“Perfunctory work by perfunctory men.” That’s how an eminent physician once described general practice. “A ridiculous claim” cried GPs, rising to the defence of their discipline, “specialists just don’t understand the nature of general practice. They don’t value our ability to make quick decisions based on a deep understanding of our patients and their context, […]
djfhdkfdkjfhakdjfhkadsfhldksjfajdfkdajfhkdlsfhkdlsfhkdsfhskldfhdkfhdsklTag: general practice
Domhnall MacAuley: A visit from the GMC
Revalidation fatigue…there is so much in the news, post, and medical media that I had begun to switch off. But, Niall Dickson, from the GMC, gave us a very reassuring talk on revalidation recently and it all sounded very reasonable, sensible, and non threatening. Revalidation based on appraisal seems fair and we are well used […]
djfhdkfdkjfhakdjfhkadsfhldksjfajdfkdajfhkdlsfhkdlsfhkdsfhskldfhdkfhdsklPeter Bailey: Hot frogs jump
Biology A level classes in the 1970s often involved frogs making the ultimate sacrifice for the benefit of their dissector’s knowledge of what lies beneath the amphibian skin. As far as I remember, it was not however common practice to test the widely-held belief that a frog in a water bath would tolerate a slowly […]
djfhdkfdkjfhakdjfhkadsfhldksjfajdfkdajfhkdlsfhkdlsfhkdsfhskldfhdkfhdsklDomhnall MacAuley: Leaving Christmas behind
Dark, quiet, and desolate. At 7.45 am on the mornings after Christmas, the streets look sad and neglected. A few Christmas lights blink unconvincingly. No traffic, no pedestrians, no kids going to school, and no radio except the news. But, the surgery lights are on, cars parked outside, shutters open, patients waiting… […]
djfhdkfdkjfhakdjfhkadsfhldksjfajdfkdajfhkdlsfhkdlsfhkdsfhskldfhdkfhdsklDomhnall MacAuley: Chicago. General practice, and all that Jazz
Chicago. A compelling show. An intriguing narrative based on real events. Posters advertising the musical, with its ever changing cast, greet me like an old friend on the escalators of London’s underground as I travel to the BMJ office. My first visit to the city recently was equally enthralling. The modern glass skyscrapers, amazing art institute, […]
djfhdkfdkjfhakdjfhkadsfhldksjfajdfkdajfhkdlsfhkdlsfhkdsfhskldfhdkfhdsklTiago Villanueva: The European union of general practitioners
Whilst Italy’s government was falling, general practitioners from 21 countries convened in Turin on 11 and 12 November for the autumn meeting of the European Union of General Practitioners (UEMO), which is a leading European medical organisation based in Brussels. As well as providing clinical care to their patients, there are a number of reasons why general practice […]
djfhdkfdkjfhakdjfhkadsfhldksjfajdfkdajfhkdlsfhkdlsfhkdsfhskldfhdkfhdsklDomhnall MacAuley: Wet October Tuesday morning
Wet Tuesday. October. General practice. Year 28, day 11. Radio news. Car park. Medical bag. Waiting room- half full. Hi all. Open surgery. Password. Mouse. Press. Wait. Headache, blood pressure, fundoscopy, acne, GCSE abdominal pain, MSSU, delayed letter, hospital letter, hypertension, change prescription, foot injury, chest infection, recent hospital in ICU, flu vac, emergency contraception, […]
djfhdkfdkjfhakdjfhkadsfhldksjfajdfkdajfhkdlsfhkdlsfhkdsfhskldfhdkfhdsklAneez Esmail: Understanding patient safety in general practice
It was a comment that I made in an interview for a BBC 4 File on Four programme that caught the eye of producers at Channel 4’s Dispatches programme. I had been speaking about the problems of understanding patient safety in general practice and how we knew so little about issues related to wrong diagnosis […]
djfhdkfdkjfhakdjfhkadsfhldksjfajdfkdajfhkdlsfhkdlsfhkdsfhskldfhdkfhdsklDomhnall MacAuley: Analgesia and GP anxiety
Last night we were pulled in by the police. Nothing like a flashing blue light in the rear view mirror to make you feel guilty. They asked for my driving licence and I could hear them call my name in on the radio. No problem. There had been a robbery. They got away, apparently, in a […]
djfhdkfdkjfhakdjfhkadsfhldksjfajdfkdajfhkdlsfhkdlsfhkdsfhskldfhdkfhdsklDomhnall MacAuley: Doctors behind the riots
Would you take a bus through the riot areas that made the news? Would you be comfortable walking along the streets that featured in the TV footage? Would you work there? Many of our colleagues do and I wonder how they are getting on with their immunisation targets, cervical smears, and QOF scores? Are all their […]
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