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SPCR researcher Dr Sean Cowlishaw has written for The Conversation on why healthcare services have a problem with gambling.

We wanted to measure the extent of the problem and identify who is most vulnerable so that we can start to think about how primary care services – GPs and others providing healthcare in the community – might be able to help.
- Dr Cowlishaw

Participation in gambling is increasing in the UK, with surveys indicating that around 59% of British adults reported gambling activities in 2010, up 7% from three years earlier.  Dr Cowlishaw, from the Centre for Academic Primary Care at the University of Bristol, explored the prevalence and related problems among 1000 patients attending general practices across 11 general practices in southwest England.

“Gambling is emerging as a public health issue in the UK but it is poorly researched. There is very little independent data available and none at all on how many people presenting to GPs have a problem."

Read The Conversation piece "Why healthcare services have a problem with gambling"

https://theconversation.com/why-healthcare-services-have-a-problem-with-gambling-75317

Also in the news

The NIHR: Identification of gambling problems in primary care

Gambling problems in primary care: A cross-sectional study of general practices by S. Cowlishaw, L. Gale, A. Gregory, J. McCambridge, D. Kessler published in British Journal of General Practice, 14 March 2017.