Proportion likely to rise as population ages; major cause of disability and distress Between a third and half (43%) of the UK population—roughly 28 million adults—lives with chronic pain, finds an analysis of the available evidence, published in the online journal BMJ Open. This proportion is likely to rise as the population ages, warn the […]
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Drug treatment of hyperactivity in kids may have levelled off in UK
But it lasts much longer than it does in rest of Europe or US The tendency to treat childhood hyperactivity (ADHD) with drugs may have reached a plateau in the UK, following a steep rise in the number of prescriptions for these medicines over the past 20 years, reveals research published in the online journal BMJ […]
Prolonged sitting, non-fatal self-harm, and institutional mental healthcare: Most read articles in May
Prolonged sitting and fatigue, non-fatal self-harm, and trends in institutional mental healthcare in Western Europe This month sees a mixture of some old favourites and some new entries in the Top 10 Most Read list. First up is a pilot study by Wennberg et al which uses a randomised two-condition crossover trial to compare the acute effects of uninterrupted sitting […]
International Clinical Trials Day
Today is Clinical Trials Day. Celebrated around the world on or near May 20, Clinical Trials Day commemorates the date when, in 1747, James Lind started the first clinical trial to test citrus fruits as a treatment for scurvy. This year’s campaign from the NIHR is OK To Ask, which encourages patients and carers to inquire about research opportunities […]
Celebrating International Nurses Day #IND2016
International Nurses Day, celebrated on 12th May each year and coinciding with Florence Nightingale’s birthday, marks the important contributions nurses make to society. As the single largest group of health professionals, nurses care from the first moments of life right through to the final days. To show our appreciation of the work that nurses […]
Radiotherapy during surgery could save millions of travel miles and tonnes of CO2
…plus free up thousands of hours for women with early stage breast cancer, every year One targeted dose of radiotherapy given during surgery to remove early stage breast cancer could save millions of travel miles, enough CO2 emissions for a 100 hectare forest, and free up thousands of hours of women’s time, concludes research published […]
Prenatal exposure to cannabis, overdiagnosis, and counterfeit medicines: Most read articles in April
Prenatal exposure to cannabis, public definitions of overdiagnosis, and counterfeit medicines in Peru The Top 10 Most Read papers list this month contains a number of new entries, many of which have been published within the current issue. They come from a wide range of of areas and some have attracted attention via press release, blogs and discussion […]
Hospital self-harm cases have steadily risen among men in England since 2008
But only half of those going to hospital afterwards get mental health assessment The number of hospital cases of self-inflicted harm, such as cutting and overdosing on prescription meds, has risen steadily since 2008 in England among men, reveals research published in the online journal BMJ Open. But only around half of those who go […]
Metal hip replacements implanted since 2006 more prone to failure
Higher rate of issues in manufacturing process since this date may be to blame, say researchers Metal on metal hip replacements implanted since 2006 are more prone to failure and the need for further surgery, finds research looking at revision rates at one hospital trust for the DePuy Pinnacle device, and published in the online […]
What is ‘overdiagnosis’? Public meanings and misconceptions
A recent study published in BMJ Open found less than 3% of the British public could define the meaning of overdiagnosis correctly. We talk to lead author Dr Alex Ghanouni about his research. Stories about the ‘overdiagnosis’ of medical conditions regularly make the headlines. “GPs to trial new tests for asthma amid concerns about overdiagnosis” […]