The last few days have been action packed, and my work in Nepal is coming to a close. As an emergency physician, my skills will soon be much less needed than those of orthopedic and plastic surgeons, and primary care and infectious disease specialists. Because of the incredible outpouring of active interest from people who […]
Category: Guest writers
Jocalyn Clark: More on predatory journals—a bad dream turning into a nightmare
In a sort of karmic backlash, predatory publishers seem to be redoubling their efforts since my last blog on predatory journals to swamp my inbox with pesky emails promising quick publication for hard cash. In the last week alone I’ve (addressed as Dr J or just “Colleague”) been asked to be an honorary speaker (as you […]
Suzanne Gordon: Pimping has no place in medical education
Until recently I thought I knew the meaning of the term “pimp” or “pimping.” But a couple of weeks ago a friend who is a student in a physician’s assistant program at a major medical school gave me new insight into the word when she told me how stressed she was because she was being […]
Neel Sharma: Does the cost of using technology in medical education unfairly disadvantage developing countries?
Medical education reform has seen significant changes since the days of the Flexner report. What remains true are the rigorous entrance requirements, the scientific method of thinking, learning by doing, and the need to undertake original research (1). The advent of technology over the past decade and more has meant that learning by doing has […]
Michelle Rydon-Grange: Sex and intimate relationships in secure inpatient forensic settings
It seems that Britain is becoming more liberal in its approach to sex in UK prisons. Last week, the country witnessed its first same sex marriage in prison. And a report published last month by the Howard League for Penal Reform revealed the true scale of consensual sexual activity in UK prisons. While this might […]
Caroline Fryar: Risky business
A UK Supreme Court ruling has implications for the way doctors obtain consent from patients, particularly the way they tell patients about the risks of any treatment. The details of the judgment in Montgomery -v- Lanarkshire Health Board have been previously reported in The BMJ but doctors may be left wondering what practical implications this has […]
Conor Farrington: Lords reform—bad news for expert scrutiny in Westminster?
As the general election draws near, a wide range of medical issues will be examined through political lenses in The BMJ and elsewhere. However, few (if any) pre-election medical debates will focus on the constitutional status of the House of Lords. In many ways, this is an unsurprising omission. Parliamentary politics in general is distant […]
Neel Sharma and Chaoyan Dong: Learning analytics—a potential tool in medical education
Technology utilization in medical training is ubiquitous. As instructors we recognise the fact that no lecture or tutorial is devoid of some form of technology. E-learning and mobile learning has introduced the potential for teaching to take place round the clock, at the convenience of the user. One such example is the highly talked about […]
Katherine Brown: The UK government’s relationship with the alcohol industry
Concerns have been raised about this government’s relationship with the alcohol industry and the conflict of interest this presents in delivering better public health outcomes. At a time when alcohol related hospital admissions top one million, and the cost of alcohol misuse to the economy exceeds £21bn each year, there is a sense of urgency […]
Kallur Suresh: The aviation industry needs to address human factors in aviation safety
The unspeakable tragedy of the death of 150 people in what is thought to be a deliberate act of pilot suicide over the French Alps has brought into sharp focus the question of mental health of airline pilots. French investigators say that the Germanwings plane was brought down by the co-pilot who locked the pilot out […]