Running for a longer life . . . and other stories
Run faster, live longerAs this column often mentions, regular physical exercise is an essential ingredient…
Category: BMJ
Chelsea Flower Show’s healing gardens
bmj;385/may22_14/q1135/FAF1faMark ThomasThe World Child Cancer’s Nurturing Garden was one of several gardens at this year’s…
Media attention can impede positive predictive value of clinical diagnosis of low prevalence disease
Smout and colleagues say that during periods of high prevalence of pertussis the positive predictive…
Sunak’s plans to reform the fit note system are flawed and short sighted
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plans to reform the fit note system are disappointing.1 Their focus…
Major rise in STIs undermining global health targets, WHO warns
Rising numbers of cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and a slowdown in the decline…
Physician associates must have a named senior doctor supervising them at all times, says BMA
Medical associate professionals (MAPs), including physician associates, must have an immediately available, named supervisor in…
As a doctor with pregnancy associated osteoporosis, I know that the NHS can do better for women with this condition
Pregnancy associated osteoporosis (PAO) is rare and comes with various challenges around diagnosis and management….
Pregnancy associated osteoporosis: NHS is “failing women” with rare but serious condition
Women with pregnancy associated osteoporosis (PAO)—a rare condition that causes spine fractures, height loss, and…
Forgiving medical student loan debt could help protect the future of a diverse NHS workforce
In a bid to improve the supply of clinical staff to the NHS, last autumn…
David Oliver: NHS England’s proposals to aid ȷunior doctor retention are basic good practice presented as radical ideas
On 25 April, with the pay restoration dispute between the BMA’s Junior Doctors Committee and…
Deep and fascinating insights into whistleblowing
Why do people become whistleblowers? Why do most people not become whistleblowers? What becomes of…
Violence against health staff in conflict zones reached record high in 2023
More than 2500 incidents of violence against healthcare staff or obstruction of healthcare were reported…
Wastewater management must have greater focus on protecting public health, says report
The management of wastewater and sewage must improve to protect the public from exposure to…
The Infected Blood Inquiry: we need some honesty and engagement by those in authority
The six year long Infected Blood Inquiry has finally reported.1 The first of its 2,527…
Presidential election brings a challenging future for evidence informed health policies in Indonesia
On 20 March 2024, defence minister Prabowo Subianto was declared the next president of Indonesia.1…
Infected blood scandal: “Chilling” cover up hid truth for decades, public inquiry finds
A cover up by the NHS and the UK government hid the truth for decades…
Scarlett McNally: Shared learning and trust are a gift from patients
Some of my most heartfelt gifts from patients have come with the words, “It’s OK,…
Helen Salisbury: GPs aren’t to blame for delays in emergency departments
If you’ve been reading the popular press, you’ll have been told that the problem of…
The voices of those affected by the infected blood tragedy were silenced for too long
This week the UK bears witness to an important milestone in the history of the…
Advancing health disparities research and improving health for all
Routen and colleagues discuss the need for intersectional approaches in health equity research.1 We identify…
Navy surgeon suspended after operating on boy’s genitals without consent
A former naval surgeon who operated on a boy’s penis without consent while performing hernia…
GP practices at risk from suspension of Scottish support scheme
A vital support scheme for family doctors in Scotland introduced as part of the GP…
Global life expectancy to increase by almost five years by 2050, study predicts
Globally, life expectancy is forecast to improve between 2022 and 2050, with a continuing shift…
Reduced discretionary effort by staff is affecting NHS productivity, report finds
A drop in staff discretionary effort may have contributed to a fall in health service…
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Supporting and caring for families: the consultant neonatologist
Cath Harrison helps families make memories. “It’s my job to make the time that families…
GPs in England to be balloted on potential collective action over contract changes
General practice leaders in England have voted to hold a ballot on potential collective action…
Sixty seconds on . . . the pandemic treaty
What’s this about?In March 2021, in response to the covid-19 pandemic, more than 20 world…
Hospitals are urged to increase use of virtual wards to cut admissions
NHS England has set out its latest plans to slash waiting times in urgent and…
Support services for healthcare professionals must be properly funded
Al-Najjar discusses the challenges of supporting medical practitioners with mental health problems through NHS Practitioner…
Rhona MacDonald: medical editor and “a voice for those who could not be heard”
bmj;385/may17_4/q1106/FAF1faOn the day she died Rhona MacDonald was working to have aid delivered to Ukraine,…
Whooping cough: What’s behind the rise in cases and deaths in England?
Why did the babies die?Young infants are at the highest risk of severe complications and…
Global child mortality falls to historic low
The 2023 report of the United Nations Interagency Group for Child Mortality Estimation shows a…
People who need insulin are particularly vulnerable in disasters and conflicts
Globally, more than eight million people have type 1 diabetes (T1D) and need multiple daily…
A boat shaped bleed
This is a fundus image of the retina of a woman in her mid 60s…
US states with abortion bans attract fewer applicants for residency positions, study finds
In 2023 fewer graduates of US medical schools applied to residency programmes in states that…
Protective power of plants . . . and other stories
Plant based diets protect against progression of prostate cancerA longitudinal study of 2000 men with…
Workplace rights around pregnancy and childbirth
On 15 April 2024, after a public consultation that received over 100 000 comments, the…
Drugs to help adults stop vaping … and other research
Vaping cessationOver the past year we’ve seen various trials that assess vaping as an intervention…
Clinical and healthcare use outcomes after cessation of long term opioid treatment due to prescriber workforce exit: quasi-experimental difference-in-differences study
ABSTRACTObjectiveTo examine the association between prescriber workforce exit, long term opioid treatment discontinuation, and clinical…
Who is accountable for the medical unemployment crisis?
The story of vaccination against human papillomavirus in teenage girls is one of success. Cervical…
SAS doctors in England set to vote on new pay deal
Specialist, associate specialist, and specialty (SAS) doctors in England have been offered a new pay…
Consultant who sterilised woman during caesarean section without saying why is suspended for 12 months
A consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist who sterilised a patient without consent during a caesarean section,…
How could a radio broadcast on self-examination have avoided creating misperceptions?
Last week I listened to a radio broadcast in which a woman in her 20s…
Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN): filling data gaps in independent sector
As Anderson and colleagues highlight,1 the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) is mandated by the…
New death certification process: welcome changes in mindset, legislation, and hopefully data analysis
I welcome the renewed emphasis on the prevention of criminal activity as well as routine…
Sudan: Urgent action is needed to avoid famine, warn agencies
Famine in Sudan is a real prospect unless there is an increase in the flow…
“Excited delirium”: can the world lose this controversial term, which is accused of covering up deaths in police custody?
When George Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis in May 2020, the circumstances of…
HPV vaccine: the key to eliminating cervical cancer inequities
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine protects individuals from HPV strains that cause cancer. Evidence of…
Effect of the HPV vaccination programme on incidence of cervical cancer and grade 3 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia by socioeconomic deprivation in England: population based observational study
AbstractObjectivesTo replicate previous analyses on the effectiveness of the English human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme…
John Launer: Seeing the big picture—the distinctive value of generalism
Patients are often the beneficiaries of medicine, but they can be its victims too. Most…