The BJGP is the world-leading primary care journal. At BJGP Life we add multi-media comment and opinion for the primary care community.
Numbers have no voice. We, however, give them meaning. Using numbers we can twist the narrative to suit the point we want to make. Following his spectacular rise on social media Samar Razaq investigates the dark arts of manipulation, politics and statistics.
In this episode Professor Tammy Hoffmann talks about research into the natural history of uncomplicated urinary tract infections that could have a big impact on conversations with women and treatment with antibiotics.
Doctors are not strangers to adversity, both in the lives of our patients and sometimes in our own. Judith Dawson examins two inspirational accounts to tell us how we can practically help.
In this episode, we talk about research that explores the perspectives of GPs and considers how we can help women and girls who are at risk or have experienced female genital mutilation.
Holly Quinton describes the use of metaphor and drawing in consultations to improve understanding, compliance and rapport. This can help the GP to explain medical terms to a patient, but it can also help the doctor to understand the patient's experience.
The Welsh government is introducing prescriptive guidelines regarding access to GPs. Susan Goodfellow and Gareth Thomas examine their wisdom, and explore possible alternatives.
Fiona Baskett reviews the soon to be released 'Psychiatrist in the Chair: The Official Biography of Anthony Clare', detailing the life of Anthony Clare (1942–2007), one of the leading psychiatrists of his generation.
In this episode we talk to Professor Samuel Wong about his research into COVID-19 and its impact on loneliness and mental health in a cohort of older adults in Hong Kong.
The UK Government’s Gear Change policy heralds a ‘bold vision for cycling and walking’, and has been a welcome development amidst the recent headlines of sadness and uncertainty. Heather Jones examines what is needed to make such a vision work.
David Smith looks at GP Training programs and argues that the focus of secondary care placements is not the development of a well rounded primary care clinician, but to address service needs. He has some suggestions to make things better.
The dedication and humility of NHS nurses, porters, doctors, switchboard operators, medical students and secretaries has never wavered for the past seventy-two years. This book review by Fiona Baskett reminds us that whether giving or receiving care we all have our vulnerabilities.
While demand for services increases, the NHS continues to experience a significant workforce crisis. To help pool resources the NHS Long Term Plan aims to integrate services across sectors, but what will need to be done to ensure that the delegation of
Boris Johnson announced plans to carry out up to 10 million tests in a day to allow people who are negative to be able to continue with their life as normal. This "moonshot" is planned to be financed to the tune of
The Citadel, a 1937 novel by A. J. Cronin, explores the themes of social and health inequalities, drawing from his personal experiences working as a doctor in Britain’s pre-NHS era. The protagonist, newly qualified and virtuous Dr Andrew Manson, begins his medical
“Health is made at home, hospitals are for repairs: building a healthy and health-creating society” is a radical book from the global health leader and former chief executive of the NHS. Rather than “prescribing” or telling people what to do, we should
Dr Mairead Murphy and Prof Chris Salisbury talk about continuity of care. It is already known that relational continuity of care (seeing the same GP over time) is valued by patients with long-term conditions. This qualitative study identifies that patients believe that
Who would have wanted to be a lead clinician in Public Health England at the start of the pandemic? Judith Dawson finds that trying to balance the population losses against individual and economic loss is an impossible job. But in a typical
Professor Jeannie Haggerty and Professor Richard Baker talk about their systematic review considering continuity and patient mortality. Their study confirms the 2018 findings of an association in the context of primary medical care, but also shows that it is variable.
The primary care workforce has been right at the heart of the response to COVID-19, working hard in new and rapidly changing circumstances to ensure patient care continues to be provided to all those who need it in the community.
David Misselbrook discusses how two books, To Kill a Mockingbird and Sacred Hunger, have helped him understand more about why Black Lives Matter matters and have given him his own refresher course in racism.
General practice is well-positioned to identify and intervene in the wider determinants of health. Many of the ingredients are already in place: registered patient lists, extensive data, and the ability to engage both proactively and opportunistically with patients. But primary care’s responsibilities
Made Possible details the appalling historical mistreatment of people with learning disabilities, as well as the challenges faced today. Salman reflects on the empowerment and the personal achievements she witnessed when her sister was well supported, and the uphill struggle to try
2020 will be remembered as the year of Covid-19, a global pandemic that has touched the lives of more human beings than any disease in human history. Life around the world began to change.
Sally Hull discusses new research published in BJGP. E London GPs were incredibly busy seeing COVID in the early stages of the pandemic, even though this work was missing in the national narrative, and she explains their findings related to ethnicity.
Not long following the horrors of the Ebola outbreak in 2014, Liberia now faces the COVID-19 pandemic. Michael Bryant, medical director of ELWA hospital in Liberia, describes the day-to-day struggle to provide quality care for patients in an already critically strained healthcare
Judith Dawson reflects on the draft NICE guidelines for the management of chronic primary pain. There is widespread use of ineffective and addictive pain medication of questionable benefit. However, implementing any change will depend on a cohesive approach across primary and secondary
Simon Morgan reflects on how travel and his travel medicine practice have been derailed in the pandemic.
Aarti Bansal is a GP in Sheffield and the founder of Greener Practice. She talks about greener lower carbon prescribing, reducing waste, and improving clinical outcomes. She also considers how we can reduce travel for patients and other practical actions practices can
Despite ‘seeing’ more patients remotely, we are becoming more isolated, living our lives in lonely clinics and solitary consultations. The art of medicine becomes abstract, doctors and patients united in their separation.
Claire Friedemann Smith explains the findings of a systematic review that suggests GPs' gut feelings may have a role in cancer diagnosis. The studies, which used varied conceptualisations of 'gut feelings', showed associations with patients initially being unwell rather than with a
As the country is gripped by fear of a new pandemic it places doctors and other healthcare workers once again in the spotlight. There is understandable fear amongst the public about the nature of the current pandemic and how it may affect
Louise Stone (@GPswampwarrior) is an Australian GP with clinical, research, teaching and policy expertise in mental health. t would be nice if the world of mental health fell neatly into a taxonomy. It would be nice if we could, as Plato wrote,
Public Health England’s two reviews on disparities in COVID-19 failed to address the significantly higher proportion of ethnic minority healthcare workers who tragically died from COVID-19, and provides no detailed road-map to tackle these inequalities in the future. Reflecting on these uninspiring
Carter Singh is a full time GP partner at Willowbrook Medical Practice, Nottinghamshire. An 'expert-by-lived-experience' in racial inequality, it is this passion that motivates him to challenge discrimination, inequality, and marginalisation in the NHS.
Under the Prevent policy, NHS Trust staff are trained to spot signs of radicalisation and refer cases to the government. Within a systemically racist social system this policy succeeds only in targeting minority groups and those who are most vulnerable. The abolishment
Ed Warren is a retired GP. He notes that a feature of getting older is that you have more opinions and are convinced that others want to hear them. He reflects on the ageing process, cognitive biases, coming to terms with his
The vulnerability and medical complexity of our care home residents means their clinical care is often challenging. However, with the emergence of COVID-19, the scale of this challenge has increased significantly with primary care support becoming predominantly remote and care homes asked
We had to create a monster. A monster so huge, and so terrifying that we were sufficiently motivated. So, we the shielded, are being asked to move from essentially no risk, to an undefinable, unguaranteeable low risk situation. I am immensely thankful
During the wintry January and February months, I had the pleasure of spending three tropical weeks in the vibrant city of Lagos, Nigeria. My experiences were enjoyable and enlightening, however I increasingly became aware of the power of the NHS and the
Angel of Death by Gareth Williams provides a very comprehensive history of smallpox and vaccine development, which has parallels with the current COVID-19 pandemic.
