The birth of the Cochrane logo Twenty four summers ago I asked David Mostyn to design a logo to illustrate the objectives of the soon-to-be-opened Cochrane Centre. He did a […]
Latest articles
Richard Smith: Can the NHS ever manage to analyse data to improve patient care?
In order to improve patient outcomes the NHS badly needs to collect data on all that is happening, analyse it intelligently, and present the information to clinicians and managers in […]
Neville Goodman’s Metaphor Watch: Not a raft unless it’s flat and keeps you afloat
Raft has three primary meanings (COD): a flat buoyant structure or small boat; a floating mass of fallen trees, ice, etc.; foundation concrete for a building. From the second meaning […]
Richard Lehman’s journal review—17 October 2016
NEJM 13 Oct 2016 Vol 375 Outcomes and choices This week’s print NEJM contains mostly papers I’ve already commented on—notably, Gilbert Welch’s important study of mammography and breast cancer outcomes […]
Sian M Griffiths: How to implement handwashing with soap in schools
11 March 2016 was an important day for global public health. It was the day the UN adopted a hygiene indicator as part of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6–the goal […]
After Hurricane Matthew: The fight to prevent a cholera epidemic in Haiti
Cholera has been in Haiti since shortly after the earthquake in 2010. Before Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti this month, it was predicted there would be 50 000 cases by the end […]
William Cayley: Numerical minimal change disease
What difference makes a difference? We often encourage patients to make small behavioral changes, in the hope that even one step in the right direction is at least small progress. […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . A word about empathy
Empathy is becoming a 21st century biomedical fashion, judging by the number of papers on the subject (figure). But the concept is not new. The word is first recorded in […]
Paul Aylin: Weekend Gravity Waves
On 15th September 2016, a letter appeared in The Guardian with an unlikely collection of signatories including Lords, an MP, a number of medics, a leader in evidence based medicine […]
Tiago Villanueva: Family medicine and private health insurance in Portugal
I read with interest some recent articles about the interplay between private healthcare insurance and state provided healthcare. [1][2][3] A substantial proportion of the population has private health insurance in […]