Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer, has published his report today on the ‘principles and next steps’ of medical revalidation. The bottom line seems to be that doctors will have to undergo relicensing every five years. We have annual appraisals already, but appraisals are meant to be supportive and reflective. The new system will have end […]
Continue Reading →Channel 4 and the ‘cervical cancer vaccine’
I am always dubious about being interviewed (I prefer asking the questions.) I worry about how able I am to say what I mean to say, and often realise there was a better way of saying what I was trying to – but half an hour after I’ve left the building. A piece I wrote last year about the ‘cervical cancer vaccine’ […]
Continue Reading →Rate my doctor
Restaurants have toptable, teachers have ratemyteachers, and doctors are now to have views on them placed on the web at iwantgreatcare.org. This website has been designed to allow patients to rate their doctors for trust, listening and whether they would recommend them or not. When I first heard about it, I reckoned it was a silly idea likely […]
Continue Reading →Breast self examination – more harm than help
It seems so sensible to try and find breast cancers early. Yet the truth in medicine is often counterintuitive, and this is one such example. The headlines today are about breast self examination – regular exams done by women themselves looking for lumps – being ineffective to reduce deaths from breast cancer.
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