“What,” a Finnish journalist asks me, “should a patient ask before entering a clinical trial?” That’s a good question, I think, as on my feet I try to answer the […]
Latest articles
Sharon Roman: I am the girl next door
I flatter myself that the wedding ring on my finger does not stop the opposite sex from finding me attractive and noticing me. On good days, I am able to appear […]
Claire McDaniel and Daniel Marchalik: Physicians and their pasts
The Doctor’s Book Club Richard Flanagan The Narrow Road to the Deep North So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. -F. Scott Fitzgerald, […]
Hitesh Bansal: When the worlds of medical student and medical patient collide
A 20 year old male presented to A&E with abdominal pain. The pain was sharp, constant, severe, located in the epigastric region, radiating through to the back, and had been […]
Rosanna O’ Keeffe on Direct Provision: Is this really the best we can do for those seeking asylum?
In 2000 the Direct Provision scheme was officially introduced by the Irish government. The scheme requires asylum seekers to live in designated accommodation centres while they await decisions on their […]
Jason Cone: There is no such a thing as “free” vaccines: Why MSF rejected Pfizer’s donation offer of pneumonia vaccines
I recently had the difficult task of telling Ian Read, Pfizer’s CEO, that Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is rejecting the company’s offer to donate a significant number of pneumonia vaccine […]
Chris van Stolk and Joanna Hofman: Helping people with mental health problems to stay in work
Reducing mental ill health in the UK remains a significant policy challenge for government. Just over 6 million working age people have mental health […]
Jonny Martell: Opening a dialogue in mental health
I was there the first time my father saw the psychiatrist. I think it was the only time, in his study at home. I remember I was seated behind him, […]
Tim Lobstein: Can wearable technology help patients tackle obesity?
Technology offers solutions to many health problems, but can the new generation of wearable sensors help patients manage their weight? Experience from an EU funded project suggests that there are […]
Polly Moyer: On balance, we’re making progress
Balance Awareness Week (BAW) 2016 recently took place. Given that I have to co-exist with a rare condition that affects my balance I can’t say that I was an impartial […]