Richard Lehman reviews the latest research in the top medical journals […]
Richard Lehman’s journal review—2 October 2017
Richard Smith: Surely time to let the private sector take over dental care completely
The NHS is primarily concerned with fending off death. It may be crazy, but it’s so. No expense is spared: heroic surgery, prolonged chemotherapy, absurdly expensive drugs, intensive care, experimental treatments, whatever—the cash-strapped NHS will find the money. As a consequence those activities little concerned with death—dentistry, mental health, social care, and even primary care—“must […]
Jeffrey Aronson: When I use a word . . . Language that counts
Last week I referred to “‘competence’ and the more recent ‘competency’”. But both of these words first appeared in English, as cited in the OED, in 1594. So in what sense is “competency” more recent than “competence”? The answer lies in the countability of nouns. The Danish philologist Otto Jespersen expounded the concept of count […]
Robin Baddeley: Should UK training programmes have doctors based on one site for two years?
A “residency model” may help rebuild bonds between doctors and their employers […]
Hannah Wilson: First patient, last breathe
I can pinpoint the exact moment that I truly understood what it meant to be a doctor. It was 7:45 am on a Saturday morning and I had just arrived for the morning handover. I was working the weekend in my old department as a locum, mainly for the clinical experience with trusted colleagues. I […]
Darren A Kilroy: NHS hospital beds: then, now, next?
The most important point in the bed narrative is that beds need staff […]
Shamil Haroon and Jochen Cals: Embedding research into general practice could help the NHS meet its challenges
We should take a leaf out of our Dutch colleagues’ book and raise the profile of research in general practice in the UK […]
Sian Griffiths: Is gambling a public health issue?
Public health precautionary strategies are needed at national and local level to protect populations from harm from gambling […]
Victoria Agunloye: How to avoid losing our jobs to diagnosing computers
When I started as a doctor in the NHS, 10 years ago, I was aware of the standards expected of me and the bar that I was aiming for. These standards dictated that I should care about and consider my patients’ psychological, social, as well as medical needs. These needs were intrinsically linked. I was […]
Chris Simms: Deregulation amid fires and hurricanes
Deregulation is benefiting the few while harming the many by putting profits over public health and safety, says Chris Simms […]