No magic way to curb rising healthcare costs
There are no systems in which healthcare has been made “magically cheaper,” as Salisbury rightly…
Category: British Medical Journal
Australia tightens its prescription-only regulation of e-cigarettes
Australia recently announced further tightening of e-cigarette regulations introduced in 2021 that designated all e-cigarettes…
Government must end “gross inȷustice” of excluding SAS doctors from pay rises, BMA says
The government must stop excluding some specialist, associate specialist, and specialty (SAS) doctors in England…
Should doctors apologise to patients?
A recent decision of the medical practitioner’s tribunal (the tribunal service for doctors in the…
The human right to a healthy environment: implications for climate action
The final hours of COP27 saw a dramatic shift from entrenched gridlock to historical firsts….
The government’s antisocial behaviour action plan risks exacerbating the homelessness crisis
Since 1824, the Vagrancy Act has made it a criminal offence to sleep rough or…
GPs routinely deliver palliative care to people with dementia
If Yorganci and Sleeman are concerned about palliative care for people with dementia, they might…
Sixty seconds on . . . the NHS workforce plan
Has it finally arrived?Alas, no. The 15 year strategy, unofficial titled “The Long Awaited NHS…
On the ethical requirement to inform patients about potential treatment benefits
Davis and colleagues found that the benefits of prescription drugs are often poorly communicated to…
Cash transfers save lives of women and children in poor countries, study finds
Distributing money from the government to poor individuals or families in low and middle countries…
WHO ends public health emergency designation for mpox
On 11 May 2023 the World Health Organization declared that the 2022-23 mpox epidemic was…
Yemen: current peace talks must also prioritise health
Yemen may at last have some cause for optimism after eight years of armed conflict.1…
Recognising a child with isolated craniosynostosis
What you need to knowCraniosynostosis is the premature fusion of cranial sutures in children, which…
What could the next pandemic be?
It’s been over three years since SARS-CoV-2 spread across the world and covid-19 is still…
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Male sling is as good as more complex surgery for incontinence after prostate surgery
The studyConstable L, Abrams P, Cooper D, et. Synthetic sling or artificial urinary sphincter for…
Sixty seconds on . . . liver dialysis
Does that even exist?It’s under investigation. After the first clinical trial in humans, researchers have…
Situational judgment test is scrapped under new system for allocating foundation training places
The way medical students are allocated to foundation training places in the UK will undergo…
Anthony David Clift
bmj;381/jun02_9/p1260/FAF1faAnthony David Clift (“Tony”) was born in Manchester, where he also went to medical school,…
Roger Gabriel
bmj;381/jun02_8/p613/FAF1faRoger Gabriel was born in Canton, Cardiff, on 13 January 1938. His family lived in…
John Francis Doran
bmj;381/jun02_7/p1236/FAF1faJohn Francis Doran studied dentistry at the Royal Dental Hospital, London, achieving his bachelors degree…
Nicholas Hanson Sheldon
bmj;381/jun02_6/p1237/FAF1faNicholas Hanson Sheldon (“Nick”) was born to Dennis and Nadine Sheldon in Derby City Hospital….
Gambleaware: what does “independence” from industry really mean?
The charity Gambleaware says on their website that they are “wholly independent.” They make grants…
Genetic test “screening campaign” may be causing unnecessary alarm, experts warn
The UK National Screening Committee does not recommend screening for haemochromatosis, an inherited condition that…
The problem with Silicon Valley medicine
Modern medicine has been shaped by technology, but there’s no guarantee that the newest iteration…
Are hard collars necessary for older people with odontoid neck fractures?
What you need to knowPatient age, frailty, comorbidities, and injury severity are important predictors of…
Obituary: Traute Lafrenz—doctor and White Rose member
The online version of this obituary (doi:10.1136/bmj.p695, published 23 March 2023) features a photograph of…
Tom Nolan’s research reviews—1 June 2023
Scanning for pulmonary embolismWe all know that feeling when a colleague comes up to you…
Facial ageing . . . and other stories
Looking young for your ageFacial ageing reflects ageing in other parts of the body. When…
One-stage hip revisions are as good as two-stage surgery to replace infected artificial hips
The studyBlom AW, Lenguerrand, Strange S, et al. Clinical and cost effectiveness of single stage…
A Pott diagnosis
This is spinal tuberculosis on a midline T2 weighted sagittal magnetic resonance image of the…
Good health for its own sake
For too long, societies around the world have tended to see money that is spent…
Prevention of venous thromboembolism in patients with cancer
AbstractVenous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cause of both morbidity and mortality in patients with…
Interdepartmental hostility undermines patient care and demoralises staff
The tribalism and toxicity in maternity care reported by Wilkinson is all too familiar for…
Staff emotional safety in maternity care
Wilkinson highlights “tribalism and toxicity” as contributing to failing maternity services, citing Kirkup’s report attributing…
Douglas Ellis: pioneer in fertility treatment
bmj;381/may31_18/p1251/FAF1faWhen teaching trainees vaginal repair surgery, the legendary Douglas Ellis demonstrated a dissection technique using…
Race-free estimated glomerular filtration rate equation in kidney transplant recipients: development and validation study
AbstractObjectiveTo compare the performance of a newly developed race-free kidney recipient specific glomerular filtration rate…
Doctors raise concerns about possible discriminatory action against trainee who was suspended after patient complaint
A decision to suspend a junior doctor from the medical register for falsely recording that…
Safeguarding NICE from patient groups’ conflicts of interest
Since its creation, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has committed to…
NICE recommends oral treatment for preventing episodic migraine
The first oral treatment for the prevention of migraines has been recommended by the National…
Gambling: RCGP is criticised for holding conference with organisation dependent on industry funding
Doctors have criticised the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) for holding a conference about…
Covid-19: WHO treaty on future pandemics is being watered down, warn health leaders
The World Health Organization’s new pandemic preparedness treaty is being watered down and stripped of…
Comparing death rates in the pandemic: hundreds of millions could be disabled by covid
Islam and Djanov’s use of the past tense to refer to the pandemic is unfortunate.1…
Lost your identity at medical school? Try doing something different
Being a medical student can feel really isolating. You’re passed from team to team like…
Could Brazil’s community health model ease pressure on NHS general practice?
In a GP surgery in Pimlico, London, Cornelia Junghans-Minton meets with a small group. The…
New Yorkers rally against care cuts
bmj;381/may31_5/p1222/FAF1faMichael M Santiago/GettyYoung people participated in a Care Not Criminalization rally at Foley Square, New…
“Poverty proofing” and a national strategy for the cost-of-living crisis
A meeting of medical experts and academics on poverty and the cost-of-living crisis, which took…
Alcohol withdrawal
BMJ Best Practice takes healthcare professionals quickly and accurately to the latest clinical information, whenever…
Labour’s health “mission”
The UK is heading towards a general election—expected sometime in 2024—and the Labour party is…
Government “crackdown” on free vapes for children is too little and very late, say public health leaders
The government has said that it will close a loophole that has allowed retailers to…
When I use a word . . . Commercial clinical trials
A reviewEarlier this year, the UK government appointed Lord James O’Shaughnessy, senior partner at a…