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Monthly Archives: May 2006

Right drug, wrong route

30-May-06

A reminder of the key advice I give to nurses in my drug safety talk:
“Right drug, right route, right patient.”

Filed in Medical error | | Comments (1) »

Thalidomide in children

30-May-06

The BBC report on the use of thalidomide in children with brain tumours.
While this may seem counter-intuitive, given the serious congenital disorders that thalidomide was responsible for, it should be remembered that one of the marketing angles for thalidomide in the 1950s was that it was a safety breakthrough for children.
At the time barbiturates were [...]

Filed in Adverse drug reactions, Advertising, Risk | | Comments (1) »

Where should I live?

28-May-06

Which country should you REALLY be living in?
Australia
G’day Mate! You’re a yokker. A true Aussie. You love the beach and barbies, as well as sport and sex. Life couldn’t get any simpler, and thats the way it should be. C’mon Aussie, C’mon!

Click Here to Take This QuizBrought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality [...]

Filed in Personal | | Comments (4) »

Euston Launch

27-May-06

Yesterday was the real-life launch of The Euston Manifesto at the Union Chapel, London. The meeting was an outstanding success with about 250 attendees. Chaired by Nick Cohen, the speakers included Norman Geras, Shalom Lappin, Eve Garrard (an occassional contributor to this blog), and Alan Johnson. In brief, Norman Geras set out the trigger for [...]

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Iraq solidarity motion

26-May-06

On Thursday I presented a motion to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain’s Branch Representative meeting, it was passed:
Birmingham and District Branch Motion
“It is the opinion of this meeting that Council should support and develop links with the Syndicate of Iraqi Pharmacists and schools of pharmacy in Iraq either directly or via international pharmacy [...]

Filed in Books to Iraq, Personal, Politics | | Comments Off

Non-medical prescribing

26-May-06

I have a letter in The Pharmaceutical Journal about the non-medical prescribing of drugs.

Filed in Medical error, NHS, Personal | | Comments Off

Exubera (inhaled insulin)

23-May-06

The German equivalent of NICE, The Institute of Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG), has posted a Rapid Review of Inhaled Insulin (Exubera) on its website. Here is what it has to say about safety:
Possible higher risk of severe hypoglycaemia
No studies were identified in which inhaled insulin was compared with insulin administered subcutaneously [...]

Filed in Adverse drug reactions | | Comments (1) »

Jose Perez

23-May-06

Here is a fascinating series of satirical paintings about medicine by Jose Perez. Particular favourites of mine are: The Radiologist, The Pathologist, and The Pharmacologist.
Don’t forget The Bureaucrats.

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Quackery on the NHS

23-May-06

At the same time as the NHS is making staff redundant, it may come as a surprise to some that the NHS is at the same time buying ineffective treatments, which have no supporting evidence. Thirteen rational men have written to NHS Trusts to argue that only evidence-based treatments should be bought by the NHS.
A [...]

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