Five days in hospital for the delivery of our first child was a sobering reminder of the harsh realities of life (our newborn had a post-natal stay on ITU), the […]
Columnists
Martin McShane: My nose is out of joint
As is my wont, I was skimming the BMA news and hovered over the “See one, do one” column about working and surviving as a junior doctor. It was a […]
Richard Smith: Who are the “medcomms community?”
Have you ever heard of the “medcomms community”? I suspect not, but they are shaping your world. It might be worth spending two minutes reading this blog to learn more […]
Julian Sheather: Science, bad science and self abuse
I recently happened upon a fascinating article by Ben Goldacre – he of Bad science fame – on the ticklish question of the provision of pornography at IVF clinics to […]
Richard Smith: Creating a sustainable health system, learning from business
If we carry on as now we will need 2.3 planets to support the 9 billion people who will be alive in 2050, says the World Business Council for Sustainable […]
Sandra Lako: The death of a child …
This afternoon an expatriate internal medicine doctor started an ultrasound workshop with the doctors. I thought it would be useful for me to go, so I did. The ultrasound room […]
Richard Smith: Feeding back to individuals the findings of research on their genes
Around the world research groups are sequencing the genome of tens of thousands of people, and a crucial question is what to do about feeding back to individuals findings that […]
Martin McShane: The fossilisation of general practice
“If you take it to its logical conclusion, the Secretary of State will have to define exactly what primary care does – forever,” said the GP on the other end […]
Sandra Lako: Intraosseous access saves lives
One afternoon I passed through the emergency room and noticed two doctors hovering over a patient attempting to get intravenous access. As in many of the emergency cases, the patient’s […]
Richard Smith: Computers take histories better than doctors – why don’t they do it more?
Here’s a simulated doctor patient consultation that took place today at the Royal Society of Medicine. A 65 year old woman (cunningly disguised as a bald, male professor from the […]