Medical profession

Junior doctors reject negotiated contract proposals

Junior doctors in England have rejected the government’s latest contract proposals following the results of a referendum announced on 5 July 2016.…

Doctors who accept industry lunches prescribe more promoted drugs

Doctors who accept free meals from the pharmaceutical industry have higher prescribing rates for the branded drugs the manufacturers promote, according to research published in JAMA Internal Medicine.…

How polypharmacy has become a medical burden worldwide

More patients than ever are taking a multitude of medicines and supplements, but this can cause more harm than good.…

What should the RPS do to ensure the professional autonomy of its members isn’t adversely affected by the working conditions imposed by employers?

Candidates explain what they think the Royal Pharmaceutical Society should do to ensure the professional autonomy of its members isn’t adversely affected by the working conditions imposed by employers.…

MHRA investigates problems with cardiovascular risk calculator used in GP practices

An urgent investigation has been launched by the UK medicines safety regulator to discover how many patients have been given the wrong information about their risk of cardiovascular disease following a computer error with an assessment tool.…

All you need to know about GP practice pharmacists

The first pharmacists are about to start work under a new pharmacists in GP practices scheme. What do existing practice pharmacists do and how will the new roles differ?…

Feedback interventions fail to reduce prescribing errors among junior doctors

A set of interventions designed to reduce prescribing error rates among junior doctors, including a system for identifying the prescriber and offering feedback, has failed to have a significant impact on error rates, the findings of a study show.…

Pharmacists in Wales take on pharmaceutical care of 23,000 patients in ‘pioneering’ primary care service

Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are forming part of a multidisciplinary primary healthcare service in Prestatyn, North Wales, set up and run directly by the local health board in response to a GP recruitment crisis.…

Doctors who take drug company payments prescribe more branded drugs

Doctors who accept payments from pharmaceutical companies write more prescriptions for branded drugs than those who don’t, according to a report.…

A Lonely Planet-style guide to going into hospital

‘Going into hospital? A guide for patients, carers and families’ by Oliver Warren, Bryony Dean Franklin and Charles Vincent. Pp ix+297 Paperback £14.99, e-book £9.99. Oxon: Eastdown Publishing; 2015. ISBN 978 0 9933122 0 5.…