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How a veteran support charity can reduce strain on the NHS: five minutes with . . . Jo Thomas
“The Poppy Factory offers employment support to veterans who have a health issue, mental or…
Category: British Medical Journal
Winter surge forces emergency wards in England to turn patients away
Emergency departments in England have been turning away non-critical patients as their wards are overwhelmed…
Crumbs of comfort in this time of despair
It seems that there are more reasons to despair than ever in 2022. However, 40…
At the hospital
bmj;379/dec22_4/o3017/FAF1faMalcolm WillettIt’s not just clinical staff who burn the midnight oil to care for patients….
Money isn’t the most critical resource—we need to consider time and carbon
In the past two months The BMJ has published articles on unnecessary preoperative tests,1 on…
Using paediatric blood bottles for adult tests to reduce blood volumes would be hard to implement
Silverstein and colleagues advise using paediatric blood bottles to reduce blood volumes for routine adult…
Robots, radiologists, and results
In 2017 a robot called Xiaoyi—Chinese for little doctor—attempted China’s medical licensing examination.1 In its…
Climate change: “Loss and damage” fund payouts could take decades, scientists warn
The loss and damage fund—agreed at the 27th United Nations climate change conference (COP27) to…
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Doctors need time and support to teach medical students, or no one will learn
The medical students turn up just as I’m about to start the ward round. They’ve…
The NHS can lead the way for staff receiving fertility treatment
Society and the National Health Service have been failing patients requiring fertility treatment. I know…
Ambulance trusts declare critical incidents amid “unprecedented” and “sustained” pressure
Three ambulance trusts in England have declared critical incidents this week as the NHS struggles…
Covid-19: What can China learn from Hong Kong and Singapore about exiting zero covid
China’s “zero covid” strategy was successful in protecting the Chinese population throughout the first phase…
Covid-19: UK deaths from all causes 3.1% above average during the pandemic
The UK’s all cause mortality was 3.1% above average during the covid-19 pandemic compared with…
What can the NHS learn from other countries on workforce planning?
In his Autumn Statement, Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, reiterated the government’s commitment to delivering long…
Statin related muscle symptoms: is it time to move on
Inhibitors of hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (statins) are among the most widely investigated and prescribed…
Junior doctors are cutting back on food and heating amid cost of living crisis, BMA poll finds
The effects of the cost of living crisis in the UK have been brought into…
Why scientists must learn to listen: five minutes with . . . Roula Inglesi-Lotz
“Gone are the times that the scientist would sit in ‘his’ lab and produce knowledge…
Government wants to blame NHS’s problems on strikes, says Labour
The shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, has said he can’t understand how the government allowed…
Doctors in Rome stage protest in defence of Italy’s health service
Unions representing Italian doctors and health managers staged a protest in Rome last week which…
On the 12th Day of Christmas, a Statistician Sent to Me . . .
The weeks leading up to Christmas are a magical time for medical research. The impending…
Effectiveness of covid-19 vaccines in adolescents and children
Although children and adolescents generally have a milder form of covid-19 than adults, some young…
Digital disparities among healthcare workers in typing speed between generations, genders, and medical specialties: cross sectional study
AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the typing skills of healthcare professionals.DesignCross sectional study.SettingTwo large tertiary medical centres in…
The gift that won’t keep on giving: ban coal as punishment at Christmas
Once linked to energy security and considered a welcome gift for keeping warm over the…
Electrocardiogaffe
Because a physician has possessed himself of an electrocardiograph, a polygraph, an x-ray machine, a…
Scottish gender recognition reform may have unintended harms for health and healthcare
The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, which allows people to be “legally recognised in their…
Nonsense in global health
KEY MESSAGESSpin, hyperbole, meaningless buzzwords, and technocratic jargon have become increasingly common in global health…
Misspelling of antimicrobials by healthcare professionals
Although electronic health records have widely reduced medication errors, and computerised hospital orders are an…
Medical regulation must be compassionate, supportive, and fair—how can we make this a reality?
Like doctors across the country, I felt a profound disquiet over the case of Manjula…
Study finds no sign that gap in medical training attainment by ethnicity is shrinking
Trainee doctors from some ethnic backgrounds are continuing to experience differential attainment in undergraduate medical…
Brexit has worsened shortages of specialist doctors, says think tank
Brexit shut off the “relief valve” of immigration from the European Union, worsening workforce shortages…
Lecanemab for Alzheimer’s disease
The detailed results of a phase 3 randomised controlled trial of lecanemab,1 the latest monoclonal…
Additional testing of blood samples: reflective versus reflex
Silverstein and colleagues discuss the excess of blood tests performed on hospital inpatients and strategies…
When I use a word . . . . Sydenham Societies
Thomas SydenhamThomas Sydenham (1624-89) was an English physician. He took the degree of bachelor of…
NHS faces significant pressure as flu and covid cases rise
The NHS received one of the highest weekly numbers of 111 calls last week as…
Ugly side of the beautiful game: the football world cup and domestic violence
Major sports events unite large international audiences in the excitement and fervour of watching their…
GMC to appoint personalised contacts for doctors under investigation
The GMC will make initial contact with a doctor by phone if they need to…
Reimagining health systems as systems for health
While health systems are fundamental to creating health and wellbeing, the covid-19 pandemic has exposed…
Covid-19: NHS is struggling to treat more patients than before pandemic despite more staff and funding, finds analysis
Covid-19 may have dealt a “lasting adverse hit” to NHS performance rather than a short…
Poor IT culture, not infrastructure, is the root cause of health IT problems
Digital innovation is seen as the solution to many pressing healthcare problems. Yet digital technology…
Assisted deaths: Quebec passes Netherlands to lead world in number per capita
Quebec is now the jurisdiction with the highest proportion of people choosing medical assistance in…
Nurses’ strike: Government must act to avoid “stalemate for foreseeable future”
Up to 100 000 nursing staff across the UK walked out in the first of…
Doctors on film
Doctors have been the heroes of action films, disaster movies, and thrillers—think Harrison Ford in…
She-Hulk: an incredible case of transfusion associated graft versus host disease
Transfusion associated graft versus host disease (TaGVHD) is a rare complication of blood transfusion in…
Protecting children from harms of vaping
The international popularity of vaping products has grown rapidly over the past decade,1 and e-cigarettes…
Fetal monitoring in labour: summary and update of NICE guidance
What you need to knowThe new guideline on fetal monitoring emphasises that women are the…
I tried to survive as a Doctor in The Sims 4
When the world first went into national lockdowns during the covid-19 pandemic, I, like many,…
Strep A: Pharmacists can supply alternative penicillin, in light of shortages
The government has issued protocols to allow pharmacists to dispense alternative penicillin for treating scarlet…
We mustn’t accept long ambulance delays and errors as the new normal in the NHS
Barely a week goes by without headlines about spiralling wait times for NHS ambulatory or…
The NHS’s forgotten workforce—a historical essay by Jennifer Crane
Porters, cleaners, receptionists, chefs, laundry workers, and other ancillary staff have represented a huge proportion…
From health systems to systems for health: much more than semantics
There’s something in the air. Ministries of health in the Bahamas, Barbados, and Botswana have…