Let me tell you a sad tale of wasted time and effort that illustrates clearly for me why it’s time to abandon prepublication peer review. It’s the tale of an […]
Richard Smith
Richard Smith was the editor of The BMJ until 2004.
Richard Smith: Can we screen for cardiovascular disease using age alone?
Using simply age to screen for cardiovascular disease is as effective as more complicated methods using blood pressure and serum cholesterol, concludes a study published in PloS One in May by […]
Richard Smith: Outlook bleak for mental health
Mental health disorders—particularly depression, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s disease—account for a huge proportion of the global burden of disease, but the outlook for better treatments looks bleak. I don’t think that […]
Richard Smith: Time to get rid of health professionals?
Can we imagine a world 20 years from now that no longer has health professionals? Instead of regulated health professionals anybody could offer healthcare—and perhaps much of it would be […]
Richard Smith: “End of the world” and the under 40s
The BMJ meeting on climate change keeps reverberating through my mind, and the apocalyptic feel of the meeting was deeply unsettling. Is the end of the world nigh? And what […]
Richard Smith: Climate change, torturers, Nero, and me
“We know what we need to do to avoid severe climate change. We know how to get it done. We have the technology, and we can afford it. But we […]
Richard Smith: UN meeting on NCDs – day two
Tuesday 20 September. Day two 7.10 Traffic is gridlocked near the UN building because so many streets are shut. Obama hits the UN today—not unfortunately the NCD meeting. […]
Richard Smith: A diary of the UN meeting
Monday 19 September. Day one 7.10 I arrive at the junction of 47 Street East and 2nd Avenue to meet the Pepsico people who are holding a breakfast meeting in […]
Richard Smith: A diary of the UN meeting on NCDs
Saturday 17 September. Day minus two 17.20 Arrive in New York. A bigger queue than ever at immigration. Do they really want visitors? After an hour I reach the booth. […]
Richard Smith: Should there be easier access to new drugs?
There is increasing pressure for drug regulators to provide quicker access to new drugs. The pressure comes from doctors, patients, politicians, and the drug industry. What is likely to happen? […]