In the past decade, medicine has quickly entered a new era in which morning rounds take place in front of a computerized set of lab values and histories are taken from electronic medical records. As verbal exchanges and eye contact become increasingly rare, the patient, as described by Madeline Drexler, morphs into an “oddly invisible […]
Richard Lehman’s journal review—24 March 2013
NEJM 20 Mar 2014 Vol 370 1091 Please follow these instructions carefully: 1. Remove half of the skull, taking care to ensure you have chosen the appropriate side. 2. Repair the dura over the swollen brain and replace the scalp. 3. Wrap the removed skull and place in a refrigerator, choosing a shelf free of […]
The BMJ Today: Unrepentant hucksters, bedtime stories and tackling mental health
Recent research from the US shows that medical conspiracy theories are rife there. Almost half of north Americans believe in some health conspiracy theory or other: more than a third think the FDA is deliberately suppressing information about natural cures for cancer to satisfy the drug companies, while one in five believe that corporations are […]
Tessa Richards: It’s time to turn healthcare upside down
March sees the picturesque town of Basel transformed as it celebrates Fastnacht. Masks are donned, people pour into the streets to the sound of piccolos and drums, and party. Transformation was very much on the minds of the 300 participants from 22 countries who walked over confetti strewn streets to the town’s spanking white congress […]
The BMJ Today: The versatility of medical careers
Since its inception, the BMJ has never ceased publication, even when London—where the British Medical Association is based—was being bombed during the Second World War. At the time, victims of air raids were being treated and operated on by dedicated and courageous doctors like Diana Mary Brinkley. Diana, who later went on to train in […]
Simon Chapman: Why is Big Tobacco investing in e-cigarettes?
Discussion about e-cigarettes on social media, the blogosphere, and vaping chatrooms is dominated by impassioned accounts from former, now vaping, smokers wanting to encourage smokers to do what they have done. The early data on e-cigarettes show them to be as good as, or marginally better than nicotine replacement therapy in helping smokers to stop. […]
Goodman Makhanda and Jennifer Hughes: Drug resistant TB—dying for better treatment
Two weeks ago there was a small celebration in a primary care clinic in Khayelitsha, South Africa. Siyabulela Qwaka* was officially declared cured after taking more than two years of treatment for pre-XDR TB (extensively drug resistant tuberculosis). This is hugely significant given that the chance of cure for someone with pre-XDR or XDR TB is […]
The BMJ Today: Educating clinicians and consenting adults
BMJ news highlights ongoing debate around pharmaceutical companies providing medical education with a look at GSK’s plans to employ their own doctors to educate peers rather than using key opinion leaders to do this. The majority vote so far in this week’s poll is that GSK’s new proposal is no more transparent than paying external […]
Neal Maskrey: Where is the evidence for evidence based medicine?
The internet was 25 years old last week. When Tim Berners-Lee was asked what has surprised him most about the internet’s use he replied “kittens.” With respect, I disagree. The most surprising aspect of the internet is how easy it is to genuinely interact with people around the world. My e-friends might not come to […]
Seye Abimbola and Aku Kwamie: Posting and transfer in the health sector
The things we don’t talk about in global health escape our attention perhaps because they don’t have a name—the unnamed subject being, in effect, a non-issue. From 3 to 7 February, a group of 19 researchers, decision-makers, and policy advocates from 12 countries gathered for a meeting at the […]