What’s the point of all this? I ask not as a suicidal prelude or remark of self-indulgent philosophy, but after two days at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) […]
US healthcare
Gabriel Scally: A grotesque parody of fairness
It’s a long way to go from Bristol to Boston for a conference, but I’m adding to my carbon footprint and attending the 141st American Public Health association meeting. It’s […]
William Cayley: Can you show that you care?
“Can’t I just fake it? Can’t I pretend to care, even if I don’t.” So an anonymous physician is reported to have responded during a workshop on caring communication with […]
William Cayley: The patient’s story comes first
Once upon a time, there was a pain, a positive test, and “a possibly abnormal x-ray requiring clinical correlation.” As they travelled the world, no one could figure out where […]
Trish Groves: Postpublication review—what role should journals play?
The National Center for Biotechnology Information of the US National Library of Medicine has emerged from the US shutdown with a new service: PubMed Commons. It’s a system for commenting […]
Edward Davies: Obamacare—it’s time to stop rooting for failure
“Obamacare” is much in the headlines right now and not for the right reasons. Having been the bargaining chip of choice for Republicans during this month’s shutdown, the “health exchanges,” […]
Leana Wen: Announcing the total transparency manifesto
Our healthcare system is broken and in dire need of reform. We all know the statistics: the US spends $2.7 trillion on healthcare, 30% of which is waste in the […]
Jett Aislabie: Airport noise and cardiovascular disease
Last week we published a cluster of papers on airport noise and cardiovascular disease. One US based study found a statistically significant association between exposure to aircraft noise and risk […]
Edward Davies: How health is being hit by the US shutdown
The closure of Panda Cam at the Smithsonian National Zoo may be the highest profile casualty of the government shutdown in the US, but with a third week edging ever […]
William Cayley: Caring about the patient’s story
Who do you care about? The authors of guidelines? The producers of evidence? Those who audit your practice? Or perhaps your patients? Sophie Cook’s recent post on consultation skills finally […]