Medical Centre

Postgraduate students in universities in the UK will generally undertake a research project as part of their degree. How can academics successfully support their students to ensure they have a good learning experience and successfully complete their research project? The first meeting with the student sets the foundation for a successful supervisory relationship. It’s essential for academics to establish clear expectations, foster effective communication, and provide the necessary guidance to support the student during their research project. 1. Introduction & Background: Begin the meeting by introducing yourself and providing an overview of your research expertise and experience. Ask the student to introduce themselves and their background, including their research interests and motivations for pursuing the project. 2. Research Project Overview: Provide a detailed overview of the research project, including its objectives, scope, and any specific research questions that need to ...

With England’s NHS under immense pressure even before the full onset of winter, here are some tips on how you can make the most of the NHS, use health services more appropriately, and obtain the care you and your family need to protect your health and wellbeing. Attend for appointments for medication reviews and for the management of long-term conditions when invited. This is important because it helps to ensure that your medication is up-to-date and that your condition is being managed effectively. Take-up the offer of Covid-19 and flu vaccinations if you are eligible. Vaccinations are the best way to protect yourself from these serious illnesses. Also take up any other NHS vaccinations you and your family are eligible for. Use the NHS app to book appointments, view your GP medical record and order repeat prescriptions. This is a convenient and efficient way to manage your healthcare. Be aware of the range of options for NHS care – including opticians, pharmacists, self-referral servi...

In this post, I will discuss methods used to measure the frequency of disease: incidence and prevalence . These are essential tools for governments, health care planners, doctors, public health specialists, and epidemiologists in their efforts to protect the health of the public. Incidence is the rate at which new cases of a disease occur in a population during a specified time period. It is calculated by dividing the number of new cases by the population at risk during that time period. Incidence Rate =  Number of new cases / Person-time at risk  × N Where N is a number such as 1,000 or 100,000. For example, if there were 100,000 myocardial infarctions in England each year, the annual incidence would be 1.75 per 10,000 people (100,000 / 57,000,000 x 10,000). Prevalence is the proportion of individuals in a population who have a disease or other health outcome of interest at a specified point in time (point prevalence) or during a specified period of time (period pr...

A new campaign from NHS England and the UKHSA aims to raise awareness about the prevalence and risks of urinary tract infections (UTIs), particularly among older people and carers, and to reduce hospital admissions related to UTIs. The campaign offers advice on preventive measures. It emphasizes the importance of staying hydrated, going to the toilet as soon as the need arises, and maintaining hygiene in the genital area. Resources, including posters, are being made available to healthcare services, charities, royal colleges, and care homes to disseminate this information as widely as possible. The guidance comes ahead of a potentially busy winter season for the NHS, a time when the health service is usually under increased pressure. As part of a larger effort to manage healthcare resources, the campaign encourages the use of alternative services like NHS 111, community pharmacists, and urgent care walk-in centres for less critical cases. This is in line with the broader NHS plan of e...

In this post, I will discuss sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value in relation to diagnostic and screening tests. Many more people have become aware of these measures during the Covid-19 pandemic with the increased use of lateral flow and PCR tests. In clinical practice and public health, sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value are important measures of the performance of diagnostic and screening tests. These measures can help clinicians, public health specialists and the public to understand the accuracy of a test and to make informed decisions about its use in patient care. Sensitivity: The proportion of people with a disease who test positive on a diagnostic or screening test. Sensitivity = True Positives / (True Positives + False Negatives) Specificity: The proportion of people without a disease who test negative on a diagnostic or screening test. Specificity = True Negatives / (True Negatives + False Positives) Positive predictive value (PPV): The proporti...

Our new study published in the British Journal of General Practice examines uptake of the NHS App in England. The NHS App was launched in January 2019 as a "front door" to digitally enabled health services, allowing patients to access their personal health information online. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the app saw a significant increase in downloads, especially with the introduction of the COVID Pass feature. However, the uptake of the app has revealed some important trends and inequalities that need to be addressed. The Study A comprehensive observational study used monthly NHS App user data at general-practice level in England from January 2019 to May 2021. Different statistical models were applied to assess changes in the level and trend of use of various functionalities of the app, particularly before and after the first COVID-19 lockdown. Key Findings Between January 2019 and May 2021, the NHS App was downloaded 8,524,882 times and registered 4,449,869 us...

Doctors and other NHS professionals in England are often asked to write in support of patients applying for benefits such as Personal Independence Payments (PIP) or Employment Support Allowance (ESA); which support people with disabilities and long-term health conditions.  These benefits are vital for people suffering from long-term health conditions and disabilities, offering them financial help that can significantly improve their wellbeing and quality of life. Given the critical nature of these benefits and the stringent criteria often applied during the assessment process, the letters we write can play an essential role in securing this much-needed support for our patients. Here is some guidance on how to write a more effective and relevant letter of support based on my long experience as an NHS doctor in writing such letters. 1. Introduce yourself and describe your relationship to the patient, including how long you have known them and in what capacity. This will help establis...

The importance of the global emphasis on physical activity for health cannot be understated. However, it is crucial to address one of the adverse effects of contact sports—specifically, sport-related concussions. Sport-Related Concussion is a traumatic brain injury caused by a direct blow to the head, neck, or body resulting in an impulsive force being transmitted to the brain. Sport-Related Concussion can present with a wide range of signs and symptoms, and can affect a person's thinking, concentration, memory, mood, and behaviour. These incidents are common and account for a significant number of emergency department visits. They also have some long-term risks, including cognitive and neurological problems. Recent publications, like the consensus statement from the Concussion In Sport Group and the UK Government's landmark concussion guidance, offer valuable insights in the management of Sport-Related Concussion. This blog – based on our recent article in the British Jour...