Comparison of prior authorization across insurers: cross sectional evidence from Medicare Advantage
AbstractObjectiveTo measure and compare the scope of US insurers’ policies for prior authorization (PA), a…
Category: British Medical Journal
Understanding the history of vaccine hesitancy and current mistrust in healthcare
Wilkinson mentions the “cultural memory” of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) autism scare.1 Vaccine…
What are you going to do to challenge ableism?
Jackson makes great points about how meeting the challenges of disability is the collective responsibility…
Plans for same day GP access hubs in London are scrapped after concerns
NHS North West London has rowed back on plans to impose same day GP access…
Exercise, mortality, . . . and other stories
Benefits of physical activityA couple of weeks ago, Minerva complained that, although studies showing physical…
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Bilateral ocular involvement in granulomatosis with polyangiitis
This man in his early 30s developed bilateral scleritis, oculomotor deficits, and proptosis with incomplete…
How to avoid being duped by predatory journals
There are tens of thousands of academic journals, with new ones appearing all the time,…
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Omalizumab for the treatment of food allergies … and other research
Allergy cure?Food allergies (such as peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, milk, eggs, fish, and shellfish) have…
Is consensus attainable on the definition of multiple long term conditions?
Multimorbidity, better referred to as multiple long term conditions (MLTC),1 is a rapidly growing research…
Progressive reticular atrophy on the face
A 9 year old boy presented with a six year history of slowly progressive reticular…
Science secretary pays libel damages and costs after falsely accusing academic of breaching Nolan principles
A UK cabinet minister has apologised and agreed to pay libel damages and costs to…
NHS handed {pound}6bn funding boost in spring budget
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has pledged almost £6bn in new funding for the NHS in his…
HIV: WHO reports “worrying” increase in resistance to key antiretroviral treatment
Resistance to the first line HIV antiretroviral drug dolutegravir is growing and exceeding levels seen…
Unsafe and unstable housing for refugees and asylum seekers is a threat to intergenerational health
Immigration policies in Europe have become increasingly punitive to deter new arrivals and unsettle the…
AI app that can diagnose acute otitis media may cut antibiotic use, say researchers
A smartphone app that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help accurately diagnose acute otitis media…
US food manufacturer can say that eating yogurt reduces risk of type 2 diabetes, says FDA
The US Food and Drug Administration has said that it will not object if the…
Scarlett McNally: Enabling active travel can improve the UK’s health
There is an urgent need to improve the nation’s health, which worsened over the pandemic….
Avoiding harm through hearing our patients
The Hughes report, released in February 2024, outlines options for redress for people in England…
Investing in women’s health is essential in the era of polycrises
The world is in a state of “polycrises” where multiple economic, environmental, social, and geopolitical…
Whistleblower’s decades long fight to save patients from dangerous research
BiographyNancy Olivieri, an internist and haematologist, graduated from McMaster University Medical School in Ontario and…
There can be benefits to discussing healthcare on social media
Stokel-Walker’s article on medical misinformation on social media raises many important matters.1 The online environment…
Sixty seconds on . . . capsule diagnostics
Some sort of space age pill?Not quite. Capsule diagnostics is a non-invasive way of providing…
Smoking rates in Australia drop below 10%, but vaping increases
Fewer than one in 10 Australians now smoke tobacco daily, although rates of vaping in…
India’s struggle to integrate traditional medicine into modern healthcare
In August 2023 India hosted the World Health Organization’s first ever Traditional Medicine Global Summit….
Why I . . . cosplay
Playing a fantasy character in your spare time may just be the secret to being…
Helen Salisbury: The Generation Study
The arrival of a new baby brings fierce and strong emotions, and for some parents…
Decline in child health in the UK is a national scandal
The steep decline in children’s health under the current government’s watch is a national scandal,…
Unions recommend that consultants in England accept new pay offer
Consultants in England will be asked to vote on a new pay offer from the…
Montelukast: Regulator reviewing asthma drug over concerns about mental health effects
The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is investigating the risks associated with…
The NHS doesn’t need reimagining: we ȷust need to stop burning money
Crisp and colleagues rightly argue that the NHS founding principles remain relevant but then fall…
Medical apprenticeships: what we know so far, and what happens next
We have made two amendments to this article by Éabha Lynn (BMJ 2024;384:p2939, doi:10.1136/bmj.p2939, published…
Asthma: Four in 10 patients do not receive timely follow-up after hospital admission, finds study
Some 40% of patients admitted to hospital with asthma are not receiving timely follow-up in…
BMJ commission on the NHS: don’t forget the workforce and young people
Crisp and colleagues commendably revisit Bevan’s five principles that laid the foundations of the NHS…
Increasing measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine uptake in primary care
Bedford and Elliman warn that measles cases are increasing, putting at risk the health of…
Consultants and SAS doctors in Wales vote to strike
Consultants and specialist, associate specialist, and specialty (SAS) doctors in Wales have voted to take…
NHS rolls out fast tracked immunotherapy for advanced endometrial cancer
Immunotherapy dostarlimab (Jemperli) will be available on the NHS for patients with advanced primary or…
The updated WHO air quality guidelines are a big step forward but not a complete solution
Numerous studies have identified fine particulate matter (PM)2.5, a critical component of air pollution, as…
What we did not learn at the covid inquiry in Scotland: a gap analysis
Wise highlights important concerns and absurdities about pandemic handling by Scottish ministers.1 Data from the…
Weights, resistance bands, and rest days are best for tendinopathy
The studyPavlova AV, Shim JSC, Moss R, et al. Effect of resistance exercise dose components…
Same day GP hubs: How will they affect access and continuity of care?
What are same day GP hubs?North West London Integrated Care Board (ICB) has said it…
Let’s talk differently about obesity
The theme of this year’s World Obesity Day on 4th March 2024 is “Let’s talk…
Advance and future care planning
What you need to knowAdvance (or future or anticipatory) care planning is an umbrella term…
Opinion: Too many donor organs go to waste. Here’s how to get them into the patients who need them
As I was getting ready to perform a kidney transplant from a deceased donor on…
Antibiotic costs rise 1100% as big pharma exits Nigeria
In Nigeria, the rapidly escalating drug prices are indicative of a deeper issue: fundamentally, it’s…
Illness trajectories in the age of big data
For decades, healthcare providers have understood that patients follow typical trajectories of health decline as…
Using illness trajectories to inform person centred, advance care planning
What you need to knowMost patients with progressive illness follow characteristic trajectories of decline, previously…
Illness trajectories of incurable solid cancers
What you need to knowNew systemic anticancer treatments, such as targeted therapy and immunotherapy, have…
UK workers during the pandemic: inadequate protection and, consequently, increased risk
There are striking similarities, as well as differences, between the shortcomings in protection and consequent…
Doctors report big rise in patients with illness because of socioeconomic factors
Over half (55%) of consultants surveyed say that they have seen a rise in the…
Teledentistry may help in detecting oral cancers in current GP and dentist shortages
Referrals to head and neck surgeons for suspected oral cancer are generally higher from areas…