Earlier this week, many thousands of NHS staff across England and Northern Ireland took part in a four hour strike in protest at the government’s refusal to implement the 1% pay rise for all NHS staff, as recommended by the independent review body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB). The action was not taken in […]
Category: The BMJ today
The BMJ Today: Tomorrow’s World for doctors, and how hospitals are evicting patients today
I used to love watching Tomorrow’s World as a child to see how scientists thought we might be living in 10 or 20 years. I remember being told that we would be talking to each other over video links, seeing prototype mobile phones, and being shown countless household appliances and robots to take on the […]
The BMJ Today: Why are we bringing back smoking?
As an ex-smoker who gave up the habit with huge difficulty 30 years ago, I have been pleased at the way smoking has become increasingly invisible in my life. First it disappeared from advertisements on my television screen, then from colleagues in my office, and then from my pub. But now it is reappearing. Last week […]
The BMJ Today: Sex, babies, and future plans
I don’t get out much, but with blogs like the one by Nigel Hawkes to read, I don’t feel I need to. It gave me a great picture of the latest exhibition at the Wellcome Collection in London, which is about sexuality and the scientists who studied it . He writes, “ . . . […]
The BMJ Today: Tweet, share, and like
One of my personal goals this year was to become more tech savvy and engage with social media. I already had a Facebook account. I even had a Twitter account, but felt my interest was, well, quite shallow as I basically used it to hear the occasional ponderings of my old teenage heartthrobs. So, imagine […]
The BMJ Today: Safe self monitoring and patient treatments
Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy are a leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide, with associated problems of poor foetal growth, low birth weight, and preterm delivery. While there is a trend towards pregnant women monitoring their own blood pressure, a recent analysis article asks if this is safe and effective? Guidelines encourage it and research suggests […]
The BMJ Today: Gender and health—are men and women so different?
There are differences in the way men and women experience healthcare. Sometimes this is because the sex of a person confers a particular risk for a disease. Sometimes societal norms and cultural values lead to inequalities between men and women, which in turn affect health. Several articles published on thebmj.com in the past couple of days […]
The BMJ Today: How can doctors learn about research?
In my previous role at The BMJ, I had the chance to work on Endgames, whose educational content is aimed at helping junior doctors in the UK and around the world prepare for their postgraduate examinations. Apart from case reports and picture quizzes, Endgames also include a series of weekly quizzes called “Statistical question,” which […]
The BMJ Today: More pay, better care?
Does pay for performance improve health outcomes in certain chronic conditions? The UK has one of the largest schemes in the world—the Quality and Outcomes Framework—and, to date, evaluations have produced mixed results and uncertainties remain. In a recently published research paper on thebmj.com, one international team carefully examine one aspect of pay for performance […]
The BMJ Today: Happiness, money, and mental health
Opening your curtains to a stunning view of the Scottish Highlands may put a smile on your face, but is it enough to make you change your job? The NHS Highlands is hoping so with its new recruitment programme using picturesque images to recruit doctors to work in remote and rural areas. But Nigel Hawkes […]