Palliative care globally lacks funding, professionals, and medicines (particularly morphine) and suffers from policy neglect, said David Praill, chief executive of Help the Hospices, opening a meeting in London on global palliative care. Palliative care should cover all patients, all diseases, all nations, all settings, all dimensions (physical, psychological, social, spiritual), and begin earlier, said […]
Knowing when and how to apply established knowledge into practice is difficult. A recent article in The Lancet shows why. The thickness of the inner walls of the carotid artery is associated with cardiovascular disease; so much so that the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) support the use of […]
There was extensive media comment this weekend about the Court of Protection’s decision to authorise the force-feeding of a seriously anorexic former medical student with a critically low BMI. The woman, referred to only as “E,” is 32 and following sustained sexual abuse as a child has suffered from an eating disorder since she was […]
The recent case of a young Jehovah’s Witness in a sickle cell crisis refusing essential blood products and being allowed to die confirms what should by now be widely known: a competent and informed adult has a right to refuse medical treatment even where the refusal will result in his or her death. Although there […]
The effectiveness of the public health workforce hinges on its ability to effectively communicate its key messages to the public. As the Department of Health undertakes yet another consultation on public health the question is: do we now need a public health media centre? […]
Humans tend to remember their pleasant and positive experiences and forget those events which were disagreeable or negative. We are not natural talents at coping with cognitive dissonance, and therefore our minds select the memories and evidence that we are most comfortable with. This trait can seriously impede our objectivity. In extreme cases, it can […]
What do you think is the risk factor that causes the most deaths globally? Until I saw the data I’d have answered tobacco. But in fact it’s high blood pressure. As the figure (see below) shows, tobacco causes about six million deaths a year but high blood pressure around eight million. That’s why the Global […]
How would you feel if your patient said to you: “I want you to be my Virgil, leading me through my purgatory or inferno, pointing out the sights as we go?” Or how would you respond to: “I would like to discuss my prostate with you not as a diseased organ but as a philosopher’s […]
I won’t have the privilege of attending the Olympic and Paralympic Games, but I recently had the opportunity to attend a meeting with mass gathering medicine experts chaired by David Heymann at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Around 8 million spectators, 300 000 accredited professionals, and 10 500 professional athletes will be […]
One aspect of my job that I have enjoyed over the last few years has been engaging with the public. It has never been dull. When I first arrived in Lincolnshire we did a lot of work, talking with the public and professionals about the principles we should use for commissioning services. This became a […]