Many doctors may believe that acute rheumatic fever is a disease of the past, but it's estimated that, worldwide, there are 500,000 new annual cases, and that 15 million have chronic rheumatic heart disease. Rachel Helena Webb, paediatric infectious diseases specialist at the Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland, joins us to discuss diagnosis and management of this condition. Read the full clinical review: http://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h3443
Jul 14, 2015•13 min
Read the full analysis: http://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h3021 The prevalence and mortality of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is increasing globally. However, Martin Miller, honorary professor of medicine at the University of Birmingham, and Mark Levy, GP with a special interest in respiratory medicine, argue that the GOLD (Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease) criteria used for diagnosis may be leading to misdiagnosis.
Jul 13, 2015•19 min
The National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) has been examining the treatment of acute GI bleeds in England's NHS. Two of the authors, Martin Sinclair, consultant surgeon, and Simon McPherson, consultant vascular radiologist, join us to talk about their findings. Read the full report: http://www.ncepod.org.uk/gih.htm Read The BMJ news story: http://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h3488
Jul 03, 2015•9 min
Bias and peer review are of universal importance to all those that produce scholarly work. Fiona Godlee and Rob Tarr, editors in chief of The BMJ and JNIS respectively, share their insights and experience on these highly topical issues with Joshua Hirsch. Read the related paper: http://jnis.bmj.com/content/early/2015/04/17/neurintsurg-2015-011781.full
Jun 30, 2015•31 min
By 2050 an estimated 135 million people worldwide will have dementia. Of all chronic diseases, dementia is one of the most important contributors to dependence and disability. In this part of a 2-part podcast, Sue, who cared for her mother who had dementia, and Louise Robinson, GP and professor of primary care at Newcastle University, join us to discuss what GPs can do to support carers. Listen to part 1 of the podcast: https://soundcloud.com/bmjpodcasts/diagnosis-and-management-of-dementia Read...
Jun 23, 2015•10 min
Cervical screening programmes in many countries stop at around the age of 65 and much of the focus is often on younger women. However, comparatively little attention has been given to older women despite the fact that they account for about a fifth of cases each year and half of deaths. In this podcast Susan Sherman, a senior lecturer in psychology at Keele University, and Esther Moss, consultant gynaecological oncologist at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, argue that the upper age l...
Jun 23, 2015•15 min
By 2050 an estimated 135 million people worldwide will have dementia. However, increasing evidence showing that dementia may be preventable. In this part of a 2-part podcast, Sue, who cared for her mother who had dementia, and Louise Robinson, GP and professor of primary care at Newcastle University, join us to discuss how to diagnose and manage the condition. Listen to part 2 of the podcast: https://soundcloud.com/bmjpodcasts/how-gps-can-help-dementia-carers Read the full clinical review: http:...
Jun 23, 2015•16 min
Martin McShane, medical director of long term conditions at NHS England, questions the validity of the Quality and Outcomes Framework and suggests how it should change in the future. Read the related article: http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2540
Jun 15, 2015•13 min
Caesarean delivery can improve maternal and child health, and even save lives. But recent research points to latent risks for chronic disease: children delivered by caesarean have a higher incidence of type diabetes, obesity, and asthma. Jan Blustein, from New York University, joins us to discuss why she and colleage Jainmeng Liu believe this evidence should be examined and taken into account when considering elective caesarean. Read their full analysis: http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2410...
Jun 12, 2015•17 min
Information on the effectiveness and safety of healthcare should be valid, precise, up to date, clear, and freely available. Currently none of these criteria are fully satisfied, and Cochrane systematic reviews are not the solution. Ian Roberts, co-director of the clinical trials unit at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, joins us to describe what the Cochrane Injuries Group is doing to address some of these problems. Read the full analysis article: http://www.bmj.com/content/35...
Jun 11, 2015•12 min
In Glaziers and Window Breakers: the Role of the Secretary of State for Health in Their Own Words, published by the Health Foundation, Nicholas Timmins and Edward Davies find out what 10 of our recent health secretaries think the job is about. Read the feature on The BMJ http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2954
Jun 03, 2015•16 min
The BMJ website is 20 years old this week - the first general medical journal online. Launch editor Tony Delamothe discusses with fellow digital pioneers Richard Smith and John Sack how the internet transformed doctors’ reading habits and the journal’s international reach. David Payne reports www.bmj.com/twenty
May 22, 2015•20 min
The movement to make data from clinical trials widely accessible has achieved enormous success, and it is now time for medical journals to play their part. From 1 July The BMJ will extend its requirements for data sharing to apply to all submitted clinical trials, not just those that test drugs or devices. The BMJ's Elizabeth Loder explains what this means for authors, and how we expect researchers to make their data available. Read the full editorial: http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2373...
May 22, 2015•12 min
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, presents with persistent symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity causing impairment in multiple settings. It is a disorder that attracts considerable debate and controversy. The this part of this podcast, focused on the diagnosis of ADHD, two of the authors of the review, Mina Fazel, consultant psychiatrist at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, and Nienke Verkuijl, specialty trainee at the University of Oxford and Rachel, a p...
May 21, 2015•12 min
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, presents with persistent symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity causing impairment in multiple settings. It is a disorder that attracts considerable debate and controversy. The this part of this podcast, focused on the treatment of ADHD, two of the authors of the review, Mina Fazel, consultant psychiatrist at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, and Nienke Verkuijl, specialty trainee at the University of Oxford and Rachel, a p...
May 21, 2015•24 min
Speech and language therapists Cristina McKean and Angela Morgan join us to discuss their clinical review "Identifying and managing common childhood language and speech impairments", published on thebmj.com. They talk about the prevalence, the steps to take if parents believes their child has a speech problem, and the importance of knowing which resources are locally available to support children. Read the full review: http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2318
May 15, 2015•17 min
Paul Lennon, a specialist registrar at University Hospital Limerick, and Michael Crotty, general practitioner from the Synergy Medical Clinic in Canada, join Emma Parish to answer some frequently asked questions about infectious mononucleosis. Read their full clinical review: http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h1825
Apr 29, 2015•21 min
The future of health and social care looks certain to be a defining issue in the forthcoming UK general election. Social care has been subject to deep public spending cuts, raising concerns about the sustainability of services in the future. Whoever wins the next election will need to grapple with providing joined up health and social care services in an era of continued austerity. A recent debate (heathdebate.net) with key spokespeople from across the political spectrum took place this week, an...
Apr 23, 2015•45 min
Nicki Ward-Abel, a lecturer practitioner in MS at Birmingham City University, joins us to explain how to treat patients who are experiencing a relapse of their MS symptoms. She discusses what constitutes a relapse, which treatments are available, and what effect a relapse can have on a patient. Read more at: http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h1765
Apr 16, 2015•20 min
Some apps have the potential to encourage healthier habits and are accessible to most people, argues Iltifat Husain, but Des Spence notes the lack of any evidence of effectiveness and the potential for encouraging unnecessary anxiety. Read more about in our head to head "Can healthy people benefit from health apps?" - http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h1887
Apr 15, 2015•18 min
Doctors are witnessing increasing numbers of patients seeking referrals to food banks in the United Kingdom. Rachel Loopstra, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Oxford and colleagues have been asking if that rise is due to supply or demand? Read their full analysis: http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h1775
Apr 09, 2015•14 min
Peter Lepping, consultant psychiatrist and honorary professor at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in North Wales, joins us to discuss his experience dealing with patients who have delusional infestations. He talks about how to broach the diagnosis, and gives practical tips on how to investigate this difficult condition. Read his practice pointer: http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h1328
Apr 02, 2015•25 min
Flaws in the Department of Health’s interim evaluation of an alcohol industry pledge to remove one billion alcohol units from the market raise questions about the claimed success argue John Holmes, Colin Angus and Petra Meier from the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group at the University of Sheffileld. They say that the report should be withdrawn and revised targets set Read the full analysis: http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h1301
Mar 26, 2015•21 min
Sudden cardiac death in athletes aged less than 35 years is the leading cause of medical death in this subgroup, with an estimated incidence of 1 in 50 000 to 1 in 80 000 athletes per year. it is most commonly caused by an underlying genetic heart disorder, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. In this podcast Christopher Semsarian, professor of medicine at the University of Sydney, joins us to discuss the diagnosis of cardiac changes and prevention of death in this population. Read the full clin...
Mar 20, 2015•17 min
A BMJ Clinical Evidence systematic overview looks at the evidence for medical and surgical treatments of trigeminal neuralgia, and the uncertainties that exist due to gaps in the evidence. This has been summarised in The BMJ. The authors of the overview and bmj.comsummary, Prof. Joanna Zakrzewska from the Facial Pain Unit at the Eastman Dental Hospital, London, and Mark Linskey, Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of California Irvine, discuss the evidence, the issues around it, ...
Mar 18, 2015•27 min
In the US the licence, or marketing authorisation, for alteplase is limited to 0-3 hours after onset of stroke, but some other countries - including the UK and Australia - have extended the licence to 4.5 hours. In an analysis article on thebmj.com Brian Alper, vice president of evidence based medicine research and development at Dynamed, and colleagues, interpret the evidence to suggest increased mortality with uncertain benefit for its use beyond three hours. Read their full analysis: http://w...
Mar 18, 2015•16 min
Chris Moulton is VP of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and an A&E consultant in the Royal Bolton Hospital. He believes that the majority of patients who attend A&E cannot be adequately treated elsewhere, and that measures to try and reduce emergency presentations may be counterproductive. If you would like to contribute to this collection, please email a brief audio recording to voices@bmj.com or phone +44 (20) 3058 7427 and tell us what your main concern for the NHS is. Please i...
Mar 11, 2015•2 min
BMJ Voices is a collection of readers’ experiences of working in the NHS. For this, The BMJ is seeking short audio submissions from UK listeners. These submissions will be published on thebmj.com. Patrick Keating, a GP from Enfield, is concerned that small practices are under pressure to increase list size, but aren't able to muster resources to meet this increased demand. If you would like to contribute to this collection, please email a brief audio recording to voices@bmj.com or phone +44 (20)...
Mar 11, 2015•1 min
Obioma Ezekobe is a GP in an urgent care centre in Central Middlesex Hospital. She believes that the public need to be educated about the use of NHS resources, and be taught when it is appropriate to seek care. If you would like to contribute to this collection, please email a brief audio recording to voices@bmj.com or phone +44 (20) 3058 7427 and tell us what your main concern for the NHS is. Please include your name, job title, and place of work.
Mar 11, 2015•2 min
Katherine Henderson is the clinical lead of the emergency department at St Thomas's hospital in London. She worries that lack of ward space is having a domino effect throughout A and E and is the cause of increased waiting time for both patients and ambulances. If you would like to contribute to this collection, please email a brief audio recording to voices@bmj.com or phone +44 (20) 3058 7427 and tell us what your main concern for the NHS is. Please include your name, job title, and place of wo...
Mar 11, 2015•3 min
