• Jonathan Gornall’s feature, “Why e-cigarettes are dividing the public health community,” is continuing to generate interest this week. Gornall’s piece examining how the tobacco industry’s move into e-cigarettes and harm reduction has seen some experts shift their views has already attracted responses online. Join the debate here. • Today, Susan Mayor reports on some […]
Category: The BMJ today
The BMJ Today: Weekend access to GPs, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, and leaving training
• Weekend access to GPs A half of the members of the public think that providing weekend access to GPs should be a priority for the NHS, a YouGov poll has shown. Of 2052 adults who responded to the survey, 54% said that the NHS should make provision of access to GPs at weekends a […]
The BMJ Today: GPs reject inspections, China rejects sofosbuvir patent, but let’s act on climate change
• Suspend inspections of GP surgeries The BMA and the Royal College of General Practitioners have both come out with strong reactions to the inspections of GP surgeries by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which has been beset by problems since it started last November. At the BMA’s annual representative meeting in Liverpool, delegates voted […]
The BMJ Today: Cancer, climate, and dementia
• Cancer diagnosis The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has released new guidelines to try to speed up the diagnosis of cancer. They recommend that all GPs should have direct access (without referral) to magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, colonoscopy, and occult blood screening. At present, only some […]
The BMJ Today: Insulin pumps, industry gender bias, and cervical lesions
• Insulin pumps Isabelle Steineck and colleagues have investigated the long term effects of insulin pump therapy on cardiovascular diseases and mortality in people with type 1 diabetes. They studied 2441 people using insulin pump therapy and 15 727 using multiple daily insulin injections. They found that insulin pump therapy was associated with lower cardiovascular mortality […]
The BMJ Today: IBS, body dysmorphia, and alteplase
• New treatments for irritable bowel syndrome In this state of the art review, Magnus Halland and Yuri Saito look at the scale of the problem of IBS worldwide and new and emerging drug and non-drug treatments for this common condition. This review includes a helpful interactive infographic, which guides the user through the appropriate […]
The BMJ Today: Migrant access to the NHS, shape of training, and should we call time on knee arthroscopy?
Migrant access to the NHS In their feature, Lilana Keith and Ewout van Ginneken voice strong concern over the “dehumanisation” of migrants and the potential negative impact of changes to accessing the NHS that came into effect in April 2015. The authors suggest that the UK government’s plans to consult on expanding the policy to […]
The BMJ Today: Dementia and doctors at the frontline
• Saying the “D” word The global population is rapidly ageing and, as a result, dementia is now a major concern worldwide. Robinson et al summarise current evidence and best practice in the diagnosis and early intervention in dementia care, with helpful tips for GPs who are often the first point of contact for patients […]
The BMJ Today: Global access to health services
• The WHO and World Bank have released a report showing as many as 400 million people around the world do not have access to essential health services. The report, published in the year of expiry of the United Nations’ deadline on its millennium development goals, found that while good progress had been made in some […]
The BMJ Today: Cervical screening, pyoderma gangrenosum, and pay for performance
• Cervical screening programmes often stop at around the age of 65 and focus on younger women. In their analysis article, Susan Sherman and colleagues argue that, with an ageing population, the upper age limit for cervical screening needs to reflect this. They also call for awareness campaigns to target older as well as younger women. […]