I walked into a room recently which was jam packed with secondary care clinicians and managers. I was the lone commissioner. The meeting was a peer review visit to support the development and improvement of vascular services. I recognised the chair. We had both sat together in an ante room awaiting interviews for a senior […]
Wim Weber on the implementation of research in European clinical practice
On May 11, in the centre of Berlin, the European Science Foundation presented “Forward Look – implementation of medical research in clinical practice.” Forward Looks are consensus reports with a long term view of research and they aim to define research agendas at national and European levels. This one was developed under the tireless and pragmatic […]
Richard Lehman’s journal review – 16 May 2011
JAMA 11 May 2011 Vol 305 1863 It’s hard to think of any physiological rationale for trying out a bolus dose of epoetin alfa following successful percutaneous intervention for myocardial infarction, but apparently it reduced infarct size in animal models, so this trial gave it to humans. It did not work; in fact it may […]
Research highlights – 13 May 2011
“Research highlights” is a weekly round-up of research papers appearing in the print BMJ. We start off with this week’s research questions, before providing more detail on some individual research papers and accompanying articles. […]
Sarah Welsh: Giving birth in art
Why is the subject of birth rarely engaged with in contemporary art? This is what Birth Rite’s collection “Birth in Contemporary Art,” questioned at a symposium on 11 June. Held at the Whitechapel Gallery in London, the event also took place in Manchester’s Whitworth Gallery on 9 June. In today’s free thinking art world, there […]
Liz Wager: Are journal editors like used car salesmen?
Yesterday, I gave evidence to a UK parliamentary inquiry into peer review (as did Fiona Godlee). (The session can be viewed here) Before the session I tried to think of an analogy for peer review that I could use to explain its usefulness, but also its variety and imperfections, to the MPs. Inspiration often comes […]
Cheryl Rofer: Radiation dose and cancer risk: some numbers
I really like numbers, and it’s taken me some time to get to them in discussing risk to health from radiation. I also like to know what goes into the numbers, so I’ve taken some time working through Biological Effects of Ionising Radiation (BEIR) VII. Now I’m feeling that I (almost) know what I’m doing, […]
Martin McShane: Substantially amend
“If you feel confused you probably know what is going on.” Out in PCT land it is fascinating to watch and listen to all the noise and thunder in the stratosphere. The pause is in full momentum. The events of May 5th are having repercussions with posturing and postulations about substantial amendments to the health […]
Domhnall MacAuley: Middle aged man
Roddy Doyle nailed it. The unspoken aimlessness of middle aged man. His collection of short stories, “Bullfighting,” was frightening in its ordinariness, the drifting banality of a forgotten tribe. What is left after fatherhood, football coaching, and family? Stories that feature invisible men whose children have grown up, work has plateaued, declined, or disappeared, and stories where the […]
David Kerr: T(w)eaching – using Twitter to teach patients
In the UK, we usually do it in groups – that is teaching patients with diabetes and other chronic disease how to self manage their condition. For example, a group approach is now used commonly for teaching patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, for those moving from oral hypoglycemic agents to insulin or when […]