Cervical spine injuries result primarily from car accidents, falls, and sports activities (such as rugby or diving into shallow water).

They can occur in young and old, and can cause considerable complications - from chronic pain to medication dependence.

So what if anything can we do to ensure that it is diagnosed and managed correctly?

To answer this and other important questions, please do have a listen to this interview with Muhammad Dherijha, Consultant in Complex Spinal Surgery at the Northern Care Alliance in Manchester.

For more on cervical spine injuries, visit BMJ Best Practice.

Competing interests: none

Comorbidities are common and important in all countries around the world. They have a significant impact on patients and healthcare providers. The BMJ Best Practice Comorbidities Manager has been designed to help healthcare professionals better manage patients with common combinations of comorbidities. This BMJ Best Practice podcast is an interview with Professor Neera Ahuja, Professor of Medicine, Associate Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President at Stanford Healthcare. Competing interests: NA has received honoraria for editorial work on BMJ Best Practice

Acute severe asthma is common. The global prevalence, morbidity and mortality, and economic burden caused by asthma have progressively increased over the last few decades. About 300 million people worldwide currently have asthma. About 180,000 deaths annually are caused by asthma. And most asthma deaths are preventable. So it is important that we get the diagnosis and management of this condition right. To find out more about this problem and what we can do about it, please do listen to his podcast interview with Richard Russell, Specialty Registrar in Respiratory Medicine, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK. Richard is one of the authors of our topic on acute asthma on BMJ Best Practice. Competing interests: RR has received support from Chiesi. 

Panic disorder is common. The prevalence of panic disorder is 2% to 3% in adults and adolescents. And panic disorder can cause distress, substance abuse, and treatment related side effects. So it is important that we get the diagnosis and management of this condition right. To find out more about this problem and what we can do about it, please do listen to his podcast interview with Professor Craig Sawchuk of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester. Craig is the author of our topic on panic disorder on BMJ Best Practice. Competing interests: None

Uterine fibroids are common. They represent the most common solid tumours of the female pelvis and are a leading indication for hysterectomy. And complications are frequent also - from bleeding to obstetric complications. So what can we do to ensure that we get the diagnosis and management of this condition right? To answer this and other important questions, please do have a listen to this podcast interview with Professor Ayman Al-Hendy, Tenured Professor at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Chicago. Competing interests: AAH has served on the external advisory boards of Bayer, AbbVie, Myovant, Pfizer, ObsEva and Allergan, and has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health.

The Darzi report states that “a recurring theme is that the recommendations of previous reviews have not been universally adopted.” So can we do better this time? In this podcast, Professor Martyn Patel discusses how healthcare professionals can use BMJ Best Practice to improve care in areas where Darzi says that it needs to improve. In things like comorbidities, cardiovascular care, and emergency medicine. Martyn works for Norwich Medical School, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, and is also an expert panel member of BMJ Best Practice. 

Among men aged 15 to 44 years, testicular tumours are the most common cancer diagnosed. And testicular cancer can cause considerable morbidity and mortality. So it is important that we get the diagnosis and management of this condition right. To find out more about this problem and what we can do about it, please do listen to his podcast interview with Corbin Eule, Assistant Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. And importantly Corbin is BMJ Best Practice author on testicular cancer. Competing interests: None

The prevalence of precocious puberty is difficult to estimate - it is probably between  1 in 500 and 1 in 5000 children. Unfortunately, complications are common - from distress to short stature to psychological problems. So it is important that we get the diagnosis and management of this condition right. To find out more about this problem and what we can do about it, please do listen to this podcast interview with Dr Comfort King of BMJ and Dr Talat Mushtaq, Consultant in Paediatric Endocrinology at Leeds Teaching Hospitals. Competing interests: TM has received support from Novo Nordisk and Pfizer to attend overseas conferences. He has also received honoraria from Kyowa Kirin for lectures and educational events.