Is our increasing life expectancy something to celebrate or despair of? It’s a question that’s exercising several sectors right now and it’s not hard to see why. All societies are ageing, but the fastest population increase is among the “oldest old,” and their projected need for health and long term care is daunting. Currently around […]
Category: Editors at large
Domhnall MacAuley: GMC and the Olympics
Ever wonder what it would be like to be a team doctor at a major sporting event like the Olympic Games? Drama and excitement; giving vital medical support to bring the team or athlete to victory, pushing you into media spotlight, basking in the reflected glory, the envy of your colleagues. Think again. Most team […]
David Payne: Homoeopathy and the Royals
At a recent BMJ planning meeting we talked of commissioning an article about how the Murdoch family business had shaped public policy in countries where its newspapers and broadcast channels are major players. But after reading Edzard Ernst’s interview in Saturday’s Guardian newspaper, which recounts a well publicised disagreement with Prince Charles over homoeopathy, I wonder if we should turn […]
Neil Chanchlani: Conscientious objection
“See one, do one, teach one?” Gone are the days when medical students did what they were told, learnt what was on the syllabus, and spoke when spoken to. “See one, do one, teach one?” Not a chance. Instead, they conscientiously object. […]
Edward Davies: Sex scandal
Sex and pensions do not comfortable bedfellows make, but I feel I must write something about this. While most of the current talk on UK pensions is about increased contributions and longer working lives, there is an actual scandal passing by barely reported.While I’m not a central pillar in the UK’s feminist movement I am […]
Domhnall MacAuley: My big fat gypsy wedding
The TV programme My big fat gypsy wedding made me cringe. We cared for a large community of travelling people for many years and I felt embarrassed on their behalf. Some traveller women I spoke to felt let down by these programmes. The cold documentary eye made the lavish weddings and extraordinary dresses look absurd. They […]
Deborah Cohen: Amy Winehouse’s battle with addiction
When celebrity ill-health and death play out across the media, the chattering classes inevitably all have their say. With Jade Goody attention turned to cervical cancer (and created mass hysteria about the age screening should begin); and Kylie’s breast cancer, which she survived, raised its profile. With Amy Winehouse, who died this weekend, the attention […]
Domhnall MacAuley: Waste, uncertainty, post publication peer review and the unintended consequences of asking a question
Irrelevant, misdirected, inappropriate, or unnecessary. Reading the list of contents in some lesser known journals or abstracts at a conference, you wonder what some studies really add. Sir Iain Chalmers (The Lind Initiative), who opened the Society of Primary Care conference in Bristol, called it waste. He said that we need to focus on uncertainty […]
Deborah Cohen on improving health reporting
There are a few ways to improve health reporting. One is doing as some science commentators do: lumping all journalists together in a totally “unscientific” way sniping and sneering to their pals on the blogosphere. Or you can explain how to cover medical research by offering advice about how to approach a story that your […]
Behrooz Astaneh: Authorship criteria – use or abuse
A recent post on WAME forum about authorship criteria shows that it is still a challenge, even though standard guidelines were released a few years ago by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (Vancouver group). The responses to the post on the WAME forum triggered me to write this blog. The case described was of 5 surgeons who […]