Is the ‘human touch’ aspect of care necessary? Perhaps not. But does it change patient experience? For sure. And does it take much time? No. I refuse to believe it would add delays and hinder efficiency. The front-line role of reception and
In this episode, we talk to Simon Beerten about the trends in incidence and prevalence of anxiety in general practice in Belgium.
Will this delegation from Australia be successful in ‘stealing’ GPs away to Australia? For those who have been weighing up the options, it may well act as their trigger point to leave, but not without the context of the other push and
I always walk home from work. It gets me moving after 10 hours of mostly sitting in other people’s heads. My walk home is an oasis of no small talk, no confusion, no hidden agendas...
Careful, caring and person-centred application of guidance is required to ensure patients benefit from, and are not harmed by, healthcare. I’d like to talk about Joan, an 86-year-old lady who had rarely visited the surgery. We threw the guidelines at her...
In the First and Second Ages, medicine was transacted between individual patients and doctors at times of illness. The Third Age, in which we find ourselves currently, is associated with the development of a much bigger picture in which this is no
"The conflict in Ukraine has displaced over 7 million people since February 2022. The UK Government has responded by issuing 219 400 visas for Ukrainians through sponsorship schemes. One year on, we feel there is value in reflecting on the health needs
In this episode, we talk to Niro Siriwardena about differential attainment in GP licensing exams.
Now imagine, that for the majority of cases being presented, the consultant condescendingly - and unnecessarily - adds, at the end of the majority of cases, that they had been diagnosed and managed wrongly by the 'incompetent' GP prior to coming to
...After a long day being your child’s GP, I come home. I get a few tantrums, followed by a cuddle 10 minutes later. I am a mum, just like you.
Shem is a pseudonym for an American psychiatrist who adopted his daughter with his wife. Whilst his book is fictional, I could feel his real-life experience in the sensitivity of his insights. Adoptive parents can have a feeling of inadequacy and a
Adnan Saad and colleagues provide an easy-to-use 'crib sheet' for commonly issued disease-monitoring drugs in general practice ...
Are GP practices equipped to respond to the current mental health crisis? Here, Jonathan Coates and Nick Hartley reflect on a recent pilot of the role of GP clinical psychologists in primary care - "an experienced, senior clinician independently handling undifferentiated presentations
In this episode, we talk to Joe Kai about women's experiences of heavy menstrual bleeding and the management options available in primary care.
The first planned strike action will take place for 72 hours in mid-March and will see junior doctors stepping away from their wards, surgical theatres, outpatient clinics, and indeed, for GP registrars, their practices. How do junior doctor strikes impact on general
Dr Somebody* is a fictional late middle aged, mild to moderately burnout GP Partner in North London; he is suspicious about the current managerial changes in the NHS; his motto however is "contented with little, yet wishing for more", and at heart
I think it would be fair to say that none of my medical school curriculum was dedicated to the radical idea of convalescence... Instead from Day 1 we were taught the cutting edge of knowledge and skill to be able to take
They are billed as digital solutions, but they simply offer a locum GP, restricted to video. My experience over the last 3 years leading a GP federation has opened my eyes to the long-term perils of short-term solutions such as this.
My parents being immigrants, enforced into us to keep our heads down and work hard, to adopt a ‘don’t cause trouble’ attitude... Being called these occasional names I still performed well academically at school, it never placed limits. Life was good …
With the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a shift to digital technology that has necessitated both GPs and their patients to adapt rapidly. There is concern that older adults will struggle to adapt to this shift due to their low technology usage
In this episode, we talk to Kelly Lloyd about what influences GPs to prescribe, or not prescribe aspirin to prevent colorectal cancer in Lynch syndrome.
In response to recent earthquakes, the UK Emergency Medical Team (UKEMT) is currently providing a variety of clinical services from a field hospital in a heavily-damaged town located around 50 kilometres from Gaziantep in Kahramanmaraş Province. Richard Armitage is there.
...it wasn’t until I became sick myself that I really understood what it meant to be a patient, or indeed those wider principles I tried to root my own practice in. For me, that once watertight seal between clinician and clinic was
"Who has been in charge of the processes of change in the last 20 years? What ingredients must be restored now that we have a full-blown factory farm model of primary care medicine? Is it too late to save family medicine 70
A brief check of the notes and it is a patient you don’t know, taking eight different medications for four separate problems. You’ve probably got 10 minutes...
GPs can hide, to a degree, behind the castle walls and beyond the moat consisting of front-line administrative staff. But I ask myself two questions: does that mean we are in an ‘ivory tower’; and do we have a ‘drawbridge mentality’? Emilie
Alex Pavitt argues that we need a systematic shift from focusing on appointment quantity to consider appointment quality as we work towards embracing and combating the overall problem of ‘multimorbidity’.
In this episode, we talk to Dr Sarah Tonkin-Crine about interventions to reduce antibiotic prescribing in general practice.
The phrase ‘we can’t go on like this’ is frequently banded around on social media in relation to the NHS. However, it seems that the staff working within this organisation can, and are; but at what cost?
In 2017, Timothy Snyder (a US historian of the 20th century) felt compelled to write a pamphlet with lessons he had learnt from decades of studying Nazi and Stalinist atrocities. It is a manual for how to understand the world around us
Ask any doctor, and they’ll tell you that talking to patients can be difficult. Mind you, ask any patient and they’ll tell you that talking to doctors can be really difficult too. Ben Hoban discusses how we address the problem.
What is my take on carers? They deny they need a medal for what they do. I now have the awareness and the greatest respect for these unsung heroes. For me. I will continue to care for Mavis, to do whatever I
In this episode, we talk to Dr Bianca Perera about GP perspectives of managing patients with acute exacerbations of COPD in primary care.
The worsening relationship between primary and secondary care if this NHS is to be saved, argues Edin Lakasing
Newshound: Thanks for agreeing to see me, doctor…
Subject: John, it's just John these days. I appreciate your making the trip. Did anyone try to stop you?
(Dystopian satire from Ben Hoban)
Timothy Snyder kept a diary whilst in hospital in the US where he was finally treated, the experience of which forms the basis of his reflections. Much of what he writes about is clearly written about and for the American context, but
For the first time, a coroner in the UK declared domestic abuse as having a causal role in death by suicide. Domestic abuse is a growing public health burden, so what can primary care do to protect individuals experiencing domestic abuse? Here,
How have media depictions of general practice and GPs affected how we work, and healthcare policy in the UK? Nada Khan investigates...
So, is the description of the GP as a ‘gatekeeper’ outdated? I would argue it is. GPs are not trying to block access to specialists. Rather, through their distinct expertise, they provide a safety net for patients who could risk further harm
In this episode, we talk to Dr Karen Smit about a feasibility study looking at home pulse oximetry in patients with Covid-19.