Medical education reform has seen significant changes since the days of the Flexner report. What remains true are the rigorous entrance requirements, the scientific method of thinking, learning by doing, and the need to undertake original research (1). The advent of technology over the past decade and more has meant that learning by doing has […]
The BMJ Today: Fluoxetine and Farage—publication and political bias
Today The BMJ publishes two examples of bias—one of publication bias and one of political bias. • Michael McCarthy reports on how researchers in the Netherlands have shown that the reporting of clinical trials on seven antidepressants was subject to publication bias. The researchers, from the University Medical Centre Groningen, found there was a significant […]
Richard Lehman’s journal review—13 April 2015
NEJM 9 Apr 2015 Vol 372 1389 The major trials of coronary artery thrombus aspiration for myocardial infarction are TAPAS, TASTE, and TOTAL. Think of a bar crawl in Seville. The TAPAS and TASTE are obvious, and TOTAL could refer to the bill, which is sometimes just chalked on the surface you’re leaning on, or […]
Evidence Live—Dangerous ideas for the future of evidence based healthcare
Evidence Live 2015 is underway. Once again there is an international line up of speakers to stimulate thought debate and action. We would like you to consider throughout the conference dangerous ideas for the future of evidence based healthcare. Closing the gap between evidence and clinical practice remains a weighty issue to solve. To improve on […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
My patient Pat damaged a knee skiing abroad, had it fixed locally, and limped home. “Should I keep on taking these tablets they gave me, Doc? They’re to help me sleep.” I suggested not. They’d given Pat one of the so called “z drugs”—zaleplon, zolpidem, or zopiclone, I forget which. Not for long enough, I […]
Birte Twisselmann: From Harry Potter to Hippocrates—the medicinal garden at the RCP
Last year we published the obituary of Arthur Hollman, cardiologist, medical historian, and plantsman, who looked after the garden of the Royal College of Physicians in Regent’s Park in London. In 1978 he implemented a new garden scheme, linking its plants and trees with medicinal uses and British doctors. The college offers regular guided tours […]
The BMJ Today: The role of facemasks, UK election watch, India health spending, and hearing your views
• Our most recent State of the Art Review looks at the evidence for the role of facemasks in the prevention of infection in both community and healthcare settings. A stunning interactive infographic explains which facemask the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend for seasonal flu, pandemic influenza, coronavirus, […]
Michelle Rydon-Grange: Sex and intimate relationships in secure inpatient forensic settings
It seems that Britain is becoming more liberal in its approach to sex in UK prisons. Last week, the country witnessed its first same sex marriage in prison. And a report published last month by the Howard League for Penal Reform revealed the true scale of consensual sexual activity in UK prisons. While this might […]
Bernard Merkel: Measuring the performance of health systems—a troubled history
The World Health Organization has never been the most radical or dynamic body, which—as an international, public, administrative organisation with a ferociously complex governance structure—is not entirely surprising. But in its annual World Health Report of 2000, it did something that was in its own way quite revolutionary: it produced a ranking of the performance of the […]
Food banks, clinical leadership, and losing touch
• Analysis: With the economic crisis and austerity measures looking to be a key focus of the election debate, this analysis article released today is a timely reminder of the impact such measures might be having on population health and wellbeing. “The number of local authorities with food banks operated by the Trussell Trust, a […]