This episode is based on an article that discusses general practice in the UK setting. It considers the stresses the system is under, its overall delivery and the fact that is the bedrock of the NHS. It proposes that questions need to asked in order to decide on future funding investment needed to provide the service that is required and desired. Additionally it considers the political backdrop to the way the service functions and is viewed by those who do not necessarily believe in it.

 

The article is available through the BMJ website and the link is in the notes:

https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2021/09/28/will-the-nhs-survive-without-gps/?=&utm_source=adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=usage&utm_content=daily&utm_term=text

Hello and welcome to episode 42.

These two brief entries summarise  and discuss the same paper which is a cohort study that looked at the effect of anti-psychotic medication during pregnancy and the subsequent development of complications in the child.

The first is a brief summary that he is available on the BMJ site and the second is part of an editorial that is available in the original journal of JAMA.

The links to both are provided in the text.

https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2021/09/03/ann-robinsons-research-reviews-3-september-2021/

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2782822

Hello and welcome to episode 41.

 

The article this time considers continuity of care in the primary care setting and its importance in terms of hard health outcomes. The way in which health care systems are organised varies between countries and a strong relationship between the practitioner and patient exists more clearly in some systems than others. The article notes that this is the case in the UK, Denmark, Netherlands as well as Norway, the setting for this research and article.

As well as providing satisfaction in terms of having a regular relationship the research indicates, as does previous research, that  there are clear health benefits of an ongoing professional relationship.

The article is freely available and the link is in the notes.

 

https://bjgp.org/content/bjgp/early/2021/08/26/BJGP.2021.0340.full.pdf

Hello and welcome to episode 40.

This article written by an educationalist touches on the reality of general practice that you cannot know everything. Therefore, you have to be realistic during your working time to deal with gaps in knowledge: be willing to learn, search for answers and verify your understanding.

 Of course the application of this article goes beyond general practice. All specialities or areas of medical practice throw up new scenarios where you may lack knowledge. There is a recognition that we need to learn as we go along in our career.

I hope you find the article interesting and the link  to it is found in the notes so that you can read and listen.

https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n2025

Hello and welcome to episode 39.

 

This time we consider a public health intervention that had a positive effect on the reduction in  childhood obesity and the subsequent negative impact of withdrawing the funding for this service.

The  health consequences are felt in childhood and in later years. As the article points out childhood obesity is important both in childhood and has long-term effects into adult health.

From the paper the background information is read in addition to the abstract which points out the results of the change in the policy.

The link to the article is in the notes.

Happy listening

https://jech.bmj.com/content/75/9/860

Hello and welcome to episode 38.

 

This episode again considers the importance of head injury in sport and the development of future neurodegenerative disease. This particular cohort study analyses the risk of development of neurodegenerative disease in Scottish football players.

 

In the article the game is referred to as soccer, I assume as the journal is American, while the game is predominantly referred to as football around the world bar the United States.

The topic of head injury in sport has been considered before in the podcast in episode 4; link provided :(https://talk-medical-english.uk/2020/12/18/neurological-damage-and-rugby-union/)

This is a cohort study that retrospectively identifies the exposed group of interest through historical records of professional players. Exposure is quantified through the proxy of position played on the pitch as it is not possible to identify exposure directly for individuals. Exposure has also been quantified through the length of career. Control for confounding has been attempted by utilising  matched population-based controls by age and area socioeconomic status.

 

The link to the article is found in the notes:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2782750?resultClick=1

Hello and welcome to episode 37.

This episode is taken from the Lancet an is a commentary extolling the virtues of physical exercise for its public health benefits.These health benefits arrive in many forms. The commentary introduces a new series of articles on the benefits to health broadly of physical activity. The article on the Lancet website contains links to further articles in the series itself.

 

The link to the commentary is in the notes.

 

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)01652-4/fulltext

Hello and welcome to episode 36.

This week’s item is taken from the BMJ and is a short article that provides clinical advice for a rarely occurring side-effect of Covid-19 vaccination. It is interesting however, as it provides the symptoms of the clinical presentation to help with the identification of this rare side-effect. Additionally it advises the management steps and so is of clinical value.

The link to the article is in the notes.

https://www.bmj.com/content/374/bmj.n1914?=&utm_source=adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=usage&utm_content=daily&utm_term=text

----more----

Hello again.

The podcast has had to change hosting arrangements  and so the RSS links with the previous site have been broken.

So please research for Talk Medical English through your favourite podcasting app.

 

Episodes will still be available at https://talk-medical-english.uk

Hello and welcome to episode 35.

This week takes us away from infectious disease to something with a long-term public health impact.

The article, taken from the Lancet, is a systematic review and meta-analysis that considers the benefits of paternal education on child well-being as defined by mortality are different ages.

The introduction and abstract are read but there is a lot more detail in the article to read if the subject matter takes you interest.

The link to the article on the Lancet website is in the notes.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00534-1/fulltext