“Although the numbers are elusive, we know that drugs do injure and kill.” So reminds our new columnist, the US family physician David Loxterkamp and founding director of the Seaport Community Health Center in Maine. He had ordered a plethora of tests when his student son complained of debilitating lethargy, joint pain, night sweats,and nausea, […]
Category: The BMJ today
The BMJ Today: Questions over data underpinning beta blocker use in surgery and stroke management
In a highly critical analysis article on thebmj.com, two cardiologists call on the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) to revise its recent guidance about the use of beta blockers in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery; to make processes more transparent; and to act more swiftly upon fraudulent research—particularly when patient lives are at risk. Since 2009, […]
The BMJ Today: In with the new
Online publishing is evolving all the time, providing opportunities to display information in new and different ways. Our two latest State of the Art clinical reviews—still a relatively new type of article in The BMJ—(entitled “Lower urinary tract symptoms in men” and “Bariatric surgery for obesity and metabolic conditions in adults” both include interactive graphics […]
The BMJ Today: When money and medicine mix
Earlier this year, The BMJ published an editorial urging doctors in India to fight back against corruption in medicine. Kickbacks and bribes are a global problem but India, “with rampant corruption at all levels, is prominent in this international field,” the authors wrote. Since the publication of the editorial in June, the article has been accessed […]
The BMJ Today: If wishes were sustainable development goals
Fourteen years ago, leaders from across the world came together at the United Nations headquarters in New York to pledge their efforts towards achieving eight targets for global development. Together, these targets became known as the millennium development goals or MDGs (with three of them directly devoted to a health objective). Since then, The BMJ, […]
The BMJ Today: Ebola, Edinburgh, edifices
Ebola and the forthcoming referendum on Scottish independence have, among other things, spared UK national newspaper editors the anxiety of how to fill column inches in the “silly season” month of August. The BMJ can at least drop a print and iPad issue, as it is doing this week, but we and other general medical […]
The BMJ Today: Medicine’s vast horizons
At first glance, three articles published this week in The BMJ appear to have limited relevance to medicine. One, written by an economist, discusses the challenges faced by demographers when making predictions about population changes; a second deals with international drug control treaties and the need for policy experiments to evaluate the benefits and risks […]
The BMJ Today: Working as a GP is often a tall order
Any GP around the world who’s been in the game long enough is aware that one of the big challenges of the job is to manage patients’ daunting and often unrealistic expectations. In time slots that range from five to 20 minutes—depending on the geographical jurisdiction one is practicing in—GPs do their best to adhere […]
The BMJ Today: In search of goodness
Mark Clarfield, an Israeli doctor, writes to his imagined Palestinian colleague. Izzeldin Abuelaish, a real Palestinian doctor living in Canada, writes back. As both yearn for peace, and attempt to show much professional and human compassion, the views expressed about the conflict that is ruling both their children’s lives seem somewhat elusive. Still, a recurring […]
The BMJ Today: Tranexamic acid and inferring significance of treatment effects
Tranexamic acid is a synthetic analog of the amino acid lysine. It is used to treat or prevent excessive blood loss during surgery and in various other medical conditions. An older analogue, epsilon aminocaproic acid, was temporarily withdrawn worldwide in 2007 after studies suggested that its use increased the risk of complications or death. Tranexamic […]