We owe it to ourselves and to our patients to take time out when we need to […]
Year: 2018
Robertson and Nicholls: The problems associated with fist clenching at venepuncture
We, former colleagues, now retired and living 12,000 miles apart, have both recently undergone investigation of blood biochemistry entailing repeated venepuncture by phlebotomists with varying levels of experience. On each […]
Rammya Mathew: Acknowledging clinician bias in shared decision making
A piece of improvement work I’ve been involved in has thrown up some questions for me around anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation (AF). Quality and Outcomes Framework data indicates that we […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I Use a Word . . . Criteria
In 1965 Sir Austin (“Tony”) Bradford Hill, professor emeritus of medical statistics in the University of London, gave a lecture to the Royal Society of Medicine’s newly formed Section of […]
Jane Morris: Rising admissions for eating disorders—we need to close the revolving door of treatment and relapse
Clinicians in the UK are unable to offer their best service as a result of overwhelming demand and reduced staffing […]
Irial Eno: The case of Albert Thompson is abhorrent, but not exceptional
Seventy years ago, the NHS was created with bold principles at its core, two of which are particularly relevant at this time: that it be free at the point of […]
Chris Simms: The British and Canadian health systems at 70 and 60
As both healthcare systems celebrate landmark years, they also share similar threats to their continued survival […]
Elizabeth Loder: Gun violence in the US—the kids (and Miss America) will fix it for us
Will the Parkland students and the #NeverAgain movement be able to keep up the momentum? […]
Richard Smith: “This house needs new drugs”—no it doesn’t
Last week I took part in a debate at the Cambridge Union on the motion “This house needs new drugs.” The motion was proposed by the chief executive of AstraZeneca, […]
Patricia Cantley: We must remember how scary hospitals can be for our patients
We need to do everything we can to redress the imbalance between patients in hospital and healthcare professionals […]