“The future health of millions of children, the sustainability of the NHS, and the economic prosperity of Britain all now depend on a radical upgrade in prevention and public health.” […]
Month: September 2018
Mark Taylor: Does it matter that letters between consultants and GPs are not addressed to patients?
Yes, says Mark Taylor. It treats patients as spectators of their care […]
Derek C Stewart: What does being “research active” mean for clinicians and their patients?
The phrase research active is being used more and more in the description of health and social care providers, yet we haven’t clarified what this means to people (patients) using […]
Fast-tracked pharmacoepidemiology in drug safety issues
This July, it was discovered that some valsartan products (used for treatment of hypertension and heart failure) sold in Europe and the United States had been contaminated with a potent […]
The NHS heart age test will overload GPs who are already under huge pressure
Providing tools that don’t acknowledge uncertainty will erode the public’s trust in the health service […]
Volatile substance abuse—overlooked and under-serviced
The recent release of new UK data on the number of deaths caused by drug misuse highlighted the continued high levels of harm associated with substance use. Of particular concern […]
Assisted dying: The Royal College of GPs and Royal College of Physicians have an opportunity to learn from mistakes of the past
In the assisted dying debate, the public, parliamentarians, and doctors themselves need to be confident that the stances of medical organisations accurately represent the views of their members. The Royal […]
Sarah Markham: Integrating physical and mental healthcare to improve patient outcomes
As human beings we are intimately aware of the dynamic interactions between our physical and mental selves. In the context of having an illness, we may also become aware of […]
Richard Smith: A small insight into avoiding some of the pressure on A&E departments
At 8.15 on a Saturday morning while I’m shopping with my grandson my wife at home receives a call to say my 89 year old mother with dementia, who lives […]
Kieran Walsh: Clinical decision support—only works when used
Clinical decision support can improve health outcomes and reduce the risk of medical error. But it isn’t always used. And a bit like a wondrously effective drug—when it’s not used, […]