I have been talking about failure a lot at the moment. How it should be encouraged and celebrated. We all do it often enough, so we might as well try […]
Month: April 2017
Richard Lehman’s journal review—17 April 2017
Richard Lehman reviews the latest research in the top medical journals […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Translational research—a new operational model
To recap: over the past three weeks I have used the metaphor of crossing bridges in discussing translational research in clinical medicine; derived a model of it from definitions in […]
The dual nature of hope at the end of life
Hope for cure has traditionally been the patient’s best friend and the clinician’s strongest ally. Clinicians may avoid discussing their patients’ poor prognoses with them for fear that this might destroy […]
Neel Sharma: The first rule of diagnosis—eyes first and most, hands next and least
Medical education has changed dramatically in recent years. During my training we used a standard reference text and relied heavily on seniors to provide more detail about different clinical diseases. […]
Alain Braillon: Should pregnant women be tested for smoking?
While rates of smoking are slightly decreasing in some high-income countries, worldwide more and more women smoke, and 10 to 25% of women smoke during pregnancy. Smoking remains the first avoidable […]
David Wrigley: Financing the NHS through hedge funds would be a bad deal
Back in the 1990s politicians dreamt up a way of funding new hospitals, prisons, and schools and keeping the borrowing away from national debt. It was John Major’s government that began […]
Carl Heneghan: The irrational rationing of healthcare
“The rationing process in the NHS is messy,” said the King’s Fund. On this I think we can agree. Just look at what is happening with IVF services to understand […]
Richard Smith: A day of wisdom, song, dance, and bonding in Bangladesh
Bangladeshis love to sing, dance, make music, recite poetry, talk, eat, and let off steam. So icddr,b day, the day of what may be the largest health research institution in […]
Matt Morgan: The (free) elephant in the burnout room
As an intensive care consultant, the risk of “burnout” is ever present. Everyday, I will deliver devastating news to families when they least expect it. I will often make life […]