I was recently invited to speak on “new models of care” at a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Skin at the House of Commons. I chose to speak about a new approach to address the failure of the NHS to tackle the angst and distress felt by so many people with skin […]
Category: Guest writers
Kawaldip Sehmi: The patient-centred approach of the Hillsborough inquest
Respecting the families’ euphoria and personal grief, I delayed this blog post on the Hillsborough inquest verdicts (the verdict came at lunchtime 26 April 2016). Let them savour their day in court, and well done to all on the Justice For The 96 campaign, especially Michael Mansfield QC, who has now got into a bit […]
Jane Parry: Organ donation is an emotive topic, and rightly so
Recently, there was a very moving piece in The Guardian about a doctor’s experience of a family donating their dead child’s organs for transplant. It got me thinking about organ transplantation here in Asia, specifically in Singapore, and why donation rates there are so low. Singapore has an opt-out organ donation policy: a 2009 amendment […]
Steve Ruffenach: Footprints old and new
A recent discovery of ancient footprints on the beach in Happisburgh, UK has set the archeological world aflutter. Scientists working at the scene have discovered pre-historic footprints left by our ancestors some 850,000 years ago. As reported by PLOS One, the details of the findings have challenged some long-standing beliefs regarding ancient human behavior and […]
Natalie Blencowe and Jane Blazeby: Beyond Buxton—establishing when the time’s right for a surgical trial
In 1987 Martin Buxton observed that “it’s always too early [to evaluate] until suddenly, unfortunately, it’s too late.” This is particularly true in surgery. In most countries, there is rapid diffusion of new surgical techniques. This usually occurs without evaluation, perhaps reflecting a combination of surgeons’ enthusiasm for innovating and a misunderstanding of evidence based […]
Paul Hodgkin: The dogs that don’t bark are the most difficult to hear
For at least the last 70 years patients have been regularly gathered in crowded outpatient clinics and left to sit in silence. Decade after decade, country after country, health systems around the world have ignored the massive potential for patients to learn from each other. Forget the rhetoric about listening and engaging patients. Just look […]
Tara Lamont: How was it for you? Reflections on patient experience research
“Expect to see blood in your semen.” This was the shouted afterthought from the clinician to a middle aged patient with prostate cancer across a crowded waiting room as he left the consultation. A room of strangers turned to look at him now thinking, as he pointed out wryly, about his sexual activity. Just a […]
Kamal R Mahtani: Evidence based mentoring for “aspiring academics”
There are times in our careers when we are not sure what to do next, whoever we are. We may lack experience or the confidence to decide what to do; or we may have made a decision and need a word of advice from someone more experienced, reassuring us that the idea was sensible. At […]
Martin Roland: Who should have PSA testing for prostate cancer?
Doctors and patients are confused by PSA testing. In January 2016, the UK National Screening Committee recommendation concluded that “Evidence shows a benefit of prostate screening to reduce prostate cancer deaths by 21%. Despite this significant reduction, the major harms of treating men who incorrectly test positive still outweigh the benefits. A systematic population screening […]
Stuart Parris and Sonja Marjanovic: How to galvanise the NHS to adopt innovation
The NHS has a strong history of pioneering health innovations, but has traditionally been better at developing them than adopting them. To address these challenges, Sir Hugh Taylor, former permanent secretary at the UK Department of Health, is leading the “Accelerated Access Review.” The review team recently released its interim report. It puts forward five propositions for […]