Effective pain management is fundamental to rehabilitation. The body cannot heal while in constant distress. Rehabilitation and primary care teams must embrace the reality that pain is not just a symptom to be medicated...
If it is difficult to agree what exactly we mean by health, it is perhaps unsurprising that we also approach unhealth in a number of different ways. Ben Hoban reflects on the meanings of 'unhealth.'
A recent House of Lords report puts the blame for rising obesity squarely at the feet of the food industry, stating that marketing of unhealthy food products has created an ‘obesogenic’ food environment. Nada Khan investigates the broken food system.
Despite the legal and professional requirements to treat individuals with SpLDs without disadvantage, alongside evidence supporting earlier diagnosis & supportive strategies, the Committee of General Practice Education Directors (COGPED) still do not recommend screening of GP Registrars (GPRs) at the commencement of
"I have often relied on John Driscroll’s three ‘Whats’ when giving feedback on BJGP Life submissions and undergraduate coursework: What happened? So what? What now? I invite you to keep these questions in your head as you survey our articles. How will
Perhaps we can characterise these two kinds of practice as representing either efficiency in providing a high volume of appointments or effectiveness in making each appointment count for more... Ben Hoban reflects.
Primary care has been identified as the stage in the skin cancer pathway with the greatest potential for the use of AI to increase early detection. Richard Armitage raises some issues.
How far have family doctor organisations around the world progressed in protecting planetary health?
The theme for World Family Doctor Day on May 19, 2024, was “Healthy Planet, Healthy People”. To mark this, the World Organisation of Family Doctors’ (WONCA) Working Party on Planetary Health surveyed its 133 member organizations (MOs) across 111 countries. Terry Temple and colleagues
The thread that runs through the debate, however, seems to be a genuine desire on both sides to help people who are suffering, and the conflict between opposing views reflects not a greater or lesser degree of care, but rather the familiar
Doctors are repeatedly referred to in the proposed legislation, and they are clearly essential in delivering the assisted dying process, but has anyone really considered the impact on those doctors? GPs are arguably the most likely profession to provide assisted dying services,
By recognizing the fundamental similarities in our approaches, we can move beyond semantic battles and focus on what truly matters: genuine connection, active listening, and meaningful support for patients.
"In this article, we explore what happens when our automatic ways of being in relationships are no longer serving us well. Moreover, if we can observe what we are doing, is this enough to change things?"
"I couldn’t understand, however, no matter how much I trained, how much I addressed my diet (within the realms of my understanding at the time), and how much I addressed other lifestyle factors such as sleep, why I was the heaviest I
How we understand our story makes a difference to how we go about the job, how effectively we do it, and how it leaves us feeling when we go home... One of these proto-narratives is especially relevant to us as doctors: Overcoming
Aldabra Stifiuc-Andronic and colleagues reflect on the health implications of the cosmetics industry and public awareness of cosmetic ingredients.
"Reducing the carbon footprint of primary care has the potential to improve the health of our patients and communities, while decreasing workload and saving resources ..." – Michael Naughton and colleagues outline what GPs, partners, and local primary care leaders can do to
There is of course no nationwide prostate cancer screening programme for asymptomatic men at present; rather, men over the age of 50 are advised that they can request a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test from their GP at any time. Paul McNamara and
"This book is terrifying, informative, stimulating, and educating to every member of the medical and nursing profession. It is extensively researched, has a massive bibliography, and, most importantly, it is well written and well worth reading — in spite of some truly
Re-reading my review, I can tell that I was very careful even then not to present this approach as a 'cure' for Long Covid, but as a promising approach to manage symptoms better while waiting for a cure ... However, I have
For years, the UK has inaccurately perpetuated the notion that British farming is among the most sustainable globally. Shireen Kassam, Christelle Blunden and Matthew Lee argue why this is not so, and the impact this may have on public and planetary health.
"The body does not generate the mind but is a process of self-localisation of the mind itself ..." – Armando Henrique Norman explores the usefulness of idealism as a valid philosophical principle to guide family physicians in their daily practice.
a book which has had the same impact on the language of healthcare as George Orwell’s 1984 has had on the language of politics. Illich did not invent terms such as iatrogenesis and medicalisation, but he was the first to synthesize them
Identifying the mind as a source of the body's pain can help a patient make great strides towards taking control of their health and reducing the impact chronic illness has on their day to day lives. Paul McNamara and Ella Butterworth explore
Clearly in some GP Practices no robust thought has been given to having a Mental Health Practitioner (MHP), or their role and scope of practice. Those GPs who have requested and take 'ownership' of the MHP, are best placed to integrate them
Despite regular reports about ‘improving the diet of the population’, little has changed. Eight years ago less than a third of people ate five portions of fruit and vegetables per day, and that figure hasn’t budged since. Chris Newman suggests that GPs
What (if anything) happens when we die? This is a question that human beings have been pondering since time immemorial. Paul McNamara and Craig MacKay reflect on a family story of near death experience.
Is holistic part of being good or just a part of being a GP? GPs work in a complex adaptive network interacting in many interconnected ways with wider society. Terms like ‘whole person’, ‘holistic’, and even ‘ecological’ may fail to completely grasp
...let’s talk a minute about what needs to happen so that the development and use of something like a patient passport can be done in a meaningful and inclusive way. It seems right that we talk about it here, as primary care
My first go at introducing stories into my own teaching was through the work of Rita Charon. But when I tried to introduce some of these concepts to my teaching, I was less successful. Family therapist and GP John Launer offers an
there is a lot of conflicting information about menopause, its treatments, and how GPs will or won’t support women through this stage. With menopause ‘influencers’ and messaging from some specialists inconsistent with guidelines, sifting through the different options and safety profiles can
We walk a tightrope in medicine, balancing every day the unique and complex needs of individual patients with the standardised requirements of the rule-book that governs their care. There is danger in tipping too far in either direction. Ben Hoban makes us
Should we be talking and thinking about ‘fighting’ cancer? An answer may lie in distinguishing a ‘healthy’ fighting culture …
The concept of ‘choice’ and how people are exposed to risk factors for illness is not as simple as those crying, 'Nanny state!' would suggest.' Nada Khan gives food for thought...
As we gear up for winter, should we be identifying and trying to proactively manage patients to prevent unplanned hospital admissions? Nada Khan examines the NHS England guidance.
Putting aside the questions of who will do this additional work... and where the money to enable it will come from, there appears to be a potential role for AD plasma biomarkers in primary care...
The idea that we can learn from our mistakes until we eventually stop making them is beguiling and clearly contains some truth. It also obscures a larger truth, however...
The winning papers reporting research utilising a range of methods, highlight a range of clinical problems (insomnia and IBS) and highlight important system phenomena (patient safety and continuity), providing learning for the next generation of doctors, including GPs.
Tudor Hart’s warnings of what might happen in the health system from 2010 reach us in 2024 in the form of accurate predictions. Read this book if you’re interested in better clinical care, better health policy and a better society, even if
"... this platform of online case-based discussion allows doctors a safe space to develop and discuss cases seen by them in their clinical practice, thereby obtaining constructive feedback from experienced educators as well as peers."
What do I need to understand to commission and work with systems for healthcare that involve automation, machine Learning and artificial intelligence, in an ethical and trustworthy way? This briefing outlines some key principles for healthcare stakeholders.
Amongst the changes, you may have missed the decision to cease funding the newly qualified GP fellowship program.