more on a fasting sample suggests diabetes; without symptoms a second confirmatory test on another day is required.

HbA1c diagnostic cut-off

An HbA1c of 6.5% or higher supports a diagnosis of diabetes; conditions altering red cell survival, such as haemoglobinopathy or recent transfusion, make the result unreliable.

Ten-year cardiovascular risk

Estimated probability of a cardiovascular event over ten years, calculated from age, sex, smoking, blood pressure, lipids and diabetes; guides statin initiation and lifestyle counselling.

Secondary prevention LDL target

In established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, treatment aims for LDL-cholesterol below 1.8 mmol/L, escalating lipid-lowering therapy when the target is not met.

Asthma reversibility criterion

An improvement in FEV1 of at least 12% and at least 200 mL after a bronchodilator supports asthma, distinguishing it from the persistent obstruction of COPD.

COPD spirometric definition

Post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC below 0.70 that does not fully reverse, indicating persistent airflow limitation; severity is graded by the FEV1 percentage predicted.

Diabetic foot annual review

Yearly assessment of sensation, pulses, skin and footwear; loss of protective sensation or absent pulses identifies feet at high risk of ulceration requiring specialist input.

PHQ-9 use

A nine-item depression severity scale; scores guide treatment choice and serial scores track response, with review expected two to four weeks after starting therapy.

Combined pill contraindications

Absolute contraindications include migraine with aura, venous thromboembolism history, uncontrolled hypertension, and smoking fifteen or more cigarettes daily at age thirty-five or older.

Opioid breakthrough dosing

A breakthrough dose is typically ten to seventeen percent of the total daily opioid dose, offered as needed for pain that escapes background control.

Laxative with regular opioids

A stimulant laxative is started prophylactically whenever an opioid is prescribed regularly, because opioid-induced constipation does not habituate with continued use.

5A behaviour change model

Ask, advise, assess, assist and arrange: a structured sequence for smoking, alcohol and activity counselling that outperforms single-episode advice alone.

Delayed antibiotic prescription

Providing a prescription to use only if symptoms persist or worsen; reduces antibiotic consumption in respiratory infections without raising complication rates in low-risk patients.

Live vaccine contraindications

Pregnancy and significant immunosuppression contraindicate live vaccines; anaphylaxis to a vaccine component is an absolute contraindication to that specific vaccine.

Safeguarding red flag

Injuries inconsistent with the stated mechanism, delayed presentation or repeated attendances require careful documentation and referral under local protection procedures.

Cervical screening start age

Local programmes generally begin cervical cytology or HPV testing at age twenty-five, with intervals set by national guidance and exit around age sixty-five if prior results are normal.

Colorectal screening interval

Average-risk adults aged fifty to seventy-five are offered faecal immunochemical testing annually or biennially, or colonoscopy every ten years, depending on programme design.

Hypertension clinic threshold

Clinic blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or above on repeated visits prompts confirmation by ambulatory or home monitoring before treatment is started.

Home BP diagnostic average

A home or daytime ambulatory average of 135/85 mmHg or higher confirms hypertension; lower values with raised clinic readings suggest white-coat effect.

Motivational interviewing

A collaborative conversation style that explores and strengthens a patient's own reasons for change, using open questions, affirmation, reflection and summarising rather than persuasion.

Deprescribing principle

Stop or reduce medicines whose time to benefit exceeds the patient's life expectancy or whose harms outweigh benefits, especially in frailty and multimorbidity.

Sick-day steroid advice

Patients on long-term corticosteroids need increased dose during acute illness and must not stop abruptly, because adrenal suppression risks life-threatening crisis.

Anaphylaxis first-line drug

Intramuscular adrenaline into the anterolateral thigh is the immediate treatment, with dose by age band, followed by airway support and call for emergency help.

Fever in the infant

An infant under three months with fever needs urgent assessment and usually investigation for serious bacterial infection, because clinical signs are unreliable at this age.

Red eye referral signs

Reduced visual acuity, severe pain, photophobia, corneal opacity or a fixed pupil suggest serious ocular disease and require same-day ophthalmological assessment.

Acute otitis media antibiotics

Immediate antibiotics are usual in children under two or with bilateral disease; older children with mild unilateral disease may be managed with analgesia and a delayed prescription.

Spirometry ratio interpretation

An FEV1/FVC ratio below 0.70 after bronchodilator defines obstruction; a reduced FVC with normal or raised ratio suggests restriction needing further lung volume testing.

Anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation

Stroke risk is estimated with CHA2DS2-VASc and bleeding risk with HAS-BLED; anticoagulation is offered when stroke risk is significant, with modifiable bleeding factors corrected.

Continuity of care value

Longitudinal relationship with a named clinician improves preventive care uptake, chronic disease control and patient trust, and reduces avoidable hospital attendance.