In the first month of 2022 we saw a large number of new articles enter our top 10 most read list. COVID-19 still dominates our top 10 list, three of the new articles have been highlighted below.
Impact of care expenditure on mortality in England
At number three we have our first new entry to the top ten list. A cross-sectional study from Martin et al. aimed to estimate the joint impact of social care, public health, and healthcare expenditure on mortality in England. They found that an increase in expenditure in these areas results in a reduction of mortality. This suggests that a decrease in expenditure may have been a factor in the slow down in the rate of improvement in life expectancy seen in England since spending constraints were introduced in 2010.
Impact of COVID-19 on healthcare services
Our next new entry is at number five. Moynihan et al. conducted a systematic review on the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare services. They found that during the pandemic, healthcare utilisation decreased by a third with the greatest decrease in people with less severe illness. These findings may help with healthcare prioritisation in the post pandemic recovery.
Advanced clinical practitioners in England
At number six, we have a new cross sectional survey evaluating the advanced clinical practice (ACP) role. In this survey of over 4000 people, Fothergill et al. found that there was variations in scopes of practice among ACPs and inconsistent ACP frameworks. They also found that ACPs struggled to work on all four pillars of practice, particularly the research pillar. A standardised approach may help support the development of the ACP role in England.
Other new entries can be found at number seven, nine, and ten.
Here is the full list of most read papers in BMJ Open during January 2022:
Most read figures are based on pdf downloads and full text views. Abstract views are excluded.