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Opinion - Page 21

Every gap is an educational gap

"Recently I saw Ted and Rachel. They were living temporarily in a share house as they had recently been made homeless. Ted is a happy man despite his current circumstances, but has diabetes that is not well controlled. He takes his medication,
9 January 2026
2 mins read

A gardener’s world meets general practice

"There is something immensely grounding about working with the earth and weathering the seasons. Gardening is immersive. It slows you down and can be a humbling experience." Charlotte Sidebotham takes us back to the soil.
14 July 2021
3 mins read

Time to accept responsibility

We are given reassurances that the MRCGP exams are fair and unbiased. But Laura Emery, an Academic Clinical Fellow at the University of Sheffield, challenges us to ask whether this is correct.
5 July 2021
3 mins read
1

The enigma of empathy

During training, we learnt that a doctor either ‘has’ or ‘lacks’ empathy. But we ALL have empathy in various forms. Rabia Aftab shows us how we can learn to have empathetic consultations.
22 June 2021
3 mins read

COVID and conflict

The recent conflict has led to the Palestinian Ministry of Health offices being bombed and the main Palestinain COVID-19 laboratory being targeted also. Our medical colleagues are overwhelmed and struggling for resources. Abdullah Albeyatti gives us a glimpse as to the conditions
21 June 2021
2 mins read

Pressure building…..

The pressure is building up in General Practice and Primary Care. Will things get better? Will things get even worse? Will General Practice have a future as the greatest of all the medical professions? David Mummery gives us his take on problems
18 June 2021
4 mins read

Facing face-to-face

The role of a GP is not merely clinical management, but committing to a person-centred approach. Might the Covid-19 pandemic have caused us to lose some of that ‘real’ touch with our patients? Rabia Aftab enters the face to face consultation debate.
8 June 2021
3 mins read
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Creating the ‘New different’

The pre-pandemic ‘old normal’ had been broken for a long time. Rather than seeking to develop a ‘new normal’ we should perhaps focus on creating a ‘new different’. 'How?', I hear you ask! Well ...
25 May 2021
4 mins read

New Forms: Identifying GPness through Plato

What is it to be a GP? Many are keen to tell us what extra tasks we should be doing. Sati Heer-Stavert suggests we go back to Plato's theory of forms to reflect on what GPness actually means.
20 May 2021
3 mins read

Rethinking trust: the role of the WISE GP

The upheavals of the last year have meant that trust needs to be managed differently. Joanne Reeve examines the role of both 'scientia' and 'caritas' in the doctor / patient relationship.
18 May 2021
3 mins read

Whose time is it anyway?

We become accustomed as GPs to time being broken up into 10-minute blocks. Time, what was once fluid, is now a regimented 'slot', but to the patient the consultation extends beyond its walls. Exploring the perception of time from both the clinician
11 May 2021
3 mins read
1

Developing trust: More than communication skills

Trust is an essential part of the doctor–patient relationship, but how is it formed, nurtured, and perhaps most importantly, broken? Dr Sheena Sharma writes openly on her own experience of trust, both as a GP and a patient, and at an individual
4 May 2021
3 mins read

Are Social Media Companies the New Big Tobacco?

Anxious and depressed people become preoccupied with their stressors. And if you are worried about covid then social media has become a great place to get more worried. Daniel James is getting concerned about the harm that may be caused by social
3 May 2021
5 mins read

Towards an Interpretive Patient-Centred Practice

Wither GP after Covid? For Peter Toon, if healthcare is to flourish as an activity which promotes human flourishing and produces internal goods such as knowledge, skill, joy and love, not subject to a “zero-sum” rule, then an interpretive function must be central.
30 April 2021
9 mins read

New NICE Guideline – Antidepressants and chronic pain: chicken or egg?

New NICE guidelines suggest that patients with chronic primary pain should be withdrawn from ‘addictive’ analgesic and benzodiazepine medicines – and that ‘non-addictive’ antidepressants should be the only pharmacological option ‘recommended’. For Marion Brown this scenario is fraught with problems - might it
29 April 2021
4 mins read
2

Medicine in the time of Coronavirus

We have all had to endure social distancing for nearly a year now. Peter Aird urges us over the coming months to look to leave social distancing behind – in all its forms. Let’s look to sit down with, and care for,
14 April 2021
10 mins read
1

Special series: General Practice after Covid-19

BJGP Life put out a call for articles on the theme of “General Practice after Covid-19“. During the rest of April we will be publishing the best of them. These articles advocate many different paths, some mutually contradictory, so do read them
12 April 2021
1 min read
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