Clinicle—a daily dose of word play from The BMJ
Test your clinical knowledge with The BMJ’s new word game, Clinicle. Move the horizontal word…
Author: British Medical Journal
Science and truth during the covid-19 pandemic
During the covid-19 pandemic, I became one of those talking heads on the TV and…
Ambulances face oxygen shortage as “twindemic” piles further pressure on NHS
The NHS is struggling to cope with the “twindemic” of covid and flu, as the…
Emergency contraceptive pills don’t induce abortion, says US regulator
Emergency contraceptive pills work by inhibiting or delaying ovulation and are not abortifacients, the US…
Rivaroxaban: Lancet opens investigation into anticlotting drug trial after BMJ report
The Lancet has said it will open an investigation into a trial of the anticlotting…
We need tougher action on reducing air pollution
The recent Chief Medical Officer’s annual report had a welcome focus on air pollution, demonstrating…
Why you should think about “tokothanatology”
There are only two days in your life that are less than 24 hours long—the…
NHS pay: January strike dates are announced as government says demands are “unaffordable”
Unions representing nursing and ambulance staff have announced further strike dates for January 2023, as…
A third of junior doctors plan to leave NHS to work abroad in next 12 months
Four in 10 junior doctors in the UK plan to leave the NHS as soon…
US public health services, research, and food security will benefit from government spending boost in 2023
Public health, pandemic preparedness, infectious disease control, research to drive biomedical and health breakthroughs, veterans’…
US life expectancy reaches 25 year low
In 2021 life expectancy in the US fell for the second year in a row…
Why doctors travelled to COP27
The annual UN climate change conference gathers politicians and experts from hundreds of countries in…
University Challenge was the worst exam I have ever done
Examinations are the hallmark of medical education, and I hated every one. So why volunteer…
Why is Florida’s governor ramping up his anti-vaccine rhetoric?
On 13 December 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis held what he ominously called a “Covid-19…
The NHS is failing us, but we are failing it too
In October, Kit Yates and I wrote about how the NHS was facing its bleakest…
Scarlet fever infections rise to nearly 30 000, UKHSA reports
Latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show a continued increase in scarlet…
Scotland passes bill making it easier to legally change gender
A controversial new law that makes it easier for people to change their gender has…
Refusing to negotiate NHS pay is a false economy
This might be the most challenging period the NHS has ever faced. Bed occupancy rates…
Covid-19: Molnupiravir does not cut hospital admissions or deaths in vaccinated people at high risk, trial finds
The antiviral drug molnupiravir does not reduce hospital admissions or deaths among vaccinated high risk…
NHS pay: Leaders call for government to negotiate amid concerns over “level of risk” in NHS
The government must “get round the table and have sensible conversations” about NHS staff pay…
Medical activists as agents of change
Even when physicians focus their work on the care of individual patients, they often see…
Black women’s menstrual and reproductive health: a critical call for action in the UK
Inadequate menstrual health education in the UK contributes to delayed and poor treatment for menstrual…
How a veteran support charity can reduce strain on the NHS: five minutes with . . . Jo Thomas
“The Poppy Factory offers employment support to veterans who have a health issue, mental or…
Winter surge forces emergency wards in England to turn patients away
Emergency departments in England have been turning away non-critical patients as their wards are overwhelmed…
Crumbs of comfort in this time of despair
It seems that there are more reasons to despair than ever in 2022. However, 40…
At the hospital
bmj;379/dec22_4/o3017/FAF1faMalcolm WillettIt’s not just clinical staff who burn the midnight oil to care for patients….
Money isn’t the most critical resource—we need to consider time and carbon
In the past two months The BMJ has published articles on unnecessary preoperative tests,1 on…
Using paediatric blood bottles for adult tests to reduce blood volumes would be hard to implement
Silverstein and colleagues advise using paediatric blood bottles to reduce blood volumes for routine adult…
Robots, radiologists, and results
In 2017 a robot called Xiaoyi—Chinese for little doctor—attempted China’s medical licensing examination.1 In its…
Climate change: “Loss and damage” fund payouts could take decades, scientists warn
The loss and damage fund—agreed at the 27th United Nations climate change conference (COP27) to…
Doctors need time and support to teach medical students, or no one will learn
The medical students turn up just as I’m about to start the ward round. They’ve…
The NHS can lead the way for staff receiving fertility treatment
Society and the National Health Service have been failing patients requiring fertility treatment. I know…
Ambulance trusts declare critical incidents amid “unprecedented” and “sustained” pressure
Three ambulance trusts in England have declared critical incidents this week as the NHS struggles…
Covid-19: What can China learn from Hong Kong and Singapore about exiting zero covid
China’s “zero covid” strategy was successful in protecting the Chinese population throughout the first phase…
Covid-19: UK deaths from all causes 3.1% above average during the pandemic
The UK’s all cause mortality was 3.1% above average during the covid-19 pandemic compared with…
What can the NHS learn from other countries on workforce planning?
In his Autumn Statement, Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, reiterated the government’s commitment to delivering long…
Statin related muscle symptoms: is it time to move on
Inhibitors of hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (statins) are among the most widely investigated and prescribed…
Junior doctors are cutting back on food and heating amid cost of living crisis, BMA poll finds
The effects of the cost of living crisis in the UK have been brought into…
Why scientists must learn to listen: five minutes with . . . Roula Inglesi-Lotz
“Gone are the times that the scientist would sit in ‘his’ lab and produce knowledge…
Government wants to blame NHS’s problems on strikes, says Labour
The shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, has said he can’t understand how the government allowed…
Doctors in Rome stage protest in defence of Italy’s health service
Unions representing Italian doctors and health managers staged a protest in Rome last week which…
On the 12th Day of Christmas, a Statistician Sent to Me . . .
The weeks leading up to Christmas are a magical time for medical research. The impending…
Effectiveness of covid-19 vaccines in adolescents and children
Although children and adolescents generally have a milder form of covid-19 than adults, some young…
Digital disparities among healthcare workers in typing speed between generations, genders, and medical specialties: cross sectional study
AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the typing skills of healthcare professionals.DesignCross sectional study.SettingTwo large tertiary medical centres in…
The gift that won’t keep on giving: ban coal as punishment at Christmas
Once linked to energy security and considered a welcome gift for keeping warm over the…
Electrocardiogaffe
Because a physician has possessed himself of an electrocardiograph, a polygraph, an x-ray machine, a…
Scottish gender recognition reform may have unintended harms for health and healthcare
The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, which allows people to be “legally recognised in their…
Nonsense in global health
KEY MESSAGESSpin, hyperbole, meaningless buzzwords, and technocratic jargon have become increasingly common in global health…
Misspelling of antimicrobials by healthcare professionals
Although electronic health records have widely reduced medication errors, and computerised hospital orders are an…
Medical regulation must be compassionate, supportive, and fair—how can we make this a reality?
Like doctors across the country, I felt a profound disquiet over the case of Manjula…