The Children and Young People’s Health Outcomes Forum, an “expert group” formed to advise the English governmental agencies on improving heath outcomes for folk from before their birth to 25 years old, held a summit in June and were addressed by a number of young people who had used health services in different ways. One of […]
Category: guest post
(Not) A minion
There is a temptation as a junior doctor to refer to oneself as “just a minion”. This is particularly true of FY1s/residents, but it persists a fair way up the food chain. After all, we just go around obeying orders and doing as we’re told, right? WRONG. A junior doctor tends to be the first […]
What’s in a number? (Part 2)
A quick task. Grab a sheet of paper or open a blank screen on your computer. Write down: Your phone number Your partners or a family members phone number Your National Insurance Number The sort code from your primary bank account Your NHS Number How did you do? Were you able to remember them all? […]
Guest Blog: When it all backfires
Although vaccines are probably one of the most effective public health interventions to reduce mortality and morbidity, it’s apparent that vaccine ‘scares’, often fueled by mass-media have caused some parents to question their value and safety. Wile we paediatricians try hard to keep vaccination rates up, we don’t know how effective are our messages or […]
Guest Blog: My campaign for free-range consultants
You may not have noticed, but there was a subtle shift in Britain’s food a couple of years ago. After many years of campaigning, most notably on the telly by bucolic chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall but also by such animal welfare luminaries as PETA and Compassion in World Farming, the UK finally got rid of battery […]
StatsMiniBlog: Z scores.
A recent journal club article, the exact nature of which is irrelevant, triggered a coffee-room discussion on the subject of z scores, which although often understood in relation to Bone Mineral Density reports are otherwise a statistical challenge. In particular the difficulties in interpreting them in a meaningful way were lamented by our team. […]
What’s in a name?
A guest post from @tweediatrics. Last week, a discussion surfaced on Twitter regarding the use of “affectionate” names with patients. It started from this, tweeted by an A+E consultant in the UK: “Colleague disciplined for calling a 90 yr old lady ‘my dear’ & ‘darling’. She had no issues with them. Are we being too PC? […]
Guest Blog. Safeguarding (and) Children’s Rights
This January sees the UK submitting its fifth periodic report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child outlining the progress over the last 5 years the UK has made in meeting its obligations to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The UNCRC is an excellent piece of child […]
Guest Post. Positive feedback
It seems almost every day that a negative healthcare story makes its way into the headlines; missed diagnoses; missed opportunities; repeated failings that suggest a lack of learning from previous serious incidents. While the issues raised by these stories may be significant, the articles rarely present a balanced account. The distorted information is presented for […]
Guest Blog: The end of systematic reviews?
So the titles intentionally provocative and NOT the brainchild of the post’s author (@JRBTrip of @TRIPdatabase) … but Jon has provided us at the Archives with a paediatric-orientated version of the new TRIP rapid-review system. Read on to find out more, and comment / tweet us your thoughts … Bob Phillips for @ADC_BMJ Trip Rapid […]