Every year, thousands of clinicians and healthcare students undergo formal disciplinary hearings. Each case involves allegations of wrongdoing, from academic misconduct (e.g., cheating in exams or lying on an application form) to causing harm to patients. Many defendants are advised, usually by their lawyer, to complete some sort of ethics course to deepen their knowledge […]
Following a vote of nearly 7,000 doctors, the Royal College of Physicians has dropped its opposition to assisted dying and adopted a neutral stance. Interestingly, those who voted for a neutral stance were a minority, only 25% of respondents. The rest were split between opposing a change in the law (43%) and supporting a change […]
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Professor Chris Exley is alarmed by a recent study which suggests that patients needing transfusions may be exposed to high levels of aluminium and says regulators need to act now. Some fluid warming systems could be heavily contaminated with aluminium, according to research published in the journal Anaesthesia. Researchers have highlighted a significant and dangerous issue […]
The Chancellor had several key questions to answer at this Budget, so that patients could understand how he would be ensuring the health and care system has the resources it needs. Instead, he has produced a Budget that tells patients nothing. We already knew that he had committed to five more years of below-trend growth […]
If someone is already injecting illegal drugs, going to prison substantially increases the risk that they will acquire HIV or the hepatitis C virus (HCV), according to a new study. New research led by the University of Bristol has found among people who inject drugs, that recent incarceration was associated with an 81 per cent […]
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“Indescribable is the memoir of the sexual abuse I suffered by my stepfather from the age of eight, lasting until I was fourteen. The abuse of women and children isn’t limited to any section of society, but affects us all, regardless of our backgrounds,” explains the actress and campaigner Candice Derman at the launch of […]
Why should non clinicians read it? Because they or someone they know may find themselves in a situation described in the book, or may need to think clearly about what’s ethically best. In 2016, nearly half of all deaths in England took place in hospital, so we have a very good chance of spending our […]
Migraine Awareness Week, beginning on the first Sunday in September, aims to raise awareness of the condition, highlight its impact and our vital work to support the millions of people affected. Migraine is the third most common disease in the world, with an estimated global prevalence of one in seven people. Despite being recognised as […]
A leading medical ethicist lists his top 5 ethical issues in medicine today and in the near future. 1. Medical errors No one knows exactly how many people are killed each year by medical errors, but it is in the hundreds of thousands in the United States and tens of thousands in the United Kingdom. […]
It is deeply shocking to read the conclusions of Bishop James Jones’s review, that the lives of hundreds of people were cut short by one doctor’s inappropriate use of drugs. We have heard of many instances of poor care over the years, but to deliberately shorten the lives of patients represents the very worst betrayal […]