As I described two weeks ago, phenylbutazone was the first marketed compound to be later classified as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. However, the first drug to be so described seems […]
Columnists
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, […]
Billy Boland: Creating a culture where quality improvement is a way of life
I couldn’t think properly as I had heart palpitations. I didn’t know anyone and felt properly under the microscope. I was stressed out but trying to be at my best. […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs—origin of the term
As I discussed last week, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) form a heterogeneous group of compounds, primarily defined by being anti-inflammatory and secondarily by not being steroids. The word “steroid”, which […]
Richard Smith: Ten years of working towards patients controlling their own health records
I first met Mohammad Al-Ubaydli, founder and chief executive of Patients Know Best, ten years ago and heard his idea that all patients should have access to and control of […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Non-drugs
As I discussed last week, definitions should preferably not include negations. Some terms that denote drug classes break this rule. Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs), for example, form a […]
Richard Smith: What I learnt from brief encounters with a GP whose obituary I’ve just read
I find that at age 66 the obituary pages of The BMJ usually include each week at least one person I’ve known. Often the obituaries bring back memories, some exciting […]
Abraar Karan: Changing the way we communicate about patients
The way we communicate can reinforce a culture in which people become another case of “X” disease […]
Rachel Clarke: Senator John McCain’s surprising lesson for doctors
McCain’s advice about communication has lessons for doctors, says Rachel Clarke […]