Medical advice to the NHS: a simpler structure.

A reporter's advice to medical researchers.

In my three decades with the Associated Press, I interviewed thousands of physicians and scientists. Most were gracious and generous with their time. But occasionally, I felt like an attorney taking a deposition from a reluctant witness. And who could fault their lack of enthusiasm? I like to think that reporters are not especially unpleasant to deal with, although their need to work quickly, o...

Let’s Raise a Half-Full Glass to the Zombie NHS: A Response to Recent Commentaries

“Ramadan challenges: Fasting against medical advice

AbstractAim: Fasting against medical advice (FAMA) is a major challenge for many physicians who treat patients with diabetes during the month of Ramadan. The significance of this phenomenon has not been evaluated in Muslim populations. The goal of this study was to assess the rate and consequences of FAMA in our high-risk patients.Methods: This is a retrospective case-control study. Patients we...

Medical Tourism: A Cost or Benefit to the NHS?

'Medical Tourism' - the phenomenon of people travelling abroad to access medical treatment - has received increasing attention in academic and popular media. This paper reports findings from a study examining effect of inbound and outbound medical tourism on the UK NHS, by estimating volume of medical tourism and associated costs and benefits. A mixed methods study it includes analysis of the U...

Discharge Against Medical Advice in Teaching Hospitals: A Telephone Survey

Background: Discharge with personal consent is considered as one of the main problems in hospitalization condition since many patients leave the hospital prematurely against the doctor’s advice. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify the factors affecting the discharge with personal satisfaction in selected teaching hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Methods: The pr...