Last year we shared some party games. This year I'd like to share a concept for conversation. You could share it or leave it in the background of your psyche as the news and issues of the day mingle with the miscellanies
"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
These cautionary tales are steeped in cultural lore and parental wisdom. However, they may not always be based in truth. We have lightly explored the evidence, underscoring that while such traditions hold value, a dose of scepticism often helps separate fact from
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
Rebalancing Medicine can seem an impossible task. This book describes, often from personal experience, how the political fashions of the last decades first facilitated and then debilitated the essential workings of the NHS. Richard Lehman reviews.
There is no doubt that general practice now is very different in almost every way compared to 20 years ago. But has enough been done over this period to ensure its longevity as a profession? Sarah Rishi makes the case for a
NHS, please help me to bring the energy not to cry but sing, Courage where there is fear, Hope in the face of all the sugar, fags and beer. Giles Dawnay gets lyrical.
The idea was simple: a short walk in the park to clear our heads, engage in light-hearted conversation, and bond with colleagues. Over the years, this practice has not only endured but flourished...
Mike Thirlwall fears that patients and family doctors may be steadily drifting apart and something very precious may be lost for ever.
"This is the article where I pick out some seasonal reading that is modestly sized and modestly priced such that it might fit in the standard proverbial Christmas stocking ..."
Aldabra Stifiuc-Andronic and colleagues reflect on the health implications of the cosmetics industry and public awareness of cosmetic ingredients.
12 months ago Richard Armitage used NHS Digital primary care appointment data to reveal the increases in GP workload from 2017 to 2023. What's happened in the last year?
"For the first time for many years I felt that I had lost control. Suddenly my comfortable Western privilege wasn’t working. I felt stranded, helpless, a powerless fragment of a distressed and angry crowd."
The science of medicine is a triumph of the intellect and has done immeasurable good. But applied to the individual in distress, it shows all its immeasurable weakness. Not all of David Spiegelhalter’s magnificent new book deals directly with this, but where
For my attention is elsewhere... Occupied by a mere digital abstraction... The computer between us acting as a physical metaphor... A poem by Callum Leese
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
Integrated neighbourhoods are a collaborative effort of health and social care providers, as well as voluntary/non-statutory organisations, which aim to improve the health and wellbeing of residents and service users. Afsana Bhuiya, Seher Kayikci and Fahad Iqbal outline what we know about
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
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
One of the first questions my GP supervisor asked was “What did you notice on the way here?” ... Her question appeared simple at first but revealed, what I thought to be, the greatest skill in being a GP; the art of
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.
...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
“Language is so important – and this is a thread throughout the book. Philippa describes the relief of her son being given a diagnosis of schizophrenia – this highlights what we all understand – that a label or diagnosis can be so
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
We must accept that medical knowledge is progressing, and science is still discovering, and therefore our knowledge is incomplete at any given moment. So how are we best to understand the relationship between empirical medical science and what remains to be known,
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.
Somewhere along the line holistic medicine has been claimed as a special expertise in addition to what we, as mere GPs, do. Tim Senior asks whether and how we should be holistic!
I am immensely grateful that I was fortunate enough never to have made any major blunders with children’s care in my career. But I would have slept better had I read this book.
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...
Reverse mentoring benefits not only the student experience but also alleviates some of the pressures on GP tutors, who are held accountable for meeting both patient and systemic expectations.
Gabriella Day reflects on general practice in 2024. Advances in clinical medicine are of great benefit, but their value is diminished when implemented without heart.
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
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.
Again and again we learn — when trust fails, systems fail ...