HIV testing is now being routinely offered in increasingly diverse health settings, including primary care. In this podcast we talk to HIV consultant Mike Rayment, from Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, and Paul, a patient diagnosed with HIV infection 4 years ago. They discuss how to go about offering testing, and what matters to patients when they receive the diagnosis. Read the clinical review discussed: http://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g4275
Jul 11, 2014•30 min
Devi Sridhar, population health researcher and lecturer, joins us to discuss why an independent organisation to co-ordinate international health concerns is absolutely necessary. Read more in her analysis article, Global rules for global health: Why we need an independent, impartial WHO
Jun 20, 2014•15 min
Whichever country hoists aloft the World Cup trophy on 13 July, the real winner will be the alcohol industry. In this podcast Jonathan Gornall explains why FIFA promotes the interests of the alcohol industry, and the extraordinary demands countries comply with in order to host the World Cup. World Cup 2014: festival of football or alcohol? http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g3772
Jun 13, 2014•7 min
Drugs to encourage weight loss have a chequered past, with many of them having been withdrawn from the market due to increased morbidity and mortality. In this podcast Raj Padwal, associate professor of medicine at the University of Alberta, takes us through the remaining therapy Orlistat, and discusses the potential for two new therapies, Phentermine-ER topiramate, and Lorcaserin, which are being licensed in some countries Read the full article: http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g3526...
Jun 06, 2014•23 min
Two articles on bmj.com look at helicobacter pylori; a systematic review and meta-analysis examines if eradication treatment reduces rates of gastric cancer, and an uncertainties article asks who we should be testing and treating for the infection. Two of the authors of those articles, Alex Ford from the Leeds Gastroenterology Institute, and Paul Moayyedi from the Gastroenterology Division of McMaster University, join us to discuss the bacterium. Read the full articles www.bmj.com/content/348/bm...
May 27, 2014•22 min
New NICE guidance says that smokers should be encouraged to cut down on the number of cigarettes they smoke, as well as trying to quit. In a head to head, published on bmj.com, Paul Aveyard, professor of behavioural medicine at the University of Oxford, says that reducing smoking is a worthwhile step towards cessation, but Gerard Hastings, professor of social marketing at Stirling and Open Universities, argues that the lifelong nicotine replacement therapy being recommended in support may benefi...
May 23, 2014•17 min
UTIs are often diagnosed in secondary care, but often that diagnosis isn't accurate. In this podcast Gavin Barlow from the Department of infection and tropical medicine at Hull & East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust joins us to discuss when and how to test for the infection. Read the full clinical review Investigation of suspected urinary tract infection in older people http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g3861
May 22, 2014•11 min
The BMJ has been investigating the “cosy relationship” between the alcohol industry and the British government. In a series of articles Under the influence, journalist Jonathan Gornall has been looking into UK government’s consultation into introducing a minimum unit price for alcohol in England and Wales, and also at the wider responsibility deal between government and industry which is meant to champion public health. In his latest article, he looks at the billion unit pledge, and how it's act...
May 21, 2014•20 min
A new analysis article on bmj.com discusses the story of a surgical colon cancer trial, that was started 30 years ago and then abandoned, and the data lost. In this podcast Helen Macdonald talks to Tom Treasure from Imperial College London, who has unearthed the data and now published the research. Also joining the discussion is Peter Doshi, one of the instigators of the RIAT initiative set up to encourage this kind of work to correct the scientific record. Read the full article: http://www.bmj....
May 15, 2014•19 min
Digital technology introduces new concerns for confidentiality and information security. In this podcast Bradley Crotty and Arash Mostaghimi, both from Harvard Medical School, outline the regulations governing confidentiality and medical privacy and provide practical advice on how to safeguard patient information Read their article for more details: http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g2943
May 09, 2014•18 min
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and other international sports federations have recently introduced policies which require a medical investigation of women athletes known or suspected to have hyperandrogenism. Women who are found to have naturally high testosterone levels and tissue sensitivity are banned from competition unless they have surgical or pharmaceutical interventions to lower their testosterone levels. But a recent analysis published on bmj.com says that these tests and pro...
Apr 30, 2014•18 min
Michael Farrell, professor and director of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, talks to Mabel Chew, The BMJ's practice editor, about prescription of cannabinoids. They discuss the latest evidence on nausea and appetite, when cannabinoids may be effective for chronic pain, and which common problems to watch out for. Read the full article: http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g2737
Apr 25, 2014•19 min
Glycated Haemoglobin (HbA1c) is used to measure glucose control in patients with diabetes, but can now be used as an alternative test to glucose concentration for diagnosing type 2 diabetes or identifying people at high risk of developing the disease. in this podcast Eric Kilpatrick, from the Department of Clinical Biochemistry at Hull York Medical School, and Stephen Atkin, from Weill Cornell Medical College Qatar, describe when testing HbA1c may be appropriate for diagnosis, and what comorbidi...
Apr 24, 2014•15 min
First seizure covers a wide range of manifestations, but picking up the minor events can prevent a patient from experiencing a major event, so early diagnosis is key. Heather Angus-Leppan, consultant neurologist and epilepsy lead at the Royal Free Hospital in London, talks to Navjoyt Ladher about how to manage the first seizure in an adult. Read the full clinical review at: http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g2470
Apr 14, 2014•30 min
Tamiflu (oseltamivir) is a neuraminidase inhibitor, developed by Roche, for the treatment of seasonal and pandemic influenza. Yet for the first time a comprehensive review of the data, by independent researchers, has shown that the claims for Tamiflu’s effectiveness have been overestimated, and that harms have been underreported. Here is the audio of a recent press conference where researchers and the BMJ's editors describe the findings of that research, and the systematic regulatory failures th...
Apr 09, 2014•33 min
Mabel Chew talks to Tamara Pringsheim, from the University of Calgary, about the use of triptans for acute treatment of migraine. When, how, and what contraindications a physician should be aware of. Read the full article: http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g2285
Apr 07, 2014•18 min
The NHS has been collecting data on patients’ experience of care for over 10 years but few providers are systematically using the information to improve services. Angela Coulter joins us to discuss the new Friends and Family test, and why it will fail to change services until it asks the right questions. read the full paper: http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g2225
Mar 27, 2014•14 min
Meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) remains one of the foremost hospital acquired pathogens. Patients colonised or infected with MRSA provide a reservoir within hospitals, although infection prevention and control measures minimise the risk of transmission. Although there is broad agreement on the control measures required for patients colonised or infected with MRSA, there is considerable controversy over who, when and how to screen for the bacteria. John Coia, a consultant microb...
Mar 21, 2014•13 min
Read the full analysis of ParkinsonNet: http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g1838 Patients with Parkinson’s disease need long term support to manage their condition. In this podcast Bastiaan Bloem, medical director at the Parkinsons Institute in Nijmegen, and Marko van der Vegt, a Parkinsons patient, describe the benefits of ParkinsonNet; a model of integrated care provided by a network of specialists and suggest it has promise for other long term conditions
Mar 20, 2014•15 min
Subdural haematoma is more common in elderly patients, yet the condition is easy to miss in this group. John Young, a consultant geriatrician at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, describes what clinical signs to look out for, and what tests can confirm a diagnosis of subdural haematoma.
Mar 11, 2014•19 min
Each year at the Nuffield Trust Health Policy Summit, The BMJ hosts a breakfast roundtable. It has been one year since the Health and Social Care Bill for England was enacted, and the reconfiguration of the NHS continues, so this year we asked our panel to give the bill an end of year report. Taking part were: John Richards – Southampton Clinical Commissioning Group Nigel Edwards - CEO Nuffield Trust Jennifer Dixon - CEO Health Foundation Terence Stephenson - president Academy of Medical Royal C...
Mar 07, 2014•45 min
Read the open access research: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/doi/10.1136/bmj.g1458 Australia was one of the first countries to introduce HPV vaccination, and due to it's cervical cancer screening programme, is one of the first to be able to measure the effectiveness of the vaccine. In this podcast, 3 of the authors of a new paper on bmj.com discuss their findings and talk about implications for cervical cancer screening in Australia.
Mar 06, 2014•22 min
Most doctors are familiar with patients who describe chronic pain all over the body, which is associated with a range of other symptoms including poor sleep, fatigue, and depression. This complex of symptoms is sometimes referred to as fibromyalgia. Management of patients with this condition is often complex and challenging. The diagnosis of fibromyalgia has long been controversial, with some experts questioning whether it exists as a separate entity In this podcast Anisur Rahman, professor of r...
Feb 24, 2014•19 min
Complete implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) recommends policies in China that would prevent almost 13m smoking related deaths by 2050, suggests a paper published on bmj.com. China is home to about one third of the world’s smokers and reducing smoking in China could have an enormous public health impact, even on a global scale. To discuss their research, we are joined by three of the paper's authors, David Levy from Georgetown Univer...
Feb 17, 2014•20 min
Controversy rages over the relative benefits or harms of screening for breast cancer, with evidence suggesting that in younger women at least it does more harm than good. Now a new paper on bmj.com reports the results of 25 years of follow up of women who have taken part in a breast cancer screening trial in Canada, and suggests that annual screening does not cut breast cancer deaths. Anthony Miller, Professor Emeritus at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, lead author...
Feb 07, 2014•17 min
Read the full article online: http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g401 When you prescribe a drug, do you ever stop to wonder if it's suitable for vegetarians? Kinesh Patel and Kate Tatham from Imperial College London have found that 74 of the 100 drugs most commonly prescribed by GPs in the UK contain ingredients which may have been derived from animals.
Feb 05, 2014•12 min
Read the full article: http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g129 Erectile dysfunction is a common problem, and novel treatments mean that patient’s options have widened. In this podcast Asif Muneer, consultant urological surgeon and andrologist at University College Hospital in London, explains the aetiology, treatment, and prognosis for the condition.
Jan 27, 2014•17 min
Two articles on bmj.com look at high risk devices for rare conditions, and how the US Food and Drug Administration regulates them. Joining us to discuss the problems are Rita Redberg, professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco, and Aaron Kesselheim, assistant professor of medicine at the Harvard School of Public health. Read the articles Presumed safe no more: lessons from the Wingspan saga on regulation of devices http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g93 Assessment of US ...
Jan 24, 2014•14 min
Read the article: http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.f7003 The 2013 World Health Organization guidelines continue to recommend rapid fluid resuscitation for children with shock, despite evidence from the FEAST trial that this can increase mortality. Katheryn Maitland, professor of tropical paediatric infectious disease at Imperial College London, who led the FEAST trial, joins us to discuss it.
Jan 17, 2014•15 min
Read the head to head: http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g171 The BMJ no longer publishes research funded by tobacco companies. Richard Smith says that research funded by drug companies is also flawed and published to encourage sales, but Trish Groves says that the industries are fundamentally different and that moves are afoot to increase integrity Join the authors live on Twitter to debate the issue on 21 January, 1200-1230 GMT at #pharmaban.
Jan 15, 2014•16 min
