I’ve just had a complaint responded to. The company concerned will now apparently withdraw their non evidenced based claim that their product “helps detect cancer early”. This claim has been made for some time, it’s nonsense, and it’s right that it goes. But: the letter from the ASA says that since the company will voluntarily amend their […]
Continue Reading →Why I’m not a businessman
In reply to Dirk Vinegar on the Guardian, who says “It is often forgotten that GPs are not salaried NHS clones, but independent business people, most of whom happen to be contracted to the NHS for the main source of their income.” This is important to get right, because the Health Bill will make it […]
Continue Reading →Read your medical records
Essentially, having access to your own medical records is a good thing. The government have made it clear that this is now a priority and intend to work to make online access for patients so that patients can freely access their own notes. However: I think as it stands it’s unlikely to be very helpful. […]
Continue Reading →What’s a conflict of interest when it comes to breast screening?
The medical press is carrying a lot about the latest international arguments about breast screening. The BMJ carried an excellent editorial ‘Mammography wars” highlighting the recent Canadian taskforce on the subject. This called for a halt to routine breast examination, and a starting age of 50 before starting screening mammography, which they recommended to be […]
Continue Reading →Dr Foster, association and causation
The headlines today have been driven by publication of the ‘Dr Foster’ (“the UK’s leading provider of comparative information on health and social care services”) annual hospital guide. The Guardian have reported it as have the Telegraph, who headline “Experts warn hospitals not to cut staff over weekend death risk.” They have presented their data as […]
Continue Reading →False hope and real living
The Quackometer has had some rather unpleasant emails following his criticism of the Burzynski clinic. The issue is that some people wanted to kindly raise money for a child with cancer to be treated there, when the evidence for the proffered interventions is questionable. Other people have examined the science very well. There is something […]
Continue Reading →Nuffield Health : adverts and evidence
This is an advert from this week’s BMJ. I am positively fuming about it. Nuffield Health are responsible for some non evidence based practices via their ‘health assessments‘. These currently consist of annual mammograms for women over 40, annual cervical smears, pelvic (ie vaginal) examination, urine analysis, ‘hydration levels’ and a chest xray ‘if […]
Continue Reading →Show us the evidence for the flu jab
Article in Pulse magazine about flu vaccination in healthcare professionals. Concluding; there is not good enough evidence, and we should be invited to join a trial, not told we are ‘selfish’ for not having it. (Free registration required)
Continue Reading →Are GPs failing new mothers with postnatal depression?
According to the Guardian, on the 1st October, we GPs are. I quote Ann Longfield, chief executive of 4Children, on a survey done of new mothers, which supposedly show most are offered antidepressants, not counselling : “Longfield said that the results of the report were shocking and showed that postnatal depression was not being taken seriously: “It […]
Continue Reading →Client or patient?
I want to be a patient, and to treat patients. Following on from twitter discussion, here’s something I prepared earlier.
Continue Reading →