My first admission whilst writing this correspondence is that I am no expert in the field of psychology. I undertook training in psychiatry during my junior years but this only […]
Guest writers
John Appleby: The cost of reform
Asked in 1972 whether the French Revolution had been good or bad, the then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai said that it was “too early to say.” As it turns out […]
Mohammed Bahgat et al: Is the friends and family test a true feedback tool of NHS services?
The NHS friends and family test (FFT) was launched in April 2013 to support the fundamental principle that people who use NHS services should have the opportunity to provide feedback […]
Marika Davies: Doctors and death row—should doctors ever take part in executions?
The US Supreme court has put three executions in Oklahoma on hold while it considers a legal challenge to the state’s use of midazolam in its lethal injection protocol. This […]
Pallavi Bradshaw: Are medics increasingly at risk of being criminalised?
However clichéd it may sound, like most medics I wanted to be a doctor to help people. While we strive to do the best for our patients, there will be […]
Karl Swedberg and Inger Ekman on person centred care in Europe
The health systems of the European Union make up a central part of Europe’s social protection. They contribute to social cohesion and social justice as well as to sustainable development. […]
Penny Pereira: What does it really take to improve patient safety?
How confident are you that the risk management processes in your organisation enable you to predict and manage all the risks your patients are likely to face? If you have […]
Paul Roblin on Dobson et al’s Lancet Tamiflu re-analysis: an independent review group. Really?
On 30 January 2015 the Lancet published a re-analysis of oseltamivir effects in symptomatic influenza like illness “Oseltamivir treatment for influenza in adults: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.” This was authored […]
Neville Goodman: Stemming the rising tide of epidemic proportions
Metaphor is useful. When Malcolm Gladwell wrote about an epidemic of Hush Puppies, no one thought that Hush Puppies were transmissible in anything more than the metaphorical sense. But as […]
Vincent Iacopino: Health professionals have no role in Saudi blogger’s flogging case
The disturbing case of a Saudi blogger sentenced to flogging should serve as a reminder that health professionals should never participate in torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. Raif […]