Diving in at the Deep End?
Alex Burrell reflects on the moral agonies of planning an early GP-career
The home of general practice and family medicine
Reflections for general practice from an Asylum Seeker and Refugee (ASR) GP clinic
Mavin Kashyap shares key practice insights from a specialist community healthcare service for asylum seekers and refugee (ASR) adults.
Creating a Deep End virtual community for health equity in London: collaboration through connection
"We wish to share the story of an innovative digital intervention that has helped to overcome existing divisions by creating a vibrant interdisciplinary network of learning and health activism. We describe how a few family physicians created a virtual community on WhatsApp
Is hospital the only choice?
For the record, plenty of elderly patients have excellent lifesaving care, are well looked after, and speak highly of the exemplary care and attention they had in hospital. However, hospital isn’t always the best place for them. Let me explain why I
Episode 151: BJGP’s top 10 most read papers of 2023
The editorial team discusses the top 10 most read papers of 2023.
GP Education amid the conflict in Myanmar
Myanmar should not be forgotten in the conversation around the ongoing failure to protect hospitals and health workers in conflict zones. Jim Brockbank reminds us.
The Deal
“Do we have a deal?” A haunting tale from Ben Hoban
The Health Fix
What is intensely likeable for me as a GP in his 40s is that The Health Fix also written by a GP in his 40s, with an engaging approach that blends clinical experience, medical evidence and personal history.
Generative artificial intelligence can brighten the future of global primary care
Pattern recognition by AI is already overtaking humans in many diagnostic fields such as radiology and cytology. Large language models are doing the same in communication, dialogue and processing human-generated text. Here we present their potential within primary care using four broad
Early private sector attempts to improve health with large language models
Richard Armitage visits the wild frontier of LLM-powered commercial health apps and reflects on three examples: ElliQ, MMGuardian and WHOOP Coach
Looking in and looking out
Throughout medical history, there has been a tension between systems that locate health within the patient and those that have it outside. Ben Hoban finds the determinants of health and illness by looking in and by looking out.
Episode 150: Satisfaction with remote consultations and why education matters
In this episode, we talk to Professor Kate Brain about patterns of patient characteristics associated with satisfaction with remote consultations.
A failure to retain GP retention schemes
Nada Khan argues that it’s worth just reflecting back on what was on offer and why, whether this retention scheme was working, and what future plans NHS England may have to keep GPs in practice.
Delivering innovative health interventions to inclusion health populations: lessons learnt from a preconception care programme
In 2020, Bevan secured funding to implement a Starting Well programme. Their aim was to empower women and their families to improve the outcome of future generations by optimising their physical, psychological, and social wellbeing prior to conception.
Portable Magic
David Jeffrey reviews a terrific manual for bibliophiles. General practitioners may be reassured that bibliomaniacs, as yet, do not present for therapeutic intervention.
Community health and wellbeing workers: An off-the-peg solution for improving health and care in England
Drawing inspiration from Brazil, Cornelia Junghans, Matthew Harris, and Azeem Majeed suggest building a community infrastructure of trained and paid Community Health and Wellbeing Workers (CHWWs) who work with GPs, community services and local authority.
Yonder: Surgical site infection, opioid dependence, racial diversity, and Meals on Wheels (February 2024)
Ahmed Rashid muses about surgical site infection, opioid dependence, racial diversity, and 'Meals on Wheels'
Episode 149: A paradox of access and how we can address the increasing demand in general practice
In this episode, we talk to Dr Jennifer Voorhees about the paradox of access to care in general practice.
Extended roles and special interests
It’s worth examining the reasons in the health system for supporting special interests. Are we playing Jenga with the health system, continually removing building blocks to replace obvious deficiencies in a rickety structure? Or are we enhancing the generalist, patient-centred care that
How LLMs will transform general practice
Richard Armitage predicts how AI can transform clinician-patient consultation.
Science Fictions: Exposing Fraud, Bias, Negligence and Hype in Science
Science Fictions is an accessible and enjoyable read that is directly relevant to our work as GPs, useful for our much-needed critical appraisal skills, and fascinating to the curious mind that wishes to explore the behind-the-scenes goings on that underlie the research
Clinical seasoning – a recipe for success
Even as a GP trainee in the mid-90s, I genuinely don’t recall learning about the concept or practice of clinical reasoning. It’s not as if we weren’t guided on data synthesis or critical thinking, or the importance of these aspects of the
Domestic abuse statistics
Hannah Milton reflects on domestic abuse statistics in relation to men and women
Moving on: Recommendations from a conversation with young family doctors from around the world
At the most recent WONCA global conference in October 2023, the WONCA Women’s Working Party on Women and Family Medicine (WWPWFM) met with young doctors movements from all world regions, to discuss common themes and possible ways to work together. Amanda Howe
Episode 148: Providing proactive and holistic palliative care in general practice – exploring the patient perspective
In this episode, we talk to Isabel Leach about the patient perspectives around end of life care.
Discontinuity of care and patient safety
We know (from that research) that higher continuity is associated with lower mortality rates, reduced healthcare costs, higher patient satisfaction, safer prescribing and reduced hospitalisations. But what about patient safety incidents? Nada Khan investigates
Book review: The Instinct to Heal: Curing Depression, Anxiety and Stress Without Drugs and Without Talk Therapy — 20 years on
"... the overall impression is that everything in here is still very relevant today — some maybe even more so than when he first wrote it." – Elke Hausmann reviews David Servan-Schreiber's 'The Instinct to Heal' 20 years on from it's original publication.
In or out? How GPs can thrive in both clinical practice and academia
Considering a dual role as a GP-academic? Daniel Baumgardt has some reflections to share!
Just do it! Ten easy ways to enhance empathy in the consultation
The good news is that there are at least ten evidence-based ways to enhance empathy. These take little time and can pay back the moments invested (sometimes with compound interest).
Jean Baudrillard against the Post Office
Over 4 million people watched the first episode of Mr Bates against the Post Office when it screened on New Year’s Day. And suddenly things started to happen. David Misselbrook reflects on what this might mean for British medicine...
Episode 147: Coeliac disease and its diagnosis in primary care – what is the patient experience?
In this episode, we talk to Dr Alice Harper about the patient experience of coeliac disease diagnosis.
Generative AI in medical writing: co-author or tool?
The Lancet declares that “generative AI is not an author”, and dictates that “these tools should only be used to improve language and readability”. But are these statements – the first a factual claim, the second a normative assertion – entirely true?
Grieving for a lost Christmas cake…
In a world of immediacy and impermanence, my two cards and lonely box of chocolates earn a particular significance. They emphasise the humanity that is still possible in General Practice despite the need to count, measure, and capture everything – a connection
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
Bad Blood, the 2019 book (with a new 2023 afterword) by seasoned journalist John Carreyrou, offers a deep dive into the dramatic rise and fall of Theranos, a once-promising biotech startup in the US. Self-admitted 'health-tech' enthusiast Richard Armitage reviews the book.
Waiting for results
‘The doctor wants you to come back to discuss your results’. That’s what the receptionist said when she called me. ‘Can you tell me anything more?’ I asked, my body instantly awash with bilious panic. ‘No, sorry’ she said, before scheduling the
Skill mix ups and success in primary care
The introduction of new roles working alongside GPs should improve access, quality and contain costs in health care, but these new roles cannot fill the skill gaps left by the shortage of GPs. Terry Kemple looks at the evidence.
Pressure on GPs in England: appointments, workforce, and patient complexity
The total number of monthly appointments in general practice increased by over 30% between December 2017 and October 2023. Over this same period, the number of fully qualified FTEs fell by 5%. Richard Armitage analyses the numbers ...
Book review: Pain: The Ultimate Mentor
Pain: The Ultimate Mentor is a deeply insightful book that reshapes our understanding of pain and its role in our lives, offering a fresh and practical perspective on managing pain ...
Lessons from Bronze Age Greece for modern practice
The links between my passion for Bronze Age Greece and working in modern-day practice have never felt tangible, until I recently took time to reflect. Look close enough and you’ll find the threads of history woven throughout medicine and, like all history,
Are video/online appointments becoming more popular among patients?
Between May and August 2023, video/online appointments increased four-fold. Richard Armitage delves into the data ...