There are some times when it seems that no decision can be the right decision but doing nothing is as much as a decision as doing something. Admittedly, it’s rare you’re faced with shooting a killer in cold blood to prevent him murdering a not-so-innocent man. But sometimes the triadic nature of paediatric & adolescent […]
Latest articles
Strawberry stories
My mum insists that we, at home, always cut off the green bit & splice the strawberry in case it had a slug in it. For Ian Wacogne it’s sitting with his back against a radiator. Why? Well, in my case it’s so that you can’t eat a slug … that’s managed to get into […]
Quality Improvement: Why it’s not turfing the RCT to the long grass
We’ve started to publish a fair few quality improvement reports in the Archives recently, aiming for 1200 words, 5 references and a readable SQUIRE-compliant paper that gets across the key messages about how a #QI project was undertaken. These aren’t trials, don’t have control arms, and may suffer from significant publication bias. (It’s not surprising to […]
More than numbers: Why use focus groups?
Dr Jess Morgan, working in the University of York, has taken time out from writing up a massive mixed-methods study to splurge on why you might like to use focus groups in your research study. You see, they aren’t just a way of getting a tonne of interviews done without having to do all the […]
StatsMiniBlog: Path analysis
It’s been a while since a little burst of statistical fun hit the blogosphere but summer is sort of here, and you may be faced with a choice of tracks in a forest and unsure which one to take … Path analysis will not aid you. Path analysis (aka ‘structural equation modelling’ … sort of …) […]
ADCE2 – When two tracks diverge in a wood
You’re sure to remember the ethical dilemma in ADCE1 – the overheard conversation of information that may have done more harm than good – and you’re likely to have spend hours awake, wondering about the next dilemma to come your way. Will it be, as posed by Emma Neumann in the “Tea & Jeopardy” podcast “If […]
Onwards and upwards? The first few months as a consultant
You’ve made it. You have new shoes. You cut your hair and filed your nails. What else do you need to do to get through your first few months as a new Consultant? Well, nobody can tell you precisely how to survive your first few months as a consultant. However, Ian, Vin and Helen do have […]
More than numbers: The biology of complex interventions
“Yes” said the slightly cross voice, clearly meaning ‘no’, not ‘yes’ … “Yes, I can see how that might be nice to know, but what we actually care about is ‘does handing out the information sheets actually get the parents to do the right thing?’ ” [A mildly fictionalised account of a research group encounter] Sometimes it’s tricky to […]
Getting through the interview. FAQ about Q.
So there’s maybe a few things that you’ve always wanted to ask about Consultant interview questions but never quite found someone to speak to … or perhaps found someone who you could ask but feel too daft to do so … well. Once again we’ve got Ian, Vin & Helen to rescue you. […]
(Guest post) No more broken backs
In this guest post, Gabriella Morley reflects on her experience as a just-qualified doctor in paediatrics in Birmingham, UK, and what the experience of the “Learning From Excellence” model feels like to those under the greatest strain at the moment – junior doctors in England. It could probably be said that this was one of the most […]