BJGP Interviews

In this episode we speak to Professor Chris Butler who is a GP and professor of primary care at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Science at the University of Oxford. He is also Co-Chief Investigator for the PRINCIPLE trial and the PANORAMIC trial. Paper: Colchicine for COVID-19 in the community (PRINCIPLE): a randomised, controlled, adaptive platform trial https://doi.org/10.3399/BJG...

In this episode we speak to Dr Charlotte Archer who is senior research associate in primary care mental health at Bristol Medical School at the University of Bristol. Paper: Rise in prescribing for anxiety in UK primary care between 2003 and 2018: a population-based cohort study using Clinical Practice Research Datalink https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0561 Previous studies have found substantial...

In this episode we talk to Dr Laura Jefferson who is a Research Fellow at the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York. Paper: General practitioner wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review. https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0680 Many GPs have reported stress and burnout over recent years, which is potentially damaging not just to doctors themselves, but also to pa...

In this episode we interview Dr Austin O'Carroll who is a GP based in Dublin and founder of Safetynet Ireland and North Dublin City GP Training, and co-founder GPCareForAll. Paper: The Triple F**k Syndrome: How medicine contributes to the systemic oppression of people born into poverty Link to article: https://bjgplife.com/the-triple-fk-syndrome-how-medicine-contributes-to-the-systemic-oppression-...

In this episode we talk to Dr Simon Fraser who is an associate professor of public health at the School of Primary Care at the University of Southampton. Paper: Persistently normal blood tests in patients taking methotrexate for RA or azathioprine for IBD: a retrospective cohort study https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0595 Clinical guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellenc...

In this episode we talk to Professor Trisha Greenhalgh from the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford. Paper: Why do GPs rarely do video consultations? A qualitative study in UK general practice https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0658 The pandemic provided strong impetus to extend remote consultation services in general practice, but video remains infrequen...

In this episode we talk to Dr Christo Karuna who is a Senior Lecturer at Monash University, Australia. Paper: Prevalence of burnout among general practitioners: a systematic review & meta-analysis https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0441 GP burnout is widely recognised as a problem in health care. However, no study has been conducted on the global burden of this condition. The systematic review...

In this episode we talk to Mr Ashu Gandhi who is a consultant surgeon from Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester and an honorary senior lecturer at the Manchester Breast Centre at the University of Manchester. Paper: No association between breast pain and breast cancer: A prospective cohort study of 10,830 symptomatic women presenting to a breast cancer diagnostic clinic https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP....

In this episode we talk to Dr Hassan Awan who is a GP and Wellcome Doctoral Fellow at the School of Medicine, Keele University. Paper: Emotional distress, anxiety and depression in South Asians with long-term conditions: a qualitative systematic review https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0345 Mental health is reported to be poorer among people with long-term conditions (LTCs) and people of South Asi...

In this episode we talk to Dr Joāo Delgado who is a lecturer in Epidemiology and Public Health, College of Medicine and Health at the University of Exeter. Paper: Continuity of general practitioner care for patients with dementia: impact on prescribing and the health of patients https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0413 Evidence is limited about the potential positive effects of higher continuity of...

In this episode we talk to Professor Jeremy Horwood who is a professor of social sciences and applied health research at NIHR ARC West, and the Centre for Academic Primary Care, at the University of Bristol. Paper: Unintended consequences of online consultations: a qualitative study in UK primary care https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0426 Previous studies have shown that online consultations may...

In this episode we talk to Dr Gail Hayward who is a GP and Associate Professor of Primary Care at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford. Paper: Urine collection devices to reduce contamination in urine samples for diagnosis of uncomplicated UTI: a single-blind randomised controlled trial in primary care https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0359 This trial is th...

In this episode we talk to Dr Stephen Bradley who is a GP and clinical research fellow at the University of Leeds. Paper: Associations between general practice characteristics and chest X-ray rate: an observational study https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0232 Abnormal findings on chest X-rays that have been requested by GPs because of symptoms are an important route to lung cancer diagnosis. Previ...

In this episode we talk to Dr Christos Grigoroglou and Professor Kieran Walshe. Christos is a Research Fellow in Health Services Research, Manchester Centre for Health Economics and Kieran is a Professor of Health Policy and Management both at the University of Manchester. Paper: The scale and scope of locum doctor use in general practice in England: Analysis of routinely collected workforce data...

In this episode we speak to Dr Anita Lim who is a Senior Research Fellow, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences at King’s College London. Paper: Non-speculum sampling approaches for cervical screening in older women: randomised controlled trial https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0350 Inadequately screened women aged 50 and older are at a disproportionately higher risk of cervical cancer and...

In this episode we talk to Dr Iona Heath, a retired GP from Kentish Town and former President of the RCGP. She talked to us after writing an editorial for the BJGP. She discusses the current crisis in UK general practice and offers an approach that can tackle some of the deep-rooted problems we face.  The editorial: Rewilding general practice . Paper: https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp21X717689

In this episode we talk to Dr Jordan Moxey and Dr Carol Sinnott who are both at the Department of Public Health and Primary Care, The Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute in Cambridge. Jordan is a medical doctor and programme coordinator. Carol is a Senior Clinical Research Associate and GP. Paper: Identifying how GPs spend their time and the obstacles they face: a mixed-methods study https://...

PLAYER In this episode we speak to Dr Claire Friedemann Smith who is a senior researcher at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care, University of Oxford Paper: Building the case for the use of gut-feelings in cancer referrals: perspectives of patients referred to a non-specific symptoms pathway https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0275 Despite the reported diagnostic utility for cancer of GPs’ gut f...

In this episode we speak to Professor Helen Snooks who is Professor of Health Services Research in the Medical School at Swansea University in Wales. Paper: Implementing emergency admission risk prediction in general practice: a qualitative study https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0146 UK policy has incentivised use of risk prediction stratification in primary care to reduce emergency hospital admi...

In this episode we speak to Dr Lucy Martin who is a GP at Eve Hill Medical Practice in Dudley in the West Midlands. Paper: The professional resilience of mid-career GPs in the UK: a qualitative study https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0230 In this study, GPs identify ‘good’ mid-career resilience and protective factors such as social support, which concurs with existing research. The novel contribut...

In this episode we speak to Dr Patrick Highton who is a Research Associate at the Diabetes Research Centre at the University of Leicester and also part of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration East Midlands. Paper: Promoting physical activity through group self-management support for those with multimorbidity: a randomised controlled trial https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0172 People with multi...

In this episode we speak to Dr Alex Walker who is an epidemiologist at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford. Paper: Clinical coding of long COVID in English primary care: a federated analysis of 58 million patient records in situ using OpenSAFELY https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0301 Early case definitions and clinical guidelines have been published to des...

In this episode we talk to Dr Hogne Sandvik who is a senior researcher at the National Centre for Emergency Primary Health Care, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Bergen. Paper: Continuity in general practice as predictor of mortality, acute hospitalisation, and use of out-of-hours care: a registry-based observational study in Norway https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0340 Continuity of care with a...

In this episode we talk to Professor Brendan C Delaney who is a GP partner and Chair in Medical Informatics and Decision Making at Imperial College London. Paper: Recommendations for the recognition, diagnosis, and management of long Covid: A Delphi study https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2021.0265 There is an urgent need to devise clinical pathways and guidance for long Covid (thought to affect 10% of...

In this episode we speak to Dr Thomas Round who is a GP in East London and NIHR doctoral research fellow. Paper: Cancer detection via primary care urgent referral and association with practice characteristics: a retrospective cross-sectional study in England from 2009/2010 to 2018/2019 https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2020.1030 There is considerable variation in the use of urgent suspected cancer refe...