BJGP Life – Page 27

Book review: ‘Side effects – How our Healthcare lost its way and how we fix it.’ by David Haslam

Terry Kemple finds that David Haslam is uniquely placed to reflect on the important questions of modern healthcare. 'Side Effects' calls for clarity about what the focus of healthcare should be, and attempts to describe and address many of the problems of

17 September 2022

3 mins read

Opinion·Undergraduate

Opioid prescribing and medical education… Can primary care fill in the gaps?

With 43% of adults currently living with a degree of chronic pain in the UK, It is likely that overprescribing of opioids will continue. An audit of opioid prescribing in general practice inspired me to reflect on how medical education fails to

16 September 2022

4 mins read

Clinical·Opinion

Nitrous oxide use and health risks: no laughing matter

Nitrous oxide is a popular recreational drug that produces transient but intense feelings of euphoria and disassociation. Nada Khan considers what GPs should know.

15 September 2022

3 mins read

1

Opinion·Random

Choose your own adventure: The GP workforce crisis

Mark Steggles frames the GP workforce crisis as a 'Choose your own adventure'

14 September 2022

1 min read

1

Podcast·Videos

Episode 085: Considering treatment burden in our patients with multimorbidity

Dr Simon Fraser joins us on the podcast to talk about treatment burden.

13 September 2022

1 min read

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

Switching to imperial: a ton of problems for healthcare

Richard Armitage explores the health implications of adopting imperial units, and finds the prospect quite alarming!

12 September 2022

5 mins read

1

Appreciation·Opinion

Ode to primary care

'One does not love breathing.' says Scout from To Kill A Mockingbird. 'Primary care to me is the lungs or heart of the NHS,' Rubia Usman reflects.

11 September 2022

1 min read

1

News

Elizabeth II 1926-2022

The BJGP team are deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and extend our sympathies to The Royal Family

9 September 2022

1 min read

BJGP Long Read·Clinical

Osteoarthritis: an overlooked target for health improvement

While it makes no contribution to mortality statistics, the morbidity, economic cost and primary care workload generated by osteoarthritis is of sufficient proportion to render the condition a significant public health problem worthy of urgent investment of resources.

9 September 2022

4 mins read

1

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

Doctors prescribing financial support – a poisoned chalice?

A leaked memo from the UK treasury recently suggested GPs should assess the financial health of their patients and recommend financial support to those in most need. Nada Khan considers some of the arguments and research -discussion welcome!

8 September 2022

3 mins read

Opinion

Relational care

The government has gained control over the system; doctors have gained the freedom to have a life outside the surgery; and patients have gained – at least in theory – unlimited access to textbook medicine, regardless of who provides it. Ben Hoban

7 September 2022

3 mins read

Podcast·Videos

Episode 084: The golden thread of continuity of care

Dr Sally Hull joins us to talk about a new study exploring continuity of care.

6 September 2022

1 min read

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

Sewage in UK waters: a raw deal for wild swimmers

Richard Armitage discusses the pros and cons of wild swimming in light of the recent discharges of raw sewage into British waterways

5 September 2022

6 mins read

7

Opinion·Random

The clinical courtroom – a reflection

Bhupinder Goraya reflects on the clinical consultation from a GP perspective. A courtroom with competing sovereign views?

4 September 2022

8 mins read

Book review

Book review: Turning the World Upside Down Again, 2nd Edn

"This is an important book that covers a great deal of ground relevant to human health and flourishing" — Paquita de Zulueta reviews the second edition of Nigel Crisp's Turning the World Upside Down Again

3 September 2022

5 mins read

Opinion

Poor choices

If a patient has an Adverse Childhood Experiences score of 4 or higher then the risk of multiple health problems, such as cancer, obesity, and heart disease, increases. Giles Dawnay asks, how much, then, of our hard and well-intentioned work is no

2 September 2022

3 mins read

Bright Ideas and Innovation

Environmentally friendly inhalers: issues for the general practice consultation

Medicines make up 25% of the NHS’ carbon footprint, with some metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) being 3320 times more powerful than CO2. How then can primary care help to reduce emissions caused by inhalers? Joshua Parker explores some options, such as reducing reliability

1 September 2022

6 mins read

Opinion

Medically Explained Symptoms

It may therefore be that the best way to spot the symptoms of serious disease is not always to be looking for them, argues Ben Hoban

31 August 2022

2 mins read

Bright Ideas and Innovation

Frome’s contribution to wellbeing, biodiversity and closing the loop

The Staff Wellbeing Garden at Frome Medical Practice shows the value of local green spaces, enriching the local biodiversity while providing a relaxing environment for both staff and patients. Here, Charlotte Carson, Green Health Connector, describes recent developments to the garden, including

30 August 2022

2 mins read

Clinical

What GPs need to know about non-directed altruistic kidney donation

Though it is widely known that kidney donation is common among living donors who are family or friends, there appears to be lower awareness of kidney donation along a non-directed pathway. Here, Rich Armitage describes the process of becoming a non-directed altruistic

29 August 2022

7 mins read

1

Arts

The Milk of Dreams, Biennale Arte 2022: A Surreal Awakening

"It’s the best show we have seen in years ... " — Polyester elephants on 6 foot plinths, grotesque life-sized cloth dolls, and robotic snakes — it's the return of the Venice Biennale, reviewed by Will Norman

28 August 2022

4 mins read

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

A sinking cornerstone: the vanishing of personal continuity of care

Doctors who find more human sense, belonging and fulfilment in their work are, almost certainly, able to provide better care. But our serial reforms have disregarded, then abandoned, a time-honoured cornerstone of practice. David Zigmond explores the tragic revival of continuity of

27 August 2022

5 mins read

Stories

A seagull with a sore leg: How having a shared focus improves staff wellbeing

Serena Strickland reflects on the effect of an avian visitor on a GP practice

26 August 2022

2 mins read

BJGP Long Read·Bright Ideas and Innovation·Opinion

Finding meaning, locating hope

What Rupal Shah & colleagues are proposing is not whimsical or theoretical. We need to address the broader context or practice so that connection, meaning & values can flourish. The next generation of GPs needs to be inspired & adequately resourced to

23 August 2022

6 mins read

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

Cyber-attacks and primary care: the need for digital health resilience

Richard Armitage argues that cyber-attack pose an apocalyptic risk to UK primary healthcare

22 August 2022

5 mins read

Book review

Book review: Finance Aspects for Medical Doctors, 2022 Edition

Can any guide to financial aspects of medical practice from the doctor’s perspective ever claim to be ‘friendly'? Andrew Papanikitas finds this book to be useful. The book collects an up-to-date set of facts about things such as what a set of

21 August 2022

2 mins read

Book review

Book review: Diagnostic Dermoscopy: The Illustrated Guide. 2nd Edn

"I strongly recommend this book to my colleagues both in primary and secondary care" – George C Moncrieff, Chair of the Dermatology Council for England until 2018, reviews the second edition of Jonathan Bowling's Diagnostic Dermoscopy: The Illustrated Guide

20 August 2022

1 min read

Opinion

“Tenner tantrums” — An opinion on fining patients

Joel Brown argues that charging patients £10 for missed appointments in UK general practice is misguided, unfair, and harmful to both patients and health service.

19 August 2022

2 mins read

2

Opinion

The Women’s Health Strategy for England – Goals for general practice

Nada Khan reviews the 'Women’s Health Strategy for England,' which contains ambitious goals for general practice. Are these goals sustainable and sincere?

18 August 2022

3 mins read

1

Clinical·Opinion

An introduction to the mental health practitioner in general practice

Peter McNelly provides an introduction to the role of the mental health practitioner in general practice, and how they can help reduce the workload of GPs.

17 August 2022

6 mins read

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

The health risks of going viral: social media influencers and the harms of digital stardom

It is important that GPs are able to recognise this phenomenon, and to not dismiss the SMI lifestyle as a harmless pursuit for frivolous Gen-Z-ers. Richard Armitage unpacks the health implications.

15 August 2022

6 mins read

Arts·Stories

Tea at 4:30, with milk?

‘Yes dad, a little dash like normal.’ I never knew how to reply. Was he asking a question? Was he just making a statement, did he even want milk in it? Had he forgotten how he had his tea? I never knew

13 August 2022

3 mins read

Clinical·Opinion

The challenge of medically unexplained symptoms, overlooked diseases and forgotten patients

Some patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) suffer years of referrals and inconclusive tests. Others find themselves overlooked by health care services and feel forgotten. However, diagnostic delay may be due to a disease being rare. Stephen Walker and colleagues offer a

12 August 2022

5 mins read

1

Clinical·Opinion

The serotonin theory of depression and why we use antidepressants

New research into the serotonin theory of depression raises two separate, but related issues. The first is our understanding about the aetiology of depression. The second is understanding why we prescribe antidepressants. Nada Khan reflects on what this means for general practice.

11 August 2022

4 mins read

Bright Ideas and Innovation·Opinion

Bridging the child health gap between primary and secondary care

Lisa Broom, Frances Dutton (GPs), and Chris Bird (Paediatric A&E Consultant) reflect on a fellowship that allowed both GPs to have one foot in Birmingham Children's Hospital's busy emergency department and the other in primary care in the city, with time to

10 August 2022

3 mins read

Podcast·Videos

Episode 083: Summer 2022 – a quick update from the editor

We have a quick update from the Editor, Euan Lawson.

9 August 2022

1 min read

BJGP Long Read·Opinion

Celebrities, cancer, and population health

Richard Armitage examines the 'Deborah James effect' on cancer awareness. How should we enhance the benefits and mitigate any harms of publicly shared celebrity cancer stories?

8 August 2022

10 mins read

Book review

Book review: What Seems To Be The Problem?

"What I am increasingly aware of the longer I practice medicine is that traditional models of care are not working" — Maryan Naeem reviews 'What Seems To Be The Problem?', the new memoir by Laura Marshall-Andrews

7 August 2022

3 mins read

Arts

A lockdown literary festival in medicine

During the UK pandemic lockdowns of 2020–21 an online literary festival was held by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London, and the talks are freely available online. Andrew Papanikitas invites readers online and back in time!

6 August 2022

3 mins read

Opinion

Health Perception

People living in more affluent parts of the world with better healthcare and less disease tend to have a lower view of their health than people in poorer areas, where disease is more prevalent and healthcare less well-developed. Ben Hoban asks what

5 August 2022

2 mins read

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