The BJGP is the world-leading primary care journal. At BJGP Life we add multi-media comment and opinion for the primary care community.
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.
Well-respected epidemiologists predicted, from the outset, that the societal, economic and psychological harm from the unprecedented COVID-19 lockdowns was likely to be far greater than the perceived risk of death. However, such views were lost in the narrative of fear that predominated
Immediate action is needed to consider how we deal with the surge in ‘hot’ paediatric patients this winter. We need to make it clear to parents that GPs and A&E are open for business and create a safe, easily accessible system by
The opportunities to treat more and more patients in less and less time is the unspoken aim of the improving of technology. But as we move into this future, we must continue to courageously ask both ourselves and our employers; is this
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis is a form of interstitial lung disease caused by the repeated exposure and immune sensitisation to organic dusts and certain industrial agents. The circumstances of lockdown may increase the exposure of the public — and waste management workers in particular
Dr Tony Williams is a consultant occupational physician and discusses their evidence-based tool that helps patients understand their risk and vulnerability. GPs can use it in the consultation to calculate a "Covid-age".
The Cumberledge report puts forward the case for radical reform. Dealing with those who have by our actions sustained loss and pain, even as a recognised complication of a necessary procedure, can be exceptionally challenging. It is important to be able to
Baroness Cumberlege’s report describes suffering that was “entirely avoidable, caused and compounded by failings in the health system itself” and her report advocates for radical reform. Let us be forever proud of the response to COVID. Let us urgently examine the collateral
Dr Amanda Brown traded her relatively comfortable life in a village surgery for life in some of Britain’s most notorious prisons. However, The Prison Doctor is not just a description of how her two worlds differed.
If general practice becomes unsustainable, we will lose the most effective and efficient health service we have, and it will not be easily replaced. It’s time we involved GPs in the critical analysis of the holes in the system, before our capacity
So why am I more exhausted from a full day in practice when I have only seen four patients face-to-face, dealt with 30 or so patients over the phone and conducted a MS Teams practice meeting? The ambience around appears calmer –
Most clinicians will encounter cases of self-neglect during their career, which will vary from mild presentations to really disturbing cases where the self-neglect becomes extreme. What drives such behaviour and how do we manage it?
Described as the 'cornerstone of safe and effective practice', the physical examination has always been an integral part of what makes a competent GP. With recent evidence presenting a decline in GPs' physical examination skills over recent years, GP Simon Morgan reflects
The BJGP has been publishing brief reports on innovations on the BJGP COVID-19 Clinical Solutions rapid communications platform. There are now around 30 reports sharing good practice, new processes, and practical ideas to help improve care during the pandemic.
Navigating the daily deluge of new information relating to COVID-19 is a significant challenge for both patients and professionals. With alarming statistics released regarding the inaccuracy of much of this information, it falls to healthcare professionals to help distinguish credible sources and
Professor Donald Li talks us through some of the reasons, detailed in his editorial, co-authored with Chak-sing Lau, for the relative success of Asian countries in managing COVID-19.
When reading articles on digital innovation in the NHS audiences are finding that they need to update their editorial bingo ticket. Classics like culture change, interoperability or costs remain. But any self-respecting writer must now include something on how the NHS response
Evidence suggests that unemployment is associated with an increase in mortality and morbidity. In light of this evidence, Samar Razaq assesses whether a return to work could help to avoid an even greater disaster during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Might a headlong rush to implement ICSs erode the trust that those who have to work in and implement ICSs have for those who drive this agenda? When there is such fragility and strain across an entire service, a natural pause in
Professor Azeem Majeed from Imperial College in London talks through the current situation. New infections are much reduced and he discusses the track and trace programme that is now working, though not as well as we might like. Everyday practice is not
During the COVID-19 pandemic the UK government provided daily briefings, none of which have featured the opinions of behavioural or social scientists. While GPs continue to care for their patients, they must be supported and given the tools to assist their patients
Remote, quick, impersonal, call centre medicine is not general practice. It may work for a subset of patient queries, for minor ailments, but for the rest, understanding the patient's needs, perspectives and priorities as well as the context in which they live
In the current COVID-19 pandemic, many (including world ‘leaders’) have been tempted to abandon the ideas of evidence based medicine of needing clinical trials to justify the use of treatments. This is a mistake.
The effect of being stopped and searched by the police can be psychologically traumatic and leave one feeling scared, powerless and humiliated. I thought about my patients. A lot of patients I look after are black and I wondered about how negative
COVID-19 has all but ensured that primary care will never quite be the same. This includes the way in which we care for our nursing and care homes. It is important that we take the positives from the virtual ward round that
The terrible direct and indirect impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our elders living in care homes demands our attention and clinical scrutiny. We must continue to scrutinise the effectiveness of virtual assessment of our older patients with thorough clinical governance processes.
Professor Michael Kidd is a GP and Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Australia. He talks through five principles for dealing with the COVID-19 crisis and pandemic preparedness.
New research published in the BJGP from Professor Roger Gadsby and his team at the University of Warwick has highlighted how 'morning sickness' is not an appropriate term for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. Professor Gadsby suggests we need to "dump this
COVID-19 has forced enormous numbers of workers into working from home and students into remote learning worldwide. The infrared radiation emitted from laptops can cause erythema ab igne. Increasing awareness now may prevent case occurrence or save time and stress later.
The Appointments in General Practice data available on the NHS Digital website collects data on the activity recorded within appointment systems. We cannot rely on the experimental data that has been collected over the last two months, but now that we are
Dr Chanpreet Arhi tells us about research in over 7000 patients that shows delays in referral, including for red flag symptoms, resulted in an increase in all-cause mortality.
Two GPs reflect on the impact poetry has had on their practice and how it fits into their lives.
“Look sorry, right, no offence but we need a white doctor.” Dad looked at the wall as he spoke. It was almost as if something was compelling him. I really didn’t know what to say. I felt myself flushing, the prickle in
Health experts and politicians have warned for over 170 years that health inequality is killing those in the most deprived parts of society. We now witness the poorest in society disproportionately dying of COVID-19, suggesting that the social murder observed by Engels
New research published in the BJGP from Dr Ben Goldacre's team in Oxford found that 23% of GPs still prescribed different strength methotrexate tablets (10mg and 2.5mg) to the same person in the past year — against the safety advice. The clear
In the UK, people living in the most deprived areas have twice the mortality rate from COVID-19 as those in the least deprived areas. The pandemic offers a 'compassion window' of societal, political and professional awareness and willingness to act, and general
Simon Morgan offers up a second dose of his handy primer on virology to get you up to speed with some of the lesser known facts about viruses and their mitocycles.
As primary care physicians we are likely to have an important part to play in determining who is tested and when. Impressively high sensitivity and specificity numbers, therefore, have to be interpreted with caution. As GPs we need to be aware of
