Why I . . . keep bees
“When I was a medical student I had an allotment and I started to keep…
Category: BMJ
Boosting healthier choices
The idea of using nudges to change behaviour, introduced by Thaler and Sunstein in 2008,1…
2022—the year of recovery?
Looking at the year ahead, incredible medical progress has been made over the past 12…
Covid-19: An urgent call for global “vaccines-plus” action
SARS-CoV-2 has infected more than 278 million people globally, with at least 5.4 million deaths…
Integrating artificial intelligence in bedside care for covid-19 and future pandemics
The covid-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for both clinicians and healthcare institutions. Adapting to a…
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Primary herpetic gingivostomatitis in children
What you need to knowPrimary herpetic gingivostomatitis (PHGS) typically has a prodrome of 2-4 days,…
Covid-19: Is it safe to reduce the self-isolation period?
What are the isolation rules in different countries?In the US, new rules mean that people…
Covid-19: CDC shortens isolation period as US cases hit record high
US cases of covid-19 hit a record daily average of 265 000 cases on 28…
Covid-19: Give NHS staff working with patients higher grade masks, say medical leaders
NHS staff who work directly with patients should have routine access to face masks that…
Omicron: NHS is on “war footing” as Nightingale hubs are announced in England
Temporary hubs will be set up in the grounds of eight hospitals around England as…
Afghanistan is in crisis—urgent health and humanitarian aid must be facilitated
How to donatePlease give generously to The BMJ’s appeal for 2021-22. Donations can be made…
Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation
What you need to know • More than half of patients with atrial fibrillation are…
Violence against women and girls has long term health consequences
England and Wales are experiencing an epidemic of violence against women and girls, according to…
With covid-19, single measures aren’t enough
Recently, the director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said “vaccines alone…
All I want for the new year is…
‘Tis the festive season of giving and receiving gifts. In medicine, as demonstrated during the…
Screening children for type 1 diabetes
Insulin was discovered in 1921, turning a death sentence into a chronic condition, and 100…
Statins do not commonly cause muscle pain and stiffness
The studyHerrett E, Williamson E, Brack K, et al. The effect of statins on muscle…
Post-acute covid-19 in primary care
As of 13 December 2021, 270 million cases of covid-19 have been recorded worldwide,1 but…
GP consultation rates for sequelae after acute covid-19 in patients managed in the community or hospital in the UK: population based study
AbstractObjectivesTo describe the rates for consulting a general practitioner (GP) for sequelae after acute covid-19…
I am struggling to understand why patients decide not to get the covid vaccine
I am a consultant anaesthetist. I work in a busy district general hospital, in an…
Covid-19: Hospital admission 50-70% less likely with omicron than delta, but transmission a major concern
Someone infected with the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is estimated to be between 31% and…
Whistleblower was “victimised” by managers for raising concerns, review finds
“It sounds bizarre but, looking back, I felt safer working inside the covid intensive treatment…
Racism in the NHS is subtle, insidious, and pervasive
Kar’s well written and hard hitting article about racism in the NHS resonates strongly with…
Isotonitazene: a new synthetic opioid in the UK
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a record number of overdose deaths in…
It is wrong to claim that the public won’t follow covid rules ȷust because the government don’t
As cases of omicron surge and as countries across Europe—and also within the UK—introduce new…
Schools: still a gaping hole in the English covid strategy
In August, one of us (CP) wrote about schools being the gaping hole in the…
Covid-19: Early studies give hope omicron is milder than other variants
Optimism is growing that the increasingly dominant omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 may produce less severe…
Health inequality: “Women’s health ambassador” will help deliver strategy to close gender gap in England
The views of over 100 000 women and 400 organisations will help to set an…
Whitty’s critics fail to see that science is driven by what we don’t know—not what we do
The UK’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, has had a torrid week. He’s been called…
Can absorbing medical education into NHS England deliver a suitable workforce?
Why is it happening?England’s health and social care secretary, Sajid Javid, said that the merger…
Role of energy in preventing heat related illness
The study by Sun and colleagues shows the burden of raised temperature extremes on the…
Zoe Morgan is a critical care dietitian
Zoe Morgan is a critical care dietitian in Swansea. After starting a degree in law,…
Evaluating covid-19 vaccine efficacy and safety in the post-authorisation phase
Expedited approval pathways have been increasingly used over the past 30 years to bring new…
Covid-19: Self-isolation after infection cut to seven days in England
The covid self-isolation period in England is being cut from 10 to seven days to…
Covid-19: More doctors in London are now off work than at any time during the pandemic
Absence levels among the medical workforce in London are now higher than at any time…
Covid 19: Biden promises more tests and help for hospitals, but no lockdowns, as cases soar
President Joe Biden promised Americans half a billion home tests for covid-19 and medical help…
What now for Sweden and covid-19?
“Swedish statistics do not differ from other European countries,” Anders Tegnell, the state epidemiologist who…
How Yemen’s healthcare has been destroyed
They arrive at Marib General Hospital every day in their hundreds: adults and children wounded…
Covid-19: Neglect was one of biggest killers in care homes during pandemic, report finds
The pandemic has disproportionately affected people living in care homes, who accounted for an estimated…
We need increased targeted measures now to slow the spread of omicron
“But omicron isn’t as severe. The number of people in hospital or dying is nowhere…
Covid-19: Government ignores scientists’ advice to tighten restrictions to combat omicron
The government has ignored its scientific advisers’ advice to impose immediate restrictions to stop the…
Oncologist with “cavalier attitude” to treatment is suspended for nine months after patients defend his practice
Justin Stebbing, an oncologist with a world reputation for cutting edge treatment and research, has…
UK drugs strategy: promised new approach is identical to previous strategies
The UK government’s new drug strategy, and the media and political debate that has accompanied…
Convergence of zero carbon healthcare with patient blood management
Bhopal and Norheim argue that cutting carbon emissions requires trade-offs that must be included when…
Evaluation of pathological complete response as surrogate endpoint in neoadjuvant randomised clinical trials of early stage breast cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis
AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate pathological complete response as a surrogate endpoint for disease-free survival and overall survival…
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Another drug strategy for the UK
In 2017, we described the previous UK drug strategy as full of “false claims and…
Respiratory tract infection and risk of bleeding in oral anticoagulant users: self-controlled case series
AbstractObjectiveTo estimate the association between untreated, community acquired, respiratory tract infections and bleeding in oral…
The NHS is complex, and that’s why we should be worried
It was a step too far for ninety nine Conservative MPs. They were simply unwilling…
Aducanumab: European agency reȷects Alzheimer’s drug over efficacy and safety concerns
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended the refusal of a marketing authorisation for Alzheimer’s…
Afghanistan’s babies and mothers must not be forgotten
A few days ago, I helped to save a mother’s life. It had seemed like…