Medicine and Science from The BMJ

Coronavirus second wave - 100,000 deaths

Recorded on the 26th January 2021
The UK has become, officially, the worst performing country in terms of Covid-19 deaths, per head of population - and the number of people in hospital is still higher than at any point in the pandemic.
In this podcast, Fiona Godlee, editor in chief of The BMJ, talks to; Partha Kar, consultant in diabetes and endocrinology in Portsmouth, Matt Morgan, a consultant in a intensive care medicine in Cardiff, and Helen Salisbury, GP in Oxfordshire.
They talk about working in the NHS at the moment, and the challenges in things like oxygen and vaccine supplies. How the pandemic has exposed a gap in general medicine, and the importance of challenging poor responses at all levels.

Coronavirus second wave - The view from the front line

In the UK, over 37,000 people are in hospital with covid-19, and the NHS comes closer than ever to being overwhelmed - though 4 million people have received their first dose of the vaccine, we are warned that things will get worse before they get better.
In this podcast, Fiona Godlee, editor in chief of The BMJ, talks to; Partha Kar, consultant in diabetes and endocrinology in Portsmouth, Matt Morgan, a consultant in a intensive care medicine in Cardiff, Helen Salisbury, GP in Oxfordshire, and Nisreen Alwan, public health consultant in Southampton, about the pressure on hospitals, why GPs are questioning the need for max vaccination centres, and why the public health approach can't be just lockdown and vaccinations.
www.bmj.com/coronavirus

The BMJ interview: Fixing America’s covid response in the Biden era

US president elect Joe Biden wasted no time in appointing a special advisory board of experts to guide America out of its coronavirus crisis.
One of those experts is Celine Gounder, an infectious diseases epidemiologist who has worked on Ebola, tuberculosis, and HIV in Africa and South America. She’s a clinical assistant professor of medicine and infectious diseases at New York University’s School of Medicine, as well as an active writer and podcast host, including of Epidemic
In this podcast she talks to Joanne Silberner about the ways in which the taskforce is helping prepare for action immediately after the inauguration, what the big challenges they need to tackle are, and how they plan to rebuild trust in the U.S. covid response.
https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n33

Talk Evidence - Lateral flow tests update, not the best public health approach

In this episode of Talk Evidence, Jon Deeks, professor of biostatistics at the University of Birmingham, returns to the pod with an update on lateral flow tests - and why the government plan for using them in asymptomatic screening for covid-19 doesn't follow the science.
We're also joined by Allyson Pollock, clinical professor of public health at Newcastle University, and author of a recent editorial in The BMJ about asymptomatic transmission of SARS-CoV-2. She explains why she thinks supporting social isolation is the missing piece of our approach to tackling the pandemic.
Covid-19 INNOVA testing in schools: don’t just test, evaluate
https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2021/01/12/covid-19-innova-testing-in-schools-dont-just-test-evaluate/
Asymptomatic transmission of covid-19
https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4851

The BMJ Interview - Andrew Pollard on the Oxford/Astra Zeneca vaccine

Andrew Pollard is Director of the Oxford Vaccines Group - who, along with Astra Zeneca, have developed an modified adenovirus vaccine for SARS-CoV-2.
In this interview we talk to him about the development of that vaccine - what he thinks about the UK government's plan to increase the interval between doses; if he worries about a mutating virus and vaccine escape; and how the university came to make a deal with a commercial company to provide cost-price vaccinations for the world.
www.bmj.com/coronavirus

Wellbeing - where to turn for emotional support during the pandemic

The Samaritans have traditionally been there for people in a crisis, those who are on the verge of ending their life by suicide - but during this pandemic, with the personal toll of caring for covid-19 patients, they are also here to provide emotional support for NHS staff however they are feeling.
In this podcast, Ben Phillips, head of service programmes for Samaritans joins us to explain how being listened to can help - and how to tactfully point your colleagues towards that emotional help if you feel they need it.
If you need support at this time you can call 0800 069 6222
or visit https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/health-and-care/

Food aid - helping providers support the health of their users

The growth in the need for food aid, in the UK, has been staggering. That's why The BMJ has chosen the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN) as its annual charity appeal.
Nutritional guidelines which work for everyone is difficult, even harder for food aid providers who have to factor in things like long term storage, reduced access to fresh produce and in some cases the inability to afford the electricity to cook with.
In this podcast, Sabine Goodwin, IFAN's coordinator is joined by Isabel Rice, dietician at the charity Centrepoint, and Dee Woods, co-chair of IFAN and who co-runs Granville Community Kitchen, a food aid provider in London.
Please time the time to donate at;
https://www.foodaidnetwork.org.uk/bmj

Coronavirus second wave - The UK’s fourth lockdown

Recorded Tuesday 5th Jan 2021
As the UK enters lockdown, again, schools are closed, the NHS struggles under the surge of cases, new variants of SARS-COV-2 virus stalk the world, and vaccination programmes make a faltering start.
In this podcast, Fiona Godlee, editor in chief of The BMJ, talks to Matt Morgan, a consultant in a intensive care medicine in Cardiff, Helen Salisbury, GP in Oxfordshire, and Nisreen Alwan, public health consultant in Southampton, about the pressure on critical care, England's vaccination roll out, the closure of schools and why communication is undermining trust in the vaccines.
All the BMJ's corona virus coverage is currently free to access
www.bmj.com/coronavirus

Listening is the first part of research

The BMJ has long campaigned for better patient and public participation in research, making the case that it leads to better outcomes for patients and for society - but an article published in the Christmas edition of The BMJ goes further than that - and talks about the insights that participants in research provide- insights that the academic team would never be able to have themselves.
In this podcast, Seb Crutch a professor of neuropsychology, and Martin Rossor, national director for dementia research - who have been involved in neurological research as academics, and also by Valerie Mansfield, who’s a member of a patient support group, discuss how the scientific establishment can recognise those invaluable insights.
Read the full article:
https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4478

A (non-systematic) evidence review of 2020

As 2021 hoves into view, we look back at a year of extraordinary evidence.
Helen Macdonald is joined by Joe Ross, one of The BMJ's research editors, as well as a researcher at Yale.
They discuss the way in which clinical pre-prints have become an important part of the research ecosystem, especially during the pandemic, and pick up on some of the non-coronavirus things you might have missed in the deluge of data.