Medical profession

Launch of Prescribing Awareness Week initiative

There is much healthcare professionals could do to help patients get the best outcomes from medicines. Some of the challenges include, for example, insufficient information about medicines and preventable hospital admissions caused by the adverse effect of medicines. Our GP practice in West Yo…

Junior doctors vote overwhelmingly for industrial action in the UK

Around 98% of junior doctors have voted in favour of industrial action over the UK government’s threat to impose a new contract on them from August 2016.…

NHS England doubles funding for GP practice pharmacist pilot

NHS England has announced that it is doubling the size of the pilot that will see pharmacists employed directly in GP practices following an “overwhelmingly positive response” from surgeries.…

Pharmacists must support their junior doctor colleagues

Junior doctors deserve support during this difficult period in their careers.…

UK doctors could be reported for inappropriate antibiotic prescribing

Healthcare professionals should question their colleagues’ prescribing of antimicrobials when they don’t comply with local or national guidelines, according to Mark Baker, director of the clinical centre for practice at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.…

How trainee pharmacist independent prescribers can work with their supervisors

In order to qualify as an independent prescriber, pharmacists must be supervised by a designated medical practitioner. Sasa Jankovic explains how aspiring prescribers can help their supervisors understand their role.…

Drug and medical device companies paid US doctors and hospitals US$6.5bn in 2014

Pharmaceutical and medical device companies paid US$6.5bn in fees to US physicians and teaching hospitals in 2014, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.…

GPs call for legislation to end patent protection for specific drugs

While patent protection is important for stimulating drug development, a second medical use patent for pregabalin has caused “considerable” work for pharmacies.…

Violence against healthcare staff needs to be stemmed, report urges

The global health community needs to act to stem violent attacks against health workers in conflict hotspots, which seriously impede people in need from receiving life-saving health services, says a global report by rights advocacy groups.…

Shortcomings of the US healthcare system

‘Doctored: the disillusionment of an American physician’ by Sandeep Jauhar.…