Drugs have quite rightly be subject to a lot of angst from cost-effectiveness viewpoints. The NHS is skint. Generics are cheaper than branded: some branded drugs are not well evidence based, as are some generics, and some doctors are not very good at prescribing cost effectively. I confess to being far more aware of the […]

This column likes evidence-based medicine. It is impossible to defend anything else: to pretend there is no need for evidence – or to ignore it – means ignoring the duty to ensure patients get the best possible care. It would be nice to think that medical research has now got its act together, after many […]

Many people will be aware of the high profile examples of research misconduct which have occured over the past few years – for example, the Korean cloning research which was found to be fake. But what about the research we don’t know is fake or doctored? A systematic review and meta-analysis of survey data has […]

There’s lots of it about, it seems: 160 cases in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and all but 8 acquired it locally. And most are only mildly unwell. Our locally issued guidelines have changed subtly too: testing was, until recently, limited to those who had particular risk factors for H1N1 (symptoms starting within seven days of […]

As of today, I will be making my FT blog posts to the FT Health blog at http://blogs.ft.com/healthblog/ where readers can read about and comment on the science, policy, management, technology, business and delivery of healthcare. I will also be posting entries to my personal blog, which is currently under construction (rumours that my webmaster […]

“It is a scar on society that some lives are still deemed more important than others, especially when viewed through a lens distorted by politics, economics, religion, and  history. The percieved worth of a country – including its economic, trading and political value – and the degree of media coverage should not determine the value […]

Sorry to have been away from the blog for so long recently. Holiday diversions: If you are struggling to entertain children in the long, long, Christmas holidays, I recommend the Naked Scientists Kitchen Experiments . I met one such Naked Scientist (fully clothed) at an event at National Pathology Week earlier in the year. Also, […]

Free on the 6th November? You might be interested in this event on health testing. I do think there is a need for a public debate about the amount of medical testing kits or check-ups available over the counter, and outwith the NHS; their variable use, indications, drawbacks, regulation and – my main discontent – lack of fair information […]

High blood pressure is one of the most common diagnoses in primary care. Doctors are encouraged to treat it in order to reduce the risk of cardiovascular complications, such as heart attacks and strokes. There is, however, no fixed threshold for “high” blood pressure. It is a sliding scale, and when high becomes “too high” […]