Walking through Rio de Janeiro’s largest slum, Favela da Rocinha, in the pouring rain is probably not the wisest thing for a foreign visitor to do. But on a recent trip to Rio, I was determined not to squander the one chance I had to visit the Maria do Socorro Silva e Souza Family Health Clinic—one of […]
The steady “Uberification” of modern life continues, and with it have come companies that provide “Uber style” medical home visits for patients. KNOK began operating in Portugal in December 2015. A patient can call a GP and a number of other specialists through an app. This lets you see a map which shows which doctors are […]
I read with interest some recent articles about the interplay between private healthcare insurance and state provided healthcare. [1][2][3] A substantial proportion of the population has private health insurance in Portugal, where I work as a GP. Funding cuts and raised co-payments because of the financial crisis have decreased the appeal of public healthcare, prompting […]
Since 2011, I’ve worked as a locum GP in Portugal’s national health service, where patients pay five euros for each appointment with a GP. Many people are exempt from paying, for exemple pregnant women, children up to 12 years of age, unemployed people receiving benefits, and patients who have had transplants. The co-payment to see […]
• In his acclaimed weekly blog, Richard Lehman highlights a cluster of articles on healthcare in China. Acute kidney injury seems to be an emerging problem in China as many traditional herbal products may contain nephrotoxic plant substances, with more than 70% of patients giving a history of possible toxic drug ingestion. • Peter Sandercock, featured in the […]
• Samir Dawlatly explains in a blog the barriers that he faces daily as a practicing GP, which often hinder him from providing high quality healthcare. He gives the example of a patient presenting with tiredness and says that, under pressure, it is much more difficult and time consuming to explain why blood tests aimed at […]
• A research paper looks at the association between warfarin treatment and longitudinal outcomes after ischaemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation in community practice, using a large registry of patients admitted to US hospitals with acute ischaemic stroke. The study found that new prescription of warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation after stroke was associated with […]
• Gareth Iacobucci reports that the National Health Action Party secured just over 20 000 votes across 12 constituencies in the UK general election. In three constituencies, it achieved fourth place finishes. The National Health Action Party was formed by doctors and health campaigners in 2012 in protest against government policies for the NHS. • BMJ editors […]
• Pityriasis versicolor is a superficial fungal infection of the skin that is commonly seen in general practice. The latest practice pointer looks at its diagnosis, differential diagnosis, management, and prevention. One particular aspect about its management is that first line treatment comprises shampoo containing either ketoconazole, selenium sulphide, or zinc pyrithione. • Iron deficiency […]
A few weeks ago, I returned to the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Lisbon—the medical school from where I graduated ten years ago. The reason was to participate at the AIMS meeting, an international conference for medical students as both a member of the jury of the oral presentations and as a speaker. […]