Get into Medicine UK
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Reorganising Urgent Care
From the BBC: The NHS in England needs to provide a much simpler and co-ordinated system of round-the-clock urgent and emergency care, a review of its services says. It also warns that many patients are confused about who to turn to when they need urgent medical help, so too often they go to A&E units. … Continue reading
Red or Black? 50:50 lifetime risk of cancer
From the BBC: The number of people in the UK who will get cancer during their lifetime will increase to nearly half the population by 2020, a report has forecast. People living longer is thought to be a major reason for the increase. But the [Macmillan Cancer Support] said that more people were surviving cancer … Continue reading
Don’t go to the (operating) theatre on Fridays…?
From the BBC: People who have surgery towards the end of the week are more likely to die than those who have procedures earlier on, researchers say. A British Medical Journal report into non-emergency operations in England, suggests the overall risk of death from such planned procedures remains low. But it shows “unacceptable” variation in … Continue reading
Supplementing Diet
From the BBC, The Telegraph & The Daily Mail: Iodine deficiency ‘may lower UK children’s IQ’ Vitamin C kills drug-resistant TB in lab tests Vitamin B could stave off Alzheimers Vitamin D ‘helps beat symptoms of asthma’ Areas to think about: Hardly a day goes by without a news article suggesting that one or other … Continue reading
Angelina Jolie’s Double Mastectomy
From the BBC: Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie has undergone a double mastectomy to reduce her chances of getting breast cancer… She said her doctors estimated she had an 87% risk of breast cancer and a 50% risk of ovarian cancer. “I decided to be proactive and to minimise the risk as much I could,” she … Continue reading
111 Troubles
From the BBC: The new NHS non-emergency 111 telephone service in England is in a fragile state in a number of areas ahead of bank holiday weekend, NHS bosses admit. Reports have been emerging for weeks of calls going unanswered and poor advice being given, leading to hospitals being inundated with patients. The problems plaguing … Continue reading
Welsh Measles epidemic now over 800
From the BBC: The number of measles cases in the Swansea epidemic has increased to 808, officials say. Areas to think about: What is measles? Why was the young population in Wales susceptible to a measles epidemic? How does vaccination work? What was responsible for a drop in MMR vaccination rates, and what do you … Continue reading
Mapping the brain
From the BBC: The project is called Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies – or BRAIN… The project will begin in 2014… The $100m investment will be used to develop new technologies to investigate how the billions of individual cells in the human brain interact. Scientists will also focus on how the brain records, stores … Continue reading
97% of GPs have recommended placebos
From the BBC: In a poll, 97% of 783 GPs admitted that they had recommended a sugar pill or a treatment with no established efficacy for the ailment their patient came in with. The PLOS One study authors say this may not be a bad thing – doctors are doing it to help, not to … Continue reading
Born to get into Oxbridge?
From the BBC: The likelihood of becoming a student at Oxford or Cambridge Universities can be strongly influenced by date of birth… In seasonal terms, compared to the summer-born applicants, autumn births were 25% more likely to get an Oxbridge place, while for winter and spring births the figures were 17% and 15% more likely … Continue reading
