Hope for cure has traditionally been the patient’s best friend and the clinician’s strongest ally. Clinicians may avoid discussing their patients’ poor prognoses with them for fear that this might destroy […]
Latest articles
Neel Sharma: The first rule of diagnosis—eyes first and most, hands next and least
Medical education has changed dramatically in recent years. During my training we used a standard reference text and relied heavily on seniors to provide more detail about different clinical diseases. […]
Alain Braillon: Should pregnant women be tested for smoking?
While rates of smoking are slightly decreasing in some high-income countries, worldwide more and more women smoke, and 10 to 25% of women smoke during pregnancy. Smoking remains the first avoidable […]
David Wrigley: Financing the NHS through hedge funds would be a bad deal
Back in the 1990s politicians dreamt up a way of funding new hospitals, prisons, and schools and keeping the borrowing away from national debt. It was John Major’s government that began […]
Carl Heneghan: The irrational rationing of healthcare
“The rationing process in the NHS is messy,” said the King’s Fund. On this I think we can agree. Just look at what is happening with IVF services to understand […]
Richard Smith: A day of wisdom, song, dance, and bonding in Bangladesh
Bangladeshis love to sing, dance, make music, recite poetry, talk, eat, and let off steam. So icddr,b day, the day of what may be the largest health research institution in […]
Matt Morgan: The (free) elephant in the burnout room
As an intensive care consultant, the risk of “burnout” is ever present. Everyday, I will deliver devastating news to families when they least expect it. I will often make life […]
Asthma guidelines—Same questions, different answers
Two sets of recent asthma guidelines are markedly different, which is confusing for patients, doctors, managers, and funders, argue Dominick Shaw and colleagues. […]
Helen Morant: Hierarchy makes communication harder
Patients and their voices are starting to be heard in the world of medicine. From a low starting point, admittedly, but it is happening. Recently I was asked to take […]
People, paint, and power: Enhancing working environments and staff wellbeing
“Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.” ~ Pablo Picasso Working within the NHS it is easy to find oneself questioning whether our clinical work spaces reflect […]