Amid all the frenzy around the economic crisis, MPs expenses, and celebrity gossip, one would be forgiven for thinking that the British media have forgotten all about the forthcoming European Parliament elections. Never the most popular news topic, this year’s European Parliament election will none the less be the biggest transnational election in history. Between […]
Dr Harry’s netlines: Avoiding spam
The widespread use of e-mail is one of the greatest advances of the internet boom and many people, certainly in the developed world now have at least one e-mail address which they regularly use. In medicine, certainly between health professionals and increasingly between health professionals and their patients, e-mail is a key communication medium. […]
Joe Collier on being a teacher
I have taught medical students for over forty years and, after a difficult start and the occasional hiccough, it has, overall, given me enormous satisfaction. Of the key components of teaching – lecturing and nurturing – lecturing was a particular challenge. Lecturing is, if nothing else, a public performance, and my beginnings as a performer […]
Julian Sheather on shredding Sir Fred
What is the definition of a saint? Someone who doesn’t enjoy the downfall of a banker. I know it’s not a new joke – in the original it is the downfall of a best friend, which cuts a little nearer to home – but it seems to survive the retelling. Of late I have had […]
Richard Lehman’s journal blog, 14 April 2009
Human brown fat deposits and the effectiveness of nicotine replacement therapy are just two of the subjects touched on this week by Richard Lehman in his journal review, which also includes a parody of a T S Eliot poem read by Dylan Thomas. […]
James Raftery: The judicial review of NICE’s appraisal of drugs for secondary treatment of osteoporosis
The report of this judgment made me laugh out loud several times. Mr Justice Holman twice describes proceedings as “bizarre”. A key confidentiality agreement with Dr Kanis could not be found. “Perceived conflicts of interest” led the removal of Dr Kanis from NICE’s Guideline Development Group. Dr Kanis went on to make a statement expressly […]
Ohad Oren on counting symptoms or trusting intuition
Finding out what’s wrong with a patient is the ultimate challenge for doctors, and relies on a multitude of factors. The other day I encountered an enigmatic patient. He arrived on the ward with a mild fever, abdominal pain and fatigue. […]
Tony Waterston on climate change, Colombia, and the G20
As the G20 visitors flew in to their meeting on 1 April, paediatricians were gathering in York for a similar reason – to find a way of tackling the health effects of climate change. But we went one better by having a minimal carbon footprint for our meeting, despite hosting 10 countries and 20 organisations. […]
Zabair Ahmed: The new medschool
Three down two to go just started my fourth year. I am excited about sinking my teeth into some of the diverse fields of medicine. Orthopaedics, gynaecology and dermatology are some of the specialities I can look forward to. My excitement was short lived for I received my loan papers today. Granted my initial reaction […]
Alan Nye on hitting the 18-week target
Some doctors have been complaining of a targetitis epidemic within the NHS for years. Such world-weariness should not detract from confirmation that the health service in England has achieved its commitment to treat patients within 18 weeks of referral – where clinically appropriate and convenient to the patient. […]