As reported in the News section today, a group of experts has called attention to the dramatic rise in the use of computed tomography (CT) scanning. The Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment said that English hospitals carried out almost five million CT scans in 2012-13, a fivefold rise of the numbers […]
Category: The BMJ today
The BMJ Today: Urinating more frequently or having to go in the middle of the night? Yes—use this tool
I’m a sucker for interactive quizzes. Which Harry Potter character most reflects your personality? Which fictional literary character is most like you? How well do you know London—can you identify the London borough where this picture was taken? I’ve done them all! As a health journalist, I know where to find risk assessment questionnaires online […]
The BMJ Today: When the worst choice is no choice at all
You would think that any woman raped as an act of war would be given access to a safe abortion by an international organisation providing aid. Sally Howard’s Feature on thebmj.com reveals that, astonishingly, this is often not the case. I would highly recommend reading this article. It explains that the 1973 Helms Amendment to the […]
The BMJ Today: Doctors in Scotland plan to vote against independence
The results of a survey published today by The BMJ on how doctors in Scotland plan to vote in the referendum next month found that 60% plan to vote “no” to independence, while just a third (33%) said they intend to vote “yes.” Doctors are more staunchly opposed to independence than the overall population of […]
The BMJ Today: Part time medical students and unhelpful drug information
Why can’t UK medical students study part time? Wags may argue that there have always been some medical students whose studies have played second fiddle to other interests. Others may dredge up the old stereotype of the dossing student who dodges hard graft at any opportunity. But the reality is that offering part time study […]
The BMJ Today: How UK doctors should “be prepared” for Ebola
“The ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the largest and most complicated that the world has even seen.” It is from this starting point that a group of experts begin their summation of how healthcare professionals in the UK can prepare themselves for what the World Health Organization has declared a “public health emergency […]
The BMJ Today: Combating Ebola, and more on statins
This morning the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa an international health emergency and stated that a concerted international response is required to stop and reverse the spread of the disease. The Ebola epidemic presents a quandary for the medical community. In the absence of evidence based treatments, should […]
The BMJ Today: Boring can be beautiful
Mary E Black’s blog on making data beautiful caught my eye this morning. As a technical editor at The BMJ I see a lot of tables, graphs, plots, and charts. I don’t want to put my job at risk, but I’ve got to agree with Mary when she writes that many of these representations of data […]
The BMJ Today: What good are doctors?
Call it an exercise in reflective learning or a sign of deep insecurity, but articles like Richard Smith’s latest blog (“I hate going to the doctor“) always make me (mentally) replay my most recent consultations as a GP. I can’t always be certain that seeing me helped those patients, although I know that many have […]
The BMJ Today: Going beyond the call of duty
Move over the automation of clinical algorithms and etiquette based checklists, suggests Brian Secemsky, a physician, as he shares a touching account of a patient consultation. Choosing to build a rapport with his patient over several appointments helped unravel the real cause of her suffering, and facilitated appropriate management, which would have otherwise been missed […]