As part of the Dying Matters Awareness Week in the UK, we were all encouraged to talk openly about dying in an attempt to be more ready for it. [1] […]
Latest articles
Richard Lehman’s journal review—14 October 2013
NEJM 10 Oct 2013 Vol 369 1395 It’s been known for at least four thousand years that the heart has two ventricles, but what they actually did was a source […]
Seye Abimbola: Polio eradication and the lens of established thought
In the introductory essay to their timely collection of ethnographic papers on global health, “When People Come First: Critical Studies in Global Health” (which I think everyone working in global […]
Edward Davies: How health is being hit by the US shutdown
The closure of Panda Cam at the Smithsonian National Zoo may be the highest profile casualty of the government shutdown in the US, but with a third week edging ever […]
John Bowis: Schizophrenia and social inclusion
At the European Health Forum in Gastein, Austria, mental health figured prominently in the programme. The first two sessions centred on “Mental health—the motor for a healthy economy,” at which […]
Martin Brunet: 10 minutes for the patient
Mr Jones comes to see me. He is only 62, but has high blood pressure, had a stroke two years ago and still has a noticeable limp as he walks […]
William Cayley: Caring about the patient’s story
Who do you care about? The authors of guidelines? The producers of evidence? Those who audit your practice? Or perhaps your patients? Sophie Cook’s recent post on consultation skills finally […]
Richard Smith: Doctors should think less about drugs and more about food
Doctors, who prescribe drugs, are at the top of the health hierarchy, whereas nutritionists are near the bottom. At medical school students learn a huge amount about drugs, but little […]
Jennifer Hislop: Florence Nightingale and Mae West – the unsung pioneers of health policy?
The second part of the session “Investing in health. From health to wealth” at the European Health Forum Gastein was devoted to “Resolving the efficiency and quality dilemma.” Olivia Wigzell, […]
Georgios Lyratzopoulos reports from the diagnostic error in medicine conference
Amidst justified concerns about the potential for overdiagnosis it is easy to forget the great challenges associated with establishing a timely and accurate diagnosis in the first place. Many thousands […]