Medicine and Science from The BMJ

Sex workers are unique population with specific health needs, caring for them can present non-specialists with a challenge, and there are important health promotion opportunities which should no be missed. Michael Rekart, clinical professor of infectious disease at the University of British Columbia, joins us to discuss his clinical review on caring for sex workers. Read the full article: http://w...

Elder abuse is often the result of the organisation of health systems rather than the fault of individuals, argue Jolanda Lindenberg and Rudi Westendorp, two authors of a recent analysis paper. They call for system abuse to be acknowledged and addressed by incorporating older people’s views when designing health services. Read the full analysis: http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2697

For decades research has shown that discrimination, harassment, and exclusion are pervasive experiences for staff from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds in the National Health Service. In this podcast, the authors of a recent analysis article in The BMJ talk about the evidence for discrimination, what the NHS has done and is doing, and what has worked to promote equality in the wider wor...

A recent review by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council concluded that “there are no health conditions for which there is reliable evidence that homeopathy is effective”, but Europe currently spends €1bn annually on such remedies - often at the recommendation of doctors. So a recent head to head debate in The BMJ asks, should doctors recommend homeopathy? Peter Fisher, direc...

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 cli...

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 u...

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/...

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

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...

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...

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: http...

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

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...

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 do...

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

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

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 researcher...

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 Hos...

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 Hos...

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....

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

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...

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

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

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