NSAIDs and contraceptives: critical thinking on a harmful drug interaction
As an early career doctor I prescribed diclofenac liberally. It was my go-to anti-inflammatory drug…
Category: BMJ
Government consults on legislation to disclose industry payments to doctors
The UK government is looking to introduce legislation to force manufacturers and commercial suppliers of…
Tom Nolan’s research reviews—7 September 2023
AI in the endoscopy suiteOne advantage of adding artificial intelligence (AI) powered software to your…
A persistent sore throat
This man in his 30s had a sore throat for two months and was initially…
Racial and socioeconomic inequalities in US have a “devastating effect” on preterm infant mortality, finds study
Socioeconomic inequalities are having increasing effects on preterm birth and mortality rates in the United…
The US quietly terminates a controversial $125m wildlife virus hunting programme amid safety fears
A flagship project for the controversial practice of hunting viruses among wildlife in South East…
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Declining access to US maternity care is a systemic injustice
Access to healthcare is an internationally recognised human right, but the United States is failing…
An older woman with abdominal pain and ascites
A woman in her 70s presented with a two week history of fever, sharp upper…
Stop smoking, keep walking, . . . and other stories
UnknomicsThe human genome encodes approximately 20 000 proteins. Understandably enough, investigations have concentrated on genes…
NHS trusts are told to prepare to evacuate hospitals with crumbling concrete
NHS England has written to trusts advising them to prepare evacuation procedures from clinical areas…
Essure device: 200 women in England and Wales can take legal action against Bayer
The High Court in London has made a group litigation order allowing around 200 women…
Seven days in medicine: 30 Aug to 5 Sep 2023
General practiceVirtual appointments “are as good as face to face”Health outcomes in patients who saw…
Pyoderma gangrenosum
What you need to knowPyoderma gangrenosum presents as a rapidly evolving ulcerative lesionA key diagnostic…
David Oliver: Let’s use the GMC’s Good Medical Practice for an “I’m Spartacus” moment
On 22 August the General Medical Council (GMC) published its updated and expanded Good Medical…
Safety of telehealth and digital health services is being neglected, says WHO Europe
Since the covid pandemic most countries in Europe (44) now have a national digital health…
Better data on unmet healthcare need can strengthen global monitoring of universal health coverage
During the covid-19 pandemic, nearly one fifth of households in 39 low and middle income…
NHS organisations are urged to commit to stamping out sexual harassment in the workplace
NHS trusts, general practices, and medical royal colleges are being encouraged to sign up to…
Physician associates in the United States
Salisbury cites the avoidable death of a woman reportedly misdiagnosed by a physician associate (PA).1…
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Scarlett McNally: In praise of part time doctors
After decades as a full time surgeon, during which I didn’t go to a dentist…
Can reforming the operating model help Northern Ireland out of its healthcare crisis?
Northern Ireland has been without a fully functioning devolved government since February 2022, when the…
Why I . . . play pool
As a fairly common hobby, playing pool may be overlooked as a way to deal…
Helen Salisbury: Covid booster chaos
If you spot your local GP with even bigger bags under their eyes than usual…
Why Nigeria has declared skin lightening a health emergency
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is a prime market for a cosmetics industry centred around…
Essential medicines lists are for high income countries too
On 26 July 2023, the World Health Organization published the 23rd edition of its essential…
Faculty of Physician Associates: voluntary register, competency framework, and supervision for physician associates
Salisbury discusses important issues raised by the death of a woman debated in parliament in…
Physician associates: avoiding blame culture
In Salisbury’s article about the death of a woman who was seen twice by physician…
Departing Stanford president retracts two Science papers after investigation
Marc Tessier-Lavigne stepped down as president of Stanford University in California on Friday 1 September…
Paris fights to halt spread of dengue mosquito
bmj;382/sep04_11/p2032/FAF1faValery Hache/AFP/GettyFrench health authorities fumigate areas of Paris for the first time to kill disease…
Physician associates in general practice: a GP registrar’s perspective
The introduction of physician associates (PAs) into general practice is detrimental to patient care. Salisbury…
The physician associate role remains poorly understood
Responses to the avoidable death of a woman seen by a physician associate (PA)1 have…
The global community needs to do more to tackle the inequality crisis
The climate emergency and the global rise in inequalities are putting us all at risk….
Outsourcing covid-19 vaccination to the private sector will increase health inequalities
It is challenging, confusing, and divisive to even try to describe the current state of…
US mortality continues to worsen when compared with other rich nations, study finds
The US could have averted more than a million deaths each year in 2020 and…
Cancer charity questions NHS England’s claim that waiting times are improving
A UK cancer charity has challenged NHS England over its use of statistics, claiming that…
Virtual wards: NICE sets out guidance on managing acute respiratory infections at home
More people with acute respiratory infections could be treated outside hospitals in respiratory hubs or…
Personality disorder
What you need to knowPersonality disorders are a set of complex emotional difficulties. They are…
Police in England and Wales step back from mental healthcare
Police in England and Wales are working to release themselves from all but the highest…
India faces a growing need for palliative care
On most days, 60 year old Kuttan is a worried man. He has chronic obstructive…
Avoid using “bcc” in bulk emails, says information regulator
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has warned healthcare organisations that they should use alternatives to…
Assisted dying: Doctors in Quebec aren’t bending rules, says medical leader
The Collège des Médecins du Québec, the professional association of the province’s doctors, has defended…
Biden administration sets out plan to reduce price of 10 drugs used by over 65s that cost $50bn a year
President Joe Biden’s administration has announced it will begin negotiating prices for 10 expensive drugs…
Diabetes: Doctors are told not to start new patients on GLP-1 agonists because of shortages
Clinicians in England are being advised that they cannot prescribe appetite suppressants for patients with…
Expand health based interventions to curb deaths and harms from drug use, say MPs
MPs are calling for an overhaul of drug laws to tackle excess deaths in the…
Letby inquiry gets statutory power to compel witnesses to give evidence
The inquiry into how the neonatal nurse Lucy Letby was able to get away with…
Junior doctors and consultants will strike together for first time over pay erosion
Junior doctors and consultants in England will jointly undertake four days of strike action in…
Two-drug antiretroviral regimens for HIV
What you need to knowAntiretroviral therapy regimens containing two active drugs rather than the traditional…
Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act
Uganda’s recently implemented anti-homosexuality act1 builds on colonial era law to increase prison sentences for…
Professionals must refuse to work on new fossil fuel projects
As the climate crisis intensifies, professionals involved with the oil and gas industry must adopt…
Covid-19 and flu boosters to start earlier than planned, with extra funding for GPs
The government has reversed its decision to delay England’s covid and influenza vaccination campaigns for…
Tom Nolan’s research reviews—31 August 2023
Pred weightHow much should you worry about the effect of weight and blood pressure if…