Two new things first, an article on the Welfare Reform Bill and Atos in the BMJ – should we really entrust Atos to reassess all people currently recieving Disability Living Allowance? I don’t think so, and here’s why. And a column for Inside Health about medical records and why they come with many perils. The […]
Continue Reading →My favourite bike shop
Common Wheel, in Maryhill. Article in the Guardian here.
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 →new things
Inside Health – on bad-for-you high street test kits for gluten intolerance and BMJ article – do you need your telomeres tested – nah.
Continue Reading →Weekend death rates; confusion and hype
The Today programme have said that there is ” fresh evidence that people who are admitted to hospitals in England at weekends face a significantly increased risk of death.” 4 days ago, the Telegraph reported that Andrew Lansley had decided to fund hospitals to work 24/7 with no weekend change to staffing, and the report cites […]
Continue Reading →Inside Health Radio 4 – references/useful links
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1675692 History of benzodiazepine dependence http://www.benzo.org.uk/amisc/lader.pdf Tramadol dependence http://www.jfponline.com/Pages.asp?AID=1849 Bendodiazapine addiction and effevicness http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfoforall/treatments/benzodiazepines.aspx NICE and anxiety and benzodiazepines http://www.nice.org.uk/usingguidance/optimalpracticereviewrecommendationreminders/optimal_practice_review_recommendation_reminders_detail.jsp?o=92 NICE and insomnia http://www.nice.org.uk/niceMedia/pdf/21pressreleaseinsomnia.pdf All party group on involuntary tranquiliser addiction http://www.appgita.com/index.php/objectives/ Appropriate prescribing http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11767867 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11044870 Off label prescribing by experts http://pb.rcpsych.org/content/35/3/84.abstract Benzodiazepine […]
Continue Reading →BMJ – Pensions – all the rage
Free link here
Continue Reading →References for R4
Radio 4, the evidence for cough mixtures and placebo effects. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b019rqcq#synopsis UKspends 532 million annually on winter cold remedies http://oxygen.mintel.com/sinatra/oxygen/display/id=479764 Cochrane review of OTC cough medicines http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18253996 Deaths in children using OTC cough remedies http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17218934 MHRA safety advice 2010 http://www.mhra.gov.uk/Safetyinformation/Safetywarningsalertsandrecalls/Safetywarningsandmessagesformedicines/CON038908 MHRA advice to use honey in children with cough http://www.mhra.gov.uk/home/groups/comms-po/documents/websiteresources/con038905.pdf Journal of the Royal Society […]
Continue Reading →How much of a social media can doctors have?
Free link to BMJ article here
Continue Reading →It ain’t over till it’s over
I’m feeling rather inspired by Clive Peedall and his plea that the Royal Colleges should come together in opposition of the Health Bill. There is good reason to think that the Colleges are now in discussion as to what to do. There is also good reason to think that this can be influenced. The BMA, the […]
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