The current question “to mask or not to mask?” has again unmasked our limitations in interpreting medical research and in handling the associated uncertainty, argues James Brophy […]
Month: November 2020
Alastair Hay: A call for evidence-based SARS-CoV-2 testing
Gathering evidence may save lives and money Operation Moonshot, as it has already been observed, is too expensive to miss. [1] For an estimated £100 billion, it proposes to provide […]
Speaking up against bullying in the patient community
Patients are not alone—bullying happens in all areas of life Many of us are aware of school campaigns against bullying, protecting school aged children from harmful experiences that pose life-long […]
Between covid-19, Brexit, and new trade deals, a non-communicable disease storm is brewing
We risk having a deeper public health emergency in 2021 in the aftermath of Brexit and new trade deals, warn Richard Smith, David J Hunter, Paul Kingston, and Heather Lodge […]
Ambiguities in new schedules for reimbursing digital medical services in the US must be clarified
The US healthcare system rapidly adopted telehealth and remote monitoring services during the response to the covid-19 pandemic, possibly transforming the future of health care delivery. [1] This progress, however, […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I Use a Word . . . Folk etymology
The list of words first recorded from 1976 in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED; Table 1) includes, unusually, an erroneous coinage. The words “inotropism”, “inotropic”, and “inotropy” all relate to […]
Emma Doble: What matters for people during covid-19 and beyond
During the pandemic, many patient organisations have grappled to adjust to new ways of working and priorities. National Voices, the coalition of charities that stands for people being in control […]
Covid-19 has sparked physician-built response systems in the US
As healthcare professionals, we have a responsibility to build a system that serves our patients, protects providers, and advances our profession. The role of government in maintaining those values in […]
Matthew Sawyer: Why all health professionals should be carbon literate and practise sustainably
As a GP my training has equipped me with the skills needed to prevent ill health, diagnose illnesses, provide treatment, care for the sick, and hold the hands of the […]
Laurie Tomlinson: Shining a light into medicine’s dusty corners
“But why do we choose blood pressure drug classes in this order?” The question came at the end of a Grand Round presentation I had given at my hospital. I […]