The two simple and very human reasons why all health systems, including the NHS, are bound to fail
Both hospital consultants and doctors in training in England have gone on strike and plan…
Category: British Medical Journal
Prevent TB to end TB
Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of infectious disease deaths globally, killing three people every…
Abortions rise in the US as state restrictions cause widespread travel for care
The number of abortions rose in most states in the US during the first six…
Promoting psychosocial approaches for more compassionate mental health services
Liberati and colleagues’ recent article on the need to embed compassion in mental health services…
Tirzepatide: NICE recommends another GLP-1 agonist for type 2 diabetes
Tirzepatide, branded as Mounjaro, has been recommended for treating poorly controlled type 2 diabetes in…
Anaesthesia associates: Royal college convenes extraordinary meeting after call from members
The Royal College of Anaesthetists will hold an extraordinary general meeting in October after a…
Compassion in acute mental health services: Balint groups can help doctors understand mental distress
The timely analysis by Liberati and colleagues highlights the pressures faced by acute mental services…
Diagnosis and management of sacrococcygeal pilonidal disease in primary care
What you need to know Refer urgently patients with an acute abscess for incision and…
Violence against doctors exposes the inequalities in Indian medicine
Harish Mohammad, a doctor interning at a government general hospital in Kochi, was attacked by…
When I use a word . . . The ICMJE requirements and recommendations
The Vancouver DeclarationIn January 1978, the late Edward Huth, then editor of the Annals of…
Martha’s rule: What could the proposed changes mean for doctors?
Pressure is building for a formal system to allow patients or families the right to…
NHS trust is charged with corporate manslaughter over woman’s death
An NHS foundation trust in London and a former ward manager are facing manslaughter charges…
Every medical school should have a planetary health teaching fellow
Are medical students being prepared for the global health crisis due to the climate emergency?…
The NHS workforce plan: building resilient teams and retention of senior clinicians must be prioritised
The NHS workforce plan recognises the urgent need for action but is focused on producing…
Abortion is decriminalised in Mexico as “green wave” sweeps the region
Mexico’s Supreme Court has repealed a law criminalising abortion, in the latest cause for celebration…
Management of epilepsy during pregnancy and lactation
ABSTRACTEpilepsy is a group of neurological diseases characterized by susceptibility to recurrent seizures. Antiseizure medications…
BMJ’s policy on artificial intelligence in scientific publishing
Artificial intelligence (AI) can rival human knowledge, accuracy, speed, and choices when carrying out tasks….
Nottingham trust faces criminal investigation into baby deaths
Police are preparing to launch a criminal investigation into baby deaths and injuries at Nottingham…
Filling in the gaps in our understanding of hormonal contraception
One of my clearest professional memories is an encounter with a young female patient who…
What is my risk, doctor? Let’s stop giving patients irrelevant information
Bretthauer and Kalager discuss the communication of risk.1 I think one difficulty is that most…
Digital NHS: Government rejects advice to increase pay to boost IT staff numbers
The UK government has rejected calls to offer higher salaries to employees working on digitising…
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…
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…
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…