BJGP Life – Page 12

Not helpful but harmful: Competence expansion alone increases, rather than decreases, burnout in GPs

Competence expansion alone is not a viable solution to intolerable GP workloads in the UK or anywhere else. Richard Armitage has a simple message for policymakers on the mathematics of practitioner burnout.

5 July 2024

2 mins read

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

Cautionary tales

Stories entertain us, but on a deeper level, they also help us make sense of our experience; they are cultural vectors, transmitting the values and wisdom of one generation to the next. The proper use of power is a common theme in

4 July 2024

3 mins read

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

The perfect storm: from a recruitment to an employment crisis in British general practice

The recruitment and retention ‘crisis’ in general practice is far from being resolved, and it risks being seriously exacerbated by a lack of jobs in general practice.

3 July 2024

5 mins read

1

Podcast·Videos

Episode 172 – Anal incontinence after childbirth: how to support women in general practice

In this episode, we talk to Dr Abi Eccles about how women with anal incontinence after a childbirth injury can be better supported in general practice.

2 July 2024

1 min read

BJGP Long Read·Coronavirus

Long COVID: why are people still struggling to access care?

"People living with long COVID symptoms should be encouraged to seek support from primary care, and primary care clinicians must be responsive to patient need." - Carolyn A Chew-Graham and colleagues provide a summary and analysis of long COVID patient care, presenting

1 July 2024

7 mins read

Book review

You don’t have to be mad to work here

Dr Benji Waterhouse provides a fly-on-the-padded-wall account of life as an NHS psychiatrist. He describes the bedraggled NHS we recognise all too well in this memoir...

29 June 2024

3 mins read

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

Why don’t our treatments always work? A critical realist approach

Critical realism offers a theoretical framework that reflects what wise clinicians instinctively know: medical disorders do not always arise as single events at molecular or cellular level but can be generated at one, or multiple levels, of complexity through numerous contributory factors:

26 June 2024

5 mins read

Podcast·Videos

Episode 171 – Consultations patterns in general practice before suicide

In this episode, we talk about consultation patterns before death by suicide in general practice.

25 June 2024

1 min read

BJGP·Research

Yonder: hidden work, inhaler use, step counts, appendicitis and colorectal cancer

Yonder: Hidden work, inhaler use, step counts, and appendicitis and colorectal cancer

24 June 2024

3 mins read

1

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

Time to rethink healing? In defence of postmodernism

David Kernick explores two models that offer insights into the concept of healing, here taken as a facilitation of the body's intrinsic ability to restore optimum functioning: allostatic control and complex adaptive systems.

21 June 2024

6 mins read

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

Digital ‘Diabetes’

Most jobs now involve a screen and being online. "What does this new reality do our minds and brains?" is a question yet to have enough evidence to answer. However it is fast becoming clear that we are no happier or healthier

20 June 2024

4 mins read

BJGP Long Read·Book review

The History of Medicine course at the Society of Apothecaries: a personal reflection

A 'potteres-que' educational experience? Elke Hausmann reviews a long running Saturday course in the history of medicine run by one of the UK’s historical medical institutions.

19 June 2024

3 mins read

3

Podcast·Videos

Episode 170 – How patient expectations play a key role in experiences of stopping antidepressants in practice

In this episode, we talk about how patient expectations can play a role in experiences of antidepressant discontinuation.

18 June 2024

1 min read

Opinion

Capital advantage

The idea of history repeating is historically recurrent. It goes back to the ancients, so there must be something in it. A case in point is the UK’s recent infected blood scandal ...

17 June 2024

3 mins read

Book review

How They Broke Britain, by James O’Brien

Terry Kemple reviews the latest book by James O’Brien, a writer and broadcaster who hosts a popular daily current affairs programme on LBC radio. O'Brien chooses ten influential individuals with their facilitators and allies to blame for the current dismal state of

15 June 2024

3 mins read

Arts·Stories

Post Heart Attack Review (poem)

Can't sleep unless I've had a skinful... his ruddy face flickers. Oscillating fast... between the big man not allowed to cry... and the little boy who chose to survive.

14 June 2024

1 min read

1

Bright Ideas and Innovation·International·Opinion

Medical Schools in Difficulty: supporting medical education amidst conflict

Against a backdrop of armed conflict and geo-political instability, medical education becomes a daunting challenge. Safiya Virji highlights a web-based resource which can be used offline.

12 June 2024

2 mins read

Podcast·Videos

Episode 169 – Exploring the 4DSQ as a tool to help patients and clinicians in mental health consultations

In this episode, we talk to Dr Adam Geraghty about a questionnaire to use in mental health consultations with patients to look at emotional distress and low mood.

11 June 2024

1 min read

Opinion

The political determinants of health

“Medicine is a social science, and politics nothing but medicine at a larger scale." Mavin Kashyap invites us to think politics as a UK General election gets closer.

10 June 2024

4 mins read

Opinion·Stories

The magic ingredient

In a time of unprecedented pressure on health professionals, especially on GPs, how do we hang onto the magic ingredients that make those brief consultations count? A poem in answer.

9 June 2024

2 mins read

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

Reducing medicine wastage – working together to support our NHS, our well-being and our planet

Reducing medicine wastage requires a concerted effort from all stakeholders, and yields returns in terms of finance, well-being and the environment. Vasumathy Sivarajasingam explains.

8 June 2024

3 mins read

1

Opinion

When is a GP not a GP? The “Othering” of new GP roles.

There has long been a tendency for “Othering” certain general practitioner groups. Paula Wright unpacks the phenomenon.

7 June 2024

4 mins read

1

Book review

Book review: Magic Pill: The Extraordinary Benefits and Disturbing Risks of the New Weight Loss Drugs

"The book would be worth a read for the GP who is interested in semaglutide beyond its position in clinical guidelines, and for GPs who are looking for a book to recommend to their patients on this matter ... "

6 June 2024

3 mins read

Opinion

Medical examiners in death certification: an open letter

Edin Lakasing and Shalinee Patel believe that this system offers poor value for public money, will needlessly increase practice workload, and risks having a corrosive effect on the trust fundamental to the relationship between healthcare workers and families.

5 June 2024

4 mins read

Podcast·Videos

Episode 168 – Celebrating the work of Dr Ben Bowers and Dr Steve Bradley, winners of the 2024 RCGP/SAPC Early Career Researcher Awards

In this episode, we talk to the 2024 winners of the RCGP/SAPC Early Career Researcher Awards.

4 June 2024

1 min read

Opinion·Stories

Addressing addiction

So my big reveal was that I was a doctor. That is to say a human being who'd been to medical school and was employed in delivering healthcare, not someone who'd been born with supernatural skills to look into other people's souls

3 June 2024

4 mins read

Book review

Book review: The Buddhist and The Ethicist: Conversations on Effective Altruism, Engaged Buddhism, and How to Build a Better World

"Written in an accepting and accessible format, this book makes a refreshing change from textbooks on ethics and social media vitriol. It contains an objective and sensitive discussion of age-old moral questions in the context of modern life, bringing together utilitarian and

2 June 2024

1 min read

Bright Ideas and Innovation·Opinion·Research

GP wellbeing: arts-based workshops offer a fresh approach

I think in the past I might have sneered at the idea of spending a few hours with performing artists when we had a busy job to get on with, and a never-ending to-do list to work through. But just ploughing on

1 June 2024

4 mins read

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

Physician Associates in general practice: A positive perspective

David Law offers a positive experience of physician associate deployment at his practice, including how the practice accommodated the need for supervision.

30 May 2024

6 mins read

6

Opinion

Is it cruel to be kind? An open letter.

Kindness is a disposition that can’t be policed and which grows out of care, attention and connection. To suggest it can be enforced and regulated for is a mistake, explain Rupal Shah and colleagues.

29 May 2024

2 mins read

2

Podcast·Videos

Episode 167 – A focus on sleep health, and what patients think of psychological interventions for insomnia

In this episode, we talk about patient perspectives on psychological interventions for insomnia.

28 May 2024

1 min read

BJGP Long Read·Bright Ideas and Innovation

It’s only a game!

...the very same addictive nature of gaming that keeps people sedentary can be harnessed to promote health through the concept of gamification. Gamification is defined as “...the use of game design elements in non-game contexts...” and is used to enhance engagement, motivation,

27 May 2024

4 mins read

International·Opinion

All experience and learning leads to general practice

General practice plays a particularly important role in people's lives, supporting the health, livelihoods and lifestyles of individuals and communities. To fulfil this role effectively, GPs must embrace the idea that experience and learning are never wasted.

26 May 2024

2 mins read

Book review

Book review: The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines: Antidepressants, Benzodiazepines, Gabapentinoids and Z-drugs

"The Maudsley series of books on prescribing in psychiatry has been a cornerstone of psychiatric practice, and it is welcome to see their first publication focusing on deprescribing. Many would argue that, given the ever-burgeoning scale of prescribing of these medications, such

25 May 2024

3 mins read

3

Book review·Bright Ideas and Innovation·Opinion

Choosing Compassion: the prescribing lifestyle mental health and trauma course

The Prescribing lifestyle medicine mental health and trauma course was something I cautiously signed up for... Upon arrival, I was amazed at the gathering of surgeons, GPs and nurses alike, ready to hear Dr Gabor Maté , hosted by Dr Ranjan Chatterjee,

24 May 2024

3 mins read

Bright Ideas and Innovation·Opinion

On being a consultant in general practice

Our distinct expertise in advanced generalist medicine, together with our extended experience in the community healthcare context, defines the expertise that we bring to a consultation process, argues Joanne Reeve.

23 May 2024

3 mins read

Opinion

Uncertainty, placebos, and travelling with confidence

We have a professional obligation to keep up to date, and our patients will hopefully take it as read that we know what we are doing. They are more likely to thank us, though, for also having taken the trouble to walk

22 May 2024

3 mins read

Podcast·Videos

Episode 166 – Referral decisions for younger people with suspected cancer and system barriers in general practice

In this episode, we talk to Dr Erica di Martino about referring younger patients with suspected cancer.

21 May 2024

1 min read

BJGP

Yonder: Repeat antibiotics, co-located drug services, autism diagnosis, and medical student lockdown motivation

Yonder: a diverse selection of primary care relevant research stories from beyond the mainstream biomedical literature

20 May 2024

3 mins read

Book review·Opinion

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness

The Anxious Generation documents a phenomenon which almost certainly has been recognised, tracked and pondered by all practicing GPs, whose workload consists of a substantial and growing prevalence of anxiety and depression, particularly among younger patients.

19 May 2024

3 mins read

1

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