In this episode, we talk about patient perspectives on psychological interventions for insomnia.
...the very same addictive nature of gaming that keeps people sedentary can be harnessed to promote health through the concept of gamification. Gamification is defined as “...the use of game design elements in non-game contexts...” and is used to enhance engagement, motivation,
General practice plays a particularly important role in people's lives, supporting the health, livelihoods and lifestyles of individuals and communities. To fulfil this role effectively, GPs must embrace the idea that experience and learning are never wasted.
"The Maudsley series of books on prescribing in psychiatry has been a cornerstone of psychiatric practice, and it is welcome to see their first publication focusing on deprescribing. Many would argue that, given the ever-burgeoning scale of prescribing of these medications, such
The Prescribing lifestyle medicine mental health and trauma course was something I cautiously signed up for... Upon arrival, I was amazed at the gathering of surgeons, GPs and nurses alike, ready to hear Dr Gabor Maté , hosted by Dr Ranjan Chatterjee,
Our distinct expertise in advanced generalist medicine, together with our extended experience in the community healthcare context, defines the expertise that we bring to a consultation process, argues Joanne Reeve.
We have a professional obligation to keep up to date, and our patients will hopefully take it as read that we know what we are doing. They are more likely to thank us, though, for also having taken the trouble to walk
In this episode, we talk to Dr Erica di Martino about referring younger patients with suspected cancer.
Yonder: a diverse selection of primary care relevant research stories from beyond the mainstream biomedical literature
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
The Anxious Generation documents a phenomenon which almost certainly has been recognised, tracked and pondered by all practicing GPs, whose workload consists of a substantial and growing prevalence of anxiety and depression, particularly among younger patients.
Making explicit the roles and activity of the General Practitioner has many benefits. It enables others to recognise, value and utilise our work. The acronym is GENERALISM!
Hannah Milton reflects on the neuroscience of trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and how this can lead to what is termed ‘latent vulnerability’.
What are 'Ordinary' worries? Elke Hausmann reflects in the light of recent announcements by the prime minister about taking sick note prescribing away from GPs, with the argument that 'normal worries' are being wrongly medicalised as mental illness, also using that to
To be fit for work, a person must be capable of more than simply carrying out in isolation the tasks required by their role: they must be able to do so repeatedly, to a consistent standard, and in a way that represents
In this episode, we talk to Becky Gudka and Dr Anna Price about ADHD care provision for young people.
GPs are in the firing line of efforts to reduce sickness certification. The UK government suggest that the responsibility for issuing fit notes could be moved from GPs to specialist occupational health professionals. Nada Khan unpacks the issues.
Elke Hausmann recommends Lynn Payer's book to anyone who wants to understand the history of many of the underlying assumptions shaping medicine and our practice of it -the inevitable result of medical progress but of choices, conscious or not, that arise from
Establishing general practice first as an independent subject or specialism, and then as a university discipline has been a major challenge over many decades. Where we are at present doesn’t appear to be working. Howie, Freeman, and heath reflect on what we
...an apparent paradox makes science possible. At least two conditions are necessary, and they appear deeply contradictory. The first is that the universe must be governed by consistent physical laws, the second is that humans in general, and scientists in particular, must
Thomas Oswald questions the speed with which physician assistants have been rolled out in primary care as a GP-alternative, and wonders why the high profile debates chiefly involve the RCP rather than the RCGP.
Richard Armitage's reading about Chalmers’ proposal of two distinct Problems (the capital is deliberate) of consciousness sparked an analogy in the domain of human health...
In this episode, we talk to Dr Mark Levy about preventable deaths from asthma.
Will using a PPI increase my patient’s risk of dementia? I wouldn’t honestly know the answer offhand if a patient came to me asking this question clutching their newspaper. What are the tensions between the media and scientists, and the implications for
Thinking, Fast and Slow is a detailed summary of much of Kahneman’s influential work spanning numerous academic disciplines which has real-world impact across various professional and personal domains. Richard Armitage explores Its relevance to general practice.
General Practice or Primary Care. What is the difference? Howie, Freeman and Heath discuss the development of primary care research and education and the the rise of SAPC in 2000.
Medicine for Beginners, a short, paradoxical and provocative book was written forty years ago by two young authors with no formal training in history or philosophy. Yet their prophetic insight should continue to disturb us.
'In medical education; those with less support needs have better training environments, while those who are most in need of support end up training in the most challenging, deprived areas.' Frances Wedgwood reflects on a plausible narrative.
As we embrace digitalisation and adapt to changing legislative frameworks, healthcare professionals must redouble their commitment to safeguarding and supporting survivors of DA. Only by aligning with the new legal framework and embracing advancements in practice can we truly meet the needs
In this episode, we talk to Dr Lynsey Warwick-Giles about PCNs, funding and inequalities.
Rather than taking an approach to a patient that they are either telling the truth or lying, we suggest it can be helpful to consider a middle way: the patient may be faithfully describing a problem, but doing so in a coded
10 years was the gap Monica Ali took between her last novel and the release of Love Marriage in 2022. Ironically, this is the same amount of time it would take to go through medical school and train to be a qualified
...At last GPs could receive direct reimbursement from the NHS for time taken for teaching, allowing accelerating expansion of clinical placements in General Practice. At the same time there was NHS support for additional clinical academic staff in the Departments allowing research
The Government’s spending decisions are changing the way we live and the sort of society we live in. The future looks bleak. If you want to understand how it all works (or does not work) then this 280-page explainer will give you
...illness is something normal, to be borne while the pendulum swings that way in expectation that it will soon swing back again. Most of the time, it does, and it is easy for us to claim credit as doctors, even though we
In this episode, we talk to Dr Sahar Pahlavanyali about continuity and mortality in a Norwegian study.
There’s a real risk often voiced by GPs that using Google will make them look stupid in front of the patient, and while there is evidence this can happen, especially with younger patients, it’s often not as bad as we think ...
John Howie, George Freeman and Heather Heath introduce an archive that traces the development of General Practice as a university-based academic discipline in the UK
Paul was diagnosed with locally advanced cancer in 2019. Paul was under no illusion about his prognosis and from an early point he openly discussed what his future was likely to hold .He set out very clearly what was most important to
Biological causality for T4 monotherapy not working for some is now established. We can’t now attribute the 10%–15% of people with hypothyroidism not feeling better on T4 as wimps, laggards, or requiring psychological attention. Sarah Cathcart Evans reflects from personal experience of
In this episode, we talk to Dr Zoe Anchor about the ARRS in practice.