What comes to mind when you think of communication skills? You might think of Situation Background Assessment Recommendation handovers, or breaking bad news, with structures reminding us to have difficult […]
Latest articles
Daniel Sokol: Are legal fees killing the NHS?
The debate on NHS compensation is plagued by misconceptions, argues Daniel Sokol […]
Coronavirus: The psychological effects of quarantining a city
During disease outbreaks, community anxiety can rise and mass quarantine is likely to raise that substantially […]
Alex Nowbar’s weekly journal review—24 January 2020
Alex Nowbar reviews the latest research from the top medical journals. […]
The anaesthesia department coffee room has restored morale in our department
The departmental coffee room has always been the “hub” of any anaesthetic department. I qualified in 1984, and started my career in anaesthesia a year later. I have been lucky […]
The prevalence of industry funding of patient groups
The conflict of interests of patient groups has been a focal point of research for many years due to the pivotal role that many patient groups play in healthcare assistance, […]
What is the varicella zoster virus boosting effect?
One of the most fascinating facts about varicella zoster virus, which causes chickenpox and, in its reactivated form, shingles, is that the immunity of a latently infected person appears to […]
Richard Smith: Learning from Canada about assisted dying
Discussions on assisted dying are usually heated and about whether it should be legalised. But I recently found myself in the privileged position of discussing with a well informed group […]
Nigel Poole: Discharging patients early, where does legal responsibility lie?
The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust has reportedly advised staff to help relieve the pressure on resources by considering discharging patients “earlier than some clinicians would like.” This was said […]
Nick Hopkinson: Health inequality in the new decade—we need a new strategy
The poorer you are the shorter your life and the shorter your disability free life expectancy. [1] Our common objective in medicine is to improve human health and wellbeing, so […]