Until last weekend it never crossed my mind that I wouldn’t die. Now after conversations with my brilliant friend Alex Jadad I fear that I might be hopelessly out of […]
Latest articles
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 […]
Tiago Villanueva: Should medical students spend time in resource poor settings?
I believe firmly in the importance of medical students and doctors engaging in international experiences, and in the international mobility of doctors. So I decided to go along to a […]
Barbara Peters: When does a hospital’s duty of care end?
When does a hospital’s duty of care end? Great care is placed in patient pathways, but little recognition given to what happens after a patient dies. The challenge is that […]
Jane Parry: The disease of poverty is a doctor’s business everywhere
“If you miss the poor, you’ve missed the point,” said Margaret Mungherera in her recent inaugural speech as incoming president of the World Medical Association. She urged doctors around the […]
Richard Vize: The only chance for GPs to lead the NHS
Just seven months ago, GP commissioners were poised to lead a clinically driven revolution in the NHS. Their deep understanding of the needs of patients and ability to eyeball hospital […]
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 […]
Mary E Black: Save our national statistics
That old chestnut about “lies, damned lies and statistics” always raises a laugh. But something is about to happen that is not funny at all. The Office for National Statistics […]
Ellen Collins on funder priorities for open access
In the last two years, UK policy has taken a clear turn towards open access. With the aim of making published, peer-reviewed research outputs available to anybody who wants to […]
Unni Karunakara and Jean-Christophe Dollé: The limits of humanitarian aid—MSF and TB in Somalia
On 14 August 2013, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) took one of the most difficult decisions in our history and closed all of our medical humanitarian aid operations in Somalia after […]