The FAST campaign wants you to call 999 if you can answer, about someone you’re with, “yes” to the question “Has their Face fallen on one side?”, “no” to “Can they raise both Arms and keep them there?”, or “yes” to “Is their Speech slurred?” The idea is to get people with strokes to hospital as quickly […]
Continue Reading →The dangers of databases
The Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust is today launching a report, “Database State”, which examines the rationale, security and consequences of 46 public sector databases. It is co-authored by Ross Anderson, professor of security engineering at Cambridge University, who is an outspoken critic of government databases. The results are startling. Two databases, the NHS Detailed Care […]
Continue Reading →In praise of wild swimming
Indoor swimming pools have many attractions. Heated and disinfected water, private changing space, and even the occasional Jacuzzi on the side. So why would anyone want to swim outdoors? Britain’s seas and rivers are often shockingly cold, and they are also inhabited by all […]
Continue Reading →Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust: a failure of policy
The investigation into the Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust makes for harrowing reading. The mortality rate at the hospital was found to be high in patients admitted as an emergency. The first data that showed an increase in the standardised mortality ratio was in 2005. The Healthcare Commission investigation was done during last year, 2008, and is reporting […]
Continue Reading →Rate my doctor
The concept of doctor-rating websites seems to be gathering political momentum; in fact, it’s already a reality. The NHS is being offered this data, apparently to ensure that “patient choice” is offered and “patient experience” is good. I think it’s an unproven and potentially hazardous waste of money. There’s a piece that I wrote for the BMJ here; […]
Continue Reading →Shift work, cancer, and compensation
Denmark is reported to be paying 40 women compensation after developing breast cancer. The women are being compensated because they were shift workers. It seems that women with a family history of breast cancer are not going to be compensated. Is this going to be a precedent? How certain can we be that shift work is […]
Continue Reading →Weight of evidence
The weight-loss industry never seems to slim down. Now it is no longer just liposuction that surgery offers. Bariatic surgery, which deals with the treatment of obesity, is another option, but isn’t a quick fix. Like any operation, it has its risks – and people carrying extra weight often face problems with anaesthesia. The National […]
Continue Reading →Screening for ovarian cancer: the pros and cons
There has been much press coverage of The Lancet Oncology’s paper this week on screening for ovarian cancer. Screening – looking for disease before a person has symptoms that suggest the disease – is often harder than it seems, thanks to the myriad problems it can create. That’s not to say that screening shouldn’t be […]
Continue Reading →Interview: Prof David Colquhoun
Professor David Colquhoun is a professor of molecular pharmacology at University College London. Since starting his blog – now at http://dcscience.net/ – several years ago, to protest between the merger of Imperial College and UCL, he has gone on to blog about the perils of alternative medicine, the importance of science, and education. Aged 72, […]
Continue Reading →Facts: the facts
I was talking to a composer a few weeks ago. “This stuff doesn’t really exist except when it’s played,” he said, pointing to his score with heavy despair. “Whereas you’ve got a job where you can actually see that you are doing something good.” He couldn’t understand that my protests to the contrary were genuine: […]
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