BJGP Life – Page 12

Science and spirituality in primary Care: Is there common ground?

"Many general practitioners consider spirituality to be relevant to their patients’ health and important to primary care. However, our research showed that a number of GPs worry that addressing this issue is unscientific." Alistair Appleby offers 4 approaches.

31 March 2025

7 mins read

4

Book review

“Facing Down the Furies: Suicide, the Ancient Greeks, and me,” by Edith Hall

Using a combination of a candid personal memoir, philosophy and her expert knowledge of ancient Greek tragedy, Edith Hall discusses neglected topic of the consequences of suicide.

29 March 2025

1 min read

BJGP

The familiar and strange art of diagnosis

Diagnosis ... provides structure to a narrative of dysfunction, or a picture of disarray, and imposes official order, sorting out the real from the imagined, the valid from the feigned, the significant from the insignificant ... In Life and Times this month

28 March 2025

3 mins read

1

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

Vaccine accessibility should not be a barrier to flu jab uptake

With high infection rates and the prevalence of numerous demotivating influences on vaccine uptake, a programme which focusses on negating the controllable barrier of inaccessibility is essential, argue Paul McNamara and Scott Wylie.

27 March 2025

4 mins read

Clinical·Podcast·Videos

Episode 200: The challenges to diagnosing vulval lichen sclerosus and how to get it right

In this episode, we discuss diagnosis of vulval lichen sclerosus in general practice.

25 March 2025

1 min read

Arts·Opinion

Making art and making meaning: the value of art-making in medical education in the UK and beyond

"It is March 2021. We’ve endured two lockdowns and a year of remote learning. We should be holding our Easter awayday for the GP registrars... but instead I am peering into my laptop. But in a miracle of communication, an artist on

24 March 2025

4 mins read

BJGP Long Read

Don’t kill Granny, send her to the gym!

"As a GP, I had many patients who told me how lucky they were to be so well in old age. My response was always the same — that they were not lucky but had looked after themselves, mainly by keeping very

21 March 2025

7 mins read

BJGP Long Read·Stories

David Eder: a GP for his time, raising questions for ours

"I am struck by how Eder pursued three passions – socialism, Zionism and psychoanalysis – that were all cutting edge causes for most progressive people in his time but have largely diverged from each other since then and become contested or marginalised."

20 March 2025

3 mins read

Clinical·Podcast·Videos

Episode 199: Differential attainment in the MRCGP exam – language of study and what this means for the future of RCGP exams

In this episode, we discuss differential attainment in the MRCGP exams.

18 March 2025

1 min read

Research

Yonder: Screening for atrial fibrillation, antibiotics in care homes, hand, foot, and mouth disease, and asthma triple therapy

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

17 March 2025

3 mins read

Book review

Book review: GPs, Politics and the Medical Professional Protest in Britain, 1880–1948

As Chris Locke demonstrates in his timely analysis of GPs, politics and the medical professional protest in Britain 1880-1948, GP's concerns about insufficient pay, workload, not being valued and fears that independence will be taken from them are not new.

15 March 2025

8 mins read

News

The Kieran Sweeney Prize 2025 (A national UK prize for medical writing by GPs)

This year's title is: “The GP model for delivery of Primary Care is outdated for the society in 2025” Find out how to enter!

14 March 2025

2 mins read

1

Arts·BJGP Long Read·Bright Ideas and Innovation

The Music and Mental Health Project: uniting primary health care globally through music

"The Music and Mental Health Project [aims] to sensitise family physicians, other health professionals and managers, as well as patients and their families, to the transformative power of music as a tool for care in psychosocial suffering."

13 March 2025

7 mins read

1

Arts

Clocks

"Something's gotta get me  I guess, her elder wisdom smiles. Digging for one thing,  we unearthed another." A poem by Giles Dawnay

12 March 2025

1 min read

Clinical·Podcast·Videos

Episode 198: The increasing digitalisation of general practice systems – how it’s impacting patients and what we can do about it

In this episode, we talk to Professor Helen Atherton about the increasing push for a digital-first approach in general practice.

11 March 2025

1 min read

Opinion·Stories

Narrative failure

Something shifted in my head, and I heard the sound of a penny dropping in a bank vault deep underground. I rummaged around in my desk for the Campbell-Frank Analyser and applied the scalp electrodes and mask with trembling hands.

10 March 2025

4 mins read

1

Bright Ideas and Innovation·Opinion

The Stepford scribes: A suspicion of gender bias in healthcare AI

Heidi, Annie, Tali, Suki, Lindy. These were the grammatically feminine names of electronic scribes being presented by a grid of entirely male CEOs or company representatives. Shier Ziser Dawood unmasks some Stepford Scribes.

8 March 2025

3 mins read

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

Illusions of control

Ponder this: The causal link between our actions and any outcome may be dubious, but the relief we feel at having done something, especially when there is an improvement of some kind, is so strongly reinforcing that we tend to ignore this.

7 March 2025

5 mins read

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

Moral distress and compassion fatigue: the cost and value of caring

Compassionate care helps us stay connected through our feelings and actions to the human aspect of medicine. And when that feeling is lost, it degrades our sense of who we are as clinicians. Nada Khan considers diagnoses and treatments for compassion fatigue.

6 March 2025

5 mins read

Bright Ideas and Innovation·International·Opinion

Ethics Education in a war zone: A role for general practice

We consider teaching medical ethics in conflict zones to be an act of solidarity and a profound commitment to addressing global health inequities. By nurturing ethical reasoning and fostering collaboration, initiatives like this play a crucial role in rebuilding resilient healthcare systems

5 March 2025

3 mins read

Clinical·Podcast·Videos

Episode 197: Using the PSA test in general practice – how should we approach testing in asymptomatic men?

In this episode, we talk to Dr Sam Merriel about PSA testing in asymptomatic men in general practice.

4 March 2025

1 min read

Opinion

Could access initiatives worsen inequality?

Worsening health inequality as an unintended consequence of trying to improve access must not be ignored. Sarah Burns weaves a cautionary tale.

3 March 2025

3 mins read

1

Book review

Book review: The Ghosts of A and E

"it was wonderful to attend the launch of Nicky Carter's first book of poetry, The Ghosts of A and E, in Liverpool a few weeks ago. Hearing them read by the author was a real privilege and took us all to those

1 March 2025

4 mins read

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

Don’t sweat it! A reflection on the benefits of sauna therapy in chronic disease

Paul McNamara and Khalid Abdalla reflect on sauna therapy for the treatment of chronic disease.

27 February 2025

6 mins read

Clinical·Podcast·Videos

Episode 196: How to approach safety netting in general practice

In this episode, we talk to Dr Pete Edwards about effective safety netting practices.

25 February 2025

1 min read

Opinion

Is NICE failing to prioritise environmentally sustainable healthcare?

As the net zero agenda gains prominence within the health sector, NICE guidelines are still not providing clinicians routinely with material to help decision making, argue Emma Radcliffe and Sophie von Heimendahl .

24 February 2025

3 mins read

1

International·Opinion

Resilience and adaptation: primary care in Ukraine after three years of war

Three years of war have tested the very limits of Ukraine’s healthcare system. Yet, they have also revealed an extraordinary capacity for resilience, adaptation, and innovation. As the war continues, investing in primary care remains essential—not only for health but for hope.

22 February 2025

3 mins read

Opinion

The rising prevalence of oropharyngeal cancers in primary care

The incidence of throat cancer, particularly oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, is rising, with a worrying prevalence in the younger population. Callum Higgins and Paul McNamara examine the possible causes, and their implications.

21 February 2025

5 mins read

Research·Stories

Three sides to Edward Jenner: GP, scientist, and writer

"Edward Jenner remains the most famous GP in the UK and is still very relevant today. He had multiple talents; here, I focus on three: GP, scientist, and writer."

20 February 2025

5 mins read

BJGP Long Read·Opinion·Stories

Integrating biomedical diagnosis and holistic understanding: more than switching modes

This challenges the notion that clinical interactions should be structured according to a strict division between diagnosing disease and understanding the patient’s broader illness experience.

19 February 2025

3 mins read

1

Clinical·Podcast·Videos

Episode 195: ReSPECT forms in general practice – more than just a DNACPR

In this episode, we talk to Professor Anne Slowther about use of ReSPECT forms for advanced care planning in general practice.

18 February 2025

1 min read

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

Adolescent screening for digital diabetes

In the same way there is an unsettling parallel in the rise of obesity and ultra-processed food from the 1970’s onwards, the rise of faster and more invasive digital technology seems to link with a decline in mental health. Giles Dawnay discusses

17 February 2025

4 mins read

Book review

Book review: Elizabeth is Missing

"It raises timely questions regarding the concept on a 'use by' date to a life. It stirs in us the realisation that despite not having 'capacity' to make decisions about medical or financial affairs, a patient may nonetheless be immersed in a

15 February 2025

2 mins read

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

Ripples on a pond

If it is difficult to agree what exactly we mean by health, it is perhaps unsurprising that we also approach unhealth in a number of different ways. Ben Hoban reflects on the meanings of 'unhealth.'

13 February 2025

4 mins read

Research

Yonder: Impact of workload, sleep apnoea and dementia, ethics of lateness, and registrar professional identity

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

12 February 2025

3 mins read

Podcast·Videos

Episode 194: Providing digital support for cancer survivors – the Renewed trial

In this episode, we talk to Professor Paul Little about the Renewed trial digital intervention for cancer survivors.

11 February 2025

1 min read

International·Opinion

GP as Philosopher: Employing Epoché to Reframe the Medical Narrative

Family medicine, by its very nature, often serves as a crucial counterpoint to the potential overreach of the purely biomedical model. Yuya Yokota reflects on the benefits of applied phenomenology to the GP consultation.

7 February 2025

3 mins read

1

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

Fixing our broken food health system

A recent House of Lords report puts the blame for rising obesity squarely at the feet of the food industry, stating that marketing of unhealthy food products has created an ‘obesogenic’ food environment. Nada Khan investigates the broken food system.

6 February 2025

6 mins read

2

AiT·BJGP Long Read·Opinion

We should be offering GP registrars screening for specific learning differences (SLDs)

Despite the legal and professional requirements to treat individuals with SpLDs without disadvantage, alongside evidence supporting earlier diagnosis & supportive strategies, the Committee of General Practice Education Directors (COGPED) still do not recommend screening of GP Registrars (GPRs) at the commencement of

5 February 2025

7 mins read

1

Podcast·Videos

Episode 193: BJGP’s top 10 most read papers of 2024

In this episode, we take a look back at the most read research papers of 2024.

4 February 2025

1 min read

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