They visit their GP 5 times as often as other patients on practice lists Proportion of these patients has risen over past two decades ‘Frequent attenders’ now make up around 4 in every 10 family doctor (GP) consultations in England, and the proportion of such patients has risen over the past two decades, reveals a […]
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Third of first year university students have moderate to severe depression/anxiety
Upping drug use linked to heightened risk; sense of belonging linked to lower risk Around a third of first year university students have or develop moderate to severe anxiety and/or depression, suggests the first study of its kind, published in the open access journal BMJ Open. Increasing use of prescription (but not prescribed) and illicit drug […]
World AIDS Day 2021
Today marks the annual World AIDS Day, promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 1987. The theme for this year’s awareness day is “End inequalities. End AIDS.” Apart from COVID-19, HIV/AIDS remains the only other ongoing pandemic affecting the world today. In stark contrast to COVID-19, HIV vaccines largely remain in development, though […]
Top 10 Most Read in October 2021: adherence to non-pharmaceutical COVID-19 interventions, intellectual disabilities and COVID-19 outcomes, and pandemic-related community mental health
In October we welcomed three new papers into the top ten most read, all of which relate to different aspects of COVID-19. Adherence to non-pharmaceutical measures against COVID-19 The highest new entry in October is a study of factors that influence adherence to non-pharmaceutical measures against COVID-19 such as social distancing, working from home and […]
Housework linked to sharper memory and better falls protection in older adults
Findings independent of other types of regular physical activity Housework is linked to sharper memory, attention span, and better leg strength, and by extension, greater protection against falls, in older adults, finds research published in the open access journal BMJ Open. The findings were independent of other regular recreational and workplace physical activities, and active commuting. […]
World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2021
Source: WHO (https://who.canto.global/v/campaigns/album/VH579). At BMJ Open, we wish to highlight events and topics of significance to our readers. Today saw the launch of the annual Antimicrobial Awareness Week (18-24 November 2021), promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2015. The theme for this year’s awareness week is “Spread awareness, stop resistance.” A series […]
Zinc might help to stave off respiratory infection symptoms and cut illness duration
But quality of evidence variable, and no clarity on optimal formulation or dose A zinc supplement might help stave off the symptoms of respiratory tract infections, such as coughing, congestion, and sore throat, and cut illness duration, suggests a pooled analysis of the available evidence, published in the open access journal BMJ Open. But the quality […]
US ranked world No 2 for salt content of processed meat/fish products
China ranked first; UK last: but wide variations, depending on product, finds 5-country study The salt (sodium) content of processed meat and fish products is so high in the US that it ranks second in the world, finds a 5-country study published in the online journal BMJ Open. China comes first, while the UK comes last […]
UK ‘austerity’ since 2010 linked to tens of thousands more deaths than expected
Findings echo other research on stalled life expectancy improvement Extra social care spend more than twice as ‘productive’ as extra healthcare spend Central government austerity measures since 2010 are linked to tens of thousands more deaths than expected, finds research published in the online journal BMJ Open on the joint impact of social care, public health, and […]
Top 10 Most Read in September: Vaccine acceptance, delirium in critically ill COVID-19 patients and symptom scores to predict COVID-19 positivity.
September sees just three new entries in our top 10 most read articles, all on coronavirus: Public acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines Our highest new entry is a large online survey of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance by Lindholt and colleagues from July, the first time the paper’s been in our top 10 since its publication. The […]