Patient care will suffer, warn doctors UK law changes pose a threat to the security of messaging apps – and therefore their use in the NHS. In The BMJ today, doctors warn that patient care will suffer if they can no longer use apps such asWhatsApp and Signal to share information. In ...

Sir Michael Marmot calls on political leaders to set up a national health inequalities strategy With an election looming, the next government must have health equity at its heart to avoid more devastating and avoidable loss of lives, argues Professor Sir Michael Marmot in The BMJ today. In an open letter to ...

Study suggests a general ban doesn’t seem necessary Healthcare workers will be relieved to know that hospital coffee machines are not responsible for spreading disease and a general ban doesn’t seem necessary, finds a study published in the Christmas issue of The BMJ.  In a bid to eliminate hospital acquired (nosocomial) ...

Study highlights the positive impact of doctors working over the festive period, and may prompt broadcasters to air new Doctor Who episodes each year at Christmas A new Doctor Who episode shown during the festive period, especially on Christmas Day, is associated with lower death rates in the subsequent year across the ...

While Barbie’s career options have increased in recent decades, there is clearly still room for improvement, say experts Barbie should consider expanding her medical and scientific careers into areas where women and other under-represented groups remain a minority, suggests a study published in the Christmas issue of The BMJ.  The ever-popular ...

Findings should help improve processes and patterns of care for all patients Death rates after major surgery are similar regardless of whether a male or female surgeon operates on a male or female patient, finds a large US study published by The BMJ today. The differences seen were small and not clinically ...

Investigation raises concerns that the system is not operating as intended and signals are being missed A US reporting system designed to detect potential safety issues with vaccines is supposed to be user-friendly, responsive, and transparent. But an investigation published by The BMJ today finds it’s not meeting its own standards. The Vaccine ...