Margaret McCartney: Bad language.

Margaret McCartney: Game on for Pokémon Go.

The game Pokémon Go is a “craze,” a “sensation.” You use a smartphone in a virtual scavenger hunt for cartoon characters, but in real locations. It appeals to youngsters and kidults. Download the app; start walking. My youngest child is delighted that his mother willingly accompanies him for miles. The middle child is disgusted with our dedication to the cause, but also (I think) impressed with...

Margaret McCartney: Nurses must be allowed to exercise professional judgment.

It has come to our attention that this Views and Reviews paper (BMJ 2017;356:j1548, doi:10.1136/bmj.j1548) contains an error. The article refers to "guidance written by the BMA, the Resuscitation Council, and the Royal College of Midwives." The guidance referred to is a joint publication from the BMA, the Resuscitation Council, and the Royal College of Nursing, not the Royal College of Midwives...

The press release, relative risks, and the polypill.

Margaret McCartney: Why GPs are stressed.

7. Your patients have an average of three issues to discuss, and you’re keen to talk about the ongoing need for drugs, aims of care, and informed choices. You also have—in 10 minutes or so—to consider targets for smoking cessation, advance care planning, flu vaccinations, and polypharmacy reviews. You’re meant to discuss bowel screening, give opportunistic advice on exercise, and raise the prob...

Margaret McCartney: Stop relying on charity.

In the past week three young people have come to my door, with lanyards and branded T shirts, asking me to pledge regular donations to charity. Each represented a big, national, medical charity, the kinds withmarketingmanagers and campaign teams. I said no to each one, which prompted two of them to enter into sales pitches about how helping to set up a direct debit would “just take a minute.” B...