• According to this study of 900,000 patients, commercial providers of out of hours GP care in England are associated with poorer experience of care compared with NHS or not for profit providers. The authors also found that some ethnic minorities, particularly Asian patients, reported a poorer experience than white patients, especially when asked about timeliness of care. The authors are now calling for further research to find out why there is variation in out of hours care.
• In a linked editorial, Nicola Walker and Richard Baker say that although we need more research to better understand the experience of some patients and how we should respond, further reports are not needed; it is time for action that makes a real difference.
• Retired surgeon Michael King was reminded of an unusual patient recently. The patient in question was an 8 year old boy in Malawi who was rushed to hospital after being shot in the heart by a friend. He was successfully operated on, but the bullet wasn’t found. The next day he complained of pain in his left leg. A whole body radiography finally showed the bullet behind his left knee.
• The World Health Organization warns that three quarters of countries have no national plan to tackle antimicrobial resistance, despite such plans being seen as one of the most important components in combating the problem.
• Finally, Paul Auerbach, professor of Surgery, Emergency Medicine at Stanford, is blogging about helping out with the relief effort in Nepal after the recent devastating earthquake.
Juliet Dobson is the blogs editor, The BMJ.