In the Christmas issue of The BMJ, recently out, you can read about my exploration of nonexistent authors listed in citations in PubMed, a never ending source of general amusement in the form of misattributions and misspellings. I reported three varieties: apparent authors (such as Et Al and Anon), concealing the identities of real contributors; […]
This year the European Lung Foundation (ELF) decided to do things a bit differently for the patient organisations attending the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in London in early September. We have invited patient organisations to the congress for several years, and patient representatives have been involved in many activities during the congress, such […]
On 25 October Patient Opinion invited me to a “learning and sharing event for clinicians” in Edinburgh. It was an opportunity to hear from those who have made this feedback service for UK care what it is today. However, this was no ordinary talking shop. No, more than that it was an opportunity to get […]
Technology offers solutions to many health problems, but can the new generation of wearable sensors help patients manage their weight? Experience from an EU funded project suggests that there are challenges and opportunities. One in eight British adults is now using wearable technology to support and change their health behaviour. Many products are aimed at […]
As someone who has long championed “user” or “patient” involvement in health focused organisations—whether as CEO at Arthritis Care or as vice president of EULAR (the European League Against Rheumatism) representing the patient group network in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases—I believe that the key to success is having clarity of purpose. If you are sure […]
Death and dying are inevitable parts of life. They are not primarily medical events, yet the status quo is to medicalise the dying process and hand over responsibility for the provision of end of life care to healthcare professionals. This is despite the knowledge that at the end of life, people prioritise being in a […]
As doctors, we probably already consider ourselves honorary members of the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM). It’s essentially part of our job description. But there is an option to become a fully paid up member. Founded in 2011 by US doctor Mark Graber, the SIDM is an international organisation that is dedicated to honouring […]
Around 5% of all cancers worldwide are caused by the human papillomavirus or HPV. In the late 1990s and early 2000s two vaccines were developed that protect against the two types of HPV that cause around 80% of cervical cancers. In the UK, girls who are aged 12-13 years old in year 8 at school […]
Sitting in the Edward Heath Room at the 7th Global Patients Congress at the Selsdon Park Hotel, Croydon, discussing universal health coverage (UHC) for all by 2030 (a target in the sustainable development goal for health), one is quickly reminded that if health is a political goal, then UHC is one of the ultimate political […]
The latest round of strike action from junior doctors in England is taking place this week. In a similar vein to the action taken last month, junior doctors will be offering emergency care only for 48 hours between 8am on Wednesday 6 April and 8am on Friday 8 April. The BMJ will once again be charting events as […]